10 Reasons To Love a Turtle

PreS-Gr 1—Published in association with London's Natural History Museum, these educational and colorful picture books offer 10 reasons to admire elephants and 10 reasons to appreciate turtles. Each book's front cover contains an inviting die-cut shape. With the touch of fingers along the die-cut's smooth edges, children can capture tactile impressions of an elephant's or turtle's body shape. Well-written descriptive text starts and concludes on the front- and end papers; numbered, large print headings divide the short sections of text. In Elephant, the writing touches upon the animals' tusks, ears, and intelligence as well as their communication. Turtle shares such details as how turtles lay eggs, shed salt accumulated in their bodies through tears, and are related to dinosaurs. Five scallop-edged circles set within selected illustrations contain additional text suggesting ways children can demonstrate love for elephants or turtles; for example, purchasing paper "made from recycled elephant poop" and avoiding items created from turtle shells. Clulow's artwork nicely places each animal in its native environment along with other native fauna and flora—most are accompanied by labels. In Elephants, Barr's text mentions African and Asian elephants, but most of the images depict African elephants. Out of the two, Clulow's artwork truly shines in Turtle, especially the spread on different shell patterns. These informative books flow well, presenting material in an easily understandable style.