A beautiful, lyrical story which explores the problem of plastic in the ocean, and the challenges facing marine life.

Little Turtle loves the ocean with her whole heart. As the years pass, she repeats an incredible journey across the world to the beautiful coral reefs. But one day she finds that plastic has invaded her beloved ocean. Could Turtle's journey be over forever? Rating: 1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 5

What did you like about the book:  I love this lyrical, beautifully illustrated tale of little turtle and the changing sea.  She starts out at the beach and her love for the ocean grows year after year until one day she notices that something is different.  There is pollution and plastic in places that once were lively and colorful. Turtle gets tangled and thinks her journey is over forever, then divers appear to free her and clean up the ocean.  Her ocean was beautiful once more, and she loved it with her whole heart once again. Lots of facts fill the back pages: notes from the author on the inspiration for the story, glossary of terms, the three R’s, the plastic problem, how garbage gets into the ocean, the great garbage patch, how plastic can hurt marine life, timeline to show how long plastic lasts, and what you can do to help.  In addition, there are other book titles provided and online resources for further exploration.

To whom would you recommend this book?  A great read aloud for earth day and to inspire our young children to care about our planet.

Reviewer’s Name, Library (or school), City and State: Julie Durmis, JC Solmonese Elementary School, Norton, MA