Turtle Crossing - Hardcover

Chrustowski, Rick

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0805074988 ISBN 13: 9780805074987

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR), 2006

Synopsis

Why did the turtle cross the road?

 

Five years after a female painted turtle hatches from her shell, she is ready to lay eggs of her own. This is a dangerous task because there is a road between her and the perfect nesting site. She starts to cross, but a huge car is hurtling her way. It stops just in time, and the kind people help her to safety.

 

So the next time you see a Turtle Crossing sign, keep your eyes open—if you’re lucky you just might see a painted turtle on her way to make a nest.

 

Turtle Crossing is a 2007 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

About this title

About the Author

Rick Chrustowski is the author/illustrator of Blue Sky Bluebird, Hop Frog, and Bright Beetle, as well as the illustrator of Army Ant Parade and Lunch at the Zoo. He lives and works in an old farmhouse on a hill in Wisconsin.

Reviews

PreSchool-Grade 1–This story follows the growth and development of a painted box turtle from her birth in an underground nest to her journey to a pond, till she crosses the road to build her own nest and then crosses back to the pond. Along the way, readers learn about the dangers she faces, how she spends the winter, and mating. The illustrations, done with colored pencil over watercolor washes, with lots of watery blues and greens, give readers a close-up view of turtle behavior. A solid source for reports and general interest.–Hope Marie Cook, Eastern Connecticut State University, Willimantic
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Gr. 1-3. This nonfiction picture book follows a painted turtle as she emerges from the ground where she hatched, crosses the road, and makes her way to a pond. There she lives and grows for five years, mates, makes her way back across the road, and lays her eggs. In a nice touch, as she crosses the road to head home, a car stops and a boy gets out to carry her to the other side. In watercolors and colored pencils, the large-scale artwork clearly depicts the turtle and her surroundings as she looks for food, warms herself in the sun, and hibernates in the mud. Cutaway views showing what is above and below ground level are particularly effective. Chrustowski uses simple words and active verbs to convey basic facts about the turtle and her habitat. A note relates additional information about characteristics and habits of turtles, including why they cross the road. Well suited to reading aloud, this colorful book offers an informative look at the life cycle of a turtle. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
• Publication date: 2006
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0805074988
• ISBN 13: 9780805074987
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Chrustowski Rick
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32