I have another book birthday today! I love celebrating, and this week will hold plenty of opportunities for that. Just like yesterday, today's read leans toward the nonfiction end. This one swirls around turtle rescue and will, hopefully, hold a few interesting, turtle care facts.
TAKING TURNS WITH TURTLES
by Shari Becker
Illustrated by Brittany Lane
Groundwood Books
Picture Book
36 pages
ages 3 to 6
COMING MARCH 3rd!!!
Turtles have been tending the ocean for millions of years. Now it’s my turn to tend to the turtles.
One chilly morning in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, a child and their parents wake up early to search the beach for cold-stunned turtles. When they find one, they keep it warm and safe until another rescuer can bring it to a rehabilitation center. There, a volunteer cleans the turtle before it goes to a biologist who glues its cracked shell back together. The turtle then moves to a tank room to recover. Finally, a volunteer pilot flies the turtle south to a warmer beach. At last, a parent and child place the turtle in the ocean and watch it swim away as a crowd of cheering volunteers look on.
Sea turtles have been an important part of ocean and shoreline ecosystems for millions of years. But the changing climate is shifting migration cues, trapping some turtles in frigid waters in late autumn and early winter. Luckily, many volunteers are working together with scientists to help them. In this story, follow a months-long journey and many human helpers working together to rescue a cold-stunned turtle.
Includes back matter with more information about cold-stunned turtles.
MY TIDBITS
Saving a turtle involves so much more than the first moments at the beach, and these pages take readers on the long journey involved before injured turtles can be released back into the ocean.
A child helps find an injured sea turtle on the beach and keeps it warm until a rescuer comes. Then, the turtle is brought to a center, where it is carefully taken care of. After its wounds are cared for, it spends a longer time in a tank, recovering before it can be released again. Finally, the day comes for it to be returned to the ocean.
The first scenes grab as a child wakes up before sunrise, one morning, to head out to the beach and search for injured turtles. Readers will be drawn in as the darker scenes bring a sense of urgency and tension as the child tenderly covers the turtle. It warms the heart to watch the concern and inspires readers in their own view of wildlife. When the turtle is taken to the facility, the story shifts to a more relaxed tone as the scientists care for the injuries and help the turtle to recover. Not only are the various steps in the process brought across in an understandable way, but readers should gain a greater awareness for the time and effort it takes to help a turtle recover to the point of being able to reenter the ocean. It doesn't drop facts directly but lets the reader accompany the process and see it unfold. Plus, there are phrases to inspire readers to learn more themselves and small tips on how they can assist animals in similar situations.
While this one is advertised for ages 3 to 6, I'd slide it up a bit to audiences 4 to 8. The text level fits nicely to this slightly older age group. Plus, listeners/readers can better understand the process, since it is a little longer than a quick, step-by-step. The text flows smoothly to form a nice read-aloud or to be read by those beginning readers, who are more sure of their words. The illustrations are done in watercolor, which fits nicely to the theme and brings across the scenes with gentleness and calmness.
And here they are...
SHARI BECKER has been writing and creating content for children and teens for over twenty-five years. Shari’s books include Sprouting Wings, which she co-authored with Louisa Jaggar, illustrated by Floyd Cooper, The Stellow Project and Maxwell’s Mountain. Her books have been named Junior Library Guild Selections as well as Bank Street Best Books. Shari is the founder of Whale Rock Literary Workshops, a
master-level writing education company for kidlit authors. Shari lives in Toronto, Ontario, with her family.
BRITTANY LANE is an illustrator and fine artist based in a small town in rural Ontario. She worked for a decade as a wildlife biologist before turning to illustration as a way to highlight and share the wonders of the natural world. Her debut picture book, Rock? Plant? Animal? How Nature Keeps Us Guessing, written by Etta Kaner, won the Silver Birch Express Award. The Day Dancer Flew, by Tiffany Stone, was named a CCBC Best Book for Kids and Teens, and an Ontario Library Association Best Bet.
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