Wow, I absolutely LOVED this book. What a sweet tale of the life of a sea turtle. I listened with my 3 children (9mo to 16 years) and everyone enjoyed it thoroughly. The narrator was very captivating, and the story was so informative. We learned several new things while listening, yet it didn't feel boring at all. My 11 year old asked to listen again almost immediately upon finishing. Great listen for the whole family on a rainy day or a longer car ride.

The Secret Life of a Sea Turtle is a wonderful children’s books about the journey of a sea turtle from its first steps as a hatchling to adulthood and parenthood. It’s informative without feeling as though you’re reading a textbook. Bearzi tells of the sea turtle’s journey in a beautifully crafted way, with the attention and care only a conservationist could convey.

The book is beautifully narrated by Kate Coventry and enjoyable to listen to. Her pacing is perfect and easy for little ones to follow along. The added audio effects of ocean waves made the listening experience that much more immersive.

It was a joy to listen to with my son before bed.

I listened to this with my right and a half year old daughter and it was the perfect length for her age. We both enjoyed it and she gave it 4.5 ⭐️ but said held a star was taken away because she didn’t like that turtles had to die. 🤷‍♀️

Thanks to the publisher for the alc!

Thank you Macmillan Audio, Macmillan Young Listeners, & NetGalley for the advanced electronic audio review copy of this wonderful book. Great narration, wonderful sound effects, and clear, easy to understand informational text combine in this fun and informative audio book. Looking forward to using it with my students.

This book was such a joy to read! The storytelling made learning about sea turtles fun and engaging, and the author’s passion for marine biology really shines through. I loved how she shared her experiences and also provided ways we can help protect these amazing creatures. Informative, inspiring, and beautifully written!

I listened to this audiobook with my kids and we all loved it. We definitely will be getting the physical book so we can read together and look at the illustrations,

This book follows the life of a sea turtle-the good and the difficulties they face. It’s informative without feeling like you’re reading a textbook-perfect for children! We also loved the ideas of how to be a helper to sea turtles.

The narrator does a wonderful job. She was easy to listen to and follow along with.

Thank you NetGalley, the author and publisher for this gifted copy!

This was a wonderful immersive educational experience! The background music, and ocean sounds made for such an engaging listen!

The Secret Life of a Sea Turtle by Maddalena Bearzi – ★★★★★

As a turtle lover, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to read this adorable children’s book! The Secret Life of a Sea Turtle is not only beautifully written but also wonderfully informative. Through captivating storytelling, it follows the journey of a baby sea turtle from the moment it hatches, bravely making its way to the ocean, and beyond. The book strikes the perfect balance between education and entertainment, making it a fantastic read for young nature enthusiasts. A delightful and heartwarming story that’s sure to inspire curiosity about marine life!

Oh my gosh, this was so very cute.

I listened to the audio, and it was done so well. With enthusiasm, a tad of suspense and the women has a wonderful reading voice. As well as fun sound effects in the background gave it such a difference in normal children’s audio books.

As a sea turtle lover, it was such a cute listen.

Narrating a cute story of a baby girl sea turtle. The narrator tells the struggles, challenges and trials of a little newly hatched turtle.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan for a copy of the audiobook.

My children and I loved this. It was very informative and we learned a lot about sea turtles. It was interesting to hear how turtles hatch from their shell and lose the tooth. We also enjoyed learning about how turtles know their location. A lot of fascinating information is given in this short book. The background music was enjoyable and helped keep my kids listening.

The narrator did a great job. She was perfect for a family book.

Very informative book regarding the life of a sea turtle from a hatchling to maturity laying her own eggs on the beach of Río Lagartos, located in the Yucatán state of Mexico. The baby turtle steps out of her shell and is drawn to the sea via the reflection which is a natural allure for the small turtle. Dangers are all around as she navigates away from foxes, raccoons, wild dogs, and opossums on her way to the waves. This is the beginning of her life as a green turtle in the warm waters until she is 30 years old and ready to lay her first eggs traveling back to the beaches of her birth. This book is rich with detail just enough to keep a young child interested and an adult looking for a short narrative regarding our precious turtles of the sea. For those seeking more, the author includes information on many sea turtles at the end of her book and includes ways in which we can help protect them. I heard an interview of a champion from the game Jeopardy being interviewed. When asked how he became so knowledgeable on so many subjects he responded by saying he spent many hours in the children's section of his local library. This is one book for adults and children alike. I have ordered it for our elementary school library.
Thank you NetGalley, Maddalena Bearzi, and Roaring Book Press for this advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

The cover of this book is beautiful and besides that sparking my interest I have grown fond of beach books that incorporate sea life especially, sea turtles. I listened to the audiobook version of this book and felt like I was on a mini field trip. The narrator Kate Coventry did an excellent job telling this story. The sounds of ocean waves and sea gulls is an added bonus. This is a beautiful story with a lot of good information about sea turtles.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the audiobook version of this book.

Literally the absolute cutest. I’m having baby fever and my husband’s favorite animal is a sea turtle and we plan on doing a marine animal theme for our future nursery and this is not only cute but informative and sounds so peaceful.

The Secret Life of a Sea Turtle is a beautifully written book about what we know about the life of sea turtles. It does not shy away from the realities of how many sea turtles don't make it to maturity but is told by a wonderful narrator, Kate Coventry, who gives the perfect soft and hopeful tone for this story. I adored this book and hope to get it added to my library's Libby service.

The Secret Life of a Sea Turtle is a wonderful book for children who want to learn about Sea Turtles. The audiobook is perfect! The background music that is in the audiobook has ocean sounds and draws you into the book. It would be great for children (like mine) who are obsessed with all things ocean. We live in North Dakota, but I grew up in Florida, and it reminds me of home.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for an audio ARC. The opinions in this review are mine. I plan to get a copy of this audiobook to listen to when we drive to Florida this summer. If you something to entertain your children while you are commuting, get this audiobook! It is educational and engaging. It would be perfect to listen to on the way to an aquarium, zoo, or beach. I completely recommend this audiobook!

5/5 stars!
THIS is what a great non-fiction children's book should be!
Thank you NetGalley for an audio eARC.
The author wrote a passionate and engaging story which seamlessly blends facts with the story of the life of a sea turtle. The narrator is also top notch. This would be a great addition to any homeschool family or elementary school classroom.

This follows the life of a sea turtle from hatching to laying her own eggs. I thought it did a good job of illustrating how dangerous a young sea turtle's life is without being too scary for children. I thought it was both very immersive and full of facts about sea turtles.

Suuuuper cute, quick listen, that shows the hard journey of a sea turtle mama and some of their other trials. It also covers some very basic info on the different types of sea turtles and conservation.

Well done. Great for kids.


Audio was fantastic.

Love love love this! The audio and narrator add so much to the story of sea turtles. Sound effects ground listeners in the oceanic setting and the narrator is an incredible match telling even scary parts of the story (turtles fighting to reach the ocean safely from predators) in an intense but still calm for young readers way. I would not have been a serious listener of books for younger audiences, but will do so going forward - this was a great audio.

This was a bittersweet story of a sea turtle going through life. It educates readers on the life of a sea turtle and the troubles they face. And cool things they just know how to instinctively do. The audiobook was very immersive and filled with lots of wonderful sound effects.

After the story ended the author wrote even more facts about turtles, what you can do to help the turtles in your community and a little information on how to work with turtles in the future.

I think any child who is passionate about turtles would get something useful from this book.