We the Sea Turtles

November 3, 2023

Gr 3-5-A compilation of tales with four threads running through them: islands, sea turtles, environmentalism, and heart. The stories vary in setting from Amelia Island, FL, to Singapore, and the middle grade protagonists vary in skin tones, nationalities, and cultures. Each story touches on an aspect of environmentalism and features a sea turtle in some form. Tone ranges from heartwarming stories ("Fast Fashion" centers a boy who volunteers to lessen his family's carbon footprint while on vacation), to heartrending (in "Kura Kura," a girl loses her father and home to a tsunami). Overall, this is a strong collection of stories if a little didactic, and some are weaker than others. "Only for Ariel," about a girl who visits Copenhagen with her environmental scientist aunt and learns that Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Mermaid" is vastly different from the Disney version, as well as the importance of taking care of the environment, feels heavy-handed and reads younger than the rest of the stories. But standouts such as "Home of the Little Penguins," about a boy who is separated from his family when a bushfire sweeps through his town, and "Fox Bones," about a girl who helps a pair of family friends through their grief, make this collection a great choice for discussions not only about the environment and climate change, but also about character-building subjects like the importance of honesty and being a good friend. Back matter includes facts about sea turtles and an author interview. VERDICT Great for classroom discussion; hand this collection to a budding environmentalist looking for realistic stories with heart.-Mimi Powell

Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 15, 2023
Turtles swim in and out of this collection of nine gentle stories. Canadian novelist Kadarusman uses short stories to deftly explore emotional turning points in young lives. At some point in each of these moving narratives, the young protagonists encounter turtles, usually sea turtles. A boy in New York City is profoundly disturbed by the plight of sea turtles but is helped by a neighbor who understands his neurodivergence. A girl who lost her father in the tsunami in Indonesia in 2004 likes to imagine him reincarnated as a kura kura, a sea turtle. On an island in Canada a girl assures two grieving visitors that the sight of a snapping turtle is lucky. Only the account of an ill-educated traveler encountering the real "Little Mermaid" tale in Denmark seems stretched. All have a strong environmental component; the writer's own love for the natural world is evident. The settings are well depicted, and the racially, nationally, and economically diverse characters are distinctive. The collection is bracketed by accounts of several sea turtles' long journeys and an imagined first-person reflection from one. "We the sea turtles are ancient stewards of our planet." Like the turtles, these stories range widely around the world, from Georgian Bay in Ontario, Canada, to Malaysia and Singapore. Tales set in countries where Indigenous peoples were the original occupants are prefaced by a land acknowledgment. An exploration to be savored. (about sea and snapping turtles, author's note, interview with author) (Fiction. 8-12)

COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.