Book Description

They swam the ocean when dinosaurs walked the earth. More than 100 million years later, they are swimming still. Today, however, they are fighting for their survival. These ancient and beautiful creatures are sea turtles. Here is the story of one sea turtle, a mother turtle that swims to shore. She digs a hole in a dune where she lays one hundred eggs. Following her instinct, she covers the eggs with sand and slowly makes her way back to sea. What happens next, from eggs to hatchlings, is one of the most extraordinary occurences in nature. For the eggs provide food for other animals. The eggs that survive produce hatchlings that, again, provide food for birds and crabs. For the hatchlings that survive, the journey from the nest to the water is filled with danger. And even those that make it to the ocean face an uncertain future. Steven Swinburne's text, with dramatic illustrations by Bruce Hiscock, is a blend of lyrical prose and fascinating facts. Together, words and paintings give young readers an understanding of how turtles give birth and how the young fight for survival.