Join us on Friday, October 20th at 7:00 p.m. for a reading and discussion with Sy Montgomery & Matt Patterson.
--This is a ticketed event--$5 Ticket will be donated to a charity of Sy & Matt's chosing.
--Tickets are non-refundable--Online purchases will be held at the bookstore (Will Call).
--If more than 100 tickets are sold, location will be updated.
Of Time and Turtles: Mending the World, Shell by Shattered Shell by Sy Montgomery, Illustrated by Matt Patterson
National Book Award finalist for The Soul of an Octopus and New York Times bestseller Sy Montgomery turns her journalistic curiosity to the wonder and wisdom of our long-lived cohabitants—turtles—and through their stories of hope and rescue, reveals to us astonishing new perspectives on time and healing.
"Writing from the height of her powers, Sy Montgomery shows us in magnificent and essential ways how much we are connected, even with the most unlikely of animals." --Aimee Nezhukumatathil, author of World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments
When acclaimed naturalist Sy Montgomery and wildlife artist Matt Patterson arrive at Turtle Rescue League, they are greeted by hundreds of turtles recovering from injury and illness. Endangered by cars and highways, pollution and poachers, these turtles—with wounds so severe that even veterinarians would have dismissed them as fatal—are given a second chance at life. The League’s founders, Natasha and Alexxia, live by one motto: Never give up on a turtle.
But why turtles? What is it about them that inspires such devotion? Ancient and unhurried, long-lived and majestic, their lineage stretches back to the time of the dinosaurs. Some live to two hundred years, or longer. Others spend months buried under cold winter water. Sy turns to these little understood yet endlessly surprising creatures to probe the eternal question: How can we make peace with our time?
In pursuit of the answer, Sy and Matt immerse themselves in the delicate work of protecting turtle nests, incubating eggs, rescuing sea turtles, and releasing hatchlings to their homes in the wild. We follow the snapping turtle Fire Chief on his astonishing journey as he battles against injuries incurred by a truck.
The Book of Turtles by Sy Montgomery, Illustrated by Matt Patterson
From National Book Award finalist and New York Times bestseller Sy Montgomery comes an ode to one of the most diverse, fascinating, and beloved species on the planet: turtles. With dazzling illustrations and emotionally engaging, fact-filled text, this picture book will speak to the wisdom these long-lived animals can lend.
Everyone loves turtles. And no wonder: long-lived, unhurried, and ancient, these shelled reptiles are fascinating.
Turtles are also endlessly surprising. There are turtles with soft shells, turtles with googly eyes, turtles with necks longer than their bodies, and turtles whose shells glow in the dark!
And each turtle, of each of the more than 300 kinds, is an individual. You’ll meet some of them here: Lonesome George, the last of his kind on Earth. And Myrtle, the 90-year-old green sea turtle, who has almost 7,000 followers on Facebook.
What questions might you ask a turtle? You’ll find many of the answers in this gorgeous compendium—and perhaps be inspired to help at a time when these reptiles, who evolved at the same time as the dinosaurs, face the deadliest dangers of their more than 240-million-year history.
In addition to researching films, articles, and thirty-six books, National Book Award finalist Sy Montgomery has been honored with a Sibert Medal, two Science Book and Film Prizes from the National Association for the Advancement of Science, three honorary degrees, and many other awards. She lives in Hancock, New Hampshire, with her husband, Howard Mansfield, and their border collie, Thurber.
Matt Patterson -- From as far back as I remember, I've loved both wildlife and art. I grew up in the small, rural New Hampshire town of New Ipswich. In my free time I was always either out fishing, searching for turtles and snakes or I was painting. My father was a biology teacher and our home hosted a large menagerie of animals, including a turtle named Heathcliff and two pigeons named Mel and Leroy.
Today things haven’t changed much. I am a professional artist, and I work from a home I share with my wife (to whom I proposed in a field full of buffalo), my tortoise, Eddie, my two dogs Roo and Monte and my snake Ernie.
In both 2017 and 2018 I received the Roger Tory Peterson Wild American Art Award. My work has been featured in Yankee Magazine, Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine and other publications. I also have exhibited in many fine art galleries, and my paintings hang in the permanent collection of museums. Recently I worked with Orvis to create exclusive trout prints. In 2023 I was named a fellow in The Explorer’s Club. When I'm not painting, I still spend my free time looking for turtles and snakes, fishing, and kayaking.
