A Place for Turtles

Gr 3–5—The fast decline of the slow-moving turtle is the focus of this title. On most of the spreads, one or two simple sentences set within a wide, colored margin at the top describe a human activity harmful to turtles (e.g., the use of plastic bags, which pollute the world's oceans and kill the marine turtles that mistake them for jellyfish; the reptiles' decimation by cars traveling near their habitats; collecting wild turtles for pets, etc.) and then suggest a solution ("When people stop using plastic shopping bags, turtles can live and grow," "When people build turtle-proof fences along busy highways…," "When people stop collecting these beautiful reptiles…," etc.). Realistic, brightly hued acrylic paintings appear throughout, depicting one or more turtles in their natural habitats while sidebars identify the species, explaining how its survival is threatened and what efforts are being made to save it. Also discussed are turtles' key place in the wildlife food chain and simple ways that readers can help conserve them. An addendum offers miscellaneous facts, and small maps on endpapers indicate the geographical range of the 12 species depicted, which include the desert tortoise, leatherbacks, bog turtles, and box turtles. As there is a dearth of material on turtle conservation aimed at this age level, A Place for Turtles will help fill an information gap; its brilliantly executed paintings are bound to attract browsers as well.—Karey Wehner, formerly at San Francisco Public Library