The Turtle Family

Children and adults may think that all armor-plated animals are turtles, but they are not. Narrator and scientist Thane Maynard explains the differences among tortoises, terrapins, and turtles, while wildlife artist Keith Shackleton draws their unique body designs. See a tortoise that grows to weigh 600 pounds after 40 to 50 years of feasting on flowers, earthworms, and other animals. Watch a mud terrapin build his home and see newborn turtles hatch in the sand on the beach and begin their trek to the sea. Whether on land, in fresh water, or in the sea, tortoises, terrapins, and turtles have an advantage. Nature has blessed them with a protective shell that locks out interference and danger. (from the back cover)