Mystery of the Missing Turtles illustrated by James O'Hanlon

"All tortoises are turtles, but not all turtles are tortoises! Turtles are reptiles with a shell that has formed by fusing their rib cage to their backbone. ... There are 350 living species of turtles around the world and many more extinct series have been discovered from fossils. ... Collectively, the scientific name for all these shelled animals is Testudines."

This book has been written by a team of scientists: Deborah S. Bower, Ricky-John Spencer, Michael B. Thompson, James U. Van Dyke. Here is a link to the teachers notes. 

Brooke loves watching the turtles in the creek near her farm. She has learnt to identify the different types of turtles but she also, sadly notices that that they all seem to be big and old. Where are the baby turtles? Brooke finds a nest with turtle eggs, but she makes a terrible discovery - all of the eggs have been eaten. What has happened? Brooke is a problem solver and a budding scientist. She sets up a 'trap' with chicken eggs hoping the thief (or as she calls it the criminal) will be caught on her camera. The culprit is a big red fox. Brooke continues with her observations, and she sets up a wire grid to protect the nest. By the end of this book over 100 baby turtles can be seen crawling down to the creek.

About the authors: Associate Professors Deborah S. Bower, James U. Van Dyke, and Professors Ricky-John Spencer and Michael B. Thompson are turtle biologists who created the 1 Million Turtles Citizen Science Project to encourage participation in turtle conservation in Australia. Associate Professor Elizabeth Hale researches and teaches children’s literature and writing at the University of New England. Dr James O’Hanlon is an award-winning science communicator, author and illustrator. Whether through art, science or storytelling, James works to illuminate the beauty and complexity of creatures that are often overlooked

As I mentioned, the turtle eggs are being eaten by a fox. I expected to read more details about foxes as an introduced species here in Australia in the end notes. There is only a brief mention of this. It is good, however, to read about the turtles we have here in Australia, the difference between a turtle and a tortoise, the way turtles help our environment and most important of all the Citizen Scientist Project - '1 Million Turtles'. There are very useful teaches resources on this page too. 

The 1 Million Turtles is a national community conservation citizen science program. This program promotes a strong collaboration between scientists and the community to support initiatives aimed at conserving threatened Australian freshwater turtle species.  

Aims:

• Increase survival rates of freshwater turtles and turtle nests, and by doing so, increase our turtle populations by at least 1 million. Hence the program name '1 Million Turtles'.
• Increase knowledge of freshwater turtle distributions across Australia and identify hotspots for future conservation.
• Train the community in methods that promote turtle conservation, like how to save a turtle on a road, or protect a turtle nest.

As you have seen this final point is the focus of Mystery of the Missing Turtles. 

There seem to be lots of non fiction books about Sea Turtles so I curious about the difference. This Wikipedia article talks about the way turtles and tortoises are given different names in different countries. Here is what I found from a US page:

• Sea turtles and land turtles are two distinct types of turtles that have different adaptations for living in their respective environments.
• Both sea turtles and land turtles play important roles in their respective ecosystems.
• Public awareness and conservation efforts are needed to protect these amazing creatures from threats such as habitat loss, pollution, and over-harvesting.
• Sea turtles have a more streamlined body shape, which allows them to swim more efficiently in the water. Their limbs are modified into flippers that help them move through the water.
• Land turtles have sturdier limbs and a more dome-shaped shell that provides protection against predators.
• Another physical difference between sea turtles and land turtles is their ability to retract their limbs into their shell. Land turtles have the ability to retract their limbs and head into their shell for protection.
• Sea turtles, on the other hand, cannot retract their limbs into their shell, as their limbs are modified into flippers.
• Land turtles lay eggs in nests dug in the ground, and the eggs take several months to hatch. The hatchlings are small and vulnerable and are often preyed upon by predators.
• Land turtles are known for their long lifespan, with some species living for over 100 years. The Galapagos tortoise is one of the longest-lived land turtles, with some individuals living for over 150 years.
• Australia is home to 34 native turtle species, including 28 freshwater turtles and 6 marine turtles, each with unique characteristics and conservation statuses. Read more here.

There are so many new books from CSIRO Publishing that combine a narrative with non-fiction text or content and which explore very interesting topics but I do have one small criticism - I wish this series had continued to emulate the wonderful Nature Storybooks or as they were formerly called Read and Wonder and used similar illustrators with less reliance on digital images. Titles such as The Forgotten Song has brilliant illustrations as does Where are all the Christmas Beetles. 

The content of all of these CSIRO Publishing books will be of great interest to young readers and also very welcome in schools to link with syllabus content.

Find some of my blog posts here.

My friend has a comprehensive Pinterest collection of books about tortoises and turtles. Companion books:

Read more here

The Silver Arrow by Lev Grossman

"How could a giant steam train go to all these places?
Why did nobody else know about this?
Was the train invisible?
And who put down all these tracks?
Who sold all these animals their tickets? ...

In a way she didn't want to ask the questions, because she was afraid that doing so might disturb some fragile enchantments, and it would all turn out to be a dream that evaporated as mysteriously as it had arrived."

Recently I was asked to read The Silver Arrow and write 40 words for use in a book catalogue. This was a terrific project BUT hold on - 40 words!!! This is almost impossible for me - if you read this blog you know, if I like a book, I tend to go on and on and on.... Oh well here are my (slightly more than 40) words.

My summary: For Kate’s eleventh birthday, her mysterious uncle delivers a full-sized steam train with fifteen carriages. One is filled with candy but it’s the mystery carriage that will prove most important. Where is the train going? Who are the passengers? On this journey the kids make important discoveries about humans, endangered animals and the balance of life.  It’s a wild ride but it’s sure worth it.

Like the train itself, this story is a fast paced and exciting ride filled with different scenes and interesting passengers. The passengers are all endangered animals who need to share their stories with Kate and her brother Tom but this is not done in a preachy or didactic way. It is all just a natural part of the story as the train stops at various stations and picks up different animals such as a polar bear, baby pangolin, porcupine, heron and a fishing cat. Kate learns about habitat destruction, the poor practices of humans and the dangers of introduced species but as I said you never feel the author has an 'agenda'.

The Silver Arrow will be published in September, 2020. Huge thanks to Beachside Bookshop for my Advance Reader copy. This book would be perfect to read aloud or for an independent reader 9+.

Here is the publisher blurb from Bloomsbury: Kate wasn't expecting much when she wrote to her wealthy estranged uncle to ask for a birthday present. Certainly she wasn't expecting a colossal steam train called the Silver Arrow to arrive on her doorstep.

Despite parental misgivings, curiosity overwhelms Kate and her brother Tom and they climb aboard, only for the train's engine to roar into life. Soon they reach a train station where an assortment of strange and beautiful creatures are waiting with tickets in their mouths, and Kate and Tom begin to understand that their job will be to see them safely home – if they can.

Lev Grossman's first children's book is a journey you'll never forget: a rip-roaring adventure from desert plains to snow-covered mountains and everything in between. Packed with exciting creatures from the indignant porcupine to the lost polar bear and the adorable baby pangolin, The Silver Arrow is a classic story about saving our endangered animals and the places they live.

I would pair this book with:

The Boundless by Kenneth Oppel

The Train to Impossible Places