In 1953 Nova Scotia zoologist Sherman Bleakney made a surprising discovery. He found a female Blanding's turtle living near Kejimkujik Lake. Until then, scientists did not know that the freshwater Blanding's turtles lived in Nova Scotia. In 1990, this small population of Blanding's turtles in southwestern Nova Scotia became a protected species and three years later was designated a threatened species.

Set in Nova Scotia's Kejimkujik National Park, this remarkable story is about a young Mi'kmaw girl and her family's encounter with a Blanding's turtle hatchling. Richly illustrated by the award-winning artist Jeffery C. Domm, The Hatchling's Journey provides us with first-hand experience observing the turtle hatchlings emerging from their nests and their fascinating journey into the Kejimkujik woods for winter. Nominated for a 2005 Hackmatack Award.

Kristin Bieber Domm has been a teacher for twenty-eight years. She is the author of four Nimbus titles for children, including Atlantic Puffin. Kristin teaches writing and graduate education courses part-time at Mount Saint Vincent University. She is a participating writer in the Writers in the Schools program and plays bassoon in the Wyndrock Quintet. She lives in Cow Bay, Nova Scotia.

Kristin Bieber Domm's profile page

Jeffrey C. Domm is an award-winning illustrator with over thirty wildlife related books to his credit, including the children's books Atlantic Puffin and The Hatchling's Journey. He has been teaching illustration and drawing at NSCAD University for over sixteen years and his body of work includes illustrations for Parks Canada, Environment Canada and Canadian Wildlife Service. He lives in Cow Bay, Nova Scotia.

Jeffrey Domm's profile page

• Short-listed, Shortlisted for Hackmatack