I chose to read this because one of my students loves turtles and is always talking about them so I wanted to learn more about turtles. It was really cute. I loved it. ( )

An attractively illustrated, informative introduction to turtle habitats and environmental issues that affect them. ( )

Genre: Non-Fiction
Audience: 3-5
This is a great book about turtles! The pictures are wonderful and the information is laid out in an organized manner that is not confusing. I will use this book while studying reptiles in Science or in Reading workshop. ( )

A Place for Turtles is a fascinating look at the roles humans have played in the survival of many turtle species. Each spread explains one problem, a turtle species directly affected by the human carelessness, and ways to correct the situation. The Loggerhead Turtle is a sea turtle. At one time fishing nets caught many of these turtles along with the shrimp. The turtles could not escape and would die. In 1988, Congress passed a law requiring all fishing nets have a turtle excluder device, a trap door the turtles can use to escape, but shrimp cannot.
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I love this book. The information is fascinating (which I might have already mentioned). The author uses a different turtle’s plight for each problem she explains. This gives a small glimpse into the lives of nine turtles and one tortoise. Some problems I had been aware of, but the growth of Las Vegas, for example, having a dire effect on the Desert Tortoise was new information.

I think kids will find much of this new and enlightening. A Place for Turtles is a primer on turtles. Kids can use the information on school reports or simply to gain an understanding of this reptile. The turtle shell contains 60 bones according to one of the Terrific Turtle Tidbits in the back of the book. A bibliography and a couple of websites can direct you to the resources Ms. Stewart referred to for accuracy.

The illustrations are tremendous. The details and accuracy make for outstanding reproductions. Ms. Bond’s realistic acrylic on cold pressed illustration board fooled my eyes into thinking it was three-dimensional. The vivid turtles and their surroundings are amazing to look at. The illustrations alone make A Place for Turtles worth the purchase price—not to discount the hard word and incredible amount of vetted information Ms. Stewart wrote.

I think boys will especially appreciate A Place for Turtles, though I would not discount girls. Girls wrote this gem after all. I like the inside cover, back and front, which have the location of each species along with a picture of the turtle. The publisher could have eliminated these color maps. That Peachtree did not shows the value they place on their picture books as a whole.

(Received from publisher for an honest review) Originally reviewed at Kid Lit Reviews: http://kid-lit-reviews.com/2013/03/20/reviews-stripe-of-all-types-by-susan-stock... ( )