Customer Reviews

Turtles (First Books--Animals)

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This book was a joy to read, and is well worth the price. I've read hundreds of turtle books and, never have I seen such a well planned, informative, and pleasant book for children.

Chelonia are not easy animals to understand, however the author has done a fantastic job of making turtles and tortoises interesting animals, and, any child reading this book is certain to learn not only a wealth of information, but respect for these delicate (and often endangered) creatures. I highly recommend this book.

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