Dartmouth Middle School English teacher Kathy Souza and special education teacher Hannah Robidoux already have a publication under their belt, but their May release is dotted with clues of home.

The Dartmouth and Fairhaven residents, respectively, celebrated the release of "June Moon" on May 18. While the tale follows a team of baby sea turtles as they make their way for tropical ocean waters, themes of conservation and teamwork hit quite literally closer to home.

"Living here, I can't help but have a love of the sea. My son works at the New England Aquarium," said Souza, describing her family's interest.

It's a love that Souza passed along to Robidoux, a former student and daughter of middle school Assistant Principal Carl Robidoux. Robidoux admitted that before beginning the book, she knew little about conservation, but she began visiting the Boston-based aquarium to learn more about the main characters.

"I didn't realize there were so many different types of turtles," said Robidoux, listing green turtles and loggerheads.

As the book’s illustrator, Robidoux took photos of the turtles as references for her art. She also visited Fort Phoenix in her hometown to capture beach settings.

"The feet in there... those are my sister's feet," she said, pointing out a pair of toes in the sand.

Before the publication, both Souza and Robidoux shared the book with their families and students. Robidoux said she had one sixth grade student who cheered her on daily.

“Every day, she’d talk about it… for six months,” she laughed.

Some of Souza’s students even influenced the book. She explained that her students did not understand that there are protected beaches for sea turtles, and some of the concepts needed an explainer. So, she decided to provide one as a tool for parents and young readers.

“The [forward] is a direct result of my students’ feedback,” she said. “They’re honest and straightforward, and they do have some great ideas.”

Souza said the book is great for seven- to nine-year-olds because they’d appreciate the “deeper meaning of friends to help us along the path.” However, the book is also great to read to younger children, she said.

The duo had first collaborated on Souza’s “August Skies” in 2015. The book follows a pair of stars and encourages young readers to have faith in themselves.

Robidoux was 22 at the time of the first publication, but the accomplishment of publishing a second book with her art is still surreal, she said.

“It’s a pretty cool thing to put on your resume this early,” she said, adding that her end goal was to become a children’s book illustrator. “It’s weird to think if I didn’t come to middle school here, we never would have connected.”

“We’re luck Hannah’s really easy to work with,” Souza chimed in. “When I write the text, I have a vision of what I want the illustration to look like, and she’s good at conveying that.”

To create the illustrations, Robidoux first creates a sketch. Then she creates a color study, bringing the picture to life in Photoshop before doing the final watercolor.

Souza also had her work cut out for her. She researched, confirming that sea turtles hatch in June and that the moon is involved. Then, she had to find time to write.

“At this point in my life, I’m busy. There’s always papers to correct so I do a lot of writing during the summer.”

In the end though, it’s worth the trouble, said Souza. She believes the environmental issues involved in her book are worth bringing into the limelight, and the deeper themes are perfect for children, she said.

Souza and Robidoux will do a reading and book signings on June 14, 7-9 p.m., at the middle school library.