ALA Booklist (Sun Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 1991)

Sometimes it seems as though the more significant an issue becomes, the harder it is to write about. In this tale of environmental decline, MacGill-Callahan and Moser make a good effort but ultimately succumb to the heavy-handedness that plagues so many books on the subject. The text is inspired by a carved-stone turtle displayed in the New York Botanical Garden. The story begins as an Indian grandfather carves the turtle from a rock, intending the representation to be the eyes of Manitou the All-Father. The turtle will watch the Delaware Indians and be their voice to Manitou. As he watches, things go from bad to worse. Strangers chop down the forest, the white water turns brown, and city lights dim the stars. Teenagers blind the turtle with graffiti. Finally, a wise old man perceives the worn form of the turtle under the paint and takes it to the botanical garden, where it inspires new generations of children. Although the text begins well and poetically, the ensuing catalog of degradations--unfortunately told from the turtle's point of view--leads too insistently to the moral. Moser's watercolors, though often lovely, also suffer from ponderousness: for example, the teenagers are stereotypical punks, snarling and gyrating to the music of boom boxes. Nonetheless, given the current emphasis on ecology, librarians may wish to consider adding this book. Though far from ideal, it is better than many. (Reviewed Sept. 1, 1991)

Horn Book

In her first book, the author tells of a rock carved by a Delaware Indian to resemble a turtle. The turtle watches the land deteriorate as whites replace the Indians until one man recognizes the carving and takes the rock to the botanical garden. Moser's handsome paintings give dignity to the touching story.

Kirkus Reviews

An old man carves a turtle in a rock as a symbol of the All- Father who watches over the Delawares. The turtle observes the years go by, white men clearing the land, the city invading the peace—and finally the hoods who spray-paint his eyes so that he can no longer see. Then a man recognizes the Native American artifact beneath the graffiti and arranges for the rock to be displayed indoors, in New York's Botanical Garden, where it can actually be seen. Moser's beautifully balanced book design and powerful paintings ably contribute to the story's dignity and purpose. (Picture book. 6-10)"

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

This striking, moving picture book carefully avoids didacticism as it treats the serious theme of pollution,"""" said PW, also lauding Moser's """"exquisite"""" watercolors. Ages 5-up. (Nov.)

School Library Journal

Gr 1-4-- This story begins long ago when a Grandfather carves a turtle from a rock to be the eyes of Manitou. The turtle watches as his people, the Delaware, prosper and grow. He watches new people arrive, people who change the earth, eventually polluting the water, the air, even the stone upon which the turtle rests. The turtle becomes blinded and forgotten until an anthropologist recognizes him under the graffiti and places him in the New York Botanical Garden where children once again hear him. The narrative voice is reserved and contemplative, which enhances the Native American flavor of the story, but underplays the drama of the events. Moser's watercolor illustrations provide much of the drama the text lacks. His portraits of the old man carving the stone or the teenagers spray-painting the rock convey an immediacy and provide a visual connection with the people and their time. Unfortunately, the stone turtle's story, fabricated from fact, myth, and vision, is weighed down by its obvious message. And as wonderful as the message is, it's likely to appeal only to concerned adults who use it to teach children to respect the environment and the Native American people. --Karen K. Radtke, Milwaukee Public Library