Turtle-Taxi

Guundie Kuchling (author/illustrator)

University of Western Australia Press, Australia: 1998

ISBN: 1876268158

Genres: animals, picture book, science

Issues: conservation, ecology, environment

Chelodina, the long-necked turtle, is happy to share her pond with the many other creatures that live there or use it as a waterhole. As suburbs spread, however, her pool becomes the only source of water for more and more animals - until eventually the demand is too great and it, too, disappears.

Chelodina goes in search of another home, gradually acquiring a number of passengers who are also in need of a place to live. Is there anywhere left that is safe? Small text boxes at the bottom of each double-page spread provide short pieces of factual information that support and enrich the reader's understanding of the narrative.

Brightly coloured, primitive style illustrations, created using a variety of media and techniques, bring enormous life and energy to a narrative that is a subtle blend of fact and fiction. Cleverly shaped pages reinforce how slowly a turtle would proceed and emphasise the extent to which humans have spread across the landscape. As Chelodina starts climbing a series of seemingly endless hills, the skyline and top five centimetres of the illustration that show distant houses remain unchanged, whilst the smaller shaped pages show changes of vegetation, soil colour and animal activity to indicate just how far the turtle has to travel to find a refuge.

A short glossary is provided, including an explanation of the significance of two character names (Chelodina and Ogilvy). There is also a simple explanation of how to make a pond in your backyard to encourage local wildlife. The endpapers are also worth looking at in detail as a blue wash background is scattered with silhouettes of the many beasts - small and large - that rely on ponds and lakes. This is a delightful picture book in its own right but would integrate particularly well with Science and HSIE units relating to Australian animals and their habitats.

NB: Chelodina is the genus name for the long-necked turtle.