Galapagos Means Tortoises

by Ruth Heller

In verse that sings with lively cadences and rollicking rhymes, award-winning author and illustrator Ruth Heller has captured the spirit and antics of twelve of the Galápagos Islands' most unusual and fascinating creatures. Now available in paperback, this lavishly illustrated gallery showcases the giant tortoises for which the islands were named, as well as sea lions, both land and marine iguanas, Sally Lightfoot crabs, and several kinds of sea birds, including the rare and exotic blue-footed boobies!
While the poems and pictures are plenty of fun, they also convey a wealth of information about these creatures' habits and habitats, along with a lively sense of their presence. This one-of-a-kind volume is sure to enchant wildlife lovers of all ages.
Ruth Heller is one of America's best-loved children's authors. Known for her nonfiction picture books with clever rhymes and colorful illustrations, she has more than thirty titles to her credit. Heller lives in San Francisco.

48 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2000

About the author

Author and illustration with a passionate interest in Korean culture. She lives with her husband in San Francisco, California.

Reviews

[Cheryl]

To be able to read the rhyme and rhythm, one must read this out loud. It doesn't scan effectively enough on the page. Read it to preschoolers to get them started on knowing these special animals, share it with them when they're older for inspiration for more in-depth research.

As always with Heller, the pictures are gorgeous. What surprised me is how much I learned. Not only are there all those famous finches with different beaks, but there are different iguanas, and boobies, and, yes, tortoises!

Author's note and table of contents, no bibliography.

[Alyssa Haverfield]

This book conveys a lot of information through musical rhymes. The paintings were impressive as well, but the backgrounds a little boring. An interesting read!

[Shanna Gonzalez]

Galapagos Means "Tortoises" is a captivating collection of poems devoted to the animals found on the Galapagos Islands off the coast of Ecuador. There are well-written, accessible poems describing the characteristics of giant tortoises, blue- and red-footed boobies, iguanas, crabs, sea lions, flamingos, and Darwin's famous finches. These are all illustrated with wonderfully engaging pictures that present a close-up view of each animal.

This excellent read-aloud is both informational and entertaining, making it a good choice for introducing an elementary audience to both naturalistic study and poetry appreciation.