A true story about the problems of plastic in our oceans SAM SAM SAM SAM SAM SAM Ellie Jackson and Liz Oldmeadow
Flatback SAM Loggerhead Leatherback SAM SAM Kemp s Ridley SAM SAM SAM
This book belongs to...... SAM SAM SAM SAM SAM SAM
For my brother Dom, who loved the sea and all creatures in it and also to my kids for being such enthusiastic beach tidiers! Wish I could say the same for your bedrooms! EJ Dedicated to my family. I hope this book inspires children and adults alike to preserve our unique and fragile wildlife for future generations. EO SAM First published by Under Pressure Media Ltd Looe Cornwall PL13 1NX Text copyright Eleanor Jackson 2015 Illustrations copyright Elizabeth Oldmeadow 2016 All rights reserved. Printed in the UK by www.exwhyzed.co.uk Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book. SAM SAM 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. ISBN 978-1-9997485-0-0 To find out more about Duffy, activities and games and how you can help turtles, visit www.duffytheseaturtle.com SAM SAM SAM
Duffy s Lucky Escape SAM SAM SAM Story by Ellie Jackson Illustrations by Liz Oldmeadow SAM SAM Under Pressure Media Ltd - United Kingdom SAM
Once off an island far far away in the sun and the sea lived SAM a beautiful Sea Turtle called Duffy. She happily swam in the warm clear waters of her coral reef searching for tasty jellyfish and shimmering shoals of fish to eat. She liked to dive down to the sandy sea floor to munch on SAM SAM waving beds of delicious seagrass and then she would float gently up to the surface to bask in the hot tropical sun. SAM SAM SAM
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SAM One day a wild and ferocious storm whipped up the sea into towering waves which crashed down on poor Duffy. The storm raged on sending her spinning and tumbling away from her home pushing her far out to sea. SAM SAM SAM SAM SAM
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After the storm, the sea became calm once more. Duffy found herself surrounded by strange shadows and unknown creatures that slid past her in the dark and murky waters. SAM Duffy was hungry and began her search for food, desperately trying to find the rocks and reefs of home. Flashes of colour started to dance and twirl in front of her like the shimmering fish she remembered from her own coral reef. SAM SAM Slowly at first, then faster and faster she chased these colourful flashes, snapping them up in her mouth and gulping them down. SAM SAM SAM
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SAM Strange objects were floating around Duffy and looked like jellyfish in the gloomy waters. They had short tentacles and balloon shaped bodies and they wallowed slowly in the drifting currents. Duffy thought they were food and reached out through the water to swallow their slimy bodies into her rapidly SAM SAM filling tummy. SAM SAM SAM
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For a long time Duffy floated and rested on the surface as she was starting to feel strange inside her shell. Her tummy SAM was hurting her and a light, bubbly feeling kept gurgling up through her body. She longed for some cool seagrass to soothe her aching tummy but she couldn t dive deep enough to reach any. She didn t SAM SAM understand what was happening to her as her once powerful flippers felt weak and her body kept pulling her back to the surface. SAM SAM SAM
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Duffy heard a loud roaring and whining noise circling around her. It scared and confused her so much that she didn t know SAM which way to go. Suddenly, she was pulled backwards then lifted up, high out of the water and into the fishermen s boat. She lay quiet and still, frightened by the noise and the smells of the people SAM SAM who had rescued her. The fishermen had seen turtles like this before, floating and not able to dive, and they knew Duffy needed help. SAM SAM SAM
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The kind fishermen slowly poured seawater over Duffy so she could stay cool on their journey to the safety and peace of the Turtle Hospital. SAM At the Turtle Hospital there were lots of blue tanks filled with clear running water which were home to other sick turtles. Gentle hands cleaned and scraped the seaweed from her shell. Duffy was fed fresh fish, octopus and jellyfish to build up her SAM SAM strength but still the pain inside her tummy grew. SAM SAM SAM
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Duffy was placed on a special bed with vets looking after her. As she drifted off to sleep she dreamt of the beach where she was born. Whilst she slept she had an X-ray taken which showed that the food she had eaten after the storm was not colourful fish or jellyfish but plastic bags, bits of old drinks bottles and crisp wrappers which people had thrown away and had washed into the sea or been left on the beach. SAM SAM SAM The plastic rubbish floating in the sea had tricked Duffy to look like food and she had gobbled it up which then made her very sick. The vets had to operate on Duffy to remove the plastic from her stomach otherwise she would have died. SAM SAM SAM
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Duffy was lucky and as she started to recover she grew stronger and heavier again - her shell started to shine, her SAM flippers were powerful and her body was healthy. She was moved into a large tank with creatures she remembered from her reef - darting colourful shoals of tropical fish, large and lumbering sharks and gliding rays. SAM SAM Duffy felt relaxed, confident in her strong swimming and graceful diving and she enjoyed being with her new friends in the aquarium whilst the visitors watched and smiled. SAM SAM SAM
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Finally the day came when Duffy was fully recovered and ready to be released back to her home. People gathered on the SAM beach to watch Duffy being returned to the sea. The children eagerly peered into her crate to see her and the news cameras took pictures for the whole country to see. Duffy was carried down to the beach where she looked around her at the two lines of cheering people and at the shimmering ocean she remembered so well and then the strong hands SAM SAM released her and finally she was free! SAM SAM SAM
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She scrambled over the sand, instinct steering her down the beach into the warm water and then under the sea, a breath SAM once more then under again. Duffy happily swam back to her home among the reefs and the seagrass, free of the plastic that people had put into the sea, free to chase and hunt, to swim and to dive once again. SAM SAM SAM SAM SAM
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SAM The End Thank you for reading about Duffy s amazing true story. SAM SAM SAM SAM SAM
Did you know..? There are 7 different types of Sea Turtle and all of them are endangered. This means they could become extinct unless people protect them and their habitats. SAM The biggest Sea Turtle is the Leatherback which can grow up to 2 metres that s as big as your teacher is tall! Some turtles are much smaller and only grow to the size of a cat. Sea Turtles generally like to live in warm seas as they are cold blooded reptiles. They have scaly skin, breathe air and lay eggs. Sea Turtles have big powerful flippers at the front to propel them through the water and the back flippers are used for steering. Leatherbacks are the fastest and can swim as fast as a dog can run. SAM SAM Different types of Sea Turtles like to eat different types of food such as seagrass, jellyfish, seaweed, crabs, fish and shrimp. Sea Turtles can hold their breath for several hours if they are resting but if they are busy feeding they need to surface every few minutes for air. They can live as long as people up to 100 years! SAM SAM SAM
Clean up the Sea to make Turtles Happy! How can you help save the turtles? SAM Use less plastic stop using single use plastic such as drinking straws and bags bring your own bags to the shops. Stop buying bottled water carry a reusable bottle. Recycle your rubbish at home. Go plastic free for your school lunch box. Pick up rubbish on the beach if safe to do so Report injured wildlife to a local charity or vets. Tell other people about the problem with plastics in the oceans and help spread the word and save marine wildlife like Duffy. SAM SAM For more information on these suggestions and to find out other ways to help visit www.duffytheseaturtle.com SAM SAM SAM
About the Author UK based author Ellie Jackson, a teacher and mother of four, noticed the impact a visit to the Turtle Hospital in Townsville, Australia had on her young children and how enthusiastic they subsequently were to pick up rubbish on the beach. Having studied Environmental Science at university, and SAM teaching Geography for 6 years, it was a natural progression for Ellie to teach her own children the environmental message within this book and the idea for Duffy was born. About the Illustrator Liz Oldmeadow is a multi award winning illustrator and photographer from Port Stephens, a coastal town in NSW, Australia. Liz has always felt a deep connection to the environment and completed a Bachelor of Natural History Illustration at the University of Newcastle in 2007. Liz has been working as an illustrator and photographer for more than 10 years, drawing inspiration from Australian wildlife and landscapes. Instagram: lizoldmeadow Facebook: Liz Oldmeadow photography and illustration Web: www.lizoldmeadowphotography.com Liz and Ellie became friends at a mother s group whilst their sons were babies. A chance discussion led them to combine their talents and after much hard work and juggling of children, Duffy s message was ready to be shared. SAM SAM We hope you enjoy reading the book to your children and encourage you to discuss the ideas and issues raised. There are some extra activities and suggestions to engage children and for teachers and educators there are resources available to enable Duffy to be used within the wider curriculum - all can be found at www.duffytheseaturtle.com. Find us on Facebook @duffytheseaturtle, Twitter SAM SAM @duffytheturtle and follow us on Instagram #duffytheseaturtle to keep up to date with the latest news, events and competitions. SAM
How to do a mini beach clean One way you can help to protect our marine wildlife like turtles is to do a mini beach clean. This can be as simple as picking up rubbish you see on the beach as you are walking along or you can ask your school or club to organise one. There are some things you need to do before you pick up rubbish to keep yourself safe. SAM 1. Always go with an adult 2. Never pick up anything that looks nasty or is dangerous 3. Wear protective gloves and bring a bag to put rubbish in 4. Watch out for and don t touch sharp items like glass, needles, metal 5. Keep an eye on the sea look out for big waves, tide coming in or quick sand/mudflats 6. Keep an eye on the weather and wear appropriate clothing and sun protection 7. Take a picture and upload it to social media using the hashtags #duffytheseaturtle and SAM SAM #minibeachclean 8. Put the rubbish in a bin or take it home to recycle/upcycle SAM SAM SAM
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Duffy s Lucky Escape is an engaging story about the global problem of ocean plastic, highlighting to children the relationship between humans and wildlife and the dangers turtles face in their own natural habitats. Stunning artwork captures the imagination of young readers and brings to life a very real threat to our oceans. SAM Duffy s Lucky Escape is based on true events and it is this powerful message which invites children and adults alike to question the impact of plastic pollution on our environment. With ideas and activities which reinforce the story, Duffy s Lucky Escape is a book which will inspire children to make changes to the world around them. SAM SAM www.duffytheseaturtle.com ISBN 978-1-9997485-0-0 SAM SAM SAM 9 781999 748500 UK RRP 7.99