Tag Archives: Turtles

Elem. – Yoshi, Sea Turtle Genius: A True Story of An Amazing Swimmer

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Cox, Lynne. Yoshi, Sea Turtle Genius: A True Story about an Amazing Swimmer. Illustrated by Richard Jones. Anne Schwartz Books, 2023. 978-0-593-42568-8. Unpaged. $18.99. Grades K-3.

Written by a world famous swimmer, this engaging piece of creative nonfiction is the true tale of a loggerhead turtle’s oceanic journeys. The story begins as the baby turtle hatches from her egg on an Australian beach. After a few days of resting under the sand, the hatchling makes its way to the Indian Ocean with her brothers and sisters, while avoiding nearby predators. The tiny reptile swims all day and night to find a bed of brown algae, which she uses to protect herself and drift on for many months. After five years, the turtle, now the size of a house cat, finds that she has traveled across the Indian Ocean to the southern tip of Africa. One day while searching for food, the animal is caught up in a fishing net, which pulls her down despite her struggles. Fortunately, a fisherman on a boat saw the creature and rescued her from the net.  He saw that she had a laceration in her shell and treated the wound. He gave her a name, Yoshi, and took care of her until the shell was healed. Once she was stronger, the fisherman took the loggerhead to an aquarium in Cape Town, where she lived for twenty years. Now that she was an adult, the aquarium staff felt that Yoshi could be returned to the ocean. First, they trained her to swim long distances in the tank alongside two divers, until she had the endurance to swim long distances. The turtle, now as big as a lion, was released with a tracking device. The scientists followed Yoshi’s travels along the west coast of Africa for food, but were surprised when she passed up a Cape Town nesting site and set out east toward Australia. After swimming nearly 23,000 miles over twenty-six months, Yoshi was back home where her life began. After mating with a male loggerhead, she laid her eggs on that very same beach. The text contains figurative language describing the animal’s size over time (“big as a smile,” the size of a house cat,”) and includes an author’s note with a photograph of the real Yoshi, who is still being tracked today. A site with teaching materials is listed. Jones uses paint for his beautiful illustrations, which are digitally edited. The images show seas that are full of life and include maps of the turtle’s journeys.

THOUGHTS: This is an amazing story depicting the tenacity of the loggerhead  turtle as it faces predators, currents and other dangers while swimming extremely long distances. Readers will cheer on this remarkable animal as she fights the odds to complete her quest. Yoshi’s story is perfect to use in STEM units and works well as a read-aloud.  This is a must-have for all elementary collections.

597.928 Sea Turtles
Picture Book

Elem. – One Turtle’s Last Straw: The Real-Life Rescue That Sparked a Sea Change

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Boxer, Elisa. One Turtle’s Last Straw: The Real-Life Rescue That Sparked a Sea Change. Illustrated by Marta Álvarez Miguéns. Crown Books for Young Readers, 2022. 978-0-593-37246-3. $17.99. 40 p. Grades PK-3.

Beautifully illustrated by Marta Álvarez Miguéns, this nonfiction picture book shows the journey of a discarded plastic drinking straw. The straw is thrown away properly in a garbage can, but is blown out of the can by high winds. The straw travels into the sewer system and eventually makes its way to the ocean, where it is consumed by an olive ridley sea turtle. The turtle struggles to breathe and eat with the straw lodged in its nose and throat. Rescued by Dr. Nathan Robinson and Dr. Christine Figgener, the turtle is saved when the straw is carefully removed. The turtle is able to return to the ocean. Based on a true story, and the video-taped documentation of the rescue operation that has been viewed on YouTube over 150 million times, this book introduces young readers to the impact of single-use plastics on our environment. The afterword by marine conservation biologist Christine Figgener, PhD, and the author’s note, include additional details of the rescue and photographs of the real-life turtle. Also included are brief stories of young people who have made significant contributions to the reduction of ocean pollution, bibliography, and resources for further exploration.

THOUGHTS: This story is told very simply in words and pictures to help young children understand the impact a single piece of trash can have on the environment. Never scary or gory, the book ends happily with a young girl ordering a meal in a restaurant. As she remembers the story of the rescued olive ridley sea turtle, she orders her drink without a straw. The message is that very small, simple changes can have a big impact on our environment.  

597.92 Turtles          Anne McKernan, Council Rock SD

Elem. – Comparing Animal Differences (Series NF)

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Comparing Animal Differences. The Child’s World, 2020. $19.95 each. $342 for a set of 12. 24 Pages. Grades K-3.

Reed, Ellis M. Alligators and Crocodiles. 978-1-503-83590-0.
—. Llamas and Alpacas. 978-1-503-83593-1.
York, M. J. Butterflies and Moths. 978-1-503-83587-0.
—. Toads and Frogs. 978-1-503-83586-3.
Pearson, Marie. Dolphins and Porpoises. 978-1-503-83589-4.
—. Leopards and Cheetahs. 978-1-503-83592-4.
—. Wasps and Bees. 978-1-503-83594-8.
Gale, Ryan. Hares and Rabbits. 978-1-503-83591-7.
—. Turtles and Tortoises. 978-1-503-83588-7.
London, Martha. Lizards and Salamanders. 978-1-503-83595-5.
Ringstad, Arnold. Puffins and Penguins. 978-1-503-83596-2.
Gendell, Megan. Spiders and Daddy Long Legs. 978-1-503-83585-6.

Do you know what makes a toad different from a frog? Or a rabbit from a hare, or a lizard from a salamander? If you are like most readers, this is an ever confusing problem, which the writers of the Comparing Animal Differences series would like to simplify. Using short chapters of readable text with gorgeous photographs, each book highlights the animals separately, and then compares how to identify the difference. For example, lizards have scales and claws and hunt during the day, while salamanders are nocturnal and have no claws or scales. With labeled photos, a glossary and index, as well as extra links and activities to extend the learning, young readers will become knowledgeable naturalists in no time.

THOUGHTS: There are twelve books in this series. I have only reviewed two, but feel that the collection as a whole would be worth purchasing for class projects and personal interests. Plus, the idea of a compare and contrast assignment would be a useful note taking lesson.

550 Animals          Dustin Brackbill, State College Area SD