The Turtle

by Cynthia Rylant, Preston McDaniels (Illustrator)

Overview

Newbery Medalist Cynthia Rylant brings the peaceful sounds, sights, and characters of the coast vividly to life in the fourth book of the Lighthouse Family series, in which the family rescues a trapped turtle.

A thick fog has found its way up north to the lighthouse family, surrounding the cliffs and waters below. Always ready to lend a hand, the lighthouse siblings Whistler and Lila help Seabold guide small ships to land. As they overlook the foggy waters, they hear a distant voice echoing from the rocks below. Who could it be?

Using only a rope and their hearts to guide them, Seabold, Lila, and Whistler make their way down the side of the cliff. And what they discover will help them weather even the thickest fog—a new friend.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780689863127
Publisher:	Beach Lane Books
Publication date:	02/01/2006
Series:	Lighthouse Family , #4
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	48
Sales rank:	535,618
Product dimensions:	5.12(w) x 7.62(h) x 0.20(d)
Lexile:	720L (what's this?)
Age Range:	6 - 10 Years

About the Author

Cynthia Rylant is the author of more than 100 books for young people, including the beloved Henry and Mudge, Annie and Snowball, Brownie & Pearl, Motor Mouse, and Mr. Putter & Tabby series. Her novel Missing May received the Newbery Medal. She lives in Portland, Oregon.

Preston McDaniels is the illustrator of the Phineas L. MacGuire series and Cynthia Rylant’s Lighthouse Family series. He lives in Aurora, Nebraska, with his wife and two daughters.

Read an Excerpt

The Turtle

Editorial Reviews

In this fourth visit to a close, multi-species family of lighthouse tenders, a distressed sea turtle washes up on the rocky shore. Having swum so far from her accustomed South to see the glorious lights for which she's named, Aurora desperately needs warmth and help to get home-both of which, along with plenty of TLC, the clever cat Pandora, the old canine salt Seabold, and the trio of orphaned mice Whistler, Lila and Tiny are happy to offer. Muffled (except for Aurora) in baggy human clothing, the figures in McDaniels's elaborate, accomplished graphite drawings exude personality, adding animation to Rylant's measured but understated writing. Amid a chorus of goodbyes and well-dones, Aurora departs homeward at last, in a rope sling beneath a flock of migrating pelicans-a final image that will stay with the young audiences and recent easy-reader graduates drawn to these tales of castaways from diverse backgrounds making a home together. (Fiction. 8-10)

Kirkus Reviews