Lindsay Moore chronicles the remarkable true story of Yoshi, a loggerhead sea turtle who traveled an astounding 25,000 miles after being released from the aquarium that rehabilitated her. Informational and awe-inspiring, Yoshi and the Ocean is a gorgeous picture book about patience, perseverance, the ocean, and finding your way home. A transformative story about the incredible journeys animals make and the interconnectedness of the natural world.
In 1997, a young loggerhead sea turtle was rescued from the ocean after an injury to her shell. The fishermen who rescued her named her Yoshi and took her to the Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town, South Africa. She was rehabilitated there and grew stronger—and larger!—every day. She also became one of the most popular exhibits at the aquarium. After twenty years in captivity, Yoshi was released back into the ocean and traveled more than 25,000 miles in 1,003 days to find her way home. A tracking device on her shell transmitted data about her journey to marine biologists and turtle enthusiasts of all ages around the world.
Lindsay Moore’s gorgeous watercolor paintings enrich her moving, lyrical, and informative text. This picture book touches on topics such as conservation, oceanography, natural selection, the food chain, currents, and geography, making Yoshi and the Ocean an ideal choice for parents, teachers, librarians, and anyone interested in nature and the ocean.
Includes a map of Yoshi’s journey, information about sea turtles and how you can help them, and additional resources.---from the publisher
64 pages 978-0063060982 Ages 4-8
Keywords: sea turtle, journey, ocean, animal rescue, science, Science Curriculum, 4 year old, 5 year old, 6 year old, 7 year old, 8 year old
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In 1997, a young loggerhead sea turtle was rescued from the ocean after an injury to her shell. The fishermen who rescued her named her Yoshi and took her to the Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town, South Africa. She was rehabilitated there and grew stronger—and larger!—every day. She also became one of the most popular exhibits at the aquarium.
But Yoshi was changing - she was becoming restless and the call of the ocean and her faraway home became stronger and stronger. After twenty years in captivity, Yoshi was released back into the ocean, fitted with a tracking device. And so began a journey that was full of danger, beauty, adventure, mystery, discovery and surprise. Over 987 days and 24 862 miles (almost 40 000 km) , she navigated the Atlantic and Indian Oceans back to the Shark Bay region of Western Australia!
In 2019, Lindsay Moore told us of the journey of Sea Bear, the remarkable journey of a female polar bear, and now, amongst the gloom and doom messages of climate change and environmental disasters, comes another heart-warming, hope-giving story of the magic and mystery of Mother Nature. Yoshi's story is told in both lyrical text and exquisite watercolour paintings, with the lightest touches on topics such as conservation, oceanography, natural selection, the food chain, currents, and geography. But it becomes more than just the story of a remarkable journey with maps, information and even how the satellites tracked her included in the final pages. On October 28, 2020 Yoshi sent her last transmission and her amazing journey is summarised on this blog post , complete with photographs and links to other posts that not only tell Yoshi's story in greater detail, but also those of others released from the sanctuary.
Yoshi was "a fantastic ocean ambassador" while at the aquarium and her journey captivated so many more than just those able to see her "in person", and although her whereabouts are not known now, her carers and scientists believe she is at last at home. Another amazing story of animal migration...
If you have young, or not-so-young, readers with any sort of interest in turtles, or just the ocean and its incredible creatures, this is a must-have in any collection. Inspire them to learn more, do more, and start their own life-changing journey!
Recommended by: Barbara Braxton, Teacher Librarian, New South Wales AUSTRALIA
See more of her recommendations:
500 Hats https://500hats.edublogs.org/
The Bottom Shelf https://thebottomshelf.edublogs.org/
Storybook Cushions https:// bit.ly/storybook_cushions
