Publisher's Synopsis
"Critically endangered, the leatherback turtle is expected to become extinct within the next few decades if the decline of the adult population is not halted." - World Widlife Fund, 2005. If the above statement makes you pause and think, then this is a book for you. If you enjoy exploring new worlds through the senses and experiences of a magnificent creature then this is a story for you. If you long for a well written, emotive and fact-based tale without a wise-cracking or cuddly animal in sight, then this is the book for you."Last of the Leatherbacks" tells the story of a critically endangered turtle's hatching, her search for a rare mate, and her survival against the odds to return to lay her eggs in the beach of her birth, where her life is saved through the compassion of a young boy. During her initial desperate race to the sea and her search for a male turtle she survives attacks by a multitude of predators, nearly drowns in a labyrinth of caves and the black abyss, and encounters a huge pod of dolphins, vampire squid, a hunting sperm whale, a giant tortoise, and a deadly Tiger shark. All of the locations described in "Last of the Leatherbacks" do exist, and all the animal life is accurately portrayed. With stunning charcoal illustrations by Australian artist Wendy Murray, this is a tale for the child within who can still be touched by a sense of wonder with the natural world.
