Carolina’s Story: Sea Turtles Get Sick Too!

This heartwarming photographic journal describes a critically ill sea turtle as she is nursed back to health at a Sea Turtle Hospital. Readers will empathize with Carolina as she undergoes many of the same medical treatments sick or injured children face and then celebrate the happy day when she returns to her home in the sea. The "For Creative Minds" section includes fun facts, information on conservation issues and a make-your-own sea turtle craft. Both Ms. Rathmell and Mrs. Bergwerf donate a portion of their royalties to the Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Program at the South Carolina Aquarium. Encourages children undergoing medical treatment.

This work of narrative nonfiction includes a 3-page For Creative Minds section in the back of the book and a 43-page cross-curricular Teaching Activity Guide online. Carolina’s Story is vetted by experts and designed to encourage parental engagement. Its extensive back matter helps teachers with time-saving lesson ideas, provides extensions for science, math, and social studies units, and uses inquiry-based learning to help build critical thinking skills in young readers. The Spanish translation supports ELL and dual-language programs. The interactive ebook reads aloud in both English and Spanish with word highlighting and audio speed control to promote oral language skills, fluency, pronunciation, text engagement, and reading comprehension.

Written by Donna Rathmell, Illustrated by Barbara J. Bergwerf
32 pg, 10 x 8.5, Ages 4-8, Grades PK-3, Lexile: - 700, AR: 3.6, F&P: M

Reviews:

Magnificent, bright, and glossy photos in this 32-page picture book join with well-written text to make a winning combination. This book is an excellent supplement to science, reading, and math classes.? ? Children's Literature Comprehensive Database

This is a delightful book that will promote the understanding of the biology and conservation of sea turtles in general.? ? Science Books & Film

A moving and enjoyable story about a turtle in distress that illustrates the good humans can do to preserve the diversity of the planet as well as a wonderful learning experience for children." - Dr. Robert D. Ballard, Institute For Exploration (IFE) at Mystic Aquarium, Explorer-in-Residence for the National Geographic Society

Author/Illustrator Info:

Donna Rathmell German (Carolina's Story and Octavia) is the author of 16 cookbooks, four of which were New York Times best-sellers including The Bread Machine Cookbook Series, which have sold more than 3 million copies. The 1990's brought extensive media experience promoting her cookbooks, with appearances on such nationally respected programs as The Today Show, The 700 Club, Attitudes with Linda Dano, QVC, and a host of other radio and television programs. Donna is a volunteer at the South Carolina Aquarium, where she has developed a keen interest in their sea turtle rescue program. It was there that she met Barbara Bergwerf, the photographer for Carolina's Story. Two of life's inspirations led to the writing of Carolina's Story: one day, several years ago, the dock master at the marina called to ask Donna to safeguard an injured sea turtle that stranded nearby. As she and her daughter waited for the rescue team to arrive, she began to think about the importance of helping endangered turtles thrive in their natural environment. The second inspiration occurred when Donna was introduced to the Sea Turtle Hospital. She recalled an incident from years before when her then five-year-old daughter was injured in a fall and had to be rushed to a nearby Children's Hospital. The terrifying experience of emergency surgery and the attendant tests and medications brought to mind the same treatments she was seeing with the turtles. She saw both experiences as a way to increase children's awareness and respect for the natural world, and wrote a book that is also an invaluable resource for educating children on what to expect from their own medical treatment.

Barbara J. Bergwerf photo journals her nature-related volunteer involvement at the South Carolina Aquarium's Sea Turtle Hospital, the Island Turtle Team on Isle of Palms and Sullivan's Island, and the South Carolina Center for Birds of Prey. She's collaborated with best-selling novelist Mary Alice Monroe to share butterfly and loggerhead sea turtle photos with children through A Butterfly Called Hope and the award-winning Turtle Summer: A Journal for my Daughter. Her incredible photos also grace the award-winning children's book, Carolina's Story: Sea Turtles Get Sick Too! Barbara thought that she was retiring when she and her husband moved to the South Carolina Lowcountry. Somehow retirement doesn't seem to be in her vocabulary! Visit Barbara's website.