Baby Honu strikes back

Baby Honu Saves the Day, written and illustrated by Tammy Yee. This is the 2nd book about Baby Honu; see the first Baby Honu post to learn about her style of writing.
In this adventure, Baby Honu is commissioned by Mama Dolphin (Nai'a) to save her stranded baby. The story itself is meant to teach a youngster about how even the smallest creature is still very important and can do great big things. It is a cute and somewhat touching story, but think of it in Disney terms... it is about as accurate as The Little Mermaid is compared to Finding Nemo, so don't expect this to be a biological teaching tool for little ones. Also, if you thought the 1st Baby Honu book was good for 5+ year olds, well, this book goes way beyond that. With all the Hawaiian language built in, you really do feel like you are speaking another language by the end of the book, which is kind of fun and a great cultural teaching tool.

RATING: ~~~ (3 out of 5 waves) worth reading
If you are looking for accuracy, it is not the book for your little ones. But if you want sweetness and fun illustrations, it is right on point. It is worth checking out and deciding for yourself.

Make sure to never take anything you read or see too seriously, because then you might miss out on the real fun!
-Callie

The Journey Begins...

Today Baby Jace and I decided to read a children's book called Baby Honu's Incredible Journey written and illustrated by Tammy Yee. First and foremost, there is much respect to authors who take the time to create their own illustrations. I understand, not all people are talented enough to draw (myself included), and having a "friend who can draw" is how my cousin Lane really came into his own. But the pictures are beautiful and colorful and kid friendly for the most part.
Synopsis: Baby Honu is a green sea turtle hatchling and this is the adventure of just trying to make it to the water. It truly is an incredible journey when one considers that 1:10,000 sea turtle eggs laid will become full grown adult turtles; 1:1000 reach maturity after reaching the water; the odds of survival improve to 1:100 after reaching roughly the size of a dinner plate in circumference.
... but I digress...
This book is best for children ages 5+, unless we're talking particularly bright kids with a good attention span. I only say this because many of the pages have quite a few words and lets face it, a 2-yr old (or in this case a 7 month old) is not likely to sit for it all. Jace fell asleep, which was my intention for reading to him. One really cool thing is T.Y. incorporates real Hawaiian language for many of the animals mentioned (i.e. "honu" is Hawaiian for "sea turtle"); there is a glossary in the back, but no phonetic description, so brush up on your Hawaiian before attempting to read out loud! One last warning, Baby Honu faces some very real dangers on his way to the ocean, so look thru the book before giving to a child in case they may find those parts a little scary.
RATING: ~~~~ (4 waves out of 5); highly recommended

Let me know your opinion if you have read this book. If local, I'll loan you my copy to critique.

Have a great MLK day and try not to stay dry!
-Callie