Children's Book Week Review of Stephanie Lisa Tara's Turtle Book: fotos, facts, and fun!

Publisher: Stephanie Lisa Tara
Format Read: PDF and finished softcover
Source: The author in exchange for an honest review.
Release Date: April 11, 2013
Buying Links:  Amazon  Barnes & Noble  The Book Depository

Blurb from goodreads:

Dear Turtle Activists,

I want to thank each and every one of you for your tireless dedication and love to our cause! I have written this book FOR YOU! I dedicate this book TO YOU! 120 pages of fotos, facts and fun!

Stephanie Lisa Tara's Turtle Book has a primary goal: SAVING SEA TURTLES FROM EXTINCTION. A portion of proceeds from this book go to charitable organizations like the Turtle Foundation (www.turtle-foundation.org) of whom my first turtle book, I'LL FOLLOW THE MOON—is a proud sponsor.

If you are new to us—please join with us, for together, holding hands, we can effect change. Yes—really! xoxo. SAVE GREEN SEA TURTLES on Facebook (www.facebook.com/.../Save-Green-Sea-T...) is our hugely popular hang-out—tens of thousands of Activists-strong. Please join us!

NOW—prepare for something totally new and amazing!

Stephanie Lisa Tara's Turtle Book is not your typical scientific turtle book: my special book is all about having FUN! Enjoy the mini FLIP-BOOK in the corners and create a movie of your own! Click the ebook pages—or thumb through manually in the paperback—YOUR CHOICE!

I've written these chapters in a fun, chatty voice—you know, the one YOU use when talking up your favorite topics! Don't be surprised if you find yourself giggling as you turn pages! Enjoy breathtaking photography, incredible facts, and way-out wow'ing surprises that these millennium-old creatures have to share.

AND: TWO IS BETTER THAN ONE! Yep! Stephanie Lisa Tara's Turtle Book is my second turtle book—it's a perfect TWIN to my first international bestseller, I'LL FOLLOW THE MOON: buy BOTH TOGETHER for your shelf. Two little twins; one a fable, one fotos, facts & fun.

So, in closing...please accept this deeply personal gift from me, your faithful sea turtle leader, the turtle-lady, or Stephanie Lisa Turtle - as I was renamed recently by a fan—from my heart to yours.

GOD BLESS EVERYONE WHO HAS SUPPORTED THE CAUSE TO SAVE SEA TURTLES FROM EXTINCTION!

Bea's Thoughts:

Last month I reviewed Tara's fiction book, "I'll Follow the Moon", about a newborn sea turtle who hatches, and goes to the ocean in search of his mother. It has been a best seller for Tara and may be the book she's best known for. Tara also believes strongly in conservation so she undertook to create a non-fiction book about sea turtles for children. While "I'll Follow The Moon" is aimed at toddlers and preschoolers this book is more for school-age children.

Tara educates and entertains her readers in this generously illustrated book. There are photographs on almost every page. The photos illustrate the different varieties of sea turtles, their habits, their risks and the people who help them. Tara gives background on each species of sea turtle, discusses what challenges they face, what people are doing to help, and what the readers can do to help. Tara offers many suggestions for action, from the simple such as turning off lights when not in use to more complicated actions such as volunteering with a rescue organization or becoming a politician or scientist. Her tone is chatty, sometimes too much so, but it's friendly and conversational. At times it veered on patronizing but I think most children will enjoy her style.

The book is available in both ebook and print versions and the text contains links that ebook readers can click for more information. I would have liked an index at the book of all the links and sites referenced for the print readers and even the ebook readers. She does have a bibliography of suggested reading, as well as a list of practical suggestions on how to help and a glossary. At the bottom of each page in the corner are little pictures that when you flip the pages quickly give you a little story in motion. The artwork and the photographs are lovely and add to the book.

The Turtle Book is well-researched, easy to read and logically laid out for both easy reading and quickly looking something up. I recommend it to anyone with an interest in turtles or conservation. I donated my print review copy to my school's library.