ALFIE by Thyra Heder.  New York:  Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2017.  40p. ISBN 978-141972529-6 hc. $17.95    Gr. K-3     E PIC

Alfie, the turtle, left the pet store to live with Nia on her sixth birthday.  They were both six years old.  Nia fed Alfie, played with him, and told him stories every day, until her seventh birthday when he disappeared from his aquarium.  An artistic transition page leads readers to Alfie's side of the story.  Because he loved spending time with Nia, he wanted to get her an amazing present for their seventh birthday.  He left the aquarium, traveled through the house, and ventured out into town, only to return to the backyard pond for a well-deserved hibernation in the mud.  When he woke up in the spring, as turtles do, he was welcomed to Nia's birthday celebration - a year late.  The ink and watercolor illustrations are a visual treat and truly add to the story - especially the surprise ending.
Lynette Suckow, Superiorland Preview Center, Marquette, MI