The Turtle: 
An Owner's Guide to a Happy Healthy Pet

By Tyler Monson, TurtleTimes.com
December 14, 2000

The book, The Turtle,  has been out a while published in 1997, and I was never tempted to purchase the book. I did what we have been told not to do since I was child. I judged the book by its cover. Big mistake. I normally feel that a book that cost $10 is too much for a getting started guide and the cover did not entice me. 

I think the main reason, was I never cracked the book open. I was at the book store debating about writing the publisher to request a book for review when I actually opened it. There are books more appealing to the eye but this guide had the feel of a school text book, and was loaded with goodies for those new-to-turtles as well as had tidbits for those who have been tending them a while. 

The book is well written, its clear, concise, has easy-to-read layouts and provides knowledgeable information that is practical. This book was written for the new owner and tries to fill the gaps for enthusiast making the information accessible. It is not however a good resource for specific turtle information but rather talks about turtles in their major groups. It's a good beginner's guide.

Lenny did good work here. I felt like the first two chapters, Ecology and History,  were something many other starter books do not offer. The following chapters were good but it was the amount of text that makes this book what it is, many starter books lack in text and rely on pictures to tell the stories.

What's good:

• The book had a good section on the history of turtles.

• The section on the ecology of turtles was what got me interested in the book in the first place. 

• An attempt to highlight very useful tips.

• Text book style of writing, clear, straight forward and enough photos to illustrate the examples of what was on topic. This book is strong in written content.

• The book is interspersed with tips that would have any yellow-foot owner thinking about their current husbandry routine and if they should implement any changes. 

What's not:

• The book lacked in illustrations which might of helped various topics mentioned. There is just something about drawings to help explain a topic that appeals to me.

• Although a good attempt was made to list turtle related clubs throughout the United States, there were not web sites mentioned, but in 1997 the world was just starting to take the Internet seriously.

• It lacks an easy reference index about the most popular turtles, size, and requirements but talks more in general terms.

Conclusion:

I bought the book and thought it was worth placing in my bookshelf.  I felt like the two chapters on Ecology and History were concise and very useful in helping to understand a turtle beyond housing and feeding and yet I didn't need a biology degree to understand it. I would recommend this as a good general book on turtles. Honestly this is not my favorite starter book, but it made me think about it.

Authors
Lenny Flank
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Related Links

• Buy Direct from Amazon.com
Approx $10

Skill Levels

Beginning  Intermediate Advanced