Turtle Tears by Megan Albany illustrated by Paul Seden

"The turtles there cry like we do ... Except when they cry butterflies flutter around 
and drink their tears."
"Turtles live a long time ... because they share their tears."

Grief is a complex emotion and we often struggle to know how to respond. In this book Nan is deeply grieving the loss Pop. She cries a lot and her little granddaughter Ruby is not sure how to help. Then Nan talks about a holiday she went on years ago where she heard that when turtles cry, butterflies drink their tears - such a lovely image to ponder.

I love the way this book openly explores grief and tears and the way Nan is still allowed to cry - the grief has not gone away it has just eased a little. 

Gently ignoring stereotypes, the story ends on a beautifully hopeful note. It also reminds the reader that, even if you or someone you love is very sad, that doesn't mean you can't also have moments of joy and chase butterflies. Reading Melbourne

Blurb from Magabala Books: This heart-warming picture book gently reassures children that it is both natural and healthy for adults and children to cry when they are sad. Narrated from the voice of a child, Ruby, it centres on her no-nonsense Nan who is grieving for her late husband. She tells the child about the turtles she and Pop saw, while on holiday in South America. They cry tears as humans do, and butterflies drink their tears (factual). 

Thanks to Magabala for sending a review copy of Turtle Tears.

I found this information about butterflies and turtles:  Butterflies in the Amazon engage in a behavior known as lachryphagy, where they sip tears from turtles to obtain vital sodium and minerals necessary for their survival. This unique interaction sees butterflies flocking to freshwater turtles, taking turns to land on their heads and drink their tears. The sodium in turtle tears is crucial ... As butterflies drink the tears, they quickly absorb the salt and dispose of the leftover liquid through their rear end. This process allows butterflies to acquire a crucial nutrient that is otherwise difficult to find in their usual diet of plants and other sources. The butterflies’ need for sodium drives them to seek out the tears of turtles, forming a symbiotic relationship where both the turtles and butterflies benefit. While the turtles produce plenty of tears, the butterflies only consume a small quantity, making this interaction sustainable for both parties. Besides butterflies, other insects such as bees and moths also partake in tear-drinking behavior. This fascinating natural occurrence highlights the interconnectedness of different species in their pursuit of survival ...  Butterflies rely on the turtles to provide enough sodium through their tears, ensuring their continued survival, while turtles remain largely unaffected by the butterflies’ feeding habits.  

Read more here. Here is a video of lachryphagy in action (2 minute video suitable for older primary students or background information for teachers).

This phenomena of butterflies drinking tears is probably mentioned in some non fiction books about butterflies - I need to dig deeper in a library to check.

Paul Seden is an author and illustrator of picture books for young readers and he is descended from the Wuthathi and Muralag people of North Queensland. Kick with My Left Foot was a Notable Book in the 2015 CBCA Book of the Year Awards and short-listed for the Speech Pathology Book of the Year Awards – Indigenous Children category. Crabbing with Dad was short-listed in the 2019 KOALA Children’s Choices Award and also for the ABIA Children’s Book of the Year in 2017. Paul loves illustrated text and lives in the Top End of the Northern Territory.

The Shop Train

Megan Albany is a proud Kalkadoon woman. Megan lives in the Northern Rivers of NSW. Her debut black comedy novel, The Very Last List of Vivan Walker (Hachette 2022), was one of four works shortlisted for The Banjo Prize.

Hatch by Heidi Cooper Smith

There are so many animals that lay eggs - many of them might not have occurred to you - while others will be very familiar - Green Sea Turtle; Mud Crab; echidna; cicada; tarantula; tawny frogmouth, Green Tree Frog; Platypus; Bearded Dragon; Brush Turkey; and crocodile.

Hatch is a perfect book - it is a non fiction, it covers a fascinating topic, and it has wonderful illustrations - well done to our Australian publisher CSIRO Publishing. AND there is a glossary and an four pages of extra facts. The end papers are also perfect - eggs at the front and babies at the back. There are teachers notes on the publisher page. 

A few days ago I talked about a couple of other new books from CSIRO Publishing and I mentioned that to my eye their illustrations were not as good as previous books from this company. Books from the series Nature Storybooks (formerly Read and Wonder) from a different publisher always use the very best illustrators and I commented that it would be great if these splendid books from CSIRO Publishing could emulate this.

I am happy to say Hatch, published in 2025, is perfect. 

I am in love with the beauty, warmth, and detail of the illustrations in this book! Hatch can work as a picture book for bedtime with the long vowels and gentle rhythm, and also as a scientific resource to spark curiosity and interest and for school projects. Story Links

Other books about eggs:

First the Egg

Other CSIRO Publishing titles - pop CSIRO into my search bar - I have talked about Bear to the Rescue; Look, see find me; The World from here; and Mystery of the Missing Turtles. 

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

Turbo Turtle by Gregg Dreise

"Way back before Once-upon-a-time time ..."

A little lizard is born and then grabbed by an eagle. He is rescued by Biamme who names him Warrabah. Warrabah enjoys life in this new place, but he longs to return to his homeland. The journey with the eagle has taken him far across the land. Biamme tells Warrabah he can set off to find his family but there are rules to follow. 

"I give you this magic because you have a wonderful kind heart. Use it to search this land and find your family. Be sure to ask permission to be on the different Countries. Let the Elders know what you are doing and ask permission to hunt on your travels."

As with all cautionary tales, Warrabah does not listen and he is impatient and he breaks these very important laws. He is taken back to face the Elders and the scene turns violent:

"They threw their spears. The two shields grew onto Warrabah's body and he ducked his head and arms behind the shields."

Have you guessed what happens? This will be a terrific book to share in your library - it fits into the category of Pourquoi stories - in this case How did the Turtle get his shell? Why do turtles move slowly? Pourquoi is the French word for "why". Pourquoi stories try to explain in an entertaining way why something happens or why things are the way they are, especially in nature.

Bookseller blurb: That lizard wriggled so much his tail broke off. He fell, but Biamme made a safe landing for him. Biamme gave him speed and he became turbo-charged. Biamme shared the Lore with him. When that lizard forgot to ask the Elders permission to hunt on their Country they complained to Biamme. He had to face the punishment called Boreen. Biamme gave him two boreens (shields), which grew on each side of his body to protect him from the Elders spears. He's not turbo-charged anymore.

Thanks to Magabala books for this review copy. Turbo Turtle was published on 11th November 2025. Here are some very detailed and very useful teachers notes. 

This morality tale is a Dreaming story as told by the Gomeroi/Kamilaroi and Euahlayi people of southwest Queensland and north-west New South Wales. Through creating this book, Gregg Dreise not only shares the importance of Lore, language, identity and home, but also subtly includes the challenges faced by members of the Stolen Generations removed from Country, disconnected from family and culture. He also shares the lessons that can be learnt from making mistakes. With important messages of respect, consequences, patience and responsibility, Turbo Turtle also relays the value of connection, acceptance and belonging.  

This is the fourth book in the Scales and Tales series – (it's) more than just a story about the origins of our native creatures for each has an underlying message that relates to human behaviour – in this case, it’s about actions and consequences, and how those consequences can change our pathway forward, even our lives, so that we find where we belong – and how that reinforces the connection to Country that guides today’s First Nations generations. Dreise expands on the origins of this story and its implications on the final page ... The Bottom Shelf

Look for other titles in the Scales and Tails series by Gregg Dreise:

And this book:

Two Turtles by Kiah Thomas illustrated by Jack A Minton

Terrence and Frank are serious rivals. Everything is a competition. If you have siblings you might relate to this. 

"Who has the shiniest shell ... Who can walk the slowest ... Who is the best at pretending to be a shark?"

Then Frank falls off the cliff or perhaps he rolls off - is this an accident? - he cannot bear to lose so he turns this mishap into a competition too and calls out to Terrence 'Bet I can beat you to the bottom'. 

Naturally Frank takes up the challenge and he also jumps off the cliff. Luckily (or perhaps it could be a disaster) this is a very very high cliff. This means there is time to think. About halfway they both realise this could end very badly. At this point you, the reader, are invited to offer some help.

Both turtles have lots of things inside their shells. There are things they have stowed that can could save them but ... you and your young audience need to shout:

HEY, TERRANCE AND FRANK! JUST WORK TOGETHER!

What did they have in their shells? Do they land safely? And most important of all did they learn a life lesson about cooperation (not competition)?

Two Turtles is listed on TWO CBCA 2025 Notables lists - Picture Book of the Year and the Early Childhood list so I thought it must be an amazing book - sorry but I was slightly disappointed. First off I disagree that this is a book for very young readers aged 0-6. 

I made similar comments about Jetty Jumping (here are the teachers notes) and the inclusion of risk-taking behaviours for an audience of very young children. Jetty Jumping is a beautifully illustrated book and it tells a special story but I worried about it being listed for very young children. 

Secondly, Two Turtles is overtly didactic with its lesson about the importance of cooperation, but the ending shows the two turtles are not going to change that that their propensity to see every aspect of their relationship as a competition and it seems their rivalry will continue.

I do like:

• the way this book 'breaks the fourth wall'
• the expressive faces on the two turtles (and the bird)
• the humour - packing a toaster
• the wise little bird watching these silly turtles - you could write a whole story from his/her perspective
• the wordless page
• and there is room here to read other books such as The Hare and the Tortoise (text reference: who can walk the slowest); and The Great White Man-eating Shark by Margaret Mahy (text reference: who is best at pretending to be a shark). 
• The story structure is interesting moving from the present back to the past and then ending where the story started.

I'm not such a fan of:

• Repeated digital illustrations (you can see inside this book here)
• The sudden arrival of extra birds on the second last page - where did they come from?
• Two pages of black showing the side of the tall cliff
• The patterned end papers - do they relate to the story or are they decorative?
• I'm not sure how the four pigs fit into the narrative and also there is a puzzling wire frame around the tree stump where the bird is trying to catch a worm
• There are tiny butterfly decorations on some pages - are these necessary?

The Kids' Book Reviewer totally disagrees with me. 

The illustrations are stunners, with a gorgeous green and brown palette throughout and the funkiest of animal pals. A birdy spectator features on the pages, expressing its own views about the juvenile turtles with the most entertaining facial expressions. ... Two Turtles is a story for everyone. It’s a story about all of us. I highly recommend you grab a copy. It’s an award winner for sure!

What Book Next.com say: But instead of this becoming a tale of a terrible tragedy, readers will laugh out loud at the antics of two rival turtles. ... Entertaining to the last possible moment!  

Other reviewers liken Two Turtles to books by Jon Klassen such as This is not my Hat. Some other (better) books about rivalry for readers aged 6+ are:

The Real Winner

Best Test

I previously read and enjoyed a middle grade novel by Kiah Thomas - The Callers.

The Callers (five stars from me)

Jake A Minton entered this book in the CBCA New Illustrator award 2023. It didn't win but I was one of the judges and we all agreed this book had very special illustrations. 

There's no such book

Fox the Tiger by Corey R Tabor

Fox has found a book to read. It is a book about a tiger.

Fox knows tigers are sneaky, fast and big.Tigers are great! Fox decides to transform himself into a tiger! His friends can see through the disguise BUT they decide to join in too with this game of imagination. Turtle becomes a race car; and Rabbit becomes a robot. BUT then it starts to rain. Thank goodness for Squirrel and his wise words. Oh the there is a brilliant wordless twist on the last page which will give everyone a laugh.

A few weeks ago I talked about the Geisel Award and I mentioned that I hoped to read some recent winners. In 2019 the winner was Fox the Tiger. This is a terrific book for newly independent readers or to read aloud. Listen to these brilliant words - I prowl and growl; I zip and zoom; I beep bop boop.

Feel-good, make-believe fun. Kirkus

I would pair Fox the Tiger with this old book - The Tale of Tiki Tiger by Teri Wiltshire. This book holds a special place in my heart because I have used this book with preschool children for over 15 years in the term before they come to "big school". It is the perfect text because it contains a fold out surprise and because it has the repeated refrain "I'm doing something extra special today."  On the day of their visit to our school the preschool children used to begin in the school library, my huge tiger toy would be hiding in my library bag ready to lick the nearest child and following their morning visit to the library the children would then be taken to visit classrooms, the playground and the computer room - "something special today".

Here is an interview with Corey where he talks about his work. You can see some of his joyous illustrations here.

I now discover there are other books about Fox and in November another book will be published with the title Fox versus Winter.