Carolina's Story: Sea Turtles Get Sick Too!

Nice book to share with young children who will identify with the turtle as it recuperates from illness. I will read to my four- and two- year old grandchildren to further their interest in wildlife and how people can help care for the ocean's inhabitants. Real photos are generally good and help tell the true story.

JoAn W. Martin 2407 Kilgore Rd. Baytown, TX 77520 281 427-2713 Rathmell, Donna. Carolina's Story: Sea Turtles Get Sick Too! Photographed by Barbara Bergwerf. Mt. Pleasant, SC. Sylvan Dell Publishing. 2005. 32 page Hardback. $15.95 Ages 4-8. ISBN 0-9764943-0-2 When distressed sea turtles are washed up on the beach, the Turtle Rescue Team springs into action. The team recognized that this turtle, Carolina, has "turtle flu," a life-threatening illness. They washed and scraped barnacles off her shell, then applied antibiotics to her sores. She was so sick she didn't care what they did to her. She began to feel better after receiving x-rays and shots. Carolina developed enough energy to resist being removed from her tank. She discovered how to play with water coming out of the pipes and splashed anyone who came near. After four months of excellent care, Carolina was reloaded onto the truck and taken back to the beach where she'd been found. The staff and volunteers were sad to see her go, but they were proud they'd saved her life. The author, Donna Rathmell's daughter suffered an accident and was taken to the hospital by ambulance for emergency surgery. Donna used that experience to write a heartwarming story that hospitalized children would enjoy about Carolina, a loggerhead turtle. Barbara Bergwerf thought photographs rather than illustrations would help children to identify with a reptile that has to endure the same procedures at the hospital. Barbara was one of the first female photographer at the Chicago Tribune, but now she does wildlife photography and donates time and picture-taking skill to environmental and conservation organizations. A hallmark of Sylvan Dell picture books is the sections at the end, For Creative Minds. It includes fun facts, math games, and craft projects for parents and teachers to extend the story into learning activities.

A sea turtle with turtle flu washes up on the Carolina shore and is lucky enough to be picked up by the Turtle Rescue Team. Carolina, as she is named, is taken to an animal hospital, where rescuers wash her sores, check her tongue, and hose her down. Kids will enjoy seeing this turtle who, much against her will, is forced to undergo a doctor's examination. "If Carolina could cry, she would cry and cry." She is placed on the X-Ray table, gets some shots, is put in a tank, and then begins to feel better. She plays with the water spout, learns to splash, comes eagerly to her dinner bowl, and makes friends with hospital visitors. Kids will enjoy the many themes explored in this book: it's normal to be scared in strange places; doctors can make you feel better; you can make yourself at home no matter where you are, but perhaps most significant: we need to care for and protect our wildlife. Carolina's story is told in on-the-spot photographs by Barbara J. Bergwerf. They capture Carolina's angst and frustration and the Turtle Rescue Team's calm determination. Author Donna Rathmell does not talk down to children. We learn that the turtle's shell is a "carapace," and that Carolina is covered with "barnacles," and that she will be treated with an "antibiotic." The typeface is large and bold, reminiscent of the text across the board of an elementary school classroom. At the end of the book are turtle facts and math games, and a sea turtle you can trace, cut out, and color. The lessons of "Carolina's Story" will be easily absorbed because children can all identify with Carolina. Sandra Dutton is an artist, author and reviewer whose most recent book for kids is "Capp Street Carnival."

Carolina's Story: Sea Turtles Get Sick Too! is an informative photographic journal of a sea turtle that is critically ill. The photographs and accompanying narrative journal the sea turtle from the time she is found, and as she is cared for and nursed back to health. At the back of the book is a section titled, "Creative Minds," which includes turtle fun facts, math games, a craft project and photos. Children will be enthralled as they hear Carolina's story and look at the pictures. And they will rejoice as Carolina, fully recovered, is released back into the ocean. Armchair Interviews says: Carolina's Story: Sea Turtles Get Sick Too! is a wonderful and educational addition to a child's library. Adults and children will enjoy the book and learn at the same time.

With Donna Rathmell's simple, straightforward text suitable for children grades 1 to 3, and illustrated with the color photography of Barbara Bergwerf, Caronlina's Story: Sea Turtles Get Sick Too! is the true life story of the rehabilitation of a loggerhead turtle. Young readers get to see the inside of a turtle hospital, where sick and injured sea turtles are cared for and then released back into the wild when they are healthy. The final pages offer fun facts and a "make your own sea turtle" cutouts designs for photocopying and rainy day fun. A delightful introduction to one of nature's wondrous sea creatures.