Taking Turns with Turtles: A Rescue Story, written by Shari Becker and illustrated by Brittany Lane. Groundwood, 2026. $21.99 ages 3 and up

 

"Turtle waste and hatched eggshells help
nourish new beach plants as they grow. 

Turtles have been caring for the earth's dunes
for millions of years. 
Now it is my turn to care for the turtles."

Written in first-person narrative, the text in this pleasing and encouraging book about rescue missions looks to those who make a difference in caring for the turtles that have given so much to help the environment through millions of years. 

The first narrator is a child who wakes on a cold and wintry morning to join her parents in a search for cold-stunned turtles that have washed up on the sand and cannot move. They provide cover to try to warm it up and go on to look for more. As they go, the child thinks about how turtles have always worked to keep the oceans clean and available for other animals to call home. Now, she is caring for those turtles. 

The story moves on the person who transports the lost turtle to a warm place where it can rest, be measured and then taken to a vet clinic where it will get the care it needs. The vet does all needed to bring the turtle back to health and also speaks to visitors about the importance of turtles in the world's ecosystems. Moving on to rehab, the turtle is provided with sustenance before releasing it back to the ocean. A volunteer pilot is next in the circle of caregivers. He fills his climate-controlled plane with boxed turtles and flies them to warmer waters where volunteers are ready to accomplish the final leg of their journey. 

"The waves tickle my feet and hug my ankles. 
When the water finally kisses my knees, 
Mom places the turtle in the water. 

She lets go."

Watercolor artwork by Brittany Lane is beautiful and provides a perfect setting for each stage of this rescue mission. Each new narration begins with 'one morning when', and every one of the helpers recognizes that, after all that turtles have done to help the environment, 'now it is my turn' to help the turtles.  

Back matter offers an author's note, facts about sea turtles, a migration map, and the role readers can play in helping should they encounter a cold-stunned turtle. A final page provides rescue statistics, resources, and a list for further reading.