Sy Montgomery facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sy Montgomery
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Sy Montgomery visits Sam Marshall's tarantula lab.
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| Born | February 7, 1958 Frankfurt, Germany |
| Occupation | Naturalist, author and scriptwriter |
| Education | Westfield High School (Westfield, New Jersey) |
| Alma mater | Syracuse University |
| Notable works | The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness |
| Notable awards | 2007 Orbis Pictus Award |
| Spouse | Howard Mansfield |
| Website | |
| Author's website | |
Sy Montgomery, born on February 7, 1958, is an American naturalist and writer. She writes amazing books for both kids and adults. She also writes scripts for TV shows. Her work often explores the lives of animals and the natural world.
Contents
About Sy Montgomery
Her Early Life and School
Sy Montgomery was born in Frankfurt, Germany. Her birthday is February 7, 1958. Her dad, Austin Montgomery, was a US Army general. Her mom, Willa Montgomery, was a pilot and worked for the FBI.
As a kid, Sy lived in many places. These included Frankfurt, Brooklyn, New York, and Westfield, New Jersey. She finished Westfield High School in 1975. Later, she went to Syracuse University. She studied three subjects there: journalism, French, and psychology.
Sy has also received four special honorary degrees. These degrees recognize her important work.
Her Amazing Career as a Writer
Sy Montgomery has written 38 books. Many of her books are about animals. One famous book is The Soul of an Octopus. It was a finalist for a big award in 2015. It also appeared on The New York Times Best Seller list.
Another popular book is The Good Good Pig. This book tells the true story of her life with her pet pig, Christopher Hogwood. Other best-selling books include Of Time and Turtles and How To Be a Good Creature. The book Becoming a Good Creature is a picture book for younger children.
Sy has written many books for kids. Quest for the Tree Kangaroo won the 2007 Orbis Pictus Award. This award is for excellent nonfiction books. Her book Kakapo Rescue won the Sibert Medal in 2010. This medal is also for amazing nonfiction books for children.
Sy has won many other awards too. These include the Henry Bergh Award. This award is given for teaching people about kindness to animals.
Sy also writes for television. She wrote and appeared in a National Geographic show. It was called Spell of the Tiger. She also wrote Mother Bear Man for National Geographic. This show was about a man who helps orphaned American black bears.
What Sy Has Learned from Animals
Sy Montgomery has learned a lot from animals. She believes animals teach us how to be kind. She says they teach us compassion. Compassion means understanding how others feel. It means trying to see the world from their point of view. Animals help us look for the truth in others. They help us find our heart.
Her Life Today
Sy Montgomery lives in Hancock, New Hampshire. She lives there with her husband. His name is Howard Mansfield, and he is also a writer.
Awards and Special Recognitions
Sy Montgomery has received many awards for her writing. Here are some of them:
- 2024 Cook Prize for The Book of Turtles
- 2021 Sarah Josepha Hale Award for her great writing.
- 2021 Named a Literary Light by the Boston Public Library.
- 2019 Earthwatch International Travel fellowship. She joined an expedition to track wild dogs.
- 2019 John Burroughs Association Riverby Award for Magnificent Migrations.
- 2018 New York Times bestseller for How to Be a Good Creature.
- 2017 Thoreau Prize for writers who share the spirit of Thoreau.
- 2016 New England Independent Booksellers Association New England Book Award.
- 2016 American Association for the Advancement of Science / Subaru SB&F Winning Middle Grades Science Book.
- 2015 National Book Award for Nonfiction finalist for The Soul of an Octopus.
- New England Independent Booksellers Association, Nonfiction award (lifetime achievement).
- ASPCA Henry Bergh Award for Nonfiction (lifetime achievement).
- 2013 American Association for the Advancement of Science Science Book and Film Award for children's nonfiction. This was for Temple Grandin: How the Woman Who Loved Cows Embraced Autism and Changed the World.
- 2011 Sibert Medal winner for Kakapo Rescue: Saving The World's Strangest Parrot.
- 2010 The Washington Post/Children's Book Guild Award for Nonfiction.
Books by Sy Montgomery
Books for Grown-Ups
- 1991, The Curious Naturalist: Nature's Everyday Mysteries
- 1995, Seasons of the Wild
- 1995, Spell of the Tiger: The Man-eaters of the Sunderbans
- 2000, Journey of the Pink Dolphins: An Amazon quest
- 2000, Walking with the Great Apes
- 2002, The Wild out Your Window
- 2002, Search for the Golden Moon Bear: Science and Adventure in Pursuit of a New Species
- 2006, The Good Good Pig: The Extraordinary Life of Christopher Hogwood
- 2010, Birdology
- 2015, The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness
- 2018, How to Be a Good Creature: A Memoir in Thirteen Animals, illustrated by Rebecca Green
- 2021, The Hummingbirds' Gift: Wonder, Beauty, and Renewal on Wings
- 2022, The Hawk's Way: Encounters with Fierce Beauty
- 2023, Of Time and Turtles: Mending the World, Shell by Shattered Shell
- 2024, Secrets of the Octopus
- 2024, What the Chicken Knows
Books for Kids
- 1999, The Snake Scientist
- 2001, The Man-Eating Tigers of Sundarbans
- 2002, Encantado: Pink Dolphin of the Amazon
- 2004, The Tarantula Scientist
- 2006, Quest for the Tree Kangaroo: An Expedition to the Cloud Forest of New Guinea
- 2009, Saving the Ghost of the Mountain: An Expedition among Snow Leopards in Mongolia
- 2010, Kakapo Rescue: Saving the World's Strangest Parrot
- 2012, Temple Grandin: How the Girl Who Loved Cows Embraced Autism and Changed the World
- 2013, Snowball the Dancing Cockatoo
- 2013, The Tapir Scientist: Saving South America's Largest Mammal
- 2014, Chasing Cheetahs: The Race to Save Africa's Fastest Cat
- 2015, The Octopus Scientists: Exploring the Mind of a Mollusk
- 2016, The Great White Shark Scientist
- 2017, Amazon Adventure
- 2018, The Hyena Scientist
- 2018, Inky's Amazing Escape: How a Very Smart Octopus Found His Way Home
- 2019, The Magnificent Migration: On Safari With Africa's last Great herds
- 2020, Becoming A Good Creature
- 2020, Condor Comeback
- 2022, The Seagull And The Sea Captain
- 2024, Brave Baby Hummingbird
