Hicotea A Nightlights story

In this enchanting follow-up to Nightlights (2017), ever-curious young Sandy wanders away from her classmates during a field trip to the local wetland and finds an empty turtle shell. Peering inside, she falls into a magical world where Hicotea, the shell's owner, maintains a museum of paintings, sculptures, and artifacts documenting a very special wetland, one that has been almost completely destroyed by a malevolent being. Can Sandy help Hicotea and her friends fight against the creature destroying their home? Lush, brightly colored landscapes and intricately detailed illustrations bring a sense of wonder and magic to the natural world, hinting at the complex ecosystems around us that frequently go unnoticed. While the worlds Alvarez creates are whimsical and quite lovely with their vivid colors and otherworldly flora and fauna, there is an edge to her illustrations that suggests nature is not just a pretty place. Sandy is a delightful protagonist with her relentless questions and deep respect for the natural world; hopefully she will inspire young readers to find the magic in their own backyards.--Summer Hayes Copyright 2019 Booklist

In this sequel to Nightlights (2017), author/illustrator Alvarez transports readers into the fantastical world of protagonist Sandy's vivid imagination for an escapade with an ecological bent.As Sandy's class gets ready for a field trip to a nearby wetland, a group of older girls on the other end of the science lab are dissecting a frog. The dissection goes wrong, the girls are grossed out, and the frog ends up out in the trash. Needless to say, spunky heroine Sandy is disturbed by the experience and has this on her mind as they go to the wetland. When Sandy wanders away from her classmates, she comes across what appears to be an empty turtle shell. Peering in, she tumbles into the shell and discovers a vast museum of sorts, curated by a turtle named Hicotea. What ensues is an adventure that straddles real life and a dream worldwhere one ends and the other begins is unimportant. The artwork is surreal and striking and the palette sumptuous. The story is set in Bogot, the artist capturing the atmosphere of her hometown in all its color and variety. The characters in the book are as varied as their city, depicted in a range of skin colors that attests to its multiracial character. Gorgeous and mesmerizing. (Graphic fantasy. 8-12) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.