TRACKS IN THE SAND - Hardcover

g, realistic illustrations Leedy introduces young readers to the life cycle of the loggerhead sea turtle, an endangered species that follows an instinct that is a million years old.

Kindergarten-Grade 2-- A brief picture book that describes the reproduction of sea turtles (identified as loggerheads in the afterword): mating at sea, the female's sojourn to shore, egg laying, and return to the ocean. Eggs develop, hatchlings scramble across the sand to reach the sea, and the cycle begins again years later as a female crawls to shore. These events are successfully related with a few simple facts interwoven with poetic language that is echoed in the watercolor pencil drawings. Cover-to-cover illustrations encompass the text with the natural colors of the shore during daylight and capture the essence of the same scene in moonlight. A sense of place is established by footprints and shells strewn on a seemingly deserted beach, and continues to picture the development of the eggs under the sand. Information is somewhat limited by the brevity of the narrative, with no reference to the timing of the mating season, the perilous journey of the hatchlings due to predators, or the size of adult sea turtles. However, this information is presented in a page of notes for adults, along with ways to protect these mysterious animals. An attractive introduction. --Diane Nunn, Richard E. Byrd Elementary School, Glen Rock, NJ
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.