Hello, friends – and welcome to the review of our ONE THOUSANDTH BOOK! We chose a good one: Follow The Moon Home: A Tale Of One Idea, Twenty Kids, And A Hundred Sea Turtles, written by Philippe Cousteau and Deborah Hopkinson, and illustrated by Meilo So.

New to her South Carolina beach town, Vivienne feels alone and adrift. Even though her summer school program teacher and fellow students are welcoming, she is not quite ready to put herself out there. Until one day, when walking on the beach, a local and classmate tell her about the annual nesting of the loggerhead sea turtles. Seeing some of the baby turtles had tragically wandered away from the ocean, Vivienne wonders why. After researching the turtles and returning to observe the beach at night, she realizes – the bright lights from the beachside homes are confusing the infant turtles’ homing instincts. Compelled to help, Vivienne must find the courage to reach out and connect an entire community, resulting in her shyness lifted, and a hundred lives saved.

Beautiful. The story weaves effortlessly through lessons in young leadership, activism, environmentalism, community, courage, curiosity, and of course, loggerhead sea turtles, leaving the reader both educated and inspired. The watercolor-heavy art bends to suit each perfectly, knowing when to focus on the smallness of a paper handout and when to pull back to a sweeping moonlit beach, all while evoking a nostalgic seaside sensibility. There is one illustration that shows a baby turtle that didn’t make it – it’s subtle, but worth noting. The length was fine, and JJ loved the little turtles. A beautiful read to remind children that they are never too young to make an impact in their world. Baby Bookworm approved!