He blinked at the brightness
and inside his head he heard strange words,
‘To the sea, to the sea.’
The smallest turtle is the last one to hatch from his egg and, when he does, all of his brothers and sisters are gone. Emerging from the sand, the turtle follows the call of the sea as he struggles to overcome the weather, the landscape and predators to make it to the sea.
The Smallest Turtle is a new edition of author/illustrator Lynley Dodd’s earlier works. Although it is not written in the rhyme which Dodd is so well known for, her prose has a lyrical quality, with the use of the refrain ‘To the sea, to the sea’ adding to the poetic feel. The illustrations feature the green and sandy yellows of the seashore, and give the turtle endearing facial expressions, chiefly through a pair of adorable eyes in largely real life styled body.
This is a beautiful picture book story which would have classroom relevance.
The Smallest Turtle, by Lynley Dodd
This edition, ABC Books, 2008