Honestly, I did not care for this book that much. I could not really see a theme or meaning behind it. The vocabulary usage was too high for children I think, and some of it was frightening. The overall story was not even that interesting or beneficial. It talked about the voyage of a turtle through life. There was not anything that really got my attention. The illustrations were nice and well done. They were the best part of the book. This fascinating book begins on the end pages which are painted as sand. Then you get a hint of the time period on the title page and a peek of hatching eggs. This tiny prehistoric turtle must crawl up and out to sea without being eaten by one of the many predators on the beach. The listener (great read aloud) is hoping once in the water the baby turtle will be safe. But the ocean is full of danger. This book is painted on the blue/greens of the ocean and the oversized pages bring the animals into perceptive. Measuring out the size of the Turtle Rex gives the students a better idea of how awesome this animal was. The rhyme and the dinosaurs names make this a tricky book to read aloud without practice. Reviews & AwardsKirkus Review starred 03/01/11 Publishers Weekly starred 03/21/11New York Times 04/10/11 School Library Journal starred 05/01/11
I loved this story of a prehistoric sea turtle. It gave great information in lyrical writing.
—john
I think this book will be a bit hit with kids who like turtles, dinosaurs and/or history. :)
—pizza
Awesome, dramatic illustrations coupled with a thrilling story.
—Camilla
A "dinosaur" book told from an interesting perspective.
—DBOSS
So beautiful. :)
—roshanell
