Who Was Steve Irwin?

Who Was . . . ? Series

by Dina Anastasio, Who H.Q., Jim Eldridge (Illustrator)

By popular demand, the 100th Who Was...? subject is Steve Irwin!

Steve Irwin did not have a typical childhood. Born in Melbourne, Australia, on February 22, 1962, he was raised on the wildlife park his parents owned. He cared for the animals and especially loved reptiles--he got a python for his sixth birthday! At nine years old, Steve was already helping his father wrestle small crocodiles. He became a crocodile trapper after graduating high school, catching the creatures before dangerous poachers could. Steve met his wife, Terri, at his family's park, and instead of a honeymoon, the pair filmed a wildlife documentary that led to the creation of the well-known series The Crocodile Hunter . Tragically, Steve was killed on September 4, 2006 while filming a documentary when a stingray attacked, piercing his heart. He was forty-four years old. However, his life's work obviously still strikes a chord with kids who voted him the winner of the 100th Who Was...? title.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Childrens, Animals, History, Australia, Juvenile

112 pages, Paperback

First published May 19, 2015

About the author

Dina Anastasio grew up and lives in New York City. She lived in West Cork, Ireland, for many years. She is a freelance writer and past editor of Sesame Street Magazine (four years). She is a mother of two with three grandchildren.

Reviews

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love when people are passionate about something, and Steve Irwin was one of the most joyful, passionate people ever.

I remember watching him on TV. He was so amusing. You could tell that he genuinely loved all the animals.

Even in this simple book, it made me cry when he died. I knew it was coming, and how, but it still made me sad. I think we all feel it when a truly good spirit leaves too soon.

Thanks Steve Irwin for making the world a bit better than it was.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sid and I loved this book about our hero Steve Irwin. Wonderfully accessible for the youth, informative about wildlife and Steve’s life, and celebratory about his work. Sid’s pretty gutted about the ending (chapter 9 is a bit intense). A very lucky community library find which will be a firm fave in Sid’s library for years to come.

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading this book, I can understand why children love reading the Who Is/Who Was books. The writing is simple enough to keep their attention while all the important information is there for the reader. Steve Irwin was someone who found something he loved to do, and he made that into a career. Steve even took his career to television, where people from all over the world learned the name "The Crocodile Hunter." The pictures is another reason why this book is such a great success with children, the pictures can also keep the reader interested and it also shortens the amount of pages they actually have to read.

[Daniel]

Best book ever because santa clause is steve irwin

[Trevor Mullen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing documentary about someone who is not here anymore

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

My sister thought of reading this now, with the new Irwin show on animal planet and all of the special shows about Steve that recently aired. It brought out our love for Steve Irwin that we had as kids, and she passed the book onto me. What better time to read than when his family is back on TV? 

It was so special to read on the back of the book that this series asked the public who they wanted as the 100th book and Steve Irwin won. I wish I had heard about this; he would have been a great vote. I've seen these books set up in the children's section and they look so nice. 

I didn't know that Steve followed his dad around as a kid and asked a lot of questions about animals. I wondered if that info came from his dad. 

I hated the black and white, comic book illustrations. The cover led me to believe this would have some nice colored illustrations. The cover is really misleading. The book was really lacking that it had no real photos or colored drawings. There were illustrations of animals and people, which didn't do too much good because we don't know what color they are. It would be hard to distinguish those venomous snakes because we don't even know what color they are.

It started out talking about Steve as a kid then getting The Crocodile Hunter, but the next chapter went back to his birth. I thought it should have started with his birth.

His first playmates were kangaroos.
Bob taught him that some animals are dangerous. He taught Steve to stand back and watch him hold them, and you have to handle them gently.

Steve was always late for school because he would go out exploring. His sisters and mom would be ready in the car and his dad would have to look for him.

There was a lot more backstory about crocs and what they were going through than I've ever heard. Steve would go out with his dad when he could and sometimes a croc seemed sick. The sounds of machines clearing land upset crocs, and they were losing land. The water was being polluted and making them sick. Bob knew people were afraid of crocs because they didn't understand them, and that's why people shot them. Bob would take the crocs and relocate them to a nice, safe place. If they were sick he kept them at the park until they got better. He taught Steve to make a blindfold for the crocs to keep them calm, and tie their jaws so they wouldn't bite. Bob taught Steve to be calm and quiet around the crocs because their hearing are sensitive.

I didn't know that his dad was so well-known for being a reptile expert. His talks were written about in newspapers. People came from all over the world to hear him talk. It's really inspiring that he felt that people wouldn't fear reptiles if they understood them and he advocated education. 

I didn't know that saltwater crocodiles were considered endangered. Steve and his dad had worked with freshwater crocodiles up to then. I don't know if I knew that Steve and his dad became volunteers for the East Coast Crocodile Management Program. 

I didn't know that he met his best friend, Wes, when Wes and his family came to the park, or that Wes asked Bob if he could help out. It's cute that people thought Wes was Steve's little brother.

Inside Steve's head. For ex, the author wrote that his dad might let him catch the croc this time, and that he wished he had a friend to listen to him.

I didn't know that Steve felt he needed a friend when he was alone in the bush. He thought about getting a dog, and I know all about Sui from the show. It was so cute learning that Steve knew he had to train her to be careful around snakes and crocs. He taught her to stay in the boat and be quiet. He taught Sui to go after sticks in the water to distract the crocs while he tied them up.

I had heard before from Terri's book that Sui was jealous of her, but when they met they talked so long that Sui was whining and barking and they knew she was jealous.

I didn't know or remember that the Crocodile Hunter started out as a show just in Australia on a local channel, and it wasn't until 5 years later that Animal Planet picked it up. 

I didn't like when it branched off and talked about facts on the animals. Like the Komodo dragons in Indonesia. We've seen the show. We're reading the book to learn about Steve. If we wanted to know about Komodo dragons we'd look them up. I'm imagining someone using this to write a project on Steve Irwin, and they wouldn't need to go off on a tangent about animal facts, because that has nothing to do with Steve. There's all kinds of animals you could write about anyway, so it didn't make sense to go off and highlight one animal. Since you can't do all of them, (and this isn't a book about animals) you shouldn't do any of them. 

And then it went on about the episode of the Komodo dragon, and since I'd just watched it within a week of reading this, I didn't even want to read it. It just states what viewers can hear for themselves if they watch the show.

I liked the inclusion of Steve's favorite words and their translations. Crikey is like wow! Swag is a bedroll. The bush is outside of town. Never never is the outback. Chockablock is crowded. Down under is for a Australia and New Zealand. Lob in is stop by for a visit. You little ripper is gorgeous and delightful, but that didn't seem right. 

I wasn't familiar with the Crocodile Hunter Diaries which was just about their zoo, or that it had Wes, Terri and Bindi on there. 

I remember hearing about Bindi: The Jungle Girl but I never saw it playing on TV and have never seen it. I didn't know that Steve was still alive and that he helped her with it and her family would appear on the show with her sometimes. 

I didn't know that Steve and Philippe Cousteau Jr. had been on a TV show together, and that that's what they were filming when Steve was killed.

I didn't care for the way Steve's death was handled. There was definitely a better way to do that. An illustration showed Steve swimming over the stingray as if we didn't know what that looked like. The text said it started stabbing Steve with its stinger and I'm like dang, this is for kids. Let's sound as violent as we can. 

The end actually made me cry. The illustration showed the crowd at the zoo and a banner on the ground that said Crikey. I hadn't heard that people lowered flags in Australia or that he was offered a state funeral. The family turned it down because Steve just wanted to be known as a regular guy.

I also hadn't heard that Steve's favorite area had been this wetland with a lot of rare plants and animals, and that after he died the government declared that hundreds of thousands of acres would be protected and it was called the Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve.

It's so cool that people all over the world named animals after Steve.

I didn't know he had a whole day. November 15 is Steve Irwin Day, celebrated by Wildlife Warriors.
The last bit was about Steve's legacy, and his passion and dedication. It had a nice message that animals are gorgeous and that it's their world too so we have to respect them.

I didn't like the timeline of the world, and didn't think it had anything at all to do with this. But it must just be something the series does. I especially didn't like reading when Facebook was created and when Hannah Montana aired. Like who really cares? Stupid social media had no place in this book. 

It would skip over important details, be talking about the show, and then be like "He had met Terri" previously. Or "Bindi had been born" And I didn't like that. I wish it had shared everything in order instead of having to go back and describe something that happened before a certain part of the show.

[Nicole Wrightson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay so when I found out about this one, I knew we had to read this one together this summer. My mom and me loved watching his shows on Animal Planet. I also remember his death. I remember because I was getting ready to move to Florida, in fact that morning day one of a horrible week long trip, the tv turned onto the news before I left my friend's house to discover that he had died from a Stingray.

So I wanted my daughter to get to know a bit about the man who introduced her mom and Grandma to some of the animals we had never even seen before him.

I also learned some new things. Like I did know that his dad taught him to catch Crocs but I didn't know how young. I also didn't know that the huge zoo that I have seen in the tv shows started out as nothing when he was just a boy. I knew that his parents had ran it before him but I didn't know that they had founded the zoo. I have since seen this in a tv show that his daughter Bindi is hosting or hosted not for sure and boy has it grown since he was alive.

He was an amazing man who loved animals and just wanted to share his love and amazement of this animals with the world. He wanted to protect the animals and did his part. His wife went with him on his adventures. I remember one show, they found a dead Kangaroo and found a baby. They acted fast and started taking care of the Joey. Acts like that amazed me. They didn't think, they just acted. They saw this little baby needed help and even though they weren't returning to their zoo yet, they added it to their little group.

Their is so much that this book covers about his life and so much that it had to leave out. Or else this book would be so long. But this is a good little intro to his life, his work and his love. His wife and kids are still carrying on with his work in his honor.

[Joey Oborne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Steve loved the out doors he lived in zoo because his family opened it. He loved animals so much when he was a little boy is first pet was a python. A lot of people back then warched the show "The Crocodile Hunter" and the host of that show is Steve Irwin. Steve cared about all the animals he had to get animals to safty and sometimes he will keep some and put them in the zoo.

[Lynette Camerlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would rate, "Who Was Steve Irwin?" 5 out of 5 stars. This Who Was? book was the 100th title in the series. I chose this book to do a goodread review on because I grew up watching Steve Irwin's and his daughter, Bindi's, shows. I have always been a fan of the Who Was? series as I remember reading a few of the books in elementary school when I completed various bibliography projects. This book (and all other Who Was?/What is? books) have a lot of detailed information about the specific person (or event/topic) that is being discussed. I know that this book is a reliable source to read and use as it provides a bibliography, a timeline of Steve Irwin's life, a timeline of the world (events that occurred during Irwin's life), and websites that the reader can research to explore and learn more about Irwin's life and legacy. The book also provides a page with many other Who is?/Who Was? books if readers should want to read and learn more about various individuals/groups of people. This book overall was an easy to read text where it does not overwhelm young readers. It provides visual pictures as well to engage the reader. I would provide this book in my classroom library as an option for students to either independently read and/or use as a resource for a nonfiction/bibliography project. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book as it gave me a nostalgic memory of my childhood when reading these series of books. The breakdown of each chapter, recognition of important and factual information, and providing extra resources that readers can engage with are good qualities of a nonfiction/bibliography text.

[Ciara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book excellent story im not going to spoil it soo we will leave the review here 😊

[Susan's Sweat Smells Like Literature · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, solid biography of The Crocodile Hunter. Engaging narrative and not too many sidebars.

[_lucy grace_]

goodddd

[Hima#CR7 · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's really amazing book.
It has a lot of adventures.

[Carly · Rating 5 out of 5]

i miss him

[Faith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even though I knew the ending, I surprised myself by almost tearing up when they started telling about how he died. I felt the tragedy of his loved ones losing such a dedicated, enthusiastic and influential person.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really miss Steve Irwin. I grew up watching the crocodile hunter. I never missed an episode. This was a great kids biography, I made all my kids read it 👍🏻👍🏻

[Aiden · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was very risky. This book talks about how Steve Irwin would interact with different kinds of animals. Steve Irwin became a crocodile hunter at the age of 9! When he was nine years old he jumped on a crocodile to see what it would look like up close without trying to get bit. Ever since then he would hunt crocodiles and was an Australian zookeeper. Everyday he would go outside and look at the animals and one day he brought home a pet snake. When he got older he was on a television show called the crocodile hunter from 1996-2006 with his wife, Terri. He also co owned and operated the Australia zoo. One day, he was filming and he was with his friend and is friend was getting attacked by a crocodile. Steve went in and saved his friends life. One day, Steve was filming an underwater documentary in Australia's Great Barrier Reef and suddenly he was stabbed in the heart by a stingray barb. He will always be known as the crocodile hunter.

This book was very interesting and astonishing. I said this because who would have ever thought that he would die from an animal that he loved? I would recommend this book to someone who loves animals because Steve did. I would also recommend this book to someone who loves caring for people and animals. I hope whoever reads this book enjoys it as much as I did!

[Esmeralda Caballero · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crikey! This biography about Steve Irwin is a little beauty! I have fond memories of watching The Crocodile Hunter growing up, and this book provides wonderful details about Steve Irwin’s early life, which explains his passion for being a wildlife conservationist. Steve Irwin’s love of wildlife stems from his father’s love of snakes and reptiles, which led Steve into a lifetime of respecting and saving all animals from human danger. As human activity caused the destruction of crocodile’s habitats, Steve and his father were compassionately compelled to save the crocodiles. This engaging biography is ideal for teaching 3rd-5th grade students about sequence of events, character traits, and text features. I would hook students by introducing this book with a clip from The Crocodile Hunter. As students read, they could create a timeline about Steve Irwin’s life and cite textual evidence to support their inferred character traits. Additionally, I would teach this book with a wildlife theme, integrating science topics such as ecosystems, food chains, and animal habitats. This book also includes some expository text about Australia, crocodiles, and various other Australian wildlife, so it’s perfect for inspiring students to discover more through other expository texts.

[Katie Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Steve Irwin was born in Melbourne, Australia on February 22, 1962. When he was a little boy he became fascinated with the work his dad did. At a very young age, he began helping his dad catch crocodiles to take them to a safer habitat. When he got older he got a job working at the wildlife park that his parents owned. After graduating high school, he decided to take on the same career as his dad and eventually was offered his own TV show. In 2006, Steve was killed by a stingray that pierced him in the heart. His legacy lives on through his beloved wife and children. This book would be perfect for children in lower grades that are wanting to learn more about Steve Irwin and the many animals he saw in his life. Teachers could use this book to teach students about how Steve saved so many animals to bring them to a safer habitat and kept people from being harmed by them.

[Sydney Wilt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who Was Steve Irwin? by Dina Anastasio is a biography that tells the inspiring story of Steve Irwin, the famous Australian wildlife expert known as “The Crocodile Hunter.” The book follows his adventurous life from growing up in a family of zookeepers to becoming a global television star who dedicated his life to protecting animals and teaching others about conservation. With exciting stories of his encounters with crocodiles, snakes, and other wild creatures, readers see Steve’s passion for wildlife and his fearless spirit. I highly recommend this book to elementary and middle school readers who enjoy learning about animals and real-life heroes. It’s an exciting and educational read that celebrates curiosity, bravery, and caring for nature.

[Rick Silva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read with the Kiddo as part of his summer reading. This book did a nice job of bringing out Irwin's love for animals and nature. There was a lot of emphasis on his family background and the development of the zoo where Steve grew up. His death was handled in a straightforward way that transitioned into focusing on Irwin's continued legacy and influence. The book was also full of facts about Australian wildlife, and contained an entertaining sidebar on Australian expressions. The Kiddo enjoyed reading this, and it felt like he picked up on some of Irwin's joy and enthusiasm for nature.

[Braydon Moore]

my favorite character was steved Irwin himself cause I liked the action in him and cause he was the main character and I feel like he just drew attention to the readers of the book.
and I also like that he was interested in it his whole life and he wasn't just a lazy old kid and his dad just wanted him to outlive his dad's dream but instead he was always asking questions and always trying to learn from his dad and then he did grow up to be a famous crocodile hunter and then in the end sadly he did get stabbed by a stingray and they couldn't save him in time.

[Caroline Fleming · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved reading this book and learning all of the cool facts about Steve Irwin. This is a great biography to present to s student who loves animals. A fun activity could be that you show videos of Crocodile Hunter as well as a fun activity. I love the larger print and the different illustrations throughout the book. I would use this as an interactive read-aloud in my classroom to introduce text features and biographies to students. I would also buy a bunch of the Who Was series to have as independent readers for the students as well.

[Kelsey Adelman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very good! It was very well organized and gave so many details of Steven Irwin's life. It showed his interaction with wildlife and how engaging he was. The timeline at the end of the story was very cool and helped summarize the book. These books are always cool for students to read about important people from the past and present. It showed how amazing Steve Irwin was and the legacy he left. This would be a cool book for students to use for a biography assignment.

[Zachary T · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and reading about Steve Irwin and his adventures with the crocs! He was never scared of anything and did things others would never do! He always told people not to be scared of the salties! He didn’t want people to hurt them and wanted to teach them all about these reptiles!

[kulisap · Rating 4 out of 5]

something short and fun i read in between intellectually heavy reads lol

this is sorta a biography but made easy for kids to access. nothing much info here is new to me but i don't mind. i liked the australia/wildlife facts included in here.

just missing steve irwin. no doubt he's inspired thousands, if not millions, of kids to pursue a path in wildlife science

[Sue · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book did not change my negative opinion of Steve Irwin. He took stupid chances and it cost him his life. Crikey. The day he was feeding the crocodile with his son in his arms was the height of stupidity. He should have been prosecuted for Reckless Endangerment of a Minor.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think the thing I like most about this book is that it captured Steve Irwin’s spirit of life. It was a joy to read. I didn’t know he had a zoo. Actually, his parents started a zoo, and he took over.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 6 year old adores all things Steve Irwin. Found this on Amazon and knew he had to have it. Great little book with lots of fun details about his life and work. Will definitely look into more of this series.

[CL]

Australian wildlife expert. Starred in TV show called the Crocodile Hunter. Had zoo (started by his dad) for rescued Australian wildlife, now named The Australia Zoo. Killed by a stingray while filming a show called Ocean’s Deadliest.