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Description
Explores the leatherback sea turtle's natural history and recounts the efforts being made by scientists trying to save them. Dr. Kimberly Stetwart, also known as the Turtle Lady of St. Kitts, is already waiting at midnight when an 800-pound leatherback sea turtle crawls out of the Caribbean surf and onto the sandy beach. The mother turtle has a vital job to do: dig a nest in which she will lay eggs that will hatch into part of the next generation of leatherbacks. With only one in a thousand of the eggs for this critically endangered species resulting in an adult sea turtle, the odds are stacked against her and her offspring. Join the renowned author and photographer Steve Swinburne on a journey through history to learn how sea turtles came to be endangered, and what scientists like Kimberly are doing to save them.… (more)
Local notes
Gr 5–8—Another nifty entry in an impressively reliable series, this work follows the field work and the research of Dr. Kimberly Stewart, the "turtle lady" of the Caribbean island of St. Kitts. Her subjects are mainly the largest marine turtles of all, leatherbacks, though her drive for conservation includes all Caribbean species. Swinburne's engaging text engages readers in Stewart's efforts to record "turtle data," to compare and evaluate the discoveries she makes, and to encourage inhabitants of St. Kitts to help her in her drive to preserve this species. Stewart educates them in finding sources of protein other than turtle meat and eggs and assists them on new paths to economic independence without relying on turtle products. Accompanying the narrative are data boxes on such divergent topics as "A Brief History of St. Kitts," "Modern Sea Turtle Threats," and "How Sea Glass Saves Turtles," plus a detailed list of items stocked in her Turtle Watching Toolkit. Swinburne's excellent color photos (many full page) enrich his informative text and give readers a clear vision of a scientist hard at work recording the lives of her elusive subjects and trying to instill a sense of ecological conservancy in a community that has heretofore regarded turtles as a boost to their menu or their personal income.