Adelita, a Sea Turtle's Journey

July 15, 2020
A tiny sea turtle, rescued in Baja California, Mexico, and later released wearing a tracker, surprises the researchers and schoolchildren following her journey by crossing the entire Pacific Ocean. Rescued when she was the size of a dinner plate, the loggerhead spent 10 years growing in a Mexican research lab until 1996, when a visiting American scientist (a White man) had the idea to attach one of the then-new satellite trackers to her shell and let her go free. A local fisherman who helped him named the turtle for his daughter, Adelita. There is little embellishment to this account; it leaves space for readers and listeners to imagine and wonder what she encountered during her 368-day journey and what finally happened to her after her transmitter stopped near the Japanese coast. The author does allude to the dangers she faced in the ocean, but both words and pictures gentle the circumstances of her original capture, in a fishing net, and her likely similar fate. This is a story with cheerful illustrations and a happy ending. Not only did Adelita demonstrate that adult sea turtles swim vast distances to return to their natal beaches to lay eggs, but Japanese fishermen who had been accidentally catching turtles began to release them from their nets. Sea turtles feature prominently in Goebel's middle-grade novel, Out of My Shell (2019). Her affection shows. Science takes another small step toward understanding the natural world. (author's note, timeline, websites) (Informational picture book. 4-8)

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September 1, 2020

PreS-Gr 3-Readers follow Adelita, a young loggerhead turtle, whose long journey began in 1986 when she was accidentally netted by a fisherman. The fisherman took the sea turtle to a scientific community in Baja California, Mexico. The researchers cared for Adelita and became interested in learning more about the habits of loggerhead turtles, specifically their travel patterns. Adelita had a satellite tag placed on her shell. Once she was released back into the wild, the researchers tracked and shared her journey online. Her journey lasted a total of 300-plus days as she swam from Mexico all the way back to Japan to the original beach she was hatched on. Her adventure inspired communities to help save turtles from being caught in nets or being captured for food. The text uses vivid verbs that enhance the illustrations and create a sense of movement. There are also sentences that compare Adelita to another object to help youngsters understand size or how something looks. For example, "She had grown to roughly the size of a dinner plate." Goebel not only highlights the habits of a fascinating creature but also emphasizes the importance of environmental awareness and animal conservation. VERDICT A nice addition to school and public libraries that will help readers learn about endangered or threatened animals and also about the natural habits of these amazing turtles.-Erin Olsen, Hunter Coll. Elem. Sch., NY

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