The lovingly illustrated One Tiny Turtle by Nicola Davies (illustrated by Jane Chapman; Candlewick, 2005) combines just the right amount of rhythmic text, full page illustrations, and factual subtexts to immerse the reader into world of sea turtles. The picture book begins with a scientific note about turtles. Then, a story starts with a young turtle, emphasizes the growing process, laying eggs, and then a hatching baby.
Â
Although the lines of story don’t rhyme or follow a specific rhythmic pattern, they feel like they do: the lines read aloud smoothly, making the book ideal for storytime. Most pages also have additional text in a smaller font weaving among the ocean waves on the spreads, thus providing more learning moments for the interested reader. As a whole, the book teaches many facts about sea turtles, especially about reptiles (in general), habitat, diet, and predators.
As with most nonfiction picture books by Nicola Davies, I was totally and completely satisfied with the fantastic One Tiny Turtle.
Â
