Note: I received a digital review copy from the publisher through NetGalley. ( )

With school starting very soon, this is an excellent book to read to your children, or to a classroom at the beginning of the year. Tortoise is having difficulty making friends, in fact, elephant and hippo are downright mean to him. They make him believe that he is small, ugly and stupid (I dislike this word very much, but it is used). When he finally comes up with an idea to show them that he is very brainy, the big, macho animals fall for it. Of course, they realize how wrong they are in the end and all become friends. I wish life were that simple. With a discussion about what the issues are, what is the correct way to act and treat others, this book could help young children to become better citizens and not fall into this trap of judging others based on their appearance before it happens. The illustrations are amazing. They are large, detailed and colourful. I think reading this to younger children might not get the message across but could elicit some conversations and vocabulary development just be discussing the illustrations. A wonderful addition to a school, class or family library. The publisher, Quarto Publishing Group - Frances Lincoln Childrens, generously provided me with a copy of this book to read. The rating, ideas and opinions stated are my own. ( )

I am sorry I just did not like this book. And I think it all hinges on the word “stupid”. Tortoise wants to make friends. But the elephant says he is too small. The hippo says he's not big enough. Later in the book the elephant calls the tortoise “stupid” for challenging him to tug of war. It just sits wrong with me. I see what the author was trying to do. This is a more modern, slightly different Tortoise and the Hare story, but the word choice just turned me off. I do want to give a shout out to the illustrator because they did an excellent job. ( )

British author/illustrator Naomi Howarth, who made her debut with the well-received folkloric retelling, The Crow's Tale, delivers an engaging look at bullying and the triumph of brains over brawn in this second picture-book. When Tortoise is cruelly rebuffed by both Elephant and Hippo while trying to make friends, the little creature is downhearted. But after a discussion with Bird, he realizes that just because he is small, doesn't mean he is inferior, setting out to prove it by tricking his two gigantic foes into a tug-of-war content - with each other!

I enjoyed Tug of War quite a bit, appreciating both the story, with its inbuilt message about size not necessarily equaling worth, and its gorgeous artwork. In truth, although I found the story sweet, it was Howarth's illustrations which really made this one stand out for me. She utilizes a vivid color palette, and her animal characters appear both stylistic and yet somehow also realistic. Recommended to anyone looking for new children's stories about using one's smarts to outwit a physically stronger opponent, or about standing up to bullying. ( )