Why the Tortoise Has Patchy, Broken Shell

About the Book

When the party was over, everyone left, and the tortoise has no means of going home. The tortoise jumped from the sky and landed on hard rocks on the earth and shattered his shell. He became so sick and spent so many months behind the rocks. Although he got better, his shell became cracked and patchy. This is why the tortoise’s shell is patchy.

About the Author

STORIES FOR MORAL DEVELOMENT: AN AFRICAN PERSPECTIVE This book “Why the Tortoise Has Patchy, Broken Shell” is the second of the seven story series on early moral development for young children by the same author (Ijey V. Nwachuku). As I stated in the first book and second books “In the Land of Animals & Two Equal Parts” in the traditional African communities in general, among the Igbos in particular, folktales are used for moral development during the early years of life. Animals of various characters are used in creating stories for moral development. These stories are used for illustrating real life experiences. The characters and behaviors of animals in these stories help children understand basic moral principles like respect for elders, responsibility for self and other important relationships within the community. During storytelling time, children are encouraged to generate their own answers to various moral questions posed through the stories. Storytime is a very important event and children are expected to give their undivided attention to the storyteller. How attentive the children are determines how much they will understand from the story. In addition to the moral lessons from the story, the storyteller use this opportunity to observe how much attention children pay to their parents, teachers and other significant adults in their lives. Professor Ijey V. Nwachuku is a full professor and pioneer program coordinator of Early Childhood Education program at Middlesex Community College in Middletown Connecticut, USA. She is also the author of the two books “In the Land of Animals & Two Equal Parts”. Prior to her current tenure at the college, Professor Nwachuku was an Assistant Professor and Coordinator of a multi-million United States government grant project on Early Childhood Education and Violent Prevention Counseling at Southern Connecticut State University. She later served as the Executive Director of New Haven Child Development education system. She is also currently a diaspora visiting professor at colleges and universities in Nigeria. Professor Ijey Nwachuku holds a bachelor’s degree in Food Science and Nutrition, a master’s degree in child development and a doctorate degree in early childhood development and education from University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Professor Nwachuku has written and presented several papers at national and international professional conferences. She is a member of National Association for the Education of Young Children and other national and international professional organizations.