Book SummaryHow to Be a Good Creature, by Sy Montgomery

1-Page Summary1-Page Book Summary of How to Be a Good Creature

What can our relationships with other animals teach us? That’s the question naturalist Sy Montgomery addresses in her memoir, How to Be a Good Creature. She explores the lessons about life and love she learned from various animals who touched her life, from a tiny pinktoe tarantula in French Guiana to her beloved 750-pound pet pig named Christopher.

Montgomery is a bestselling nature author who travels the world to research the animals she writes about. She writes for children and adults with the goal of helping us understand our connections to the other creatures that inhabit our...

How to Be a Good Creature Summary Finding a Calling

Montgomery explains that she was drawn to animals and nature from the time she was a child growing up as a general’s daughter on different US Army bases in the 1960s. Several key relationships with animals fostered her interest in the natural world, leading her to find her calling as a nature writer.

(Shortform note: When children cultivate an interest in the natural world through relationships with animals, it doesn’t just benefit them as individuals: Some experts suggest that it can increase their interest in protecting the environment. As children learn more about animal behaviors, local wildlife, and conservation, they develop emotional attachments to animals that encourage pro-environmental behaviors, such as recycling, into adulthood. In Montgomery’s case, her interest developed into a career helping others care about the natural world.)

In this section, we’ll look more closely at two connections she made: with her childhood dog and with wild emus on her first research expedition.

Molly the Scottish Terrier

**Montgomery credits her childhood dog, a...

How to Be a Good Creature Summary Appreciating Animals and People in New Ways

After deciding to become a nature writer, Montgomery had many experiences with animals that helped her appreciate animals and people in new ways. In this section, we’ll look at the lessons she learned from two of those animals: a pinktoe tarantula and a chicken-stealing ermine.

Clarabelle the Tarantula

Montgomery’s experience with a pinktoe tarantula taught her how to appreciate the beauty and individuality of a species she previously feared. She describes how on a research trip to French Guiana, she was offered the chance to hold a tarantula that resided in the research team’s living quarters. Despite her fear of spiders, her curiosity drove her to accept.

(Shortform note: Like Montgomery, many people fear spiders—some estimates suggest that 6% of people have serious arachnophobia. However, only about 0.5% of spiders actually pose a danger to humans. Pinktoe tarantulas [have a mild...

How to Be a Good Creature Summary Cultivating Love and Community

After moving frequently as a child due to her father’s military career, Montgomery felt truly at home for the first time in her life when she and her husband Howard settled into their farmhouse in a small New Hampshire town. It had eight acres and a barn, and it served as her home base between her research travels.

(Shortform note: If you travel frequently like Montgomery, you may still benefit from a home base as she did. Having a place to return to between your travels allows you to establish a routine, which offers a sense of normalcy and security when moving around gets too tiring. It can also help you stay healthy—when traveling constantly, you may become physically and mentally exhausted. When you have a home to go back to, you can spend time resting and building healthy habits, such as exercising and cooking healthy meals.)

In this final section, we’ll explore the animals who shared Montgomery’s New Hampshire home. These animals taught Montgomery important lessons about love and...

Shortform Exercise: Reflect on the Impact of Animals in Your Life

Reflect on how Montgomery’s stories changed your perspective and how you can apply the lessons she learned to your life. Additionally, explore an experience that changed the way you think about animals.

What’s one way Montgomery’s stories made you think of animals differently? (For example, maybe her story about the pinktoe tarantula made you question your fear of spiders. Or, maybe her story about Sally made you think about adopting a new pet after your previous pet passed away.)