Yoshi, Sea Turtle Genius: A True Story about an Amazing Swimmer

by Lynne Cox, Richard Jones (Illustrator)

Overview

"A picture book about a sea turtle named Yoshi who has traveled further than any other living animal"--

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593425688
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	01/10/2023
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	9.20(w) x 11.20(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Lynne Cox is a legendary long-distance open-water swimmer. She is the author of the children's book Elizabeth, Queen of the Seas, which received four starred reviews, as well as several books for adults, including South with the Sun and the New York Times bestsellers Grayson and Swimming to Antarctica. She is also a contributor to the New Yorker. Lynne has set world records for swimming, and in 2000 she was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame.

Richard Jones is the illustrator of several picture books, including A Story for Small Bear, a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year and an Amazon Best Book of the Month. He also illustrated Whale in a Fishbowl, which recieved four starred reviews and was a Kirkus Reviews and New York Public Library Best Book of the Year. He is the author/illustrator of the picture books Perdu and Little Bear. Richard was nominated for the Ezra Jack Keats Award for New Illustrator in 2019.

Editorial Reviews

★ 01/16/2023

Long-distance swimmer Cox presents this fictionalized story that follows Yoshi, the loggerhead turtle who spent 20 years in a South African aquarium before swimming nearly 23,000 miles back to her native Australia. A straightforward narrative couches playful, lyrical text that details Yoshi’s hatching, reports on physical changes over time (“She was just the size of a smile”), and lists myriad creatures she likely encountered on land and sea (“a whale shark as big as a school bus”). Lines that visualize the journey (“Her body glowed in a blanket of sparkling water”) complement Jones’s delicately textured, digitally edited paintings, which portray sea life in muted hues and envision Yoshi’s diminutive form against a wide-open ocean. Several light-infused night scenes bestow a calming ambiance upon a succinctly told story that’s satisfying in its full-circle itinerary and its appreciation of the sea turtle’s innate “genius.” Human characters are portrayed with various skin tones. An author’s note, archival photo of Yoshi, and map conclude. Ages 4–8. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

★ 2022-10-26
This true story of a loggerhead turtle that has swum farther than any animal known to scientists is told by an American who has herself shattered countless records for long-distance swimming.

Cox follows the turtle from her birth on an Australian beach to the moment she was caught in a net, then rescued by a Japanese fisherman (who named her Yoshi, meaning “good luck”). The fisherman treated her wounds, fed her squid, and eventually took her to the Two Oceans Aquarium in South Africa. Yoshi stayed there for 20 years, but the curator, behaviorists, and veterinarian decided to return her to the ocean, training her for endurance then releasing her with a tracking device. That is how the world knows Yoshi traversed 22,998 miles to lay eggs on the Australian shore where her life began. Cox’s language is lovely, her descriptions helpful for young listeners. Imagining Yoshi’s early life, Cox writes that the hatchling is “just the size of a smile.” As the turtle grows, her bulk is compared to a cat, then a lion. In addition to luminous double-page spreads and delicate spot art, Jones employs stacked horizontal panels that cross the gutter to emphasize the passage of time as the swimmer progresses. Six blue circular vignettes depict the animal’s struggle to breathe when she is snagged in the net. Cox’s author’s note explains that though she speculated about some of Yoshi’s life, everything after her rescue is documented. Humans depicted are diverse. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A mesmerizing glimpse at the miracles of the natural world. (photo, map) (Informational picture book. 6-8)

Kirkus Reviews

★ "A mesmerizing glimpse at the miracles of the natural world." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

★ “…A succinctly told story that’s satisfying in its full-circle itinerary and its appreciation of the sea turtle’s innate 'genius'.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

★ "There’s much to discuss about the interplay of instinct, perseverance, and luck in this fine book." —The Horn Book, starred review

"A brilliant tribute to a marvel of the natural world." —Booklist

From the Publisher