Except Antarctica

by Todd Sturgell

Overview

"Delightful and hilarious."—Kirkus Reviews, STARRED Review

Turtles are found on every continent EXCEPT Antarctica. But not for long! Follow along as a rogue group of determined animals embark on an adventure (and defy their flustered narrator in the process) in this funny animal picture book for kids!

When the narrator explains that turtles are found on every continent except Antarctica, one determined turtle sets out to prove him wrong. After recruiting other non-Antarctic animals along the way—much to the narrator's dismay—turtle and his friends travel through fields, forests, and cross an entire ocean to reach their goal. But what exactly do they do once they get there?

This nature-documentary-gone-wrong is a gleefully funny lesson in determination, and includes educational backmatter and lots of animal fun facts!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781728233260
Publisher:	Sourcebooks
Publication date:	07/06/2021
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	8.70(w) x 10.90(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD540L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Todd Sturgell is an illustrator and author. He is drawn to stories that explore humor, imagination, stem-related themes (like dinosaurs), and journeys full of wonder. Todd has loved dinosaurs for as long as he can remember. His favorite dinosaur is Triceratops! He lives in the North Carolina mountains where he hikes, reads dinosaur books, and draws (dinosaurs, mostly). Todd has two daughters who learned about dinosaurs before they were old enough to say Stegosaurus. Todd has not been to space but if NASA ever calls, he’s available.

Editorial Reviews

"Readers will laugh out loud at the animals’ recalcitrance and the narrator’s frustrations, all the while absorbing a great deal of information. Delightful and hilarious." — Kirkus Reviews, STARRED Review

"Sturgell depicts his animal travelers with some naturalism, adding the occasional playful detail and, once they realize what Antarctica is like, comically dismayed expressions." — Booklist

"[D]ebut creator Sturgell has a savvy sense of visual pacing, and the meta-comic repartee is spot-on." — Publishers Weekly

"If you have young readers who are desperate to know what kind of animals can survive at the southern tip of the Earth, this is the book for them...a good read aloud option for kids between 4-8." — Susan Harari, Youth Services Book Review

"Snarky dialogue and the hapless narrator’s growing frustration add lots of humor to the engaging story...[a] well-executed and entertaining book." — Horn Book

From the Publisher

★ 2021-05-19
An earnest narrator attempts to impart facts about animals that are seen on all continents with the exception of Antarctica.

When a turtle hears that its species has no presence there, it refuses to accept the fact and immediately announces its departure for Antarctica. The startled narrator demands that it retreat to its original page but is ignored. As more animals are told that they too are not represented on that continent, the narrator is faced with total rebellion, completely losing control of the endeavor. No number of warnings that they will not survive in that climate, nor ridicule, nor threats, can keep an owl, a dung beetle, a snake, a mouse, a bee, and a frog from joining the turtle in the mad expedition. After an astonishingly inventive journey, the travelers joyfully arrive in Antarctica, to the amazement of its penguins. But they soon discover that the narrator is right about the frigid, unbearable climate, and they head for home, leaving a surprise twist involving a penguin. The swiftly rising, maniacal tone is highlighted by different, boldfaced types assigned to the narrator and the animals. Vivid, wildly imaginative illustrations add wonder and excitement to the proceedings. Readers will laugh out loud at the animals’ recalcitrance and the narrator’s frustrations, all the while absorbing a great deal of information.

Delightful and hilarious. (further information, map, glossary) (Picture book. 4-9)

Kirkus Reviews