'Tino Turtle' visits Minden school

"Once upon a time, there was a desert tortoise named Tino. Tino was a happy turtle in his desert habitat, but he had one wish... he dreamed of traveling to see the world."

This was the first passage of Carolyn L. Ahern's new children's book "Tino Turtle Travels to Paris, France" read to first-graders at Minden Elementary School Friday afternoon.

"Traveling abroad with my husband, I decided to do something," said Ahern. "I wanted to share my experiences with kids who didn't have the opportunity to travel."

Ahern, who has lived in Gardnerville for two years after moving from Las Vegas, said Travels to Paris is the second book in the self-published Tino series. The first was "Tino Turtle Travels to London, England," and the next three will take place in Mexico, Kenya and China.

Students cheered as Tino Turtle himself entered the school library. An anonymous parent had dressed up in the turtle costume complete with camera and suitcase.

Ahern's stepson, professional pianist Ryan Ahern, used a DJ system with various sound effects to read the story to students.

"France seems like a big place," said first-grader Jacob Lynch as the story began.

Students followed Tino to Paris where he met an orphan named Monique. Together, the two characters had several adventures, flying in a hot air balloon, visiting the Louvre and eating snails, or escargots.

Carolyn Ahern said her books include extra features, like a glossary for foreign words, and a multimedia disk with sing-alongs sung by Ryan Ahern.

For more information about the book series, visit www.tinoturtletravels.com.