The Turtle and the Universe

"The turtle swims slowly, her low, domed shell quietly breaking the dark surface of the placid sea. Overhead, stars sprinkle the sky with their cold light, but the turtle, whose eyes have evolved for the ocean she calls home, could not see the stars even if she looked straight up. No matter, for tonight her attention is elsewhere...." In this engaging story of one of nature's most fascinating creatures, science educator Stephen Whitt follows a mother sea turtle on the most difficult and dangerous journey of her life, the journey home to lay her eggs.

Along the way he shows young readers how the events of the universe, many of them both far away and long ago, have resulted in a world where a turtle may swim through a salty sea, struggle up a sandy beach, and dig her nest just beyond the reach of the highest tide. The Turtle and the Universe is a story of connection.

Through the life and struggles of one female turtle, youngsters learn that the universe is a single thing. Everything within the universe is linked to everything else, by time, by origin, by ultimate fate. In the elements that make up the sea turtle there are shadows of an exploded star from far away and long ago.

In the movement of the turtle's flippers is the energy of the fireball that began our universe some thirteen billion years ago. In the sand, in the seawater, in the eggs the turtle lays there are hints of the deep connections shared by all the things, and all the events, that we call the universe. Whitt also reveals how the actions of our own species are altering the world that we and the sea turtle share.

He underscores the necessity of using our natural resources wisely to ensure the future of the whole interconnected earth. This elegantly told story captures the many wonders that science discovers in the natural world while teaching children essential facts of astronomy, chemistry, and biology.