It has been exactly 30 years since Michael Ende, who has been loved by people around the world for a long time with works such as "Momo," "The Neverending Story," and "The Two Magical Sugar Cubes," left us.
Lime presents 『The Slow Tortoise's Firm Resolution』, a new book published by Germany's Thienemann-Esslinger Verlag GmbH, as a picture book for 1st and 2nd graders.

The main character is a turtle named 'Tranquilla'.
What's the first thing that comes to mind when you think of turtles? Aesop's fable, "The Tortoise and the Hare," comes to mind first. It's the story of a swift-footed hare, who, upon seeing a tortoise plodding along, scoffs at its clumsy pace and confidently challenges it to a race.
"Hey! What fun is life when you're so slow? Want to race me?" Well, as we all know, the ending is unexpected and the turtle wins.
It is a story that warns against pride and emphasizes the importance of effort.

So, what kind of story will Michael Ende tell in "The Slowpoke's Resolve" featuring this tortoise, the epitome of slowness? Tranquila, the tortoise in this book, is as honest, diligent, and laid-back as the tortoise in Aesop's fables.
Tranquila is now on her way to attend the wedding of the lion king of the animal kingdom.
There are only two weeks left until the wedding, and the distance is so far that the other animals don't even dare to leave.

Michael Ende presents a turtle who is cautious, calm, and relaxed in everything he does, and shows a yellow warning light to those who always shout "hurry up, hurry up" and suffer from impatience.
It gives you the space to stop for a moment, look around, and take a deep breath.
This makes us realize the jewel-like truth that if we just set our minds to it, we can safely reach our goals.

The spider could not hold back his laughter and barely managed to continue speaking.
“You slow turtle, the slowest of the slow ones, how are you going to get to the lion’s palace so far away at such a slow pace?”
“Fatima, thank you so much for your concern.
“If you keep crawling step by step, you will eventually reach the Lion’s Palace.”
Tranquila answered calmly.
Fatima raised her voice even higher, her expression turning sour.
“Have you ever thought about this? The wedding is only 14 days away?”
Tranquila looked down at her short, sturdy legs and spoke with a confident expression.
"don't worry.
“If you keep going steadily, step by step, you will arrive on time.”
“Oh, Tranquila!”
The spider sighed deeply as if it felt sorry.
Then he continued speaking with a very pitiful expression.
“Tranquila! Listen to me carefully.
My legs are very fast and I have twice as many as you.
Even for someone like me, the Lion's Palace feels so far away that I can't even think about attending the wedding.
"But how did you get there? So please, come to your senses! Give up now and go home!"
“That can’t be.”
Tranquila answered in a steady voice.
“I’ve already made up my mind.”
--- pp.20~22

The turtle continued to crawl, day and night, over branches and stones, through sand and a small forest.
Then we passed through a rocky desert.
The strong wind blew mercilessly.
But I didn't care and slowly moved forward.
After crawling like that for several days, the turtle came across a flock of crows crouching on a withered branch.
I don't know what it was, but the expressions on the crows' faces looked extremely sad.
Tranquilla stopped to ask a flock of crows for directions.
“Ha-chwi!”
Before the turtle could even open its mouth, a crow sneezed.
“Be careful not to catch a cold!”
Tranquila shouted kindly.
“I didn’t sneeze.”
A crow with a grumpy expression spoke in a croaking voice.
“I said I introduced myself.
“I am a wise rascal.”
“Oh, sorry!”
The turtle raised one paw politely and said, feeling sorry.
“I am Tranquila, a very ordinary turtle.
"Wise Hachui, can you tell me if this road leads to the palace of the great Sultan Leo XXVIII? I have been invited to the Sultan's wedding."
The crows exchanged meaningful glances and cleared their throats loudly.

--- pp.47~51