The Secret Life of a Sea Turtle

In the opening sequence of this lush species biography, marine biologist Bearzi, making her children’s debut, does not sugarcoat the fate of newly hatched sea turtles. Pictured with crisp realism in digitally finished graphite drawings by Boersma (The Whale Who Swam Through Time), the tiny turtles dig their way out of the sand and take off for the waterline, but crabs, raccoons, and other predators reduce the hatchlings by more than half. After they enter the water, fishing birds decimate the group to no more than a handful. “Our turtle” survives, with breathtakingly detailed close-ups showing her growing to maturity while evading sharks, briefly suffocating in a fishing net, and being saved by marine biologists. At last she returns to the beach where she was born to lay her own first clutch of eggs. Emphasis on the dangers sea turtles face make this a fittingly devastating natural history study, and the illustrations’ delicate, close focus and dynamic angles add more drama. By underscoring the fragility of sea turtles’ lives, the creators attach persuasive power to their appeal for preservation. Back matter includes an author’s note and information about helping turtles. Ages 4–8. (May)