A Tale of One Idea, Twenty Kids, and a Hundred Sea Turtles
April 25, 2016
In a gently empowering story about grassroots activism and facing problems head-on, environmentalist Cousteau and author Hopkinson (Knit Your Bit) introduce Viv, a shy girl who gets to know her new South Carolina schoolmates and environment though a class assignment. Viv and her peers are asked to find a problem facing the community, make a plan to fix it, and take action. After finding a dead baby sea turtle on the beach, Viv learns that turtle hatchlings instinctively follow the moonlight to the water, and the bright lights from beachfront vacation homes can lead them inland. Viv takes the lead on the project, calling it "Lights Out for Loggerheads," canvassing residents and requesting that they shut off outside lights and close curtains after dark. The operation is successful, and the children watch the turtles "scurrying, scurrying over the sand and into the shimmering sea." So's (Otters Love to Play) airy watercolor, pencil, and ink artwork creates a distinctive sense of place, bringing the essence of breezy, coastal evenings to the pages. Ages 5â8. Authors' agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. Illustrator's agent: Sally Heflin, Heflinreps.
March 1, 2016
A "lights out for loggerheads" campaign becomes a satisfying community-action project for Vivienne and her summer school classmates. Environmental advocate Cousteau and acclaimed author Hopkinson team up to encourage young activists. New in her South Carolina town, Vivienne is drawn into the community through a summer school assignment. Challenged by their teacher, she and classmate Clementine discover a problem: lighting in beach houses disorients hatchling loggerhead turtles. As a group, the students research the issue, publicize it, enlist adult help, and suggest solutions. A community meeting is the culmination--until the magical night they watch hatchings find their ways from their nests in the sand to the ocean by the moonlight on the water. Gorgeously illustrated with watercolor and colored ink and pencils, this is a beautiful package. So's paintings of both the natural and diverse human world add atmosphere, characterization, and informative depth. Vivienne's early shyness is evident in her body language; Clementine is chunky (Clementine is blonde and white, while Vivienne has dark hair and slightly darker skin). Details include steps for a community-action project and examples of the students' research, campaign publicity, and fundraising. Important information about loggerheads is woven into this story and its backmatter, but their use of light cues is oversimplified, and the creators (all from west coasts) have misplaced their setting crescent moon. An appealing model of preteen activism. (authors' notes, further info, resources). (Informational picture book. 5-9)
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May 1, 2016
K-Gr 3-The authors deliver an eloquent environmental message while demonstrating how kids can change the world through teamwork and perseverance. When Vivienne moves into her new home by the sea, she is nervous about finding her way. Her teacher and her classmates welcome her as they jump into an exciting class project-the students are looking for a problem to solve. After school at the beach, Vivienne and her new friend, Clementine, discover that the baby loggerhead sea turtles that are about to hatch may need help making it down to the ocean. The newborn turtles instinctively move toward the strongest light they see, and the brightly lit beach houses could point them in the wrong direction. Vivienne is determined to help the tiny creatures. The students in Mr. J.'s class begin working on the project by gathering information. How will they convince the homeowners along the shoreline to turn off their lights? The children soon involve the entire town as they launch their Lights Out for Loggerheads campaign. By showing the multiple channels that the students work through to raise awareness (posters, fliers, bake sales, a town meeting, the local newspaper, and the Internet), the authors expose readers to accessible, affordable ways to raise issue awareness in communities. So's lovely and bright watercolor illustrations chronicle each stage of the children's cause. The artist deftly captures the energy and enthusiasm in the classroom and the tranquility of the shoreline. The shadowy scene on the darkened beach as the turtles emerge from their nests is particularly atmospheric.
Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
May 1, 2016
Grades K-3 This beautifully illustrated story elegantly combines the themes of finding one's way in a new place and environmental activism by children. Moving to a seaside town, Vivian copes with getting lost and striving to fit into her new school. Then she discovers the plight of hatchling loggerhead turtles confused by lights from houses along the beach and works with her new classmates to develop an information-sharing campaign and beach patrol to protect the turtles from the artificial glow that misdirects them away from the ocean. The eloquent, spare text nicely complements So's illustrations, rendered in aqueous watercolor washes, ink, and colored pencil, that depict Viv's surroundings, her blossoming friendship with a classmate, and lovely scenes of the moonlit South Carolina beach, darkened to help the hatchlings find their way, thanks to Viv's efforts. The comprehensive back matter includes an essay by Cousteauoceanographer Jacques Cousteau's grandsonand lots of information on loggerheads and their protection needs. This empowering look at what kids can accomplish is a perfect choice for Earth Day.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)
July 1, 2016
Many newly hatched loggerhead turtles die when house lights lead them away from the ocean. For a community action project, Viv and her summer-school classmates follow five clearly outlined steps and ask beachfront vacationers to turn off their lights. The strong narrative culminates with a moonlit mass turtle hatching, reverently depicted in quiet blue and brown watercolors. Websites.
(Copyright 2016 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
July 1, 2016
When Viv moves with her family to one of the South Carolina barrier islands -- beautifully evoked in So's luscious watercolors of rainbow-hued houses, clear blue ocean, and waving palmetto trees -- she muses, "I always need help finding my way, especially in a new place." Encouraged to take on a community action project (clearly outlined in five steps: Identify, Plan, Take Action, Reflect, and Tell Your Story) by her summer-school teacher, Viv begins to think about her surroundings but keeps getting lost on her bike rides around town. She isn't the only inhabitant of the island who loses her way: Viv lives near a loggerhead turtle sanctuary, and many young turtles die on the beach as they are leaving their nests. Research reveals the problems: holes left open on the beach; sandcastles creating barriers to the sea; and, worst of all, the bright lights of vacationers' houses, which lead the young turtles away from their ocean home. Viv and her classmates decide to concentrate their actions on asking beachfront visitors to turn off their lights, following the community action steps with great success. The strong narrative culminates on a moonlit night with a turtle "boil," or mass hatching, reverently depicted through quiet shades of blue and brown as the hatchlings follow the natural light to the sea. Appended with authors' notes about loggerheads and community activism, as well as with relevant websites. betty carter
(Copyright 2016 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)