Where Should Turtle Be? by Susan Ring/A Review
To raise awareness for Endangered Species Day, I am posting reviews of several awesome picture books from Sylvan Dell. Sylvan Dell publishes award-winning picture books that integrate Science, Math, and Geography and are great resources for both classroom teachers and homeschool moms. Check them out!
Title: Where Should Turtle Be? Author: Susan Ring Illustrator: Laurie Allen Klein Reading level: Ages 4-8 Hardcover: 32 pages Publisher: Sylvan Dell Publishing (February 10, 2009) Language: English ISBN-13: 978-1934359891 ISBN-10: 1934359890
Little turtle has hatched from an egg on the beach late one night. However, he becomes confused, disoriented, and ultimately lost as he follows what he thinks is the moon and starlight, but is actually light from nearby houses and cars.
Taking a wrong turn, the turtle finds his way into the woods, but doesn’t think he’s in the right place. A friendly bear suggests that perhaps he should be a box turtle and spend his time crawling around the forest floor, eating fruit, and sleeping a lot. But that doesn’t work, because a forest is not his habitat and he is NOT a box turtle.
Next, he finds his way to a pond. This time a curious frog suggests he should be a painted turtle and sun on logs and munch on bugs. But a pond is not his habitat and he is NOT a painted turtle.
Poor little turtle keeps going until he ends up in a hot, salty marsh. A neighborly beetle suggests he should be a diamond back terrapin who crawls on the mud and munches on bugs. But try as he might, he is NOT a diamond back terrapin, and the marsh is not his habitat!
Finally, with the help of an unexpected tickle from the beetle, the turtle finds himself landing on the sandy beach where a helpful crab directs him to his real home in the ocean. He can finally be what he is supposed to be—a turtle in the sea!
This whimsical picture book introduces young children to four kinds of turtles, their characteristics, descriptions, and various habitats. It’s all about exposure to new reptile friends, yet the information is cleverly women into a charming story that will delight and entertain young readers as they try to guess where the little turtle belongs.
There is also a section at the back of the book called ‘Creative Minds’ that enhances and stretches educational possibilities for students, parents, and teachers. Included are “Turtle Fun Facts”, “Match the Turtle Adaptations”, and “Match The Turtle To Its Habitat” pages. A great story paired with fun learning activities—a winning combination!
About the author and illustrator:
Susan Ring (author) lives in Rhode Island and specializes in writing for children. Through her creative services company, Monkey-Says, she writes for all types of media. Although Where Should Turtle Be? is Susan’s first book with Sylvan Dell, she has over 135 books to her credit.
Laurie Allen Klein (illustrator) lives in Florida and has been a freelance artist for nearly 20 years. Over the last several years, she has worked as the on-staff artist for a marine park, where she does everything from painting life-sized sea animal murals, to illustrating children’s activity books. She has also illustrated several other books for Sylvan Dell.
Reviewed by Amy M. O’Quinn for Sylvan Dell.