Winter the dolphin has a few new friends at Clearwater Marine Aquarium. This time, sea turtles are the stars of the show.
Captain Tortuga, Polly and Lilly are the main characters in a new book about protecting sea turtles. The book, titled “Captain Tortuga and the Treasure of Sand Key,” was written by David Kinne.
Kinne is from Safety Harbor and started working at Clearwater Marine Aquarium as a volunteer. He is now a full-time employee. Kinne has a background in comedy and biology. The work he sees every day at CMA inspired him to write a book.
"The book is about a pirate who follows a sea turtle around thinking he’s going to find treasure and learns some lessons about sea turtles and finds out what the real treasure actually is," said Kinne.
"I really wanted to entertain kids and teach them some lessons about the nature of sea turtles, they’re all endangered," said Kinne.
Kinne says there are more than 20 injured sea turtles at CMA.
One hundred percent of the proceeds from the book will go to help CMA with its mission to rescue, rehabilitate and release sick and injured marine life.
Children who got a sneak peek at the book want to continue reading.
"I like learning about nature and I love turtles, so I think it’s really fun to learn more about them," said 13-year-old Mikaela Harring, who was visiting the aquarium from Boston.
"I think the end will be pretty cool," said 10-year-old Jake Harring.
The illustrator of the book is award-winning artist Dino Kotopoulis, who is known for work with Disney and the popular television advertisement starring Charlie the Tuna.
The book is available at Clearwater Marine Aquarium. You can meet the author and illustrator at a book launch party at Winter's Dolphin Tale Adventure at 300 Cleveland St. in downtown Clearwater on Saturday from 2-4 p.m.