November 1, 2015
When Old Turtle dies, his friends remember. The text is in white, dropped-out letters on dark and glowing full-bleed backgrounds, which take place in the waters of the sea. The animals are only slightly anthropomorphized visually, but their thoughts and emotions are very human. The word "death" is never used, but the story opens with Old Turtle (probably not the same Old Turtle as Douglas Wood's) on his last day, when he "swam his last swim and took his last breath." The other turtles remember how he taught them to swim; the sea otters remember how he loved to play and laugh; a starfish and a manatee remember how Old Turtle rescued them from danger. After each glimpse at an animal or animal community that Old Turtle touched, the refrain emphasizes they will always remember. The final page sums it up: "he made his world a better place. / When he was done, the ocean took him back." Without mentioning a deity or religion, the text discusses how people remember those who have died and how their lives go on beyond them. Understated, unsentimental, and gently done. (Picture book. 4-8)
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December 1, 2015
PreS-Gr 2-A touching tribute to a compassionate and wise friend who dies, this tells the story of the beautiful sea creatures living in the deep and the challenges that they face. Life in the reef was made better for all of the sea creatures because of Old Turtle. He was a thoughtful friend and a skilled teacher. When disaster struck, Old Turtle was there to lend a helping hand and fix problems. He was an adventurer, an explorer, and a comedian, and he will be sorely missed. The day Old Turtle dies, his absence is felt by all. However, his legacy will live on forever. This is a wonderful reminder that each act of kindness that one commits has great impact on others. The deep blues, greens, and browns of the full-page digitally created illustrations take readers underwater for a sneak peek of life below the surface. Each situation introduced by the text becomes more vivid because of the rich colors and attention to detail. VERDICT A sweet and poignant story with multiple layers for delving deeper.-Amy Shepherd, St. Anne's Episcopal School, Middleton, DE
Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
January 1, 2016
Grades K-3 The author of Bedtime Is Canceled (2012) here takes a thoughtful look at death and the legacy of a life well lived. In the end, on his very last day, Old Turtle swam his last swim and took his last breath. With his life complete, the gentle waves took him away. What follows are fond remembrances of this tortoise by the marine animals that knew him best. He taught young turtles to swim, kept a lonely humpback whale company, played with sea otters, shared buried treasure with dolphins, carried a starfish home, and freed a manatee from a net. All conclude they will miss their friend but remember him fondly. Jago's lush digital artwork favors the greens and blues of the sea (with bright oranges for accents) and is well suited to Meng's pensive text. Similar in tone to Bryan Mellonie's Lifetimes: The Beautiful Way to Explain Death to Children (1983) or Susan Varley's Badger's Parting Gifts (1984), this makes a comforting choice for families dealing with loss.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)
July 1, 2016
Old Turtle has died, and the other sea creatures enumerate the things they will remember him for: the humpback whale will remember Turtle's friendship, the dolphins will remember his curiosity, the sea otters will remember how he made them laugh. Jago's beautiful digital illustrations of marine life swimming against richly colored ocean backgrounds are more remarkable than the sentimental text.
(Copyright 2016 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)