Firechief is ready for his close-up. His story will be told in a new book by Sy and Matt Patterson: The True and Lucky Life of a Turtle. The pub date is this September. Watch the lovable chief here.
Sy talked to New York Times reporter Alexandra Alter about the boom in “animal memoirs” – books in which animals star:
“It’s a very old yearning that our kind has,” said the naturalist Sy Montgomery, who has written dozens of books about animals, including “How to Be a Good Creature,” which chronicles her relationships with 13 animals, among them an octopus named Octavia.
As children, most of us feel an instinctive connection with other creatures. And some of the oldest forms of human art and literature — cave paintings, myths, fables — center on animals.
“It has helped us survive,” Montgomery said of this connection. “Until 10 minutes ago we were all hunter gatherers, and if you didn’t pay attention to the natural world a smilodon came and ate you.”
Read more in the story: A Hare, a Fox, an Owl, a Snail: Animal Memoirs Are Going Wild.
Sy enjoyed meeting the students of the Princeton Day School.
Ciao Italia! If you can read Italian, La Repubblica, an Italian general interest newspaper with a circulation of 151,000, has written about Sy and Tartagua. “This book is an antidote to our seemingly inescapable frenetic world. It blends with elegance science and philosophy. It draws on all the cultures of the world and invites us to slip into the slow time of turtles.” Leggi di più qui: Sy Montgomery: “Così le tartarughe ci insegnano a prenderci cura del mondo”
North Country Radio in New York, reviewed Of Time and Turtles, delighting in meeting the Turtle Rescue League, the Turtle Ladies, and everyone working save these beautiful, endangered creatures. Listen to the short review.
Soul of an Octopus is in great company, LiveMint choses “Six Must-Read Books on Animals and Nature.” See the list.
Sy enjoyed talking with her friend Crystal Sands of Farmer-ish. Listen to the interview and read the full issue of her publication celebrating chickens.
