Turtle Summer

April 2, 2007
Novelist Monroe (The Beach House) ventures into the children's book arena with this companion to her upcoming title for adults, Swimming Lessons (itself a sequel to The Beach House). A mother and her daughter in that story spend a summer along the Southeast coast, helping to ensure the survival of as many baby loggerhead sea turtles as possible. This book takes the form of a journal the mother assembles for her daughter, to record the memories of their turtle-tending summer. Its scrapbook-like pages chronicle the pair's experiences looking for turtle tracks, marking turtle egg nests and waiting for the hatchlings to emerge. Numerous photos of baby turtles and other coastal wildlife and flora appear against backgrounds of mottled, sandy-hued paper, often peppered with sepia-tone sketches (e.g., photos of a mother turtle laying her eggs are mounted on drawings of beach grass). The first-person narration is by turns informative and lyrical. "Nights by the ocean are breathtakingly black and beautiful. Sometimes we wonder what the turtles are doing under the sand.... Are they awake? Are they sleeping? Are they dreaming?" The conversational presentation of turtle facts should make for interesting reading, even if the connection to Monroe's adult work remains a bit vague. Some readers may wonder just who the woman and girl in the photographs actually are, but all nature lovers should appreciate the generous smattering of facts and clear photos here. Ages 5-9.

June 1, 2007
Gr 2-3 -This introduction to the hatching of sea turtles is organized as a kind of scrapbook for the author's young daughter, seen in occasional photographs as she walks on the beach with her mother or watches for the hatching. "You are my helper on the Island Turtle Team. You are eager to learn about the sea turtles, the flowers, the shells, the birds, and all things great and small." The album layout, with several small photographs sprinkled with labeled pictures of plants and shells, is potentially attractive and informative, but views of the featured animals are tiny and indistinct. Monroe explains how the mother turtles come ashore, lay eggs, and leave; how the Turtle Team moves eggs in danger of washing away; and how the hatchlings immediately head for the sea. She urges readers to look for evidence of sea turtles on the beach and to be prudent about this environment. Little is said about the life cycle and travels of the adult species, and readers aren't told the likely location of beaches where sea turtles might nest. Closing pages include a review of sea turtle facts, short activities, and suggestions for constructing one's own nature scrapbook. Since sea turtles are described in numerous attractive and informative books, this one will probably work best as an introduction for young readers who actually live near nesting beaches.Margaret Bush, Simmons College, Boston

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