Confessions of a Swinging Single Sea Turtle: The Fourteenth Sherman's Lagoon Collection (Sherman's Lagoon Collections) [Paperback]

Jim Toomey (Author)

Book Description

Series: Sherman's Lagoon Collections | Publication Date: September 15, 2009

What happens in Sherman's Lagoon doesn't always stay in Sherman's Lagoon. In this, the fourteenth collection of Sherman's Lagoon comic strips, we examine the once-taboo subject of sea turtle courting rituals and conclude that, although sea turtles may be remarkable navigators, it's a cruel exercise in Darwinism when they show up at the right place without the right pickup line.

With 280 strips featuring the adventures and misadventures of Sherman the great white shark and undersea entourage, Confessions of a Swinging Sea Turtle gives fans of the strip a much-needed dip in Sherman's Lagoon.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 10 Up This collection offers more adventures of Sherman, a lazy but lovable great white shark, and fellow lagoon inhabitants Fillmore, an intellectual, perpetually single sea turtle and Hawthorne, the conniving hermit-crab mayor of the lagoon. The simple and humorous illustrations, presented in full color every few pages, will appeal to younger readers, but the dry, cynical humor is most suited for older teens and adults. Sherman and his wife bicker like any old married couple, but also wonder if eco-tourists taste better than regular tourists. Meanwhile, Fillmore travels to Ascension Island to find a mate through turtle speed dating, and Hawthorne struggles to attain total control of the lagoon, fueling himself with decaf double espressos. Teen fans of sophisticated strips such as Aaron McGruder's The Boondocks and Bill Watterson's Calvin and Hobbes should enjoy this. Lisa Goldstein, Brooklyn Public Library, NY
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About the Author

Jim Toomey launched Sherman's Lagoon on his own in 1991. That same year, the strip was syndicated. In addition to being a philosopher, Jim likes to keep in touch with his marine pals as a surfer, scuba diver, and sailor. Jim and his wife live in Maryland with their daughter and son.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing; Original edition (September 15, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0740785516
• ISBN-13: 978-0740785511
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 8.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #838,795 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

For the past 13 years Jim Toomey has been creating the daily comic strip Sherman's Lagoon, which appears in over 250 newspapers in North America, including the Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune, and the San Francisco Chronicle. It also appears in over 30 foreign countries, in French, Portugese, Spanish, Norwegian and Swedish. Jim has just completed his tenth book, entitled "A Day at the Beach," published by Andrews McMeel Publishing.

Sherman's Lagoon is a combination of his two life-long passions: drawing and the sea. Jim's been engaged in the former activity since he could hold a crayon, and his love affair with the sea dates back to his early childhood. The inspiration for the comic strip can be traced back to a family vacation in the Bahamas where he saw a real shark swimming in a remote lagoon. Jim became a certified diver at the age of twelve, and, as an adult, has logged dives all over the world, including Asia, Africa, the Mediterranean, Latin America, and extensively in the kelp forests of California.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars A Shark and a Turtle Can Be Friends, April 14, 2010

By 

tvtv3 "tvtv3" (Sorento, IL United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Confessions of a Swinging Single Sea Turtle: The Fourteenth Sherman's Lagoon Collection (Sherman's Lagoon Collections) (Paperback)

First syndicated in the early 1990's "Sherman's Lagoon" is a syndicated comic strip that now appears in over 150 newspapers worldwide. Most of the action of the strip takes place in the Kapupu Lagoon, home of Sherman, a great white shark; his wife Megan, their son Herman, the sea turtle Fillmore, the scheming hermit crab Hawthorne, and other underwater creature characters. CONFESSIONS OF A SWINGING SINGLE SEA TURTLE is the 14th "Sherman's Lagoon" collection. Some of the stories in the collection include the lagoon's attempt to "go green"; Fillmore's annual trip to Ascension Island in an attempt to find a mate; Hawthorne's stint as a talk radio host at K.R.A.B.; Sherman's defining and death; Sherman and Megan joining a country club; Sherman getting hit in the head and believing he's a superhero; Sherman and Ernest meeting Triton; and Sherman and Fillmore visiting Walden Pond.

I liked the book. "Sherman's Lagoon" isn't run in many papers locally, but I do read the strip whenever I come across it. As far as comic strips go, "Sherman's Lagoon" is better than average. The humor usually isn't as biting as "Pearls Before Swine" and though it has a sitcom-type feel to it, it's usually more current and not as situational as "Hi and Lois" or "Family Circus". Fans of "Sherman's Lagoon" will want to look at CONFESSIONS OF A SWINGING SINGLE SEA TURTLE and those who enjoy good comic strips will probably enjoy it, too.

5.0 out of 5 stars Still funny, even after 14 books, March 22, 2010

By 

Eric DiPier (Virginia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Confessions of a Swinging Single Sea Turtle: The Fourteenth Sherman's Lagoon Collection (Sherman's Lagoon Collections) (Paperback)

As someone else mentioned, it's kind of amazing that Jim Toomey can still come up with ideas for a fish cartoon after 14 books' worth of comic strips. You would think he'd have run out of jokes by now. This book is classic Sherman, probably not the best in the series but hilarious nonetheless and a must for any fan of the series.

5.0 out of 5 stars Jim Toomey never disappoints, March 7, 2010

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Sig "reprosecy" (Ohio) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Confessions of a Swinging Single Sea Turtle: The Fourteenth Sherman's Lagoon Collection (Sherman's Lagoon Collections) (Paperback)

I own and have read every single book of the lagoon series and each and every one is very funny and well written. The animals come to life and you can picture life that day in the lagoon with all the wacky characters. If you've never read a Sherman's Lagoon book, order one from Amazon and you'll be hooked forever. You'll want to catch up with all the other books. It's a can't miss read.