| Read what reviewers say about Turtles. |
“Cool book about real turtles. Specially written for children.” —Michael J. Connor,
from "Turtle Books,"
California Turtle & Tortoise Club Web site
“From the diminutive, three-inch eastern bog turtle to the one-ton leatherback sea turtle, this book describes physiological characteristics held in common and also the distinguishing features of the many turtle species. After an interesting introduction to the construction and role of a turtle’s shell, the book discusses the reptiles’ breathing techniques and their means of eating and reproducing. The text includes chapters devoted to freshwater turtles, tortoises (or land turtles), and sea turtles, with brief descriptions of individual species within each group. Dangers facing turtles today as well as advice on how readers can help these animals survive complete the coverage. Large, expertly shot photos help illuminate the concise, informative effort.” —Ellen Mandel,
American Library Association,
from Booklist.
“. . . Turtles is a timely makeover of the ‘turtles-are-for- kids’ genre of American books. It is meant as a generalized presentation of the diversity of turtles inhabiting the globe as its rightful denizens. The targeted readership appears to be older children, from about sixth-grade reading proficiency and up. But no open-minded adult would dismiss the book as boring or childish. This is a no-nonsense book full of accurate information, in which possibly unfamiliar words such as ectotherm are first presented in italics. This presentation facilitates reference to the glossary on pp. 56–57. Metric equivalents are provided parenthetically throughout, in thoughtful testimony to the stubbornness of the United States not to relinquish its adherence to antiquated standards of measure.
| The anatomy, physiology, and some specific adaptations of chelonians are introduced succinctly, as well as a clarification of the semantic confusion over the terms turtle, tortoise, terrapin in a table on p.19. Also presented in tabular format are common North American freshwater species, an overview of seven tortoise species and of all seven marine turtles, and thumbnail sketches of five particularly endangered turtle species. The book is divided into five short chapters, the last an eloquent plea for conservation. The final pages of the book consist of a glossary, names and addresses of turtle conservation organizations, a short list of references including two ‘advanced’ works, and an index. The distinguishing, eye-catching feature of this book is its stunning, large color photographs, one on every other page except at chapter endings. These were all carefully selected to highlight one or more features of the animal(s) shown, and all were taken in natural or natural-appearing settings. There is not one photograph of a red-eared slider! Purists might object to two photos of overturned turtles, one to highlight the bridge, the other to illustrate a box turtle’s hinge, but let's face it, the underside of a turtle often bears very distinctive characteristics, and children are likely to want to examine this portion of a turtle's anatomy. The title page, table of contents, and each chapter heading bear the reproduction of a nineteenth century lithograph of a recognizable turtle species. . . . [This book] deserves a place among the books you would want your children, grandchildren, nieces or nephews to browse. And you would probably want a copy for yourself, if only for the magnificent photos of some seldom-seen species.” —James R. Buskirk,
Field Associate in Herpetology,
California Academy of Sciences,
from "Turtle Books,"
California Turtle & Tortoise Club Web site
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