A
wonderful children’s book, Old Turtle and the Broken Truth, written by
Douglas Wood with watercolor illustrations by Jon J. Muth, tells an imaginary
story of how the world came to be so fragmented when it is meant to be whole
and how we might put it back together again.
In a far-away land that
“is somehow not so far away,” one night a truth falls from the stars. And as it
falls, it breaks into two pieces—one piece blazes off through the sky and the
other falls straight to the ground. One day a man stumbles upon the
gravity-drawn truth and finds carved on it the words, “You are loved.” It makes
him feel good, so he keeps it and shares it with the people in his tribe. The
thing sparkles and makes the people who have it feel warm and happy. It becomes
their most prized possession, and they call it “The Truth.” Those who have the
truth grow afraid of those who don’t have it, who are different than they are.
And those who don’t have it covet it. Soon people are fighting wars over the
small truth, trying to capture it for themselves.
A little girl who is
troubled by the growing violence, greed, and destruction in her once peaceful
world goes on a journey—through the Mountains of Imagining, the River of
Wondering Why, and the Forest of Finding Out—to speak with Old Turtle, the wise
counselor. Old Turtle tells her that the Truth is broken and missing a piece, a
piece that shot off in the night sky so long ago. Together they search for it,
and when they find it the little girl puts the jagged piece in her pocket and
returns to her people. She tries to explain, but no one will listen or
understand. Finally a raven flies the broken truth to the top of a tower where
the other piece has been ensconced for safety, and the rejoined pieces shine
their full message: “You are loved / and so are they.” And the people begin to
comprehend. And the earth begins to heal.
