College Student Writes & Illustrates Charming Children's Book With A Crucial Ecological Message

BOSTON, May 4, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Annabelle Bennett was on track to graduate from Boston University this year with a degree in Hospitality Administration. Like thousands of students, she put her formal education on pause in hopes of attending her final year in-person. In addition to working, she decided to pursue a creative project combining two of her passions?the ocean and art. Bennett now adds "author" to her resume, as she has successfully written, illustrated, and published a delightful children's book, 'Billy the Sea Turtle.'

The story features a newly-hatched sea turtle, Billy, who explores the natural world. He enjoys swimming with his best friend, a fellow sea turtle, and marvels at the other sea creatures and colorful plant life and coral of the ocean. Billy discovers he cannot quite swim as fast as his friend, and he eventually learns why. After struggling to swim one day, he meets a young little girl on the beach who finds him entangled with fishing line and sundry items. The girl untangles Billy and sets him free to swim unhindered.

"As an ocean lover, when rubbish rolls up on the shore, it just breaks my heart," said Bennett. Growing up in Massachusetts, Bennett played on Cape Cod beaches. As a teenager, she participated in a global youth leadership program in Costa Rica, and as a college student, she studied abroad in Australia for a year. Those experiences nurtured her love of the ocean and the natural world.

"While snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef in Cairns, I saw its deterioration first-hand. The reef actually lost half of its corrals since 1995....I find that alarming," said Bennett. She wanted to write a book that kids would enjoy, and that would "inspire them to cherish the ocean and get involved in protecting this precious natural habitat."

A testament to her heartfelt commitment, Bennett is donating a portion of the proceeds from book sales to charities supporting the protection of the ocean, including oceana.org, coral.org, worldwildlife.org, and 4ocean.com.

"While the story conveys a crucial message, it's done in a light and lively way," said Bennett. "I chose colors and imagery to produce a calming effect, to make it suitable as a bed-time story."

Bennett's original watercolor artwork adorns each page, with several images spreading across both pages. The colorful and bright pictures of the beach, ocean, sea life, and of course Billy and his friend will delight children of all ages. Those who enjoy popular animated films like 'Finding Nemo,' 'The Little Mermaid,' and 'A Turtle's Tale," will surely enjoy seeing the world through the wide blue eyes of Billy the Sea Turtle.

'Billy the Sea Turtle' by Annabelle Bennett is published in both paperback and eBook format by eBookIt.com. It is available at Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, and other popular online retailers.

About Annabelle Bennett
Annabelle Bennett is a student, artist, author, and entrepreneur striving to educate young people on protecting our oceans.

About eBookIt.com
Since 2010, eBookIt.com (based in Sudbury, Massachusetts) has helped thousands of authors and publishers get their books converted to ebook format, and distributed to all the major ebook retailers, including Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, Apple iBookstore, Kobo, Scribd, Ingram Digital, and Google eBookstore.

Media Contact

Annabelle Bennett, eBookIt.com, 978-868-2221, [email protected]

SOURCE Annabelle Bennett