From Publishers Weekly
While many U.S. readers will be familiar with Australian Steve Irwin's good-mate/wild-man persona from his smash hit cable show Crocodile Hunter, they may be surprised by the passion and thought with which Steve and his wife, Terri, undertake wildlife conservation work. Neither will fans be bored: this entertaining, exciting autobiography/adventure tale/environmental tract is packed, as advertised, with incredible feats. Steve is son to the man "recognized as the greatest herpetologist in Australia and revered throughout the world as a legend for catching highly venomous snakes" bare-handed. The first section recounts Steve's childhood with his conservation-minded father and mother ("She was the Mother Teresa of wildlife rehabilitation"), who built the Queensland Reptile and Fauna Park, soon enlarged and renamed the Australian Zoo, one of the best zoological facilities in the world. As the park expanded, Steve learned to leap from boats onto the backs of crocodiles of all sizes, capturing them for relocation. The second section is told by Terri, an impressive Oregonian nature lover who was running a wildlife rehabilitation facility when she met Steve on a trip to Australia. While Steve punctuates his writing with phrases like "Holy snappin' duck poo!" Terri offers a calmer perspective on their commitment to wildlife conservation. The final section discusses the Irwins' current efforts at the Australian Zoo: "Our passion for wildlife is our elixir of life and we'll die defending animals that others deem dangerous and threatening." What could have been an easy rip-off of a popular show is a fun, educational read for adults and children alike.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Well known as one of the stars of the Discovery Channel, Irwin, with the assistance of his wife, Terri, has many exciting tales to tell. The son of a man who loved and collected reptiles and a woman who reared orphaned kangaroos, Irwin grew up surrounded by wildlife. He and his father traveled the back roads collecting snakes and rescuing crocodiles. Irwin tells of early encounters with venomous snakes, learning to capture small crocodiles by leaping onto their backs from a boat, and setting traps for the truly enormous crocodiles. Terri enters the picture in the early 1990s when she traveled to Australia and met Steve at the family's zoo. At that point the pair began filming the wildlife documentaries that became Crocodile Hunter on Animal Planet, and the narrative turns to the adventures of working with dangerous wildlife all over the world. Written in the breezy, Australian slang-ridden style of Irwin's narration of his wildlife shows and heavily illustrated with photos from the duo's travels. Nancy Bent
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
