Table of Contents Acknowledgments vii Cast of Characters viii Mobile-Tensaw River Delta Map xi Chapter 1 Mock Turtle Soup 1 Chapter 2 June’s Dune 10 Chapter 3 Oiled Brown Pelican 25 Chapter 4 Dr Sanchez Issues a Challenge 37 Chapter 5 The Arts Festival 47 Chapter 6 Diamondbacks in the News 55 Chapter 7 To Shelley Point Island 66 Chapter 8 Hurricane Warning 83 Chapter 9 Hurricane Alex 91 Chapter 10 How to Rescue Terrapins 99 Chapter 11 No Time to Lose 102 Chapter 12 Mo’s Ark 109 Chapter 13 Big Beauty 114 Chapter 14 The Terrapin Hatchery 123 Chapter 15 The Terrapins Are Pipping 129 Chapter 16 The Hatchlings 137 Chapter 17 Into the Marsh 145 Author’s Note 153 Diamondback Terrapin Conservation Program in Alabama 157 Resources 161 v
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Acknowledgments My heartfelt thanks to Whitney Byington who proved to be an intelligent and diligent young reader To Robyn Usdan who has supported and encouraged me from the inception of this series A very special thanks to my SCBWI critique group the Night Writers whose insights were invaluable Ruth Beaumont Cook I appreciate your professional professional and thorough proofing of the manuscript Thank you to my publisher Deborah Shine for her wise assis tance in bringing this book to publication My sincere thanks to Ken Marion professor emeritus of the University of Alabama at Birmingham UAB for vetting the manuscript for scientific accuracy I am grateful grateful to Professor Thane Wibbels Department of Biology at UAB for patiently sharing your expert knowledge of diamondback terrapins Professors Marion and Wibbels generously allowed me to experience firsthand their research research and conservation of the diamondback terrapin in the Mobile-Tensaw Delta Thank you too for enabling me to visit the terrapin head-start hatchery at UAB Without your generous support this book would not have become a reality vii
