Run, Sea Turtle, Run: A Hatchling's Journey

by Stephen Swinburne, Guillaume Feuillet (Photographs)

"Can you hear me? Scritch, scratch. I'm a little sea turtle inside an egg."

Follow a hatchling's treacherous journey from nest to sea. Longtime science writer Stephen Swinburne creates an engaging first-person narrative from the sea turtle's perspective. Gorgeous photographs by Guillaume Feuillet capture the drama of the hatchlings' race to safety. Back matter includes information on the life cycle of leatherback sea turtles, tips for how readers can assist with sea turtle conservation, and recommended further reading.

Genres: Picture Books, Nonfiction, Animals, Childrens, Nature, Audiobook, Storytime

32 pages, Hardcover

Published March 3, 2020

Reviews

[Tina Loves To Read · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a children's Non-fiction book. This was a cute very short book, but I think the kids would love to listen to the audiobook with the book too. The I love the facts that is in this audiobook. The person reading the book talked really slow with is great for young kids to follow a long with the audiobook. I was kindly provided an audiobook of this book by the publisher (Millbrook Press and Lerner Audiobooks) or author (Stephen Swinburne) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review about how I feel about this book, and I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

[Villa Park Public Library · Rating 3 out of 5]

Run, Sea Turtle, Run is a cute and easy read for young kids interested in sea turtles and how they hatch. Though not many facts in the story itself, the final page of the book explains a bit more about sea turtles' life cycle, notes ways to help sea turtles, and lists other books of similar interest. Overall, a simple, cute, and informative read for early readers.

Check this book out from the Villa Park Public Library!

[Bookaholic__Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a children's Non-fiction book about a hatchling's treacherous journey from nest to sea. While I personally enjoyed listening to this in audiobook form, I feel that without photo accompaniment young listeners may not enjoy it as fully.


I recieved a digital copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great story for children to help understand sea turtles and their lives.
I listened to it on the "new" netgalley audio and it was well read and easy to listen to and follow.
Definitely good for elementary school and some preschoolers.
Well done!

[Sharon Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Run, Sea Turtle, Run: A Hatchling's Journey, written by Stephen R. Swinburne and with photography from Guillaume Feuillet, is a children's nonfiction book currently scheduled for release on March 3 2020. Follow a hatchling's treacherous journey from nest to sea in an engaging first-person narrative from the sea turtle's perspective. Photographs by Guillaume Feuillet capture the drama of the hatchlings' race to safety. Back matter includes information on the life cycle of leatherback sea turtles, tips for how readers can assist with sea turtle conservation, and recommended further reading.

Run, Sea Turtle, Run: A Hatchling's Journey is a visually enchanting book. I love the photography, especially some of the pictures of sand covered turtles making their way to the water. The text was simple and accessible. The color choices for page backgrounds and text were nice and made everything pleasing to the eye and easy to read. I really liked that there was backmatter offering further information on the topic and ways families can help, and resources for further reading. My only complaint is that while I know this is a children's book and we do not need to be freaking out young or sensitive readers with turtles dying, something actually acknowledging the dangers turtles face during the trip could have been mentioned. Why would kids reading think turtles need saving if there are no dangers towards them mentioned. Yes, that there are birds and crabs on the beach is mentioned- but no mention as to why that is important. As far as readers of this book know all turtles that hatch make it to the water, which is far from the case. Perhaps this could be used as a discussion starter for adults reading this with their young readers.

[Mary Eve · Rating 2 out of 5]

This audiobook is wonderfully informative for listeners, but the beginning audio is terribly boring. Narration is slow and overly pronounced as if the narrator had just learned to read. I thought perhaps my settings were slow. Adjustments didn't help. I soldiered through. The slow pronunciation deters from the baby turtle narrative. It is told through the newly hatched eyes of a sea turtle.

After the initial story, there is an educational portion that is read at a normal speed. The audio is a little over five minutes in its entirety. It's a quick introduction for young minds, so they may better understand how a hatchling uses its egg tooth to work it's way out of the shell, the deadly race against predators like the ghost crab, and the turtle's progression to the sea.

Living in Puerto Rico, I was privileged to be a sea turtle volunteer for the past two years. Being part of an endangered species existence is one of the greatest experiences. Every time I witness a new 'Nido' (nest) successfully hatch I'm filled with parental pride. Puerto Rico is home to three species of sea turtles: the leatherback, the green turtle, and the small hawksbill. Sea turtles return to familiar nesting sites year after year. With growing populations and habitat loss, it is our responsibility to help nature continue its course. Puerto Rico takes great pride in the sea turtle population on the islands. Nesting sites are well protected.

I found this book to be factually accurate. Tips and advice are given to those interested in helping these beautiful creatures recover. My one suggestion to the author is to adjust the setting of the story to match the informative second half. As my daughter-in-law is a speech pathologist, I appreciate the slow pronunciation, but I feel little ones will lose interest. Overall, this is a nice educational tool. Lacks oomph.



*Audiobook provided through the NetGalley app. Thanks to Stephen R. Swinburne, publishers, and NetGalley.
#RunSeaTurtleRun, #NetGalley, #StephenRSwinburne

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful photos and simple, clear text. Perfect for preschoolers!

See a video of the author reading the book here, complete with a ukulele performance:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVSkK...

[B.A. Malisch · Rating 2 out of 5]

The narration is extremely slow, with every word over-enunciated. While I understand this is for young readers, and there is new vocabulary, it’s important that kids learn the rhythm and patterns of speech, too…not just that they clearly hear every single word. A large part of language and communication lies in patterns of speech, rhythms, and inflections.

As a teacher and librarian, someone who has worked with children a lot, this just goes a bit too far in the wrong direction, to where it moves away from being helpful and instead becomes unnatural and tedious. This would be frustrating for children, the longer they have to listen, and it’s definitely frustrating for the adults.

Even turned up to 2 speed, it just still sounds unnatural and robotic. It actually makes it harder to understand sentences and concepts, because it breaks words up that really should run together in order to best be understood. Children have to understand sentences as a whole, not just carefully hear every individual word that has been said. I have to confess that the presentation was so off-putting that I missed a lot of the content and had to listen again.

At the end, there are a bunch of facts listed and explained, and that section is so much better. It uses natural inflection, rhythm, and emotion in the reading, which makes it a thousand times easier to listen to and understand. It’s too bad the whole book wasn’t like that. I think this was just a failure to understand communication and the development of language. This was probably recorded this way on purpose, by someone who thought they had good intentions but who just doesn't understand early literacy/early learning.

So, I definitely do not recommend this in audio format, but it might be educational and interesting in the print format.

[Kai · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

The narration is jarring and quite uncomfortable to listen to due to the staccato nature of it. It feels like someone pieced together audio clips from different events to create this. I came across a review that truly said it well: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

The content seems interesting and I bet the photos would be adorable, but alas, I had the audio version. I’ll give this another go if I come across the ebook or paper copy, but I wouldn’t recommend the audiobook.

[Terry ~ Huntress of Erudition]

I thought this was a sweet little book, very informative and engaging for a child reader. However, the narrator read it soooo slow, it was distracting to listen to. I understand that it is easier for the child, reading along with the narration, but I think it took away from the action of the story.
That said, I think it is great to keep young people informed about wildlife, how we are all connected and how they can help. I plan to move to a part of the Florida coast where there is a wildlife sanctuary and especially a sea turtle nesting area, where I plan to volunteer, so the subject of baby sea turtles is close to my heart.

[Great Books]

Outstanding close-up photographs pair with simple, informational text to tell the story of how a leatherback sea turtle hatchling makes the precarious journey from its nest on the beach to its home in the ocean. In the back of the book, young readers will find more information on sea turtle life cycles, how we can help sea turtles, and where to find more information about these remarkable creatures.
Reviewer 2

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 5 out of 5]

Run, Sea Turtle, Run: a hatchling’s journey by Stephen Swinburne, photographs by Guillaume Feuillet. NON-FICTION. Millbrook (Lerner), 2020. $28. 9781541578128

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ESSENTIAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

With beautiful photographs and short explanations, Swinburne and Feuillet show the hatching of the bay sea turtles and their rush to the sea.

Since it doesn’t show and only briefly refers to the predators trying to eat the hatchlings, this is most appropriate for the youngest readers – older readers will want to book with more information. There is a little bit of back matter that includes a song that Swinburne wrote about sea turtles.

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS
https://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com/20...

[Jana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great close-up photography and simple, informative text come together to share with young readers the fascinating story of a leatherback sea turtle's young life - from hatching to its perilous journey back to the ocean. This book is a nice way to get up close and personal with these animals. More information in end notes, along with other resources, make this a nice nonfiction resource to have on the shelf.

[Erica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Close-up images fill the pages of this photo-essay illustrating the journey of sea turtles from their sandy nest to the water.

The absence of location specifics, other creatures in the sparse habitat, and human beings makes readers focus on the two-day journey the sea turtle herself experiences, but devoid of their most serious threats.

Surprisingly, the story ends when the turtle reaches the ocean, only indicating in the back matter that the tiny turtles will grow to 2,000 pounds, neglecting to inform readers of their baby weight, nor the likely length of time they will spend on a sea journey, nor that it will be equally fraught with danger.

Short sentences, in light font on a medium-blue background give the first-person imagined thoughts of one sea turtle, shown either alone or with her many siblings, crawling through clean yellow sand to a clear turquoise sea.

Although the very brief text is aimed at children under 5 years, many of the actions listed in the back-matter under “How you can help sea turtles” are things only adults and older children would do (raise and donate money, use reusable bags, limit the use of pesticides and herbicides, etc).

However, it does remind young children to not disturb their nests, and then directs readers to a song the author has posted on YouTube whose chorus references a point made only in the back-matter; that only one in a thousand sea turtle hatchlings will survive long enough to reproduce.

The photographs are sufficiently enticing to include this in picture-book-non-fiction collections aimed at 3- to 4-year-olds, but the narrow focus may leave out readers without direct experience and the adults who want them to understand and care about ocean creatures.

[Jamie Bee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poor Audiobook

Audiobook Review:
This book tells the story of a sea turtle, from the point where it breaks through the eggshell to its walk to the sea. The story is followed by facts about sea turtles. I've only reviewed a few audiobooks, but this one was ridiculous as an audiobook. For whatever reason, the narrator chose to speak. every. word. with. a. big. pause. in. between. Each pause was so long that I felt like the narration bordered on the absurd. At one point, I wondered if he would pause like that between syllables! Perhaps the idea is that this would be a read-along companion to a book, but I think even children would be bored by all the long pauses. All in all, I found this audiobook to be tedious. The animal story itself may be fine, but I recommend getting the ebook or physical book.

I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.

My book blog: https://www.readingfanaticreviews.com

[Marsha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of those children’s books that put the reader firmly in the viewpoint of its subject. Interested children are made to see a sea turtle hatchling’s birth from mother laying its eggs to the galloping race to the sea and to the time when the hatchling will return to lay eggs of its own. Although the latter would mean the hatchling is female, the book doesn’t emphasize that.

It’s an action book, all right. It’s all go, go, go from the moment she hatches until the moment she returns. The photos are vivid and each turtle photo is accompanied by large words on a blue background, sometimes with a wavy border for emphasis. It’s cute, playful and a look at just one of the many denizens of the sea that border our tiny landmass.

[Viviane Elbee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous photography illustrates this mostly non-fiction book about a young leatherback sea turtle hatching from her egg and racing out to the sea. Although the text is written from the turtle’s POV, information provided is factual. The book’s main text does not dwell on the dangers that birds and other predators pose, but back matter indicates that only one in one thousand sea turtle hatchlings make it to adulthood.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

"I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."
I was excited to review this book, because I love sea turtles. The story of the sea turtles journey and the how to help sea turtle information were both well written and interesting. I was not a huge fan of the audio recording though.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I highly recommend this Nonfiction Picture book for young children. The illustrations are bold and beautiful photographs that are accompanied by brief snippets of easy-to-understand text. There is a page where predators of young sea turtles are briefly mentioned, but nothing is shown, which makes this a perfect introduction for little ones.

Excellent!

[Raymond Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great story about how sea turtles make their way to the sea. The only thing I wish (and I understand why they didn't add it) is that they showed a bit of the challenges the turtles face on their way to the ocean. Some are picked off by different predators.

[Molly Cluff (Library!) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great picture book style nonfiction book about baby sea turtles! The crisp photographs on each page are interesting, and the text is very easy to incorporate actions with for younger children. I could easily use this in storytime and have it be engaging and simultaneously educational.

[Jenna Grodzicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

This gorgeous book depicts the journey of a leatherback sea turtle hatchling as she hatches and climbs her way out of the nest and scurries down to the ocean. The simple text and closeup photographs make this a must read for all nature lovers everywhere.

[Cate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audiobook version is not recommended. At its original speed, it's too slow for my taste (yes, it's about turtles, but still). Speed it up, and it's very clipped and just sounds off. The story was very cute though.

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good length for a read aloud with Pre-K - Kindergarten kids. Beautiful photos. Could also be a good book for a beginner reader.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great picture book with wonderful photos.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing photo illustrations and simple text that beautifully tells the story for little ones (don't worry if you are squeamish about the predator element, it really isn't there).

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

So cute!!!!

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Precious photos!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great for kiddos as young as 2 with simple words and an easy to follow story.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice photos