The Secret Life of a Sea Turtle, Maddalena Bearzi
The Secret Life of a Sea Turtle, Maddalena Bearzi
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The Secret Life of a Sea Turtle

Author: Maddalena Bearzi

Narrator: Kate Coventry

Unabridged: 33 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 05/13/2025

Synopsis

Follow the captivating yet perilous life of one sea turtle in this dazzling nonfiction tale by the co-founder of the Ocean Conservation Society, perfect for fans of Jason Chin's ISLAND. The Secret Life of a Sea Turtle features music and special effects. Listen along and enjoy the fun!

On a beach at the Ría Lagartos nature reserve in Mexico, a sea turtle is born.

Newly hatched into a big world, she breaks out of an egg buried in the sand. Now, her journey begins. To reach the ocean she must avoid predatory opossums, crabs, and raccoons -- many of her siblings will not make it. But our sea turtle does, and when she finally dives beneath the blue sea, she’ll travel for thousands of miles on a beautiful and pulse-pounding adventure.

Brilliant, informative, and compelling, The Secret Life of a Sea Turtle is a sweeping nonfiction tale following one turtle’s extraordinary life from hatchling to adulthood, written by sea turtle expert and activist Maddalena Bearzi.

A Macmillan Audio production from Roaring Brook Press.

About Maddalena Bearzi

Maddalena Bearzi is a passionate scientist, active conservationist, photo-journalist, and published author of articles and books, including Beautiful Minds: The Parallel Lives of Great Apes and Dolphins, Dolphin Confidential: Confessions of a Field Biologist, and Stranded: Finding Nature in Uncertain Times. Maddalena was born and raised in Italy and now lives in Los Angeles, California, with her husband and dog.

About Alex Boersma

Alex Boersma is a Canadian scientific illustrator. Her work runs the gamut of science media, from figures for scientific journals to children's book illustrations. Her clients have included the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Stanford University's Hopkins Marine Station, and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, and her illustrations can be found in The New York Times, National Geographic, and Nature Journal. Her picture books include The Whale Who Swam Through Time, which she also co-wrote with Nick Pyenson.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Hypsypops on February 20, 2025

This is a really cute little book! It doesn’t shy away from the facts (most baby sea turtles die, and one clutch of eggs may have two fathers) but it is easy and accessible to read. It’s a good middle ground between very basic picture books and long chapter books. I especially love audiobooks for th......more

Goodreads review by Lois on May 12, 2025

This is a nonfiction book about Sea Turtles. This starts on a beach in the Yucatán Peninsula before a female sea turtle is hatched and the narrative follows her until she lays her eggs on the same beach. This is interesting, informative and told in an extremely engaging tone. I like that the author......more

Goodreads review by Sarah on February 25, 2025

Love love love this! The audio and narrator add so much to the story of sea turtles. Sound effects ground listeners in the oceanic setting and the narrator is an incredible match telling even scary parts of the story (turtles fighting to reach the ocean safely from predators) in an intense but still......more

Goodreads review by Rachel on February 22, 2025

**ARC Review: *The Secret Life of a Sea Turtle* by Maddalena Bearzi** Come along on a journey with a special sea turtle as she navigates the vast ocean, facing challenges and wonders at every turn. *The Secret Life of a Sea Turtle* is a beautifully immersive read that transports you into the heart o......more

Goodreads review by Michelle on March 23, 2025

I loved this audiobook! The Secret Life of a Sea Turtle is a wonderful book for the younger generation of conservationists. The story of a young sea turtles journey from hatching to the open ocean is told in a way that young children and adults can follow along. Maddalena Bearzi is a sea turtle expe......more

Quotes

A Junior Library Guild Selection

★ "Mesmerizing and insightful." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"A handsome, informative account of a green turtle’s life cycle." —Booklist

"[A] lush species biography." —Publishers Weekly

"In this precious new book, Maddalena Bearzi uses her lifetime of knowledge gleaned from her research in oceans and along coasts and combines it with her native warmth and empathy to introduce our beloved children to some of our most wondrous ocean creatures." —Carl Safina, New York Times bestselling author of Beyond Words: What Animals Think and Feel

"A wonderful read that will surely inspire young children and adults to care more deeply about our planet. Empathetic, science-based, heartfelt, and very powerful. Every child should read this book!" —Marc Bekoff, Ph.D., author of The Emotional Lives of Animals (revised): A Leading Scientist Explores Animal Joy, Sorrow, and Empathy―and Why They Matter

"Empathic and scientifically correct, The Secret Life of a Sea Turtle takes on a wonderful journey and gently educates readers about these fascinating animals and the challenges they face." —Daniel T. Blumstein, UCLA Professor and author of The Nature of Fear: Survival Lessons from the Wild

"Dr. Maddalena Bearzi has written a beautiful, moving and factually accurate account of the life of a green sea turtle from hatching through the life cycle. Told with gorgeous illustrations by Alex Boersma, we see a tiny hatchling emerge from its nest on a tropical beach, traverse the perils of life in the ocean, and eventually return to the same beach to lay her own eggs. The Secret Life of a Sea Turtle is a lovely story of adaptation, renewal and survival." --Craig Stanford, Professor of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Chair, TFTSG, IUCN Species Survival Commission, and author of The Last Tortoise and The Turtle Crisis

"Maddalena Bearzi has done it again, this time by writing a scientifically accurate and moving story of the life of one female green sea turtle, from birth to the laying of her first batch of eggs years later. Dr. Bearzi's trademark love of nature and warmth comes through on every page, here aided by the also accurate and beautiful art of Alex Boersma. While this is labeled a children's book, its educational and moving words of nature will be enjoyed by all ages, and all can marvel and learn." --Bernd Würsig, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Texas A&M University, author/editor of Marine Mammals: the Evolving Human Factor

"This is a book for children of all ages. A wonderfully illustrated timeless story about life in the wild, and also an education about sea turtles in particular and why we need to take better care of marine environments." --Andrew J. Rotherham, Co-Founder & Senior Partner, Bellwether and senior fellow at the Progressive Policy Institute

Awards

  • CPL: Chicago Public Library Best of the Best
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