Maria la Tortuga: How a Little Turtle Finds Hope & Friendship in Our Ocean and You Can Too!

Join Maria, the sea turtle, as she faces her fears on her journey through the ocean. She was born during a food shortage and narrowly escapes. When she returns later to lay her eggs, she doesn't recognize her home. Dive into this adventure to learn about a real town in Cuba and its conservation facts woven into a story created by two young boys (Asher and Hector). This bilingual story of Maria la Tortuga will inspire both children and adults while reminding us, there's always a solution.

Written in English and Spanish, Maria la Tortuga is the result of multi-generational friendships supported by a desire to heal the ocean. During a national food shortage in Cuba in the 1990's, locals in Guanahacabibes were eating sea turtles and overfishing as they fended off starvation. Dr. Maria Elena Ibarra Martin, who led the Center for Marine Research at the University of Havana, convinced her government to protect Guanahacabibes. Asher's mother and grandfather visited the area during the initial recovery phase in 1998 and developed a friendship with Dr. Martin. In 2018, after many trips to Cuba with others who held a similar passion, Asher's family and friends successfully nominated Guanahacabibes as a Hope Spot for The Mission Blue Foundation, founded by Dr. Sylvia Earle. A year later, Asher and Hector visited the area to learn how it went from a scene of destruction to the focus of a conservation partnership.From this experience, Asher wrote the story of Maria, a baby sea turtle who was born during the food shortage and narrowly escaped death. When she returns decades later to lay her first batch of eggs, she doesn't recognize her home. Her new friend, Osmani, explains why and how it changed.

The story offers small steps that anyone, no matter where they live, can take to be part of the solution. Readers can learn about conservation at a real town in Cuba, take in the beauty and maybe learn a few Spanish words while they're at it.

Únete a María, la tortuga marina, mientras enfrenta sus miedos en su viaje por el océano. Nació durante una escasez de alimentos y escapa por poco. Cuando regresa más tarde para poner sus huevos, no reconoce su hogar. Sumérgete en esta aventura para aprender sobre un pueblo real en Cuba y sus datos de conservación entretejidos en una historia creada por dos jóvenes (Asher y Héctor). Esta historia bilingüe de María la Tortuga inspirará tanto a niños como a adultos mientras nos recuerda que siempre hay una solución.

Escrita en inglés y español, María la Tortuga es el resultado de amistades multigeneracionales apoyadas por el deseo de sanar el océano. Durante una escasez nacional de alimentos en Cuba en la década de 1990, los lugareños de Guanahacabibes comían tortugas marinas y pescaban en exceso para evitar el hambre. La Dra. María Elena Ibarra Martín, quien dirigió el Centro de Investigaciones Marinas de la Universidad de La Habana, convenció a su gobierno de proteger Guanahacabibes. La madre y el abuelo de Asher visitaron el área durante la fase de recuperación inicial en 1998 y desarrollaron una amistad con el Dr. Martin. En 2018, después de muchos viajes a Cuba con otras personas que tenían una pasión similar, la familia y los amigos de Asher nominaron con éxito a Guanahacabibes como un punto de esperanza para la Fundación Mission Blue, fundada por la Dra. Sylvia Earle. Un año después, Asher y Héctor visitaron el área para aprender cómo pasó de ser un escenario de destrucción a convertirse en el foco de una asociación de conservación....