Based on the life of the famous 16th-century Korean admiral, Yi Sun-Sin, who was never defeated in battle, and who is celebrated for his victory over the Japanese at Myeongnyang, this engaging picture-book offers an imaginative story about how the Korean Geobukseon, or turtle ship, was first designed. Opening in Sun-Sin's childhood, it imagines the young boy entering a ship-designing contest announced by the king. When his first ideas don't work, Sun-Sin is inspired by his turtle companion's steady dependability in the water, and offers him as an inspiration for the new design...

Although the historical Yi Sun-Sin is noted for his use and improvement of the Geobukseon, based upon earlier models, rather than for inventing it outright, Korean tradition still considers him the inventor of the ship, something reflected in debut author Helena Ku Rhee's engaging narrative. I appreciated the brief afterword, which gives more information about the subject, as I was not previously familiar with this important figure from East Asian history. It's fascinating to learn that the Geobukseon was the world'd first ironclad ship, as that claim had erroneously been made by scholars about the much-later ships of the American Civil War. I found The Turtle Ship both informative and entertaining, and I think young children will as well. The artwork, done by debut illustrator Colleen Kong-Savage in collage, is just lovely, with a textured feeling that is a pleasure to peruse. All in all, a wonderful picture-book, one which straddles the fiction/non-fiction line, but nevertheless offers an informative text exploring a subject too little-known here in the states. ( )