The Green Sea Turtle

Gr 1–3—This informational picture book follows the journey of a green sea turtle, starting when she hatches from an egg to her life in the ocean to her return years later to Raine Island to lay eggs of her own. From the opening scene of an eye peering out of an egg, readers are pulled into this story that blends facts smoothly. Children will enjoy spotting the sea turtle as she moves from page to page. Müller has created a tranquil, inviting world using detailed pencil drawings set against simple backgrounds of torn textured paper, and a gentle, rhythmic tone. Captioned images identify the sea life gracing every page, and several pages of supplementary information appear after the story's close, including individual depictions of the seven different kinds of sea turtles and brief description of their habitats, sizes, and other characteristics. The book also explains how this endangered species faces threats to its habitats and well-being from the environment as well as from humans, due to pollution, fishing nets, and poaching. A lovely tale that conveys a wealth of intriguing material on sea turtles.—June Shimonishi, Torrance Public Library, CA