Yoshi, Sea Turtle Genius

Starred review from January 16, 2023
Long-distance swimmer Cox presents this fictionalized story that follows Yoshi, the loggerhead turtle who spent 20 years in a South African aquarium before swimming nearly 23,000 miles back to her native Australia. A straightforward narrative couches playful, lyrical text that details Yoshi’s hatching, reports on physical changes over time (“She was just the size of a smile”), and lists myriad creatures she likely encountered on land and sea (“a whale shark as big as a school bus”). Lines that visualize the journey (“Her body glowed in a blanket of sparkling water”) complement Jones’s delicately textured, digitally edited paintings, which portray sea life in muted hues and envision Yoshi’s diminutive form against a wide-open ocean. Several light-infused night scenes bestow a calming ambiance upon a succinctly told story that’s satisfying in its full-circle itinerary and its appreciation of the sea turtle’s innate “genius.” Human characters are portrayed with various skin tones. An author’s note, archival photo of Yoshi, and map conclude. Ages 4–8.