Little Turtle and the Changing Sea

Rating: 1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 5

What did you like about the book: I love this lyrical, beautifully illustrated tale of little turtle and the changing sea.  She starts out at the beach and her love for the ocean grows year after year until one day she notices that something is different.  There is pollution and plastic in places that once were lively and colorful. Turtle gets tangled and thinks her journey is over forever, then divers appear to free her and clean up the ocean.  Her ocean was beautiful once more, and she loved it with her whole heart once again. Lots of facts fill the back pages: notes from the author on the inspiration for the story, glossary of terms, the three R’s, the plastic problem, how garbage gets into the ocean, the great garbage patch, how plastic can hurt marine life, timeline to show how long plastic lasts, and what you can do to help.  In addition, there are other book titles provided and online resources for further exploration.

To whom would you recommend this book?  A great read aloud for earth day and to inspire our young children to care about our planet.

Reviewer’s Name, Library (or school), City and State: Julie Durmis, JC Solmonese Elementary School, Norton, MA

After little Turtle hatches amidst a thunderstorm and flippers her way into the turbulent sea, she finds her wondrous new home full of vibrant life—jellyfish, seals, corals—and falls madly in love. Then, one day, she notices a new inhabitant. “Friend?” she asks the submerged plastic bag but receives no reply. More and more of these objects appear every day, draining color and life from Turtle’s surroundings, and soon she finds herself hopelessly tangled in a nylon net. Human divers appear and kindly attend to the turtle’s predicament, repairing and cleaning her watery abode until it again teems with light and life. This sweet story is ideal for introducing young readers to the topic of ocean pollution, combining splashy, textured illustrations and an adorable protagonist with timely lessons on the importance of reducing plastic waste and caring for our seas. Back matter includes more scientific detail about plastic and ocean pollution and offers some practical ways to help. A colorful cautionary tale that raises important awareness and ends with a heartening hopefulness.—Booklist