All posts by Sy Montgomery

A Boy and His Rooster Walk into a Bookstore.

November 11, 2024UncategorizedSy Montgomery

Irving and Dorito. Photos at the Toadstool by Oriana Camara.

Have you heard that one? The boy is Irving, the rooster is Dorito, and the bookstore is the Toadstool in Peterborough. The rooster crows, and Sy starts reading from What the Chicken Knows to an overflow crowd. Just another day on the chicken circuit.

AudioFile magazine loves the audio edition of the chicken book: “Sy Montgomery is so joyful and enthusiastic while describing her adventures with her flock of chickens that listeners will want to stroke a hen and pick up a rooster just to participate in her positive view of the world. Montgomery is keenly observant and curious. She calls her chickens ‘the ladies,’ and she recognizes each hen’s individual call and personality. She also cites studies demonstrating chicken intelligence but notes they will also mercilessly peck at an injured member of their flock. Montgomery’s desire to restore the natural landscape can collide with her love for her chickens whenever a repopulated critter kills one. Her mixed emotions are obvious: She can’t bring herself to be angry at a natural predator, yet she feels forlorn.”

Chickens are Number 7 on the national Indie Bestseller List for Nonfiction. The list is for the week ending November 10.

Sy shared Fire Chief’s journey at the Planet Action TEDx conference at MIT in Cambridge, Mass. Sy will post the TEDx talk when it’s available.

Popular Hens. What the Chicken Knows has moved up to number two on Boston Globe’s bestseller list for hardcover nonfiction for the week ending November 17.

And the hens are roosting at number 10 on the Pacific Northwest Indie Bestseller List of nonfiction for the week that ended November 16.

The National Council of Teachers of English met in Boston this week for their annual conference. One of the talks was about What it Means to be a Good Creature.

What the Chicken Knows — Hint: It’s A Lot

October 11, 2024UncategorizedSy Montgomery

Come meet some wonderful hens in this new video introducing Sy’s new book, What the Chicken Knows:

Indie booksellers love What the Chicken Knows. Sy’s new book is on November’s Indie Next List Picks. Bookseller Mary O’Malley, of Skylark Bookshop in Columbia, Missouri, says: “As the tender of a small flock of chickens, how could I rate this anything less than a 10? Smarter than we give them credit for and a source of endless amusement, chickens are given their due in this wonderful book.”

Go, hens! What a Chicken Knows is one of Kirkus Reviews’ “20 Best Books to Read in November” and among Barnes & Noble’s “Best Books of November and December 2024.” The Ladies are in fine company–see the other books on the lists here and here.
And both Parade Magazine and People Magazine also suggests that you put the book on your reading list.

Sy tells Wayne King what chickens know on his podcast, NH Legends and Lore. Listen here.
And on WICN. Listen here. Also on NHPR. Listen here.

What the Chicken Knows, is a Fall Editor’s Pick in Library Journal. See the other great picks here.

The Union Leader catches up with the Hen-i-verse. They interviewed Sy:

Montgomery once found herself defending chickens with a man seated next to her on an airplane. Chickens are “dirty and stupid and mean,” the man told her.
“And then I discovered he got that impression from working on a factory farm,” Montgomery said.

“I told him my father was a prisoner of war of the Japanese in World War II, and that possibly if he had met the people in the prison at that time, he would have had the same impression,” she said.

They kept talking. “I don’t want to make people feel bad,” she said. “I want to help people see a far more interesting truth about chickens.”

These sorts of conversations happen a lot on plane rides, Montgomery said. “Often people sitting next to me end up talking about animals — I don’t know how that happens,” she said, eyes sparkling.

So what does the chicken know?

“The chicken knows a great deal about relationships, and their importance,” she said. “That is central to a chicken’s life.”

They also understand spatial arrangements, she said. “They are terrific at finding their way around. Some scientific experiments have found that, even in the absence of landmarks, a chicken can find the exact center of even a space they’ve never been to before.”

Chickens also know a lot about communication, Montgomery said. “They are able to transmit complex messages to each other,” she said. “So they are having very meaningful conversations. They’re not just saying bok-bok-bok.”

“It may be that the most underestimated of animals still have revelations to share with us,” she said.

Read the rest of the interview here.

Sy talks Chickens with Steve Curwood, host of Living on Earth:

Steve: You point out in your book that if you go to the dictionary to look up “chicken,” you see it listed first as flesh, something to be eaten, not even mentioning the creature itself. And I think probably most of us, you know that’s how we are acquainted with chickens, as something that goes on the dinner plate. Why should people know more about these birds in a personal way, why dedicate a whole book to them, Sy?

Sy: Well, dead and cooked is never the best way to get to know someone. So, I kind of think it’s a waste of a perfectly good friendship to cook and eat them. But chickens are the one bird that even if you can’t recognize a crow, even if you can’t recognize a robin, people can identify a chicken. But even though we recognize them, and everyone thinks they know a chicken, people underestimate them all the time. Chickens have a lot of wonderful things about them, but to me, the most wonderful of all is their company, and being able to travel in the chicken universe, and be able to see that even in this, you know, commonest of creatures that everyone can recognize, there is still like mystery and excitement. There’s still a soul there. Each animal is highly individual, and we have so much to learn from them.

Listen to the Living on Earth interview here.

And Sy got to talk chickens with animal behavior expert Marc Beckoff in Psychology Today. Read the interview.

The just-published paperback of Of Time and Turtles has debuted at number 6 on The Boston Globe’s list of paperback nonfiction.

Sy, Matt and Firechief (in spirit) wowed them in San Francisco in their turtle talk for the Turtle Survival Alliance and Bookshop West Portal (80 West Portal Ave.) West Coast, East Coast, Sy and Matt are happy to talk turtles – or talk to turtles.

The German edition of The Hummingbird’s Gift is out.

Firechief! It’s time for your close-up.

September 20, 2024UncategorizedSy Montgomery

Close up of Firechief, a snapping turtle — Matt & Sy are working on a new book that will tell Firechief’s story of rescue and recovery. (Photo by Susie Spikol)

The Turtles Take Korea

September 4, 2024UncategorizedSy Montgomery

The Book of Turtles is now out in Korea.

The star of my new book-to-be: the giant manta ray. Carolina Martin of mantascostarica.org joined us in Ecuador and took this video.

Meet one of the three darling hatchling Wood Turtles who, thanks to a state permit, will be in Sy’s care for Head Starting to release in the spring! All three are busy and inquisitive about the big, new world.

Girish Shukla, at Timesnownews.com, has composed a good list of “15 underrated non-fiction books” that “offer fresh perspectives and valuable insights into history, science, culture, and personal growth. From unique narratives to thought-provoking themes, each book presents compelling ideas that deserve more recognition and a spot on your bookshelf.” You may recognize the first book on his list:

1. The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery

“This beautifully written book offers an intimate exploration into the lives of octopuses, showing how these intelligent, alien-like creatures can connect with humans on a profound level. Montgomery’s thoughtful approach blends science, personal reflection, and adventure as she explores the mysteries of marine life. Through captivating storytelling, the book invites readers to rethink animal intelligence and the connections we share with creatures beyond our own species.”

See the rest of the list here.

Turtles-in-training

August 5, 2024UncategorizedSy Montgomery

Children dressed as turtles — Campers performed their new play, “The Hatchlings’ Journey”

Sy and Matt thank the children, parents, and helpers at the Sense of Wonder Camp in Martha’s Vineyard for hosting them — and for their performance as turtles-in-training.

Sy spoke about her turtle book to an enthusiastic audience at the Monarch Festival in Bethel, Maine, where she met this young fellow.
His sign says:

Dear Fire Chief,
Thanks for sending your people to Maine!
Love,
Myles

What the Chicken Knows book cover — Coming this November

Sy’s new book coming in November, What the Chicken Knows, is a Fall Editor’s Pick in Library Journal.

Here are 5 key insights from Sy’s book: Of Time and Turtles: Mending the World, Shell by Shattered Shell.

1. Even common animals we might take for granted are astonishing wonders, and worthy of our awe.
2. What looks like a hopeless disaster may instead be turned into a real-life miracle
3. Anyone can make a difference that can last for generations, and heroes come in all different forms.
4. Time, too, has many different guises.
5. Taking a hand at mending our broken world is the best way to restore our own souls.

CAUTION: Snake May Be … Above Face Level

July 7, 2024UncategorizedSy Montgomery

The Book of Turtles is a Sibert Honor Book. Sy and Matt (and his sainted wife Erin) flew out to the American Library Association convention in San Diego to receive the award, and even better, to be treated to a behind the scenes tour of the “herp house” at the San Diego Zoo. Those signs about “venomous snakes” have nothing to do with the librarians – we promise.

Guess who is talking turtles, and hummingbirds on New Hampshire Public Radio’s show, Something Wild? Yup, The Turtle Wrangler and Friend to All Good Creatures: Sy. Three episodes: Baby Blanding’s Turtle Hatchlings, Baby Hummingbirds, and the final act, a visit with Fire Chief and the artist Matt Patterson. If a turtle could hold a paint brush, he’d be Matt. Here’s the first episode.

And here’s the second episode.

And the third, about the snapping turtle Fire Chief.

The German edition of Secrets of the Octopus is out.

Sy and Howrad on the porch with podcast host Tricia Rose Burt — Talking on the porch with Tricia Rose Burt for her podcast, No Time to be Timid.

We did something we never do – we appeared together to talk about what it’s like to have two writers in the house. We had the great pleasure of being interviewed by our neighbor, Tricia Rose Burt, on her wonderful podcast, No Time to be Timid. I’ve been a listener since she started. Tricia is a gracious host and a good listener. You get caught up in her enthusiasm for her guests and all those Southern “y’alls.” Listen at Apple Podcasts, https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/no-time-to-be-timid/id1619558493 or Spotify, or https://triciaroseburt.com/podcast/sy-montgomery-and-howard-mansfield-creating-a-writing-life

More Honor and Glory to Turtles. On Time and Turtles: Mending the World, Shell by Shattered Shell, is a finalist for the New England Independent Booksellers’ Association Nonfiction Award. See the list of finalists here.

One of the Best Books of 2024 — So Far

June 21, 2024UncategorizedSy Montgomery

First Barnes & Noble chose the Secrets of the Octopus as the best of 2024 — so far. And now Amazon Books taps the Octos for their list. That’s two lists — six more? Anyone? Make it an even eight.

Sy had a good time talking to Annie Thoe, a Feldenkrais therapist and Nature Awareness teacher. They talked about octopus consciousness, Secrets of the Octopus and the National Geographic film which accompanies Sy’s book. Watch the interview on YouTube.

Good News: Things Will Go Horribly Wrong!

May 22, 2024UncategorizedSy Montgomery

The artistic students of Lesley U. march in to hear Dr. Sy.

Dr. Sy. “I have good news and bad news about your future. First the bad news: Things are going to go horribly wrong. And now the good news: Things are going to go horribly wrong,” Sy told the Lesley University Class of 2024. Embrace the real world — full of dangers, beauty, and breathtaking surprises — that’s Dr. Sy’s Rx. She’s not a medical doctor, but, hey, she has an honorary Ph.D. from Lesley U. So listen up! Watch Sy here.

The Book of Turtles has won a Green Earth Honor Award from The Nature Generation. And it has also won a silver medal from the Nautilus Book Awards. The awards honor “Better Books for a Better World — books that support conscious living and green values, wellness, social change, social justice, and spiritual growth.”

Secrets of the Octopus has been named one of Barnes and Noble’s “Best Books of 2024 (so far).”

We Love Turtles! And Octopuses!

May 2, 2024UncategorizedSy Montgomery

Matt talks to school kids — Matt brings the turtle gospel to Tenacre School

Kids, octopuses, good creatures all. After a warm welcome for Sy and Matt in Stoughton, Mass., they headed to Tenacre Country Day School in Wellesley to meet awesome earth lovers before the octo finale at Stoughton Library.

What is intelligence? How can we recognize it in other lifeforms on Earth, as well as in space? Sy talks to Cosmic Connection.

A table covered with Sy Montgomery's books — The Sy Channel. A full table of her books.

Sy loved hanging out with 500 librarians at the combined conference of the Utah Library Association and Mountain Plains Library Association. Sy’s keynote address was received with a standing ovation. Thank you to Patrick Horcherl, Marissa Bischoff, and all the other librarian/superheroes who made Sy feel so welcome.

The Book of Turtles has won the gold medal from the Cook Prize. The prize honors the best STEM picture book for children aged 8 to 10 and it is chosen by them. This year more than 11,000 children across the United States, Europe, and Asia voted. And they have spoken. They love The Book of Turtles.

Sy and Matt talked turtles with Connecticut Public Radio’s podcast, Where We Live. Listen here.

Ten books that will transform how you see nature

April 1, 2024NewsSy Montgomery

Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat Ten books that will transform how you see nature. For Earth Day, The Washington Post asked ten authors to recommend books “that influenced their relationships with the natural world.” Sy talked about Farley Mowat’s Never Cry Wolf:

“The book moved me deeply. True, though originally published as a factual account, parts of it were later decried as fiction. (“Never let the facts get in the way of the truth,” Mowat would later tell me, when he generously welcomed me to his home while I researched my first book.) But while I’ve remained a stickler for facts in my own writing, this book showed me the importance of remaining true to matters of the heart as well — and that a writer must use not only the fruits of the intellect but also honor one’s emotion and intuition to tell a story that moves readers to action.”

See the rest of the suggested books here.

Everything’s coming up Octos on this week’s Boston Globe bestseller list. See Number 6:

And on the Other Coast: Secrets of the Octopus is Number 9 on the Seattle Times bestseller list.

Now in Japanese: Secrets of the Octopus. (And, we hear, in German, though we haven’t seen the book yet.)

The Book of Turtles has been short-listed for a Green Earth Book Award, a national honor for children’s books promoting environmental stewardship.

Oklahoma octo-fans Cal and Lyle Clifford
Tiktok Okto. They love octos, Sy’s new book, and OctoNation. Oklahoma octo-fan Cal Clifford’s pet octopus, Terrance, became a “Tiktoktopus” after videos of her unexpected babies went viral. Some two million folks have been following his pet octo’s 50 babies.

Seen above is Cal with his brother Lyle showing their prize loot from OctoNation. Their advice for all but the most serious (and wealthy) aquarists: get octo plushies, not pets! (In captivity, baby octopuses have an unfortunate tendency to eat each other.) And Cal’s father says, “It’s expensive, wet chaos” – but the whole family loves Terrance and her babies.

Sy is looking forward to joining Stoughton (Mass.) Reads for April 22 and 23rd. It’s all-out-octos for Earth Day.

Boston Globe bestseller list
Meanwhile on that other coast: Secrets of the Octopus has climbed to #6 on the Seattle Times bestseller list.

Sy visits Parker, a sea lion, before her talk at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, California

Sy is honored to share a Riverby Award with Matt Patterson, and sign copies at Books of Wonder in New York City. The Riverby Award is given by the John Burroughs Association, which was founded in 1921 to commemorate the life and works of the naturalist John Burroughs.

Sy and Matt Patterson, and sign copies at Books of Wonder in New York City

Secrets of the Octopus is a bestseller. It’s number seven on the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association bestseller list.

Bookbub has chosen Of Time and Turtles as one of the great, uplifting nature books of spring. See their list here.

Amazon Bestsellers in Marine Life

If you click on the top “marine life” books on Amazon, Sy’s books occupy 7 of the top 10 slots. How amazing is that?

Sy and Matt talk about their love of turtles, octopus and freshwater fish at the creativeprocess.info:

Sy: “I think that animals certainly don’t have all these widgets demanding their attention like we do. Their spirits are just not as atomized as ours are. We have so many little things flickering at the edge of our consciousness. When we pay attention to anything, we’re not paying that deep attention, but animals are. And they have senses that we do not. I mean, they’re aware of chemical cues that we completely miss. They can hear sounds we don’t hear. They see colors and kinds of light we can’t perceive, etc. But we all share a common ancestor. We share 90 percent of our genetic material with all placental mammals. So we really are all family…. It makes a human feel less lonely. So many humans I know, they’re just suffering terribly from loneliness even though they’re in a sea of other humans. Well, I never feel lonely. And I can be alone, so-called, in a landscape with no other human anywhere, and I feel nested and safe and at home. And I know you do, too, because there are all these other lives around us.”

Matt: “When you listen to your instincts, it’s the voices of your ancestors guiding you. The narration of your ancestors and not just your human ancestors going all the way back to when everybody was just one cell. And being connected to your origin in that way is very different from the Western world in which you’re off like an arrow, and you’ve left all that behind.”

The Peeple’s Choice Awards

March 1, 2024NewsSy Montgomery

The Good, Good, Peep
Each spring, the Hancock Town Library is filled with Literary Peep Dioramas – scenes from books made of everyone’s favorite marshmallow Easter treat. This year two fine artists in town, Kim and Scott Cunningham, made this tribute to Sy’s The Good, Good Pig. If you’re in town, come vote for The Peeple’s Choice Awards.

Sy took the listeners of the Techstination podcast on a deep dive to explore The Secrets of the Octopus. Listen here.

Win to Register a copy of Secrets of the Octopus by Sy Montgomery Win a new book. OctoNation is thrilled to offer OctoFans a chance to win a copy of the newest National Geographic book, Secrets of the Octopus by Sy Montgomery and the founder of OctoNation, Warren K. Carlyle IV. Enter your name and email address to register.

Sy talks with Psychology Today about her new book, Secrets of the Octopus:

Based on the latest scientific research and wonderful stories, ‘Secrets of the Octopus’ is a must-read.
One of the most astonishing fields of inquiry centers on octopuses’ social lives; they’re not loners.
Almost everything we once thought we knew about octopuses is wrong.
And Sy says: “With everything I write, I aim to help readers join me in falling in love anew with this life and with the creatures in it. For once we do, we deepen our commitment to treat all our neighbors—human and non, vertebrate and invertebrate—with renewed respect and compassion. Who better than octopuses to show us the way?”
Read her interview here.

Henry the Ferret Vote for Sy & Matt. The Book of Turtles has been nominated for an award from professional humane educators — and you, the hardshell faithful, can vote for it here, about halfway down the ballot. While there, cast your vote for the Most Accomplished Animal Ambassador. We confess that Henry the Ferret caught our eye. Henry looks like a worthy weasel.

Secrets of the Octopus is headed to Japanese readers.

The Book of Turtles is on the Long List for the Green Earth Award. Check out all the terrific titles on the list here.

Zoo Logic podcast Telling Secrets. Octonation – The Largest Octopus Fan Club founder Warren Carlyle and Sy talk about Sy’s new book, Secrets of The Octopus – which has octo-profiles by Warren. They also discuss its companion, three-part National Geographic TV film. Listen to the fabulous Zoo Logic podcast.

A meeting of the shells. After Sy and Matt brought their turtle show to the Boston Malacological Club, Sy was awarded honorary memberships.

John Burroughs (1837-1921) with his dog, I Know. Burroughs was one of the most popular authors of his day. — John Burroughs (1837-1921) with his dog, I Know.

Turtles rule. Matt Patterson and Sy are thrilled to share the news that The Book of Turtles will be honored by a Riverby Award – named after famed naturalist and essayist John Burroughs’ Hudson River estate. The award honors “exceptional non-fiction books for young readers.” Several of Sy’s books have won this award before, including The Magnificent Migration, Amazon Adventure, Great White Shark Scientist, and The Snake Scientist.

The award will be presented at the Yale Club in New York on April 1.

In praise of the unhurried life. Nature Conservancy Magazine likes Of Time and Turtles: “Although the book is a skillful mix of science, philosophy and turtle lore, it’s about more than the hundreds of reptiles saved by two dedicated women and the team they built. By the book’s end, the motto of Turtle Rescue League founders Natashia and Alexxia – “Never give up on a turtle” – takes on a broader meaning that feels a lot like a testimony to the power of human compassion and the difference it can make in the lives of animals, no matter how unhurried.”

Sy and Warren Carlyle is founder of OctoNation, the world’s largest octopus fan club, recruited more Octo fans on Chicago’s WGN-TV’s Morning News show. Watch here.

Turtles all the way down … south

February 1, 2024NewsSy Montgomery

Sy and Matt at the Savannah Book Festival Turtles all the way down … south. The Hardshell Faithful turn out at the Savannah Book Festival to hear Sy and Matt talk about the their turtle books.

Get Out Alive logo Get Out Alive — always a worthy goal, and a great name for the podcast on which Sy shared her turtle (and shark and tiger and octopus) adventures. Listen to the episode here.

All Creatures Good Good. The devoted fans of the PBS hit show, All Creatures Great and Small have picked their favorite books. And no surprise, there are three books by Sy: The Good Good Pig, How to be a Good Creature, and The Soul of an Octopus. Next season could the good vets be called on to treat an octopus on one of those farms in the Yorkshire Dales?

Sy is pleased to have seen an advance screening of National Geographic’s Secrets of The Octopus. (Sy wrote the book.) The film will premiere on the National Geographic channel on Sunday, April 21. It will be available the next day – which is Earth Day — on Disney+ and Hulu. Watch the trailer here.

Sy on the yellow carpet with the fabulous creators and talent behind the TV series, Secrets of the Octopus
Forget the red carpet. Yesterday, at the National Geographic shoot, it was the yellow carpet. Here’s Sy with the fabulous creators and talent behind the coming TV series, Secrets of the Octopus, right before their panel discussion with the TV critics in Los Angeles.

WGBH Boston Public Radio visits Fire Chief
Jim Braude and Margery Eagan and the fine crew from their show — Boston Public Radio on WGBH — visit Fire Chief. Watch here.

“A seafood firm wants to farm octopus. Activists say they’re too smart for that,” reports NPR. A seafood company, Nueva Pescanova, plans to build tanks by a dock in the Canary Islands, the Spanish archipelago off the coast of Morocco. The company announced its plans several years ago. “Despite opposition, its permit requests are currently pending.”

Sy is “appalled,” she told NPR. Octopuses “are sensitive, curious, intelligent creatures with memories and with volition,” she said. They deserve better. Read the rest of the story here.

Marv Hoffman is one of Sy’s dear friends. Marv is an ace teacher who has mentored a legion of teachers. In his blog, he writes about Of Time and Turtles: “Week after week, Sy and Matt return to the Turtle Rescue League (TRL) to do whatever needs to be done for inhabitants of this loving home.

Turtle Rescue League (TRL) car “Sy creates vivid portraits of many of the residents of TRL who acquire colorful names, usually based on the circumstances in which they’re found – Pizza Man, Fire Chief, etc. As with the octopuses, real relationships develop between their care givers and these strange creatures, who predate even the dinosaurs. I have to admit that I haven’t retained much knowledge about the various sub-species of turtles who pass through, but I do recall the individuals and cheer their recoveries or mourn their losses.

“This much would suffice to make an engaging book. There is a chapter in which Sy and Matt join TRL staff on a rescue mission to a beach where sea turtles are being washed ashore in ways that will lead to their deaths without the help of their human Samaritans. I read it with as much excitement as the sections I read in Kon-Tiki oh so long ago about its encounters with life-threatening storms.

“But there’s more, the part that explains the centerpiece of the title Of Time and Turtles. Because turtles live such long lives – some have been known to live as long as 200 years — the sense of time that surrounds them unfolds at a different rate than it does for us frenetic humans. Even their injuries heal at a different rate. It happens that Sy’s work with the turtles coincides with the Covid years which caused astonishing disruptions in the time sense of many people. As an example, my guesses at how long ago significant events in my life occurred are now way out of line with the reality.

“It’s as if Sy’s time with the turtles and our Covid time put us outside the traditional linear understanding of how things unfold. In the Jewish view of the events in the bible there is the following concept: “Ain mukdam v’ain m’uchar ba’torah.” There is no early and no late in the torah, which suggests a more circular view of time that challenges the idea that events are stacked like dominos forever poised to fall in exactly the same sequence.

“Sy quotes a scientist who speaks about “warm-blooded chauvinism,” the assumption that human views on understanding the natural world are the only possible ones. Once again, Sy has helped me step outside my skin into a universe of much broader and more diverse realities. Our creaturely arrogance is so profound it takes a hell of a book to accomplish that.”