Carolina's Story: Sea Turtles Get Sick Too!

Helping Animals & Changing Habitats

by Donna Rathmell, Barbara J. Bergwerf (Illustrator)

This heartwarming photographic journal describes a critically ill sea turtle as she is nursed back to health at a Sea Turtle Hospital. Readers will empathize with Carolina as she undergoes many of the same medical treatments sick or injured children face and then celebrate the happy day when she returns to her home in the sea. The “For Creative Minds” section includes fun facts, information on conservation issues and a make-your-own sea turtle craft. Both Ms. Rathmell and Mrs. Bergwerf donate a portion of their royalties to the Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Program at the South Carolina Aquarium. Encourages children undergoing medical treatment.

2006 Florida Publisher's Association President's Book Award-Gold
Reviewed School Library Journal, NSTA Reccomends, and Science Books & Films

Also available in the following
Spanish La historia de ¡las tortugas marinas tambien se enferman! ISBN 9781628553529

Genres: Nonfiction, Animals, Childrens, Science, Picture Books

32 pages, Paperback

First published June 10, 2005

Reviews

[Tanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kassidi - it's a cute turtle and tells about rescues.

I believe she liked this book because she loves turtles and only had a few hard words. Read towards the end of 1st grade

[Jennifer Kenney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This non-fiction book tells the story of a sea turtle named Carolina and her journey to wellness. When Carolina washed up on shore, she was very ill. Thankfully she was discovered and able to be rescued. At the Sea Turtle Hospital (the Seat Turtle Care Center at the South Carolina Aquarium) she was given medical treatment and was cared for by a team of vets and technicians. The story details the different types of treatments she received (vaccines, x-rays, topical ointments, etc.) and her improvement.

The language of the story is very well-suited to younger elementary students. The author uses plan language like “shots” instead of vaccines, but still includes important vocabulary (such as the inclusion of carapace and the explanation that is means shell). I like that the story feels accessible to a young audience. This story is well suited for teaching about the importance of caring for animals, and how they need medical care just like people do. It could spark further discussion about how to care for the environment and why it’s important. The photographs are perfectly suited to the story. Despite the turtle’s poor condition, none of the photos are too graphic for young children. I love that you can see the progression of her recovery, and the photograph of her splashing in the pool is sure to delight the audience. And the ending includes a “For Creative Minds” section full of more information to extend on what we learned in the story, as well as an activity students/children could do to create a seat turtle. Overall, I think this story would be a great addition to any home or classroom library.

This story has won the President’s Book Award, the Silver Mom’s Choice Award, and is available in hardcover, paperback, and eBook.

[Marilyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful story with excellent photos of how experts heal a sea turtle get well

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carolina is a rescue turtle that was found on the shore near the Sea Turtle Hospital in South Carolina. Volunteers brought her to the hospital where she was tested and found she had a severe turtle flu that needed treated. She had x-rays, shots, blood draws and care similar to what humans would have in the hospital. As her strength returned she became more fiesty and the crew knew after 4 months she was ready to go back in the ocean.

Fantastic photographs by Barbara J. Bergwerf journal the process of Carolina's hospital stay. Great pictures showing the size of this loggerhead turtle and her recovery. Beautiful story for those who love turtles for sure. And even more so for children who may have or are going to be having to visit the hospital. Gives them some camaraderie with the animal world that Carolina had to visit the hospital too when she felt sick.

The book even has a 'for creative minds' educational section in the back to learn more about these endangered loggerheads, conservation tidbits, turtle math games and a make a sea turtle craft. You can easily use this with young preschoolers, but interesting enough for elementary ages children as well.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carolina's Story, Sea Turtles Get Sick Too! by Donna Rathmell is a photographic essay the narrative of which describes the rescue of a turtle suffering from the flu from her first moments with a rescue team to the turtle hospital, to her return to the ocean. Carolina, who is a loggerhead, made a full recovery thanks to the Sea Turtle Hospital and the folks at the South Carolina Aquarium.

During her time at the hospital, Carolina came to recognize the people and the routines of the hospital, bonding with the people around her and with the other turtles. The book shows that turtles are sentient beings; love is not the private proprety of human experience but something that shapes all life.

[Villa Park Public Library]

Carolina is a rescued sea turtle that is sick and needs to get better to be released back into the sea. She is taken to the Sea Turtle Hospital where doctors discover that she has turtle flu. She is so sick she hardly moves, and so she has her shell cleaned, x-rays are taken, and she is given shots to treat her illness. As she gets better, she starts to eat food and splash the care-takers! She enjoys visits from people and other turtles. When she is no longer sick, she is released back into the ocean and swims away back to her home.

Check this book out at the Villa Park Public Library!:
https://catalog.swanlibraries.net/client/en_US/vpd/search/detailnonmodal/ent:$002f$002fSD_ILS$002f0$002fSD_ILS:1833609/ada?qu=carolina%27s+story&lm=VPD

[G · Rating 5 out of 5]

My second grade students loved this story of Carolina, a sea turtle that was rescued and taken to a Turtle Hospital. I used it for an example of literary or narrative non-fiction. The pictures are large and clear allowing the students to see how Carolina was treated at the hospital and how she lived in the tanks. The book follows her through her release. It is written in easily understood language and clearly communicates the difficulty of rescuing a sea turtle, and includes many facts about sea turtles and the care of sea turtles. I'd highly recommend this for a 2nd grade read-aloud literary or narrative non-fiction or for second graders to read themselves.

[Sally Deem · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the exciting story of a sea turtle who washed up on shore very sick. She is rescued by a team of animal experts who name her Carolina, and nurse her back to health so she can return to the ocean. The story documents what the staff at the Sea Turtle Hospital at the South Carolina Aquarium did on a daily basis to heal Carolina and return her back to health and her ocean habitat. The book includes pictures of the process to help the reader understand Carolina's treatments and to show her progression from very ill to healthy again. This is a wonderful story for any animal lover and has a very happy ending for Carolina!

[Kristin Hamrock · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a non-fiction story about a sea turtle who is sick and gets saved by a rescue team. They take the turtle out of its habitat, care for it for four months, and then re-release it into the wild. The story is written in a language that children can understand, but without shielding them from what actually happened. The ending is happy, because the turtle gets to go home. The pictures are real, and the journey is fascinating. Kids who are interested in animals are sure to love it!

[Dave Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perhaps a good story for the child who is afraid of hospitals. Carolina goes through the process of first getting to the hospital, which is the Sea Turtle Hospital at the South Carolina Aqaurium. She is very distraught and sick as she has an IV injected, bloodwork drawn, and x-rays taken. In the end she realizes that the people are actually trying to help her. Carolina meets a lot of nurses, doctors and roommates to help her get through this experience.

[Marissa Morrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book makes me feel better about not spending approximately $1.5 million on a family visit to the sea turtle hospital when we were in the Florida Keys, because now I at least have some sense of what happens there. Carolina is incredibly photogenic, and the text helps readers to empathize with her sick feeling. Great book!

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the real pictures and true story of a sea turtle who is found sick, rehabilitated, and released back into the ocean.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book caused great discussion in my second grade class about illness and surgery.

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

My students loved hearing the story of how Carolina "got better!"

[Aleece · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shows how people help sick and injured turtles heal and get healthy so they can release them back into the wild.

[Mollie B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Carolina the Turtle has human emotions all throughout the book.

[Nicole]

Review Pending...