Turtle in Paradise Resources

Here is a chapter by chapter guide to our resources for Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm.

Chapter 1-2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18

Wrap-Up - Links & Videos for author Jennifer L. Holm

Jennifer L. Holm Links

Hey, fourth graders!  Here are some links to a biography, interviews, and an "about me" page for Jennifer L. Holm, author of Turtle in Paradise.  Use this information to get to know her a little before we get to talk to her.

"About Me" from the official website
Frequently Asked Question from her official website
Interview with Jennifer L. Holm
Interview with her brother Matthew about Babymouse
Interview about her other books

Turtle in Paradise Chapter 18

This is where Turtle, her mom, and Archie had rooms, the Key West Colonial Hotel.

It's mentioned a couple of times that Archie wore a Panama hat.

"I've lived long enough to learn the truth: not all kids are rotten, and there are grown-ups who are sweet as Necco Wafers.  And if you're lucky - lucky as an orphan - some of them may even end up being your family."  These are the last sentences of the book, but did you notice that Turtle makes the same comparison to Necco Wafers in the first sentences of the book?  Her opinion has changed, however, based on what she's learned during the story.

Turtle in Paradise Chapter 17



That was some storm. Look how closely it came to Key West (and the pirate's key wasn't too far away), and look at the map key to see how strong the storm was. 



Headlines from a 1935 newspaper. How lucky were they?



For more information about the Labor Day Hurricane, click here.

Ahh!  The Secret Formula!  What is it?

Turtle in Paradise Chapter 16

There's nothing like a life-threatening storm to make a person break into song.  Here's Shirley Temple singing "On the Good Ship Lollipop" from the 1934 film. It's the song that Beans, Pork Chop, Ira, Kermit, and Turtle sing together in the shack.  But ... why?

Turtle in Paradise Chapter 15

Just how far is "halfway to Cuba?" Key West is marked A, and Havana, Cuba is marked B. It doesn't look to far on here, but it is 90 miles from Key West to Havana.  Halfway would be 45 miles away and in the middle of the ocean.



Ever since the first chapter, Turtle and her mother have talked about getting "The Bellewood," a cottage style house they were going to order.  Believe it or not, you really could order a house through a catalog.  And believe it or not, you really could order the Bellewood.  Here's the original ad that Turtle talks about, and it's word for word. "The 'Bellewood' is another happy combination of a well-laid-out floor plan with a modern attractive exterior.  The design is an adaptation of a small English cottage."  Do you see that in the ad?



Turtle in Paradise Chapter 14

Earlier in the book, Turtle compared Slow Poke and Ollie to Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, meaning that they worked together on the boat like perfect partners, like the famous dancers.  In chapter 14 she compares Pork Chop and Beans to Laurel and Hardy.  What does she mean with that comparison?

Then Turtle compares the rest of the boys to "stooges," probably meaning the Three Stooges.  How were the boys acting if they were like this?

Turtle in Paradise Chapter 13

In Chapter 13 Turtle mentions a bunch of movie monsters and how knows they aren't real, "but just try telling that to the boys."  Here are pictures of the monsters she mentions along with the year that movie came out.

Dracula - 1931

Frankenstein - 1931

The Mummy - 1932

Kink Kong - 1933

And here's an ad for Waldorf Toilet Tissue,
the only toilet tissue crazy Mrs. Stark would use.

Turtle in Paradise Chapter 12

Not too much to say for Chapter 12.  This picture probably gives you all you  need to remember:

Turtle in Paradise Chapter 11

John D. Rockefeller was world famous and filthy rich because of oil. He founded Standard Oil. How could the Diaper Gang be like him?  That's what Turtle says, but why?



Shirley Temple was mentioned earlier. It talked about one of her movies called "The Good Ship Lollipop."  Now the Diaper Gang gets tickets to go see a Shirley Temple movie. How does Tutle feel about that?



Turtle in Paradise Chapter 10

Je Reviens is the perfume Archie gets Turtle's mama sometimes. Turtle says "it comes in a tall blue glass bottle that looks like a skyscraper." Do you agree? Uncle Vernon doesn't bring back treats like Archie, but Turtle does say how things are different when he's around the house. Can you name some of the ways life is different at the Curry house with their father home?

Je Reviens

When Turtle says her mom's head is in the clouds with Amelia Earhart, there's two things to understand. First, the phrase "head in the clouds" means that someone is not thinking clearly about a situation, not paying attention, or sort of daydreaming. 

Next is knowing who Amelia Earhart is and why she's in the clouds. Amelia Earhart was a famous pilot in the 1930's. She set many many flying records for female pilots for distance and speed. During Turtle in Paradise, she would have been very famous.  

Amelia Earhart

Turtle in Paradise Chapter 9

Heres' the beach were the Diaper Gang went swimming, met Ira, and had a cut-up.



"The Shadow Knows"  Here are two illustrations that advertised the famous radio show called "The Shadow." The catchphrase of the show was "The Shadow Knows," and the main character was a crime-fighting vigalante. That means he worked by himself and for himself to do what he thought was right - sort of like Batman. Bad guys were afraid of the Shadow, because "The Shadow Knows."



"The Diaper Gang Knows" This was the first radio show. The Shadow was actually in comic books, comic strips, books, television, and movies as well as a radio program.

Turtle in Paradise Chapter 8

Not too much to share today, but here are a couple pictures.

Mrs. Soldano makes bollos for the kids to eat.  Bollos is pronounced BOY-ohs.

Flan - the dessert Mrs. Soldano makes.

Turtle in Paradise Chapter 7



This is where Slow Poke's former first mate got bit by a shark - a shark named Margaret.



Actually, this is the location of the original Sloppy Joe's.  It moved across the street.

Slow Poke and Ollie really know what they are doing on a ship.  It says, "They don't even need to talk to each other; they're like the sailing version of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers doing a dance number." Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers were famous for their movies and especially their dancing.  They were excellent partners when they danced.  If Slow Poke and Ollie were like that, then how well would you say they worked together on the ship?

A cistern is a place that stores water. It catches rainwater and stores it to be used later. It is especially important in dry areas and areas like the Keys where there is a lot of salt water, but not too much fresh water.

Turtle in Paradise Chapter 6

On to chapter 6!  Here is some more information for Turtle in Paradise.

Kewpie paper dolls. Turtle describes her paper dolls as Kewpie dolls. They might have looked like these.

Here are some Kewpie paper dolls that have been cut out. You can see the dolls on the top, and the clothing is on the bottom. Clothes were placed on top of the dolls, and tabs that stick out the side of the clothes folded around the doll so the clothes stayed on.

This is a poinciana tree in Key West.

This is another poinciana tree.  This one is actually in the Key West cemetary.

Pepe's is the restaurant where Kermit and Turtle met Johnny Cakes, Papa, and Slow Poke. It used to be on Duval Street, but now it is on Caroline Street.

Papa is a real person that Jennifer Holm put into her story. He lived in Key West for a while, and he is a pretty famous person in American history. What do we know about him from Turtle in Paradise? Even though his real name is not used, do you knjow who he is? Can you find out?

Turtle in Paradise Chapter 5

Here are some pictures to help us with chapter five.

Up in the top, left corner you can see Matecumbe Key where Mr. Curry (Beans, Kermit, and Buddy's father) is working on the highway. Coming from the island you can see a causeway. That's where dirt has been moved so that a road can be built on top of it. Then the bridge starts.  There are many bridges connecting the keys today, but Mr. Edgit and Turtle had to take a ferry sometimes, remember?

At one point the Diaper Gang had babies lined up "like cigars in a box." This should give you an idea of what that means.

Maybe this is what Jimmy looked like, but is that what the kids in Key West would have looked like?



This is the corner of Francis Street and Curry Lane today, where Turtle pulled the nickel-in-the-bottom-of-the-cup trick to get ice cream.



Turtle in Paradise Chapter 4

One of the main roads in Key West, Duval Street, is mentioned in chapter 4. There are also three different animals mentioned that are important in Key West, but not so much in Wisconsin.

Duval Street - This is where Old Mr. Alvarez ... did ... something ... interesting.

This is the entire island of Key West. Duval Street is one of the main roads in the whole city, and it runs across the entire island. You can see it outlined in purple.

Scorpion

Loggerhead turtle

Natural sponges. Yes, these are actually animals that live on the ocean floor, though not necessarily in a pineapple under the sea.

Turtle in Paradise Chapter 3

When Turtle moves into Beans's room, she mentions some comics on the walls. In addition to Little Orphan Annie, there are three others she mentions - Krazy Kat, Terry and the Pirates, and Flash Gordon.  Here are some examples of each one.

Krazy Kat

Terry and the Pirates

Flash Gordon

Turtle in Paradise Chapters 1-2

Here are some important things to see for chapters 1 and 2 in Turtle in Paradise.

Conch shell.

This is a Ford Model A, the type of car Mr. Edgit drove taking Turtle to Key West.

This is an example of a Little Orphan Annie comic strip that was Turtle's favorite. You can see Annie and her dog, Sandy, saying, "Arf!"

Here's a map of the Florida Keys. You can see the southern tip of the main part of the state, then the keys, or islands, that tail off into the ocean. It is about 160 miles from Miami to Key West.



Here's the entrance to Curry Lane today. It's basically a one way alley.



This is a house on Curry Land. I don't know if this is the same house as Aunt Minnie, Beans, Kermit, and Buddy live, but most of the houses on Curry Lane are very similar.

Another house on Curry Lane.