"As a boy, Henry Friston dreamed of traveling the world. He thought he was signing up for a lifetime of adventure when he joined the Royal Navy. But when World War I begins, it launches the world, and Henry, into turmoil. While facing enemy fire at Gallipoli, Henry discovers the strength he needs to survive in an unexpected source: a tortoise. And so begins the friendship of a lifetime. Based on true events, and with charming illustrations, this story...

"In 1772, Mark Catesby stepped ashore in Charleston in the Carolina colony. Over the next four years, this young naturalist made history as he explored deep into America's natural wonders, collecting and drawing plants and animals which had never been seen back in the Old World. Nine years later, Catesby produced his magnificent and groundbreaking book, The Natural History of Carolina, the first-ever illustrated account of American flora and fauna....

The author/illustrator describes how his mother's wish to spend her birthday visiting an art museum with her family changed the course of his life forever.