The Turtle Ship

In this original tale loosely based on Korean history, a boy wins a national engineering challenge with inspiration from his pet. Sun-sin dreams of seeing the world beyond his seaside village, so he's thrilled when the king issues a new battleship design competition: the winner will receive riches and, best of all, a role with the royal navy. After several failed attempts, Sun-sin hits on the perfect prototype: his turtle, Gobugi, who "is strong and steady and never sinks." He's mocked at court when he presents the idea, but a sudden attack from a royal cat gives Gobugi a chance to demonstrate his superior defensive skills, and the king is convinced that a turtle ship is the winning plan. Rhee's smoothly paced story arc will read aloud well, while Kong-Savage's striking, precise paper-collage scenes are equally effective in conveying the sweeping drama of ocean views and the personality and warmth in close-ups of Gobugi's small, green face. An afterword about the story's historical roots closes this engaging tale with a strong STEM focus from two debut creators. Ages 5-7. (June)

PreS-Gr 2--Rhee tells the legend of Sun-sin and his best friend, a turtle named Gobugi, and how they came to invent the Turtle Ship. After hearing that the Emperor is holding a contest for the best battleship design, Sun-sin presents Gobugi as inspiration for a great vessel, having witnessed the turtle's smart physical design. At first the Emperor rejects the idea, but after seeing Gobugi survive an encounter with a cat, he declares Sun-sin the winner, making history. The plot is loosely based on a true story, but reads like a delightful folktale that skillfully incorporates moral lessons about strength and appearances. The vocabulary is simple enough for the audience, and the text is well formatted on the page. There is one battle scene, though nothing too heavy or graphic is depicted. Kong-Savage's collage illustrations bring the story to life through almost 3-D imagery and are beautiful to look at. The use of muted colors to depict the home of Sun-sin contrasts nicely with the brighter colors of the Emperor's palace, creating an excellent source of tension. The illustrators and the narrative work together wonderfully to tell this fascinating episode in Korean naval history. VERDICT A great mix of myth and history for most picture book collections.--Margaret Kennelly, iSchool at Urbana-Champaign, IL