A Junior Library Guild Selection
★ "Mesmerizing and insightful." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"A handsome, informative account of a green turtle’s life cycle." —Booklist
"[A] lush species biography." —Publishers Weekly
"In this precious new book, Maddalena Bearzi uses her lifetime of knowledge gleaned from her research in oceans and along coasts and combines it with her native warmth and empathy to introduce our beloved children to some of our most wondrous ocean creatures." —Carl Safina, New York Times bestselling author of Beyond Words: What Animals Think and Feel
"A wonderful read that will surely inspire young children and adults to care more deeply about our planet. Empathetic, science-based, heartfelt, and very powerful. Every child should read this book!" —Marc Bekoff, Ph.D., author of The Emotional Lives of Animals (revised): A Leading Scientist Explores Animal Joy, Sorrow, and Empathy―and Why They Matter
"Empathic and scientifically correct, The Secret Life of a Sea Turtle takes on a wonderful journey and gently educates readers about these fascinating animals and the challenges they face." —Daniel T. Blumstein, UCLA Professor and author of The Nature of Fear: Survival Lessons from the Wild
"Dr. Maddalena Bearzi has written a beautiful, moving and factually accurate account of the life of a green sea turtle from hatching through the life cycle. Told with gorgeous illustrations by Alex Boersma, we see a tiny hatchling emerge from its nest on a tropical beach, traverse the perils of life in the ocean, and eventually return to the same beach to lay her own eggs. The Secret Life of a Sea Turtle is a lovely story of adaptation, renewal and survival." —Craig Stanford, Professor of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Chair, TFTSG, IUCN Species Survival Commission, and author of The Last Tortoise and The Turtle Crisis
"Maddalena Bearzi has done it again, this time by writing a scientifically accurate and moving story of the life of one female green sea turtle, from birth to the laying of her first batch of eggs years later. Dr. Bearzi's trademark love of nature and warmth comes through on every page, here aided by the also accurate and beautiful art of Alex Boersma. While this is labeled a children's book, its educational and moving words of nature will be enjoyed by all ages, and all can marvel and learn." —Bernd Würsig, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Texas A&M University, author/editor of Marine Mammals: the Evolving Human Factor
"This is a book for children of all ages. A wonderfully illustrated timeless story about life in the wild, and also an education about sea turtles in particular and why we need to take better care of marine environments." —Andrew J. Rotherham, Co-Founder & Senior Partner, Bellwether and senior fellow at the Progressive Policy Institute
★ 2025-03-08
A sea turtle survives a perilous journey.
Born on a nature reserve in Mexico, the turtle faces a series of challenges: climbing out of her nest, making it across the beach to the ocean while avoiding raccoons and other hungry creatures, searching for food, defying even more predators such as gulls and sharks, and getting entangled in a fishing net—which necessitates a rescue by humans. The turtle makes it to age 30. Now it’s time to mate, return to her birthplace, “like a sailor equipped with an internal magnetic compass,” and complete the delicate dance of finding the perfect spot for her nest. Employing language both precise and imaginative, marine biologist and conservationist Bearzi expertly describes the mechanics of sea turtles’ movements and morphology. Boersma’s stunning, intimate illustrations seamlessly complement the text, from a cutaway view of the nest to a gorgeous bird’s-eye view of unsuspecting baby turtles making sand trails in the shadow cast by the wing of an avian hunter. She captures her subjects’ every emotion: determination on the faces of hatchlings propelling themselves from the nest, fear in the eyes of an unlucky youngster grabbed by a crab. Sweeping undersea scenes, including maps of ocean currents on the sea turtle’s journey, vividly illustrate the life of this wondrous creature. It’s all capped by in-depth backmatter, including information on how readers can protect sea turtles and a look at several specific species.
Mesmerizing and insightful. (author’s note, guidance for those interested in studying sea turtles, information on how temperature and artificial lights affect sea turtles, bibliography)(Informational picture book. 4-8)
