Kathryn Waddell Takara

Timmy Turtle Teaches Kathryn Waddell Takara

The book you hold in your hands draws inspiration from the magic of turtles-magnificent creatures who have a cherished place in the imaginations of peoples throughout the world. Meet Sugar Daisy , her family and friends and travel with her as she journeys from one powerful adventure to the next from Alabama to the East Coast, France, West Africa. and Hawai`i. Ethnicity, culture, and travel reveal the similarities in people and the diversity in places that educate the readers both young and old. Experience the life lessons of Sugar Daisy and Timmy Turtle. For some cultures, the turtle's back symbolizes heaven, its body the earth, and its belly the underworld; for others, the shell represents the dome of heaven and heavenly virtue; still others see in turtle magic the possibility of uniting heaven and earth, with the turtle a symbol of creation. Turtles are omnivores and among the oldest land animals. Sea turtles have existed longer than any other vertebrate animal. They were here with the dinosaurs, surviving the Ice Age. Flourishing in the oceans and on all five continents, turtles have the ability to adapt [and flourish] to any environment. Although many traditional tales in Far Eastern and North American Indian cultures emphasize the figure of the land-dwelling tortoise, and there are many names for these delightful reptiles, for simplicity, in my story, Timmy Turtle Teaches, I use the word turtle. There are three major types of what people generally call turtles: those living on earth are called tortoises; those living in the water are called turtles; and those living both in water and on land they are called terrapins. Because of the hard-shell shelters that they carry with them, turtles can withdraw and hide when in the midst of turmoil. Thus, they teach lessons of self-protection and self-containment, and the importance of focusing inward. They can give of themselves, yet can withdraw when necessary. The shell is like a psychic shield, a suit of armor, to protect against the negative thoughts and actions of others. By going within, turtles have the power to help people stay grounded, relaxing and allowing [one's] ideas to germinate in the silence of the inner self. Turtles remind people to slow down, heighten their sensitivities and sensibilities, see the interconnectedness of all things, and ponder the wonder of it all. Because turtles cannot separate themselves from their shell, a lesson of the turtle symbol is that humans should not separate themselves from what they do and how they act toward Mother Earth.