When Old Turtle "swam his last swim and took his last breath", the waves took him away. The story tells of each of Old Turtle's friends remembering something special about how he touched their lives. The wood cut styled illustrations of the underwater creatures and their environment, with subdued colors, are exceptional. The story ends with a hopeful tone: "...what he left behind was only the beginning." ( )

This is a good read for one-on-one with a child who has experienced loss or death in their life. The pictures are beautiful and there is repetition in how the different sea animals remember Old Turtle. This would not make a good story time book, because there are too many words. maybe for an older group of kids (K-2nd), but the content is not engaging enough for a group read unless it's a specific purpose of helping dealing with loss. ( )

The art is really pretty and I appreciate the repetition of "And the __ would always remember," but I found the text kind of disappointing. ( )

illustrations are superb. gentle story, with remembering the one who is gone as the primary point of the story. ( )

Very appropriate for use with children and generating conversation about a lost loved one. ( )