Turtle Bay [Hardcover]

Saviour Pirotta (Author), Nilesh Mistry (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 30, 1997 | Age Level: 4 and up

"Outlined in the tranquil telling of a friendship between a young boy and a seemingly odd man who proves to be 'old and wise, and full of wonderful secrets' is a beguiling look at the breeding process of Japanese sea turtles, who lay their eggs on land yet live in the ocean."-Kirkus Reviews

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 3. The setting?a protected beach in Japan, washed by warm coastal waters?is the most important element of this book. In the bay, Taro dives and boats with his elderly friend, Jiro-San. Taro's sister thinks Jiro-San is eccentric because he sweeps the beach, but Taro comes to understand that the man is preparing for the arrival of mysterious friends. With Jiro-San as their guide, the children watch as the guests arrive at last. Sea turtles come from the ocean to lay their eggs on the beach, and eight weeks later the children return to see the baby turtles hatch. Realistic drawings suffused with gold, blue, or lavender depict the changing moods of the sea and its varied inhabitants, from starfish to whales. An endnote offers relevant facts about sea turtles. Endpapers showing shells scattered in the sand set the tone for this evocative, gentle book that celebrates life on the shore with events and language very young children can appreciate.?Margaret A. Chang, North Adams State College, MA
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

Outlined in the tranquil telling of a friendship between a young boy and a seemingly odd man who proves to be ``old and wise, and full of wonderful secrets'' is a beguiling look at the breeding process of Japanese sea turtles, who lay their eggs on land yet live in the ocean. Jiro-San is often seen sweeping the glass and rubbish from the beach and listening to the wind, in preparation for the return of his ``old friends.'' Taro and his reluctant sister join in and help, without knowing why. The secret is revealed in the form of a band of mother turtles, who lay their leathery eggs in holes in the sand; weeks later, Jiro-San and the two children witness the nocturnal emergence of hundreds of baby sea turtles scuttling seawarda mild lesson in the life cycle of the loggerhead, close cousin to the more familiar land turtles. Hushed, lavender-hued pictures befit the tone of the understated story; mottled backgrounds cast a quiet spell, as does the sagacious old man who appears to understand more than just turtles. (Picture book. 4-8) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) (August 30, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374378886
• ISBN-13: 978-0374378882
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,150,421 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Saviour Pirotta was born on the island of Malta but emigrated to the UK in his early twenties. He grew up speaking three langauges, English, Maltese and Italian.

Before taking up writing full time, he was a postman, a chef and a storyteller. His retellings of myths, legends and folk tales have been published around the world and translated into twenty three languages to date. He lives in Saltaire, West Yorkshire.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 4 1/2* Turtles Emerge!, December 9, 2004

By 

M. Allen Greenbaum (California) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Turtle Bay (Hardcover)

This is a beautifully illustrated story of "Jiro-San," the supposedly "strange" older man who sweeps the beach, listens to birds, and waits mysteriously for something from the sea. Taro thinks Jiro-San is "old and wise," but his sister Yuko considers him "weird." Jiro-san enlists the boy's help in sweeping the beach, and, for a moment, he wonders whether Taro was right about the "old" man. However, Jiro-San explains that his sea friends won't swim to this beach if they could get hurt on the scattered garbage.

Taro and Jiro-San explore the inner bay, and in a series of striking tonal illustrations (one is mostly purples, another blues, and yet rich with another browns and yellows), the two see many wonders: Dolphins, swordfish, and a whale.

"'Are they your old friends?' Taro asked."

"`They're friends,' said Jiro-San, `but not the old friends I meant. Maybe they will come tomorrow.'"

Finally, Yuko joins the man and Taro, and they see an approaching shape: "It was huge and bobbed up and down on the water like an enormous cork. At last, the children could see what it was-a turtle!" The next few pages show the huge turtle laying her eggs; eight weeks later, hundreds hatch from under the sand and crawl towards the beach. Yuko finally agrees with her brother that this is a wise man indeed-"full of wonderful secrets." A one-page afterward ("About Sea Turtles") explains the breeding of young loggerhead turtles, and the need for protecting them.

Although I enjoyed the book very much, especially Nilesh Mistry's vivid and imaginative pictures, I felt just a little disappointed at its conclusion. Both the last picture (the turtles scurrying to the sea in an almost abstract pattern) and the text (the realization that Jiro-San is wise, not "crazy") seem slightly anticlimactic, especially after the preceding excitement. Still, the book has excellent and unique pictures, a nicely accomplished intergenerational theme, and exciting depictions of various ocean animals. The story appears to take place in Japan, but the setting is tangential to the story.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enchanting story, beautiful pictures!, December 13, 2003

By 

MomTwoBoys (Dallas, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Turtle Bay (Paperback)

Why is Jiro-San sweeping the beach?
My 8 year old son loves turtles and he loves this book. We enjoyed it together as a read-aloud and now he reads it over and over to himself. The pictures are breath-taking with rich colors and really bring the story to life. Mystery and wonder abound as a wise old man becomes friends with a boy and his sister.

1 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars good condition but slow, August 16, 2006

By 

Shelden Miller "shelleymil" (Tampa, FL USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Turtle Bay (Paperback)

The book arrived in great condition. Better than discribed. It took a lot longer than any other place I have used on amazon.