We The Sea Turtles: A Collection of Island Stories

A turtley awesome collection of short stories, We the Sea Turtles: A Collection of Island Stories by Michelle Kadarusman takes readers around the globe through stories about the environment, friendship, mental health, displacement and family.

Throughout this book, Michelle takes readers to many different corners of the globe and connects us all through the image of a turtle, swimming through each story. Many species of turtles are endangered or at risk due to climate change, habitat destruction and poor fishing practices. By sharing different stories about different people throughout the world, Michelle shows readers that we are all connected, even if we live millions of miles apart.

I love how she takes us to some of her most treasured places throughout the journey and sets us down ever so gently so that we can take a little bit of the magic from each location. From Georgian Bay, Ontario, through the United States and on to Indonesia and Australia, we follow the migration of the majestic turtles and connect with the land and the people in each location. I appreciate the care that she took to acknowledge the Indigenous peoples in each location who have lived on and been caretakers of the land since time immemorial.

The beauty of a collection of short stories is there can be something within the collection that will speak to every reader. A collection of short stories is inherently inclusive. Each reader is free to read the book from front to back or navigate here and there throughout the stories to find the one that speaks just to them. Since the stories are short, so many more emerging readers can be included in the book and in the discussions. The advantages of a short story collection are most stark to me when I look at my two readers, The Bear who has been reading voraciously since a very young age and The Bee who at the age of nine still struggles to read books in the middle grade category. A short story collection is one they can both enjoy and share about together. 

The design team on this book is to be applauded. Simon Dewji’s beautiful cover illustration draws readers to the book. Doug Panton turtle illustrations on the story heads are adorable. Lorena Gonzalez Guillen and Richard Clewes expertise in putting this book together ensures that so many readers can enjoy Michelle’s brilliant writing. The alignment, spacing and text font make the book increasingly more accessible to readers of all neurotypes.