The tortoise has always preferred a very quiet sort of life, but all that changed one day when he was snatched off his rock, put in a box, and plunked on a ship, bound for New York. They had plans for him – he was going to become turtle soup!
But as luck would have it, after arriving in New York, he bounced out of his box and landed on the lap of a diner. The man’s name was Pelonius Pimplewhite, and he decided to take the tortoise home with him.
Pelonius was a horticulturist, and he had a wonderful garden. The tortoise thought he’d died and gone to heaven. Pelonius named him Sunny Boy, and from that moment on, Sunny Boy thought his life was set in stone – but tortoises live longer than people, and after many years, Pelonius passed away, and Sunny Boy went to live with the nephew, Cornelius.
Cornelius was a bright lad who loved to collect stamps. The two of them spent hours together poring over Cornelius’s stamp collection. However, tortoises do live longer than people, and Cornelius passed on as well, and Sunny Boy went to live with his nephew, Augustus.
Augustus was a genius and spoke Latin. Together they spent hour after hour poring over Latin books. But you know what’s coming next . . . that’s right, he died, and Sunny Boy went to live with his nephew.
Biff the Daredevil.
Sunny Boy’s quiet existence was shattered. Now he rode around in a motorcycle sidecar, screeching around corners, sploshing through mud puddles. Being shot out of cannons. Riding in airplanes. It really was all too much to bear.
But the worst thing of all – one day Biff decided he wanted to go over Niagara Falls! Sunny Boy was terrified. He tried everything he could to get out of it. Surprisingly enough, when time came for the deed, Sunny found himself strangely exhilarated! Now this was living!
Biff decided to become an explorer, and he found Sunny a nice home with a little girl who grew flowers and spoke Latin. Sunny had to admit, he sort of missed the wild days, even while enjoying some peace and quiet. But every time Biff came for a visit, they’d take a motorcycle ride, and that was just fine with Sunny.
(This book was published in 2005 by Melanie Kroupa Books and was illustrated by Anne Wilsdorf.)
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