Both a rewarding animal rescue story and a poignant tale of human collaboration.
An extensive network of caring, careful volunteers work together to save stranded sea turtles.
“One morning when winter winds blow, and the water runs from cold to colder,” a lost turtle washes up on shore, “hardly moving. Barely breathing.” A family of three are the first to discover the distressed chelonian, covering it with seaweed and blanket while awaiting trained rescuers. “Turtles have been tending the ocean for millions of years,” and now humans must tend the turtles. The turtle is measured and photographed, treated for pneumonia and a cracked shell, and nurtured until it’s “finally healthy and strong.” A pilot flies the recovered creature to warmer waters, where a crowd gathers to cheer its return home. Becker cleverly presents every segment of the turtle’s journey in first person from the perspective of a different rescuer, recognizing the agency of each of the participants. She affectingly matches human actions—caring, protecting, sustaining—with the same ways turtles have contributed to earth-and-sea balance. “It takes a lot of people to save one turtle,” Becker states in her author’s note, applauding the hundreds of volunteers worldwide who, despite differences, can “all agree that they care about sea turtles.” Lane’s soft watercolor spreads shimmer and glow, emitting a communal energy shared by a diverse cast of characters. Extensive backmatter encourages further learning, even involvement.
Both a rewarding animal rescue story and a poignant tale of human collaboration. (map, author's note, more about turtles, further reading and exploration, additional resources) (Informational picture book. 4-10)Pub Date: March 3, 2026
ISBN: 9781779460127
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Groundwood
Review Posted Online: Dec. 12, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2026
A ribald and uproarious warning to those unschooled in fishy goings-on.
Sharpson offers so-fish-ticated readers a heads up about the true terror of the seas.
The title says it all. Our unseen narrator is just fine with other animals: mammals. Reptiles. Even birds. But fish? Don’t trust them! First off, the rules always seem to change with fish. Some live in fresh water; some reside in salt water. Some have gills, while others have lungs. You can never see what they’re up to, since they hang out underwater, and they’re always eating those poor, innocent crabs. Soon, the narrator introduces readers to Jeff, a vacant-eyed yellow fish—but don’t be fooled! Jeff’s “the craftiest fish of all.” All fish are, apparently, hellbent on world domination, the narrator warns. “DON’T TRUST FISH!” Finally, at the tail end, we get a sly glimpse of our unreliable narrator. Readers needn’t be ichthyologists to appreciate Sharpson’s meticulous comic timing. (“Ships always sink at sea. They never sink on land. Isn’t that strange?”) His delightful text, filled to the brim with jokes that read aloud brilliantly, pairs perfectly with Santat’s art, which shifts between extreme realism and goofy hilarity. He also fills the book with his own clever gags (such as an image of Gilligan’s Island’s S.S. Minnow going down and a bottle of sauce labeled “Surly Chik’n Srir’racha’r”).
A ribald and uproarious warning to those unschooled in fishy goings-on. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: April 8, 2025
ISBN: 9780593616673
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
PERSPECTIVES
A good introduction to observation, data, and trying again.
Cece loves asking “why” and “what if.”
Her parents encourage her, as does her science teacher, Ms. Curie (a wink to adult readers). When Cece and her best friend, Isaac, pair up for a science project, they choose zoology, brainstorming questions they might research. They decide to investigate whether dogs eat vegetables, using Cece’s schnauzer, Einstein, and the next day they head to Cece’s lab (inside her treehouse). Wearing white lab coats, the two observe their subject and then offer him different kinds of vegetables, alone and with toppings. Cece is discouraged when Einstein won’t eat them. She complains to her parents, “Maybe I’m not a real scientist after all….Our project was boring.” Just then, Einstein sniffs Cece’s dessert, leading her to try a new way to get Einstein to eat vegetables. Cece learns that “real scientists have fun finding answers too.” Harrison’s clean, bright illustrations add expression and personality to the story. Science report inserts are reminiscent of The Magic Schoolbus books, with less detail. Biracial Cece is a brown, freckled girl with curly hair; her father is white, and her mother has brown skin and long, black hair; Isaac and Ms. Curie both have pale skin and dark hair. While the book doesn’t pack a particularly strong emotional or educational punch, this endearing protagonist earns a place on the children’s STEM shelf.
A good introduction to observation, data, and trying again. (glossary) (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: June 19, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-249960-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: March 26, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2018
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