[.ca] Crocodile Hunter (ISBN 0525946357)

Quite nice, could be more thorough:
I'm a big fan of the Crocodile Hunter shows and I found this to be a nice book for fans. Large color photos of Steve, Terri, their young daughter, some other family members and zoo crew, and many animals, of course. Chapters alternate between being written by Steve and Terri with the last chapter written by Wes Mannion, Australia zoo director and (as those who watch the shows know) Steve's best friend. It was nice to read about Steve's start with animals, also Terri's. Fans don't know a lot about her so it was interesting to hear about her background and read her anecdotes. The problem is that this book is really quite short (written in large print) and there isn't that much here that you don't already know if you watch the shows. They repeat a lot of what you see and hear on the shows, but at the same time, they seem to assume that you watch them. That strange combination made for a slightly unsatisfying book. On TV and in print, Steve and Terri seem so perfect, matched perfectly, so good on camera, zoo managers without compare - it's like they're manufactured characters instead of real people. I was hoping this book would humanize them - I'd still love them if they showed their flaws and I'm sure so would their other fans. The book is good but it didn't let me feel that I cracked the Irwin facade. I guess we have to wait for a biography rather than autobiography for that.

Entertaining, but too darned short!:
To millions around the world, Steve Irwin is known as "the Crocodile Hunter," thanks to his wildly popular series on Animal Planet. To millions more, he's known as "that crazy Australian guy." THE CROCODILE HUNTER, a book by Steve and Terri Irwin, won't change anyone's mind about Steve's sanity, nor will it provide new insight into the man and his adventures for those already intimately familiar with his television exploits. THE CROCODILE HUNTER will, however, provide a few hours of distraction from the tube and more leisurely exploration of Steve and Terri's usual talking points about wildlife conservation. THE CROCODILE HUNTER is a thin book, weighing in at 202 pages with largish print and a lot of white space. But Steve Irwin has always been about feeding the audience easy-to-digest material, so the book's content-light character shouldn't come as a surprise. The intent here is to deliver a text version of the television show, THE CROCODILE HUNTER, and to this end the Irwins are successful. Steve Irwin starts out the book talking about his childhood and his initiation into the world of herpetology. Irwin's prose (apparently not ghostwritten) is as agreeable as the man's televised personality. Occasionally the abundance of exclamation points will get a little tiresome, but part of Irwin's charm is his enthusiasm for his work, a large part of which involves capturing wild crocodiles for relocation. These stories are fascinating, as Irwin uses decidedly low-tech methods to do his work, including physically wrestling massive crocodiles to a standstill. Longtime CROCODILE HUNTER television fans will recognize some, if not all, of Steve's stories, as they've appeared in various shows over the years. Likewise, when Terri Irwin takes over the narrative about halfway through the book, the stories she tells have also gotten the documentary treatment. But even familiar stories can be interesting when retold with new detail, and being about to get inside the heads of the Irwins is a nice bonus. THE CROCODILE HUNTER grows more personal as the book goes on. Readers are treated to an extended tale of how Steve and Terri met, courted and started a family. This, in turn, leads into a chapter on the Irwins' first child, daughter Bindi. Photographs abound throughout THE CROCODILE HUNTER, so by the time the reader gets to this point, it's as though friends eager to catch up have treated him or her to a long talk. It's hard to avoid having some of Steve and Terri Irwin's enthusiasm for wildlife conservation and education rub off. Granted, everyone is the hero of his or her life story, but both the Irwin's seem so genuine in their passion and eagerness to share that the book, though slight, has a more powerful effect than one would expect. Even after hearing about the dangers of the Australian Outback, the world's most venomous snakes and, of course, crocodiles as big as Volkswagen Beetles, the lure of the Crocodile Hunter's passion is nigh-irresistible. As entertaining as it is, though, THE CROCODILE HUNTER is too short. But Steve and Terri Irwin were probably too busy having new adventures to write anything longer.

The Croc Hunter Book:
I had the distinct pleasure of meeting Teri Irwin at their Zoo last year at her book signing. I was in Austrailia for the month in December with my family we even stood at the Glass House Mountian Beerwah Motel which is were she staid when she first met him, it's mentioned in the book,she is just as amazing as her Best Mate! The book really gives you a sense of how they care about conservation and wild life and each other you can feel thier passion. I highly recommend this book to any fan of the Croc Hunter and if you ever get a chance go vist the Zoo T.V. doesn't do it justice.Austrailia is an amazing Country I liked it so much I bought some property and can't wait to go back.

ANIMALS RULE:
I've been a big fan of the croc hunter family for years. They amaze me all the time and I want to be just like them someday. This book is GREAT for anybody who loves animals/nature, anybody who loves real life adventure stories, or who just enjoy the Irwin family. GREAT READ. It was writen by Steve and Terri themselves, not someone you aren't sure you can trust. I recommend it to nature lovers. If Steve and Terri see this, I just want to say thanks for a great read and for helping/protecting some of our world's wildlife!!

adventurers tend not to be introspective:
disappointing. a short work. steve's life is presented in little more than outline depth. while atriculate on tv, doesn't transfer to the written page. one gets the impression this was written quickly. apparently afraid they're 15 minutes of fame will fade and trying to cash in while still can. what this subject needs is a third person to ask the in-depth questions that might give some real insight into this passionate environalist, biologist, risk-taker (his own attempts amount to repeated statements of how much he loves his mum).