Set in 16th-century Korea, The Turtle Ship is a picture book about a boy, who takes some inspiration from his unassuming pet turtle, and wins the king’s contest for the best battleship design. Loosely based on the legendary Admiral Yi Sunsin, this historical fiction required hours of research into the Joseon dynasty. Read about my experience illustrating my debut title in this NaPiBoWriWee interview.
In addition to praise from Publishers Weekly and Kirkus Review, The Turtle Ship also received a starred review from the School Library Journal:
Kong-Savage’s collage illustrations bring the story to life through almost 3-D imagery and are beautiful to look at… The illustrators and the narrative work together wonderfully to tell this fascinating episode in Korean naval history. VERDICT A great mix of myth and history for most picture book collections.
Cover illustration for The Turtle Ship
