This story would be good for intermediate readers. This story is about a turtle named Mossy who grows a garden on her back and then is taken to a museum for a display until she is returned to the pond by a little girl named Tory. This would be a helpful story for a unit on nature and it had very intricate illustrations which added to the beauty of the story. ( )

Jan Brett writes a beautiful story but the true star of the show are her gorgeous illustrations. I love how the stunning art in the central picture is augmented by the secondary story being told in the images in the side bar. She is a tee master of her craft. ( )

I absolutely love this book, and I feel that it carries one of the most powerful and poignant messages that I've ever read in a children's book. The book tells the story of an unsuspecting and beautiful turtle named Mossy who has a garden of flowers growing on her shell. Mossy is discovered by a human named Dr. Carolina, removed from her natural home, and put on display as part of an exhibit in her museum. The little niece, Tory, notices that Mossy does not seem happy in her artificial home. Dr. Carolina is proud of her magnificent garden and that spectators are captivated by the turtle. She justifies her actions and the forced captivity of Mossy by telling the children that Mossy is safe in the display, and is never hungry or cold. But she is too blind to see that Mossy is miserable, sad, and lonely. Tory keeps asking her aunt about the turtle until Dr. Carolina finally realizes that Mossy is meant to roam free in her natural environment and that a painting will suffice to give others the opportunity to view Mossy. Mossy is set free and joins together with her turtle friend in her natural habitat.

This story is tremendously moving to me and really touched my heart. I do not feel that it is ethically justifiable to keep live animals in captivity or on display, not even in zoos. The rights of these animals have been violated and they are living in captivity against their will, without a voice of protest or the power to resist. Animal shelters and rehabilitation centers are the only instances where I feel like animal captivity is justified or in the best interests of the animals in question. This book could help students to think about animal rights and zoos, and perhaps help them to realize that education about animals does not necessarily require the loss of their freedom. Hopefully young readers will discover and make the connection that humans can learn significantly about animals through book education, photographic images, and artistic sketches.

This book could spark many class discussions about ethics. The stunning artwork is done in watercolors and gouache, and spectacularly captures the natural world while conveying the plot of the story.

A beautifully illustrated story about biologist, Dr. Carolina. She finds a turtle and takes him to live in her museum. Many visitors flock to visit and view "Mossy" the turtle. Finally, it is realized Mossy is sad and missing her other turtle friends. She is returned to her natural habitat but not without making a mural of Mossy for people to remember and visit her. ( )

Beautiful illustrations. Could compare and contrast to other books by Jan Brett