by Robin Magness Carter (Author), Queen Quet (Contribution by), Al Hawkins (Illustrator)
" No doubt about it, I was the maddest I'd ever been in my pajamas." So begins this intergenerational fable featuring a falling out between the irrepressible Scuter and Grams, necessitating the subsequent intervention of Stan the SandMan and his daughter Z'mantha. These Gullah guides, weaving visions out of their deep interconnectedness to the rhythms of the Low Country, enable Scuter to navigate unexplored territory and circumstances. Belle, the injured but indomitable loggerhead turtle, becomes the unifying thread as information critical to reconciliation unfolds. The tale at its core intertwines education about the threatened life cycle of the sea turtle with exposure to a culture that has been similarly dispossessed and marginalized. It is a lesson for children and adults alike, in hopes of encouraging and implementing change in midst of dynamic current interest in conservation, climate change, and Gullah culture.