Yoshi and the Ocean: A Sea Turtle's Incredible Journey Home – A Gorgeous Picture Book about Patience and Nature for Children

by Lindsay Moore

Lindsay Moore, the acclaimed author-illustrator of Sea Bear, chronicles the remarkable true story of Yoshi, a loggerhead sea turtle who traveled an astounding 25,000 miles after being released from the aquarium that rehabilitated her. Equal parts informational and awe-inspiring, Yoshi and the Ocean is a gorgeous picture book about patience, perseverance, the ocean, and finding your way home.

In 1997, a young loggerhead sea turtle was rescued from the ocean after an injury to her shell. The fishermen who rescued her named her Yoshi and took her to the Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town, South Africa. She was rehabilitated there and grew stronger—and larger!—every day. She also became one of the most popular exhibits at the aquarium. After twenty years in captivity, Yoshi was released back into the ocean and traveled more than 25,000 miles in 1,003 days to find her way home. A tracking device on her shell transmitted data about her journey to marine biologists and turtle enthusiasts of all ages around the world.

Like Lindsay Moore’s acclaimed debut Sea Bear, Yoshi and the Ocean is a transformative story about the incredible journeys animals may make, and about the interconnectedness of the natural world. Lindsay Moore’s gorgeous watercolor paintings enrich her moving, lyrical, and informative text. This picture book touches on topics such as conservation, oceanography, natural selection, the food chain, currents, geography, making Yoshi and the Ocean an ideal choice for parents, teachers, librarians, and anyone interested in nature and the ocean. Includes a map of Yoshi’s journey, information about sea turtles and how you can help them, and additional resources.

Genres: Picture Books, Nonfiction, Animals, Nature, Childrens, Science, Conservation

58 pages, Hardcover

First published May 24, 2022

About the author

Lindsay^^Moore.

Reviews

[Amanda Brooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the illustrations. Loaded with information, but the story is a little too abstract to keep my attention. It's not a strong pick for me.

It was nominated for the 2024 Washington children's choice award, so I read it aloud several times. It kept the students attention, I like it more after reading it so many times, but it's still not a favorite.

The votes are in, my students voted for 20 nominated books and this came in third. It's a reminder that I'm not the targeted audience.

[Laura Salas · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gorgeous lyrical #nonfiction #picturebook, Yoshi and the Ocean is a terrific #KidLitSTEM title. For teachers looking for texts to compare (even for older readers), this would be awesome to pair with Yoshi's Big Swim, by Mary Wagley Copp and Kaja Kajfez. Two different takes on the same lovely story.

[Stephanie Bange · Rating 5 out of 5]

This incredible true story of a young loggerhead turtle's journey will fascinate young and old alike.

In 1997, an injured young loggerhead turtle was rescued by a Japanese fishing ship and taken to the Two Oceans Aquarium in South Africa to be rehabilitated. After 20 years, she was ready to be released. After a tracker was attached to her back, she went on her way. On her journey, the tracker sent 23,167 messages until she reached her homeland (and the tracker stopped), off the west side of Australia. This incredible trek took her 982 days and 24,862 miles. Backmatter includes additional information and a map of Yoshi's journey (from transmissions), a two-page spread of the biology of a loggerhead (left side shows exterior of the animal, right side is a cutaway of what is inside that shell), a side view of the ocean depths of the areas Yoshi swam, information about the dangers they face and what can be done to help them, Resources used, and a diagram of the atmosphere and tracking system.

Written in a free verse poetic form, Moore's gentle text exudes calm, compassion, patience, and hope. She paints such beautiful images with her words, they compliment the artwork. Moore's full color art was rendered in graphite, watercolor, drawing inks, Conté Crayons, and color pencil. They are stunning and magnificent! The story starts on the front endsheets, where readers see the baby loggerheads hatching and heading to the ocean, a turn of the page shows the nest of eggs with one egg cut away to show the turtle and it's yolk. Then she is off on her journey. The oversize nature of the book allows for strong visual presentation. Each page includes details that provide more clues about Yoshi's undersea world - what she ate, what she saw, and other things around her. Together, it is an impressive presentation worthy to pour over for hours.

This would be perfect in a unit on oceans, endangered species, and wonders of nature.

Highly Recommended for grades PreSchool-grade 5, as it would make a lovely readaloud for upper grades.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Children will love this engaging story of Yoshi, a young female loggerhead turtle who is hurt and brought to an aquarium in Capetown, South Africa to heal. After 20 years she is ready to return to the ocean and return to where she was born, Australia. A locator tag on her back help scientists trace her amazing 25 000 kilometer journey. The beautiful illustrations imagine what plants and animals she would encounter, what she would eat and what she would see during her long journey. There are end pages of information including detailed information about loggerhead turtles, maps of Yoshi's journey and the ocean floor, and dangers to loggerhead turtles.

[Shauna Yusko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely language and stunning pictures.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 1997, Japanese fishermen rescued an injured young loggerhead sea turtle, named her Yoshi, and took her to the Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town, South Africa where she was rehabilitated, grew, and became one of the most popular exhibits at the aquarium. After twenty years in captivity, Yoshi was released back into the ocean and traveled more than 25,000 miles in 1,003 days to find her way home to Australia. A tracking device on her shell transmitted data about her journey to marine biologists and turtle enthusiasts of all ages around the world. Moore’s stunning watercolor illustrations enrich her dramatic, inspiring, informative text that touches upon topics such as conservation, oceanography, natural selection, the food chain, currents, and geography. Exceptional end matter includes a detailed map of Yoshi's journey.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Yoshi, a real sea turtle. She was rescued and rehabilitated by humans for twenty years before returning to the sea! With a tracker on her shell, her amazing journey from South Africa to Australia was monitored-- and this book depicts many things she saw along the way. The art is breathtaking, and this true tale is written in a way that will stick with you like a beloved favorite story.

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

The true story of a loggerhead turtle named Yoshi, injured in the waters off the southern tip of Africa, found by a Japanese fishing vessel and taken to an aquarium in Cape Town, where she would reside for the next twenty years of her life, is told in this beautiful picture book from author/illustrator Lindsay Moore. Fitted with a tracking device once she is healthy and full grown, Yoshi is released back into the wild, embarking on 24,862-mile sea voyage from the southwestern coast of Africa, around the Cape of Good Hope and across the Indian Ocean to Australia, to the beach where it is believed she first hatched. In the course of her epic journey she swam for 982 days, through two oceans, and sent 23,167 satellite messages from her tracking device...

Having absolutely loved Lindsay Moore's debut picture book, Sea Bear: A Journey for Survival , as well as the illustrations she contributed to Rosanne Parry's children's novel about orcas, A Whale of the Wild , I was eager to track down this second picture book. I have a soft spot in my heart for sea turtles in general, ever since reading Carl Safina's marvelous adult book, Voyage of the Turtle , which is about leatherback turtles, and I fully expected that Moore would do justice to her subject. I was not wrong, enjoying both the poetic narrative about Yoshi's journey, with its description of her watery travels, and its refrain echoing the tracking device's messages, as well as the beautiful artwork created in graphite, watercolor, drawing inks, Conté crayon and colored pencils. The extensive back matter gives more information about Yoshi's route, about loggerhead turtles, ocean geography and currents, sea turtles in general and tracking devices used by scientists. If I had any criticism to make of the book, it would be that the paper was a little too thin, but perhaps this was a deliberate choice, given the unusual length of this title, which at 58 pages was fairly long for a picture book. Leaving that design issue aside, this is one I would wholeheartedly recommend, to all young animal lovers, particularly those fascinated by the oceans and by turtles.

[Wren · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book with very rich back matter that contains scientific information.

The narrative by Lindsay Moore describes a small female sea turtle who was kept in captivity after being found by fishermen floating alone in the waves next to their boat. They gave the turtle to an aquarium in Cape Town who cared for Yoshi for two decades.

A team of scientist tagged her and released her into the sea. A tracking device was able to pinpoint her location south from Cape Town, and east across the Indian Ocean to the shores of Australia before the tracking device failed. Presumably, she joined one of the known nesting sights for loggerhead sea turtles of the Indian Ocean.

The account of her trip has a lot of details from nature, but it's told in a lyric manner. The illustrations, also by Moore, are rich, beautiful, and detailed.

The back matter includes a treasure trove! A two page annotated map of Yoshi's journey, a two page diagram of the turtle's various systems: outer body, major organs, nervous system, and skeletal system. There are small paragraphs on this page that add details such as predators, and the loggerhead life cycle. There are another two pages with a bit image of the underwater landscape that these turtles must navigate and information about food, currents, and pollutants (plastics). Another part of the back matter includes links for more information and a diagram about the location of the satellite that located Yoshi's tracker (exosphere in context with lower spheres: thermosphere, mesosphere, stratosphere, and troposphere).

Oh, this is a library book that I am tempted to buy! It's gorgeous and informative. I recommend it to young readers ages 8 to 12. It has some tricky vocabulary, but a teacher, parent, or librarian could paraphrase some of that for readers 5 to 7 years old. It's a great book for helping ignite a passion for young oceanographers or young zoologists.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Challenges: Grinchathon December 2022 - Old/new - new to me information about a particular injured loggerhead sea turtle who survived rehabilitation and return to the wild to make a treacherous journey back to her origins unknown to her rescuers. Author-illustrated, each page is deeply saturated in blue with pops of color contrast demonstrating the vastness of the two oceans that Yoshi traversed. Excellent for children and adults to add to or review aspects of sea turtle behavior and requirements for survival as well as what the ocean has to offer. Backmatter includes the levels of the sea as well as the spheres surrounding the earth in regard to satellite tracking. I look forward to reading two more children's illustrated books soon to be released in early 2023 that have been inspired by Yoshi's incredible journey.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

After recently reading Katherine Applegate’s Odder, I was reminded that I had Yoshi and the Ocean on my TBR. How on earth had I let a picture book about turtles sit idle on my long list of to-reads?!

This little-longer-than-normal picture book is a lushly illustrated recounting of an injured loggerhead turtle who was rehabilitated and, after 20 years at an aquarium, released back into the ocean for its journey home. If one desires more, the vast resources at the end of the picture book allow for further research and activism.

The illustrations were just jaw-dropping. One image shows Yoshi swimming directly at the reader; the facial detail and coloring is just…WOW! More than once, I turned the page and found myself lost in the artwork. It was truly magical.

[Marsha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yoshitaro’s story of being captured, housed in a sea exhibit and ultimately released is one of those heartwarming recountings of animal/human relations. Filled with deep-hued blue pictures of ocean and sea depths, realistic-looking images of marine animals and the constant reiteration “Hello from Yoshi. I am here.”, this book gives us a seaview of a loggerhead turtle’s lengthy journey to find where she belongs.

The book also includes an anatomical chart, lists of predators and habitats and lots of other information about loggerhead turtles. Children who are fascinated by the myriad waters that bound our planet and the various fauna that live in them will adore this tale. Whether they do or not, it’s a special look at a creature who became, at least for a while, a well-known world traveler.

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I could have given this title ten stars I would have, it is well designed picture book on many levels and with appeal to a range of ages including adults.
First the narrative story is based on an actual happening of an injured loggerhead turtle in 1997 going to a rehabilitation center, in 1997 being released back to the ocean, and in 2020 reaching a remote area of the Australian sea coast. Then there are the beautiful illustrations of the blue blue ocean and the dark dark nighttime sky with the large loggerhead turtle. Gorgeous. Then there are the eight pages of factual information featuring a map of Yoshi’s journey which was a 25,000 mile trek recorded by a tracking device as well as information about a turtle’s body, warm and cold currents in the ocean, descriptions of physical landscape of the ocean, and a listing of websites regarding sea turtles.
And the reader will learn the physical reason that causes plastic to be so dangerous to sea turtles.
This title could be a model for a new blended format of story and factual material in one volume.
All of the features of Yoshi and the Ocean fascinated me!

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely picture book that reads like a poem, the words and the visuals closely working together. It's a true story of a turtle raised in an aquarium after being found small and injured, who is released at sexual maturity and tracked across the oceans.

The back matter talks in detail about all the stages of the journey and how they work with the turtle lifestyle and what was learned from Yoshi's radio transmissions on the way. It's really quite fascinating.

The picture book is a great read, and the science in the back is also interesting. Do kids read these? Like, do kids who could read the back enjoy going through the art at the front?

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yoshi showed up damaged near South Africa, and the staff at Two Oceans Aquarium took her in, despite not working with loggerhead turtles, and took care of her for 20 years. Eventually, Yoshi got restless, and they released her with a tracker, so they could see where she went. I wish I knew what happened after Yoshi's last satellite message, especially because the text doesn't say how old they estimated Yoshi to be. A good way to talk about ocean life and introduce the problem of plastics in our oceans.

[Ersa S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an amazing story. I had never heard about Yoshi before now and feel a bit sad for not being able to have seen her in her aquarian home but am very happy that she was able to recover well enough to return to the ocean where she belongs.

I would recommend this book to children grades 3 and above as it is a bit longer of a picture book and the diagrams at the end of the book would need a little bit higher reading level to understand. Wonderful story!

And I was surprised to learn that sea turtles can swim so far!

[Tamara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautifully illustrated story of Yohsi's journey from small injured turtle to aquarium life to release back into the wild. The text takes on a lyrical quality throughout Yoshi's tale. Each new adventure begins "This is Yoshi" and shows her growing natural instincts to survive in the ocean. The repetitive "Hello from Yoshi. I am here" is used to signal the tracking of Yoshi's progress. Detailed maps and facts at the end of the book add to the impact this book should have on young readers to want to protect our oceans and the amazing creatures who dwell in them.

[Angie Counsell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is technically not a non-fiction book, but it has so much information on the actual life and journey of Yoshi that you could argue that some of it falls under this category. Yoshi was rescued by Japanese fishermen and taken to the Cape Town Aquarium for rehabilitation. After living there for 20 years, she was released back into the wild and made her way back home to Australia - the journey was tracked by a tracking devise, which led to this book. Kids will love the interesting journey this turtle goes on.

[Nora · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a truly beautiful picture book - the words, the art - and the true story it tells is just incredible. I was amazed to learn a sea turtle could be and was returned to the wild after so many years of rehabilitation in human care, and that it traveled such a long distance from continent to continent--and helped researchers discover a previously unknown loggerhead feeding ground. I really enjoyed reading this with my first-grader and highly recommend it!

[Jody Kyburz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating true story of a loggerhead that was found injured then rescued by Japanese sailors and taken to an aquarium in South Africa. They kept her for TWENTY YEARS! And then they gave her back to the ocean with a tracking device. She is amazing! I'm so happy she accomplished so much before her tracker stopped working. We really need to pull together to solve the ocean garbage problem. :(

[Ellon · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars (I really liked it)

If I was judging on the text alone, I would probably be giving the book 3 stars. But the illustrations and the back matter really elevate this book. The illustrations are just gorgeous and the backmatter gives so much interesting information about loggerhead turtles and Yoshi's journey.

I wasn't a huge fan of the abstract, lyrical text through the main text. I would have prefered a slightly more straight forward telling of Yoshi's incredible journey.

[Benjamin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is based on the true story of a sea turtle who traveled over 25,000 miles. It’s educational but also emotional as Yoshi becomes a character you root for. The themes are perseverance, nature, and animal conservation. This book would be great in science class, particularly biology class. It teaches empathy as well as about animal migration and the ocean.

This book is anti-bias by highlighting global ecological interdependence and showing respect for the natural world.

[June · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yoshi, a Loggerhead Sea Turtle, is rescued by Japanese fisherman and taken to an aquarium in Cape Town. After 20 years she is released with a tracker and her incredible journey is documented: 982 days, 24,862 miles from Eastern Africa and the Atlantic around southern tip of Africa, across the Indian Ocean to Australia.

Extensive backmatter gives a detailed map of Yoshi's travels, further information on Loggerhead Sea Turtles, ocean topography and tracking technology.

[Bethe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yoshi, a loggerhead turtle, was somehow injured, then rescued by fishermen who turned her in to a South African aquarium for rehabilitation. After 20 years she is released into the ocean with a tracker to see where she would journey. Great mix of narrative nonfiction and illustrations, detailed back matter.

[bjneary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moore's nonfiction children's picture book with beautiful paintings of Yoshi's life as a sea turtle with a damaged shell was filled with facts and heart. The story and all the important back of the book facts, and details of Yoshi's journey, a loggerhead compendium filled with pictures and facts on 4 pages, and sea turtle facts and resources will mesmerize all readers! A must read!

[Taylor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really disappointed with this book. It felt unfinished! I didn't even realize I was at the end. I don't think this book elaborated on the story enough or what Yoshi's journey really was. They kept saying "home" but didn't elaborate anymore on that. Is home where she's born? Where they found her? What happened to her? Why was she leaving? So many unanswered questions.

[Cameron Burrows · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yoshi and the Ocean is a nonfiction picture book that follows the journey of a sea turtle named Yoshi and her finding her way back to where she was born. It is a sweet way to introduce real life stories to children in a fun way. The repetition of “Hello, from Yoshi. I am here.” was a very fun idea.

[Tracie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poetic text describes how Yoshi the sea turtle was hurt and rescued in 1997, rehabilitated, and released into the wild in 2017, and swam almost 25,000 miles just to return home.

Readers will root for Yoshi, and remember her. Plentiful backmatter rounds out the story with information about sea turtles, ocean habitats, plastic pollution, and a detailed map of Yoshi's journey.

[Mrs Heidrich · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a gorgeous book and has so much wonderful back matter to go along with the beautiful illustrations and Yoshi's powerful story of being injured and then rescued, living in an aquarium for 20 years and then being released again.