Sea Turtle Summer by Nancy Stewart: Blog Tour

I am thrilled to share this book with you today - it is a favorite of mine as a mother of two young children and a lover of the beach, ocean and animals. Big thanks to Pump Up Your Book for allowing me to help out with this one!

About the Book:

Bella and Britt think living by the beach is the coolest thing ever.  When they discover a Loggerhead Sea Turtle laying her eggs in broad daylight, the girls go into action to help.

No one, though, seems to care about the nest.  The beach is a busy place and is getting busier by the minute on such a beautiful summer day.  What can they do?  Who will help, and what do they learn about themselves?

As a bonus, Sea Turtle Summer contains kid appealing facts about sea turtles.

About the Author:

After having been both an elementary school teacher, a university professor of education and a consultant for New Options, Inc. in New York City, Nancy Stewart writes children’s books full time.   She, her husband and three sons, lived in London for eight years, where she was a consultant to several universities, including Cambridge.

 Her travels take her extensively throughout the world, most particularly Africa. Nancy is US chair of a charity in Lamu, Kenya, that places girls in intermediate schools to allow them to further their education.

Nancy is the author of the Bella and Britt picture book series, One Pelican at a Time, Sea Turtle Summer, Bella Saves the Beach and Mystery at Manatee Key. All are published by Guardian Angel Publishing. Pelican was nominated for a Global eBook Award.

She was featured in the PBS Tampa (WEDU) series, Gulfwatch.  It concerned the writing of One Pelican at a Time:  A Story of the Gulf Oil Spill.

She and her family live in St. Louis and Tampa.

Nancy’s web and blog sites are:

http://www.nancystewartbooks.com

http://www.nancystewartbooks.blogspot.com

Book Excerpt:

Next morning, the girls looked carefully at the nest, making sure not to touch it.        

“Our stick’s still here, and everything seems okay,” observed Britt.

Bella sighed.  “But there’s no sign of the ranger.”

“And here comes the sand cleaner!” cried Britt.  “We have to do something fast.”  

“Quick!  Hold hands across the nest.  Maybe he’ll stop in time!” Bella yelled.

The sand cleaning machine came to a squealing stop right in front of the girls. “What do you two think you’re doing?” bellowed the startled driver.   “You could have been hurt!”

“We’re saving sea turtles!” they both shouted over the noisy vehicle.

“Sorry, girls, but volleyball nets are going up right here in a few minutes,” said the driver.   “There’s an all city play-off this morning.”

“Oh, no,” Bella sighed.  “What about the nest?”

My Thoughts:

I really did enjoy this book - it is one that I have read before, and shared with my kids who also loved it.  The premise is simple, take care of the earth and her creatures and I can't think of a better lesson for kids to learn.  Sea turtles also happens to be a great animal to teach this lesson with since they are endangered.

I like the simplicity of the story, the basic writing that reaches even the youngest child.  I would be remiss if I didn't also mention the illustrations, which are beautiful and accompany the story in a phenomenal way.  The author and illustrator do jointly tell the story in two different ways, and kids appreciate that.

I would strongly recommend this book as an addition to any classroom or library, especially at the elementary level.  I look forward to checking out more of Nancy's work in the future!