Steve & Me: Life With the Crocodile Hunter (Thorndike Press Large Print Biography Series) [LARGE PRINT] (Hardcover)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: wildlife warrior, croc show, fierce snake, Crocodile Hunter, Cattle Creek, United States (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Few celebrities touch as many people as Steve Irwin did. He was loved by people from all walks of life and his vast efforts at conservation continue to make a difference all over the globe. Steve and Terri's story is not just one of taking a noble cause to a new height, but is also a fairytale love affair. When Terri, an American tourist in Australia, first laid eyes on Steve, she saw a real-life action hero. She was, however, disappointed to hear that his heart belonged to another. Steve then offered to introduce her to his girlfriend, whistled and presented his best girl: a Staffordshire bull terrier called Sui. Later, Steve took Terri on a unique first date - a canoe ride through the swamps at night. She describes how Steve climbed out of the boat into the crocodile-filled water and how she knew she was with the bravest man she'd ever met. Steve and Terri married in June 1992 and the footage of their crocodile-trapping honeymoon became the first episode of The Crocodile Hunter. WIth the opening of the Australia Zoo, the couple brought conservation to the people and became ambassadors for the native wildlife. Together, Steve and Terri changed the perception of conservation and sparked global interest in the animals of the Australian bush. Terri's book chronicles this work with their children Bindi and Bob and is her tribute to keeping Steve's memory and mission alive. --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 385 pages
• Publisher: Thorndike Press (February 6, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1410403521
• ISBN-13: 978-1410403520
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.7 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #983,145 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A privilege to read such a personal account, October 16, 2008

By	Marta Heller (Ormond Beach, FL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Terri Irwin allows us to step into her life with her husband, Steve, and their family, showing us the passion they have for their wildlife conservation cause and each other. I don't know how she found the strength to write this book. I still can't think about her loss without getting emotional. But she has done a wonderful job!

Steve and Terri brought us closer to wildlife than we had ever come before. I grew up watching those animal specials that used the "long lens" and none of that compares to watching Steve handle a poisonous snake or the entire zoo team wrangle a feisty crocodile. Through those moments we could feel the tension of the crew, the surge of their adrenalin and the power of the animal. But more than anything, what was most clear was his love and passion for all of the creatures he encountered.

I just saw a repeat of an Animal Planet special where Steve says, "Come with me" on my journey. Terri takes us along on that journey from her perspective and shows us that it's not over. She and her children are still following the road the two of them forged together. And it's clear that Steve's legacy will carry them on into more wild adventures.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Layers of Persons' Lives: Steve and Terri Irwin, April 30, 2008

By	Judith Florian (United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If I had to rename Terri Irwin's book, I'd title it: The Layers of Persons' Lives: Steve and Terri Irwin. The true title "Steve & Me: Life With the Crocodile Hunter" (Thorndike Press) is chock full of surprises, delights, plus much practical information about Australia, its wildlife, customs, traditions, and conservation efforts.

It should not surprise anyone to hear Terri Irwin's intelligence. But, I think many readers will be surprised. She "starred" on the television shows with her husband and daughter, Bindi, too few times (in my opinion) and many people might under-estimate Terri by her short TV narrations. But reading her book shows without question Terri Irwin's depth of knowledge about wildlife and her adopted homeland. She writes ~beautifully~. It's delightful--although painful--to read in her own words the transitions she made in her life, from single and woman protecting wildlife, to meeting Steve...falling in love...hoping he'd call...certain he would not...to visiting him a second time... to of course, their wedding.

Delights continue with reading her first-person accounts of Stevo, her first treks into the bush, how she learned about the land and animals--and of course, her descriptions of Steve and their private and public lives. Terri --and Steve-- were never just two bumpkins running a roadside animal attraction. Both have a sixth sense about animals that Terri describes so well in her writing. But the backdrop for many fans will always be the fairy tale romance these two favorite persons shared. Chance meeting---fate? Yes, fate--with a destiny, a purpose, a life's purpose these two wildlife warriors shared, valued, pursued.

Terri leads readers along her journey into Steve's world, the world she would soon share. The trip she describes, however, also educates readers about Australia's bush and animals. Much of the terrain, the country itself, makes a fascinating read. She takes readers along on many of their private, and scientific, journeys, and introduces different animals and reptiles much as speaking of special and loved persons. Readers can feel the bumps on the trip along the fenceline...and hear the ocean at the end of their long trip. There's also realistic mentions of horrors mankind commits against poor, defenseless animals. As nasty as these stories are to stomach, Terri shows Steve's and her own passion to protect the wildlife the entire Irwin family has long loved.

Yes, The Layers of Persons' Lives would make a suitable subtitle. Terri Irwin certainly writes eloquently about those layers, in Steve and in herself.

Readers should expect to smile, to laugh, to cringe, to cry...to feel informed, included, engrossed...and to sob, deeply, as Terri finally describes Steve's death and how she and her family have grieved along the way. Her book will certainly fullfill readers' expectations--and much more than they expect.

Just a lovely book, Terri. Lovely. All best wishes in the coming years.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great read, August 25, 2009

By	Thomas L. Etherington - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I couldn't put it down and only took two days to read. I had always thought that they were "beautiful together", a wonderful and rare living example of "soul mates".