A tortoise starting school worries about what might go wrong. “What if … he tripped and fell? Or he didn’t like lunch? Or the kids were mean to him?” But the tortoise considers the positive possibilities, too. “What if … it was fun?” The potential for delight outweighs the potential for disaster, and the tortoise enters the classroom. That’s when an already charming story takes an unexpected and hilarious turn: It turns out kids aren’t the only ones with first-day jitters. Lucy M. George’s witty twist on a typical back-to-school theme gains additional charm with Merel Eyckerman’s blithe illustrations. (Ages 3–6)