Tom Turtle

About the Book

This story is about how one turtle’s inherently slow qualities were used in a manner to achieve his ultimate goal to be the best. It is to encourage children to slow down and absorb knowledge, than to rush through only to not retain what they’ve learned. It will make those who are slower learners feel that they too can achieve their goals and aspirations in life. It’s important that our children do not feel inferior to others and that our teachers understand that each student learns at a different rate. Captain Howard’s Story Time books are also meant to teach, entertain and excite the imagination of the young reader so that reading may become a lifelong pastime as a source of information and enjoyment.

About the Author

Born Howard Courtney Williams, son of Jamaican immigrants, Captain Howard grew up in Harlem, New York. His love of nature was nurtured through his decade-long association with the Boy Scouts of America. As his suburban and rural outdoor activities increased his observance and understanding of nature became as important to him as surviving life as a city dweller. When Captain Howard could not leave for the suburbs he regularly fished the local waters throughout all five boroughs of New York City, including the rivers surrounding Manhattan Island. He spent long hours in the large parks, such as Edgecombe Park in Washington Heights and Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx. He walked the trails and observed the abundant wildlife that most city dwellers never knew existed in their own backyards. Captain Howard was a New York City union plasterer and drywall finisher for over thirty years before becoming a commodity options pit trader at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. He was also an independent tractor-trailer driver for many years. Later, he became an independent charter fishing boat captain before retiring in south Florida. Captain Howard’s diverse work background and hobbies add flavor to his works, which include more than one hundred poems and short stories, seven children’s books, and two novels. He now spends most of his time on the water fishing and relaxing, and writing stories to entertain his grandchildren, great grandchildren, and any other little souls who happen upon his books.