Book Review: The Fascinating Lives of Reptiles by Sterrin Smalbrugge

 

Note: The title of this book has been translated into English by me for the reading comprehension of this blog's viewers as the book itself isn't available in English (yet). The original title reads Het fascinerende leven van reptielen.

I don't read all that much about reptiles but I'm not opposed to checking out non-fictions about them, either! 

In this book, Smalbrugge delves deep into the world of reptiles, tackling subjects like their evolution, species, biology, behavior, hunting habits, conservation efforts, etc.

Overall a great book I definitely recommend if you want to learn more about the subject. Smalbrugge manages to deliver a lot of reptile knowledge in this book. Reptiles are explained very well and the author knows to make this book accessible by not using too much jargon. So the book was very effective at giving information, but it also portrays a great picture of reptiles.

Sure, they may not look as cute or cuddly as puppies or kittens, but they're still important and often feared animals. Smalbrugge doesn't dance around the fact that some reptiles can be dangerous, but also shows many of the wonderful aspects of these animals, such as how unique they are or what roles they have in ecosystems. Like other dangerous wild animals, they're not cute pets but they still deserve to be respected and protected, something which is very necessary because reptiles are (in general) rather threatened these days, with many species slowly declining in numbers or already being downright extinct. So I absolutely appreciate Smalbrugge for not only educating the reader, but also trying to spur them into action to think differently about reptiles and even help them, since they don't have the best reputation of all animals.

This is just a nice book to read. I do like reptiles, but I'm not mega-interested in them or anything. But this book still kept me consistently hooked and amazed at these critters. The accessible writing voice was also a nice bonus, this really is a good starter book for adults who want to learn more about reptiles but don't know exactly where to begin researching.

Rating: 4/5