It was all I could do to keep from laughing out loud when I was reading "The Picnic" story on the train. Larry returns to England after 10 years' absence and embarks on a picnic with Mother, Margo, Margo's husband Jack, Leslie and of course Gerry. The consequences are hilarious of course. Adult Durrell mayhem at its best - what a wonderfully wacky family! This is great if you can't get enough of them!

An absolute corker of a book! This short story collection has six enchanting short stories - from the warm,cozy atmosphere of Durrell's family on "Pudding Isle"(England) to the fast paced eerie short story about the mirrors . Written in typical Gerald Durrell narrative, the reader is exposed to a whole range of settings - from the british countryside, to the laid back mediterranean charm, from the French winegrowing district blossoming in the sun , to classic Gothic horror settings! A must have for durrell fans, and those new to Durrell alike!

Hilarious! One of my favorite Durrell books.

WHY, WHY, WHY don't they re-print these books?

I laughed so hard at the vivid descriptions that I had tears coming out of my eyes. All of the characters, their names, their qualities, what they said made perfect the hilarity of this wonderful story and all its eccentric charm. A tragedy it's out of print.

In this book, the legendary Gerald Durrell (author of The Amateur Naturalist) uses the occassion of the 'birthday' of his zoo and conservation trust to reflect on a long career of adventures and misadventures with animals (human and otherwise) in the service of saving the planet. There are many laugh-out-loud funny moments, many triumphs, and a few depressing failures looked at with head-on honesty. A recommended read for all Durrell fans and animal lovers.

The aye-aye and I is a quick and easy read and the relatively famous author has one of the best writing styles I've ever seen. It tells of the trials and tribulations of the late Gerald Durrell through his trip through Madagascar , though it is humorous it also has many insights to the people and wildlife of this interesting island.

Like all of Gerald's Durrell's books, The Aye-Aye and I will make you laugh cover to cover at the encounters between Durrell's party and the animal and human inhabitants of Madagascar. Since this book was written when Durrell was bringing back animals for the breeding programs he hoped would save them from extinction (in earlier books, he was bringing animals back for zoos), the book also has interesting comments of the state of the environment and economy in Madagascar and its effect on the animal (and human) populations. The aye-aye sounds like an extraordinary animal. I hope he managed to save it.

I was captivated by each and every word. I especially liked the forward

Gerald Durrell's books, The Fantastic Dinosaur Adventure, and The Fantastic Flying Journey are two of my family's favorite books. Gerald Durrell wrote over 35 books, mainly for adults, about his real life adventures all over the globe collecting animals for zoos, primarily for the zoo he founded, and funded through his books, on the island of Jersey.
Durrell had a life-long love of animals, first described in his book My Family and Other Animals, an autobiographical account of his unusual childhood, growing up on the island of Corfu, where his mother brought Gerald (age 10) and her three older children, at the badgering of the eldest, Lawrence Durrell (author of The Alexandria Quartet), in order to escape the cold, wet weather of England.
The Fantastic Flying Journey and The Fantastic Dinosaur Adventure describe the adventures and mishaps of "Great Uncle Lancelot" and the Dollybutt children, Emma and her twin brothers, Ivan and Conrad. In The Fantastic Flying Journey, they travel around the world, in a self-contained eco-system house, carried by a hot-air balloon, the Belladonna. Great Uncle Lancelot has persuaded Mrs. Dollybutt to let him take her children with him, while he searches for his brother Percival. Percival had invented some special powder which enabled the wearer to speak to, and be understood by, animals. Thus they were able to trace the route followed by Percival. It's a charming tale, relished by young and old.
Our daughter's third grade teacher used the book as part of a year-long project, because it encompassed so many topics.
The Fantastic Dinosaur Adventure is the story of the second journey made by Great Uncle Lancelot and the Dollybutt children, as they travel back in time to the Age (actually there are 3 ages) of the Dinosaurs, to help save the dinosaurs from an evil Dinosaur hunter who has stolen a time machine. Saving animals from hunters and from extinction due to the destruction of their environment was a real-life theme for Durrell. It was/is the purpose for his zoo, and he was the first person to impress upon zoos of the world a need for a calling greater than entertainment, i.e., to teach people about animals and to help save animals from extinction by founding breeding pairs to keep the species alive.
Durrell's warm humor and love of animals permeates his books, which are both entertaining and cleverly educational. The illustrations in both these books heighten the readers' enjoyment.

We have used this book as a basis for our study of around the world and learning about the continents. We would love to find 3 more copies for all teachers. We have not been able to locate these. Can you give an address of where to find them in England? A former student got one for us from a relative who lived in England in less than 4 days. Here in the states we cannot locate any.

The illustrations in this book are fantastic! The artist's renderings of animals are colorful, refined and better than photographs. The book is divided into five sections, mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fishes. Each page offers illustrations and a discription of the animal, it's habitat, and behaviour. If we see an animal and don't know what it is, the first thing we do is look in this book. A wonderful addition to any home library.

Madagascar is bigger than Texas. This fourth biggest island in the world, also known as the "Eighth Continent", is located 200 miles off Southeast Africa. It's as remote from the United States as you can get.

In an absolutely scintillating, evocative photo essay, prominent wildlife and nature photographer Frans Lanting explores the essence of this little-known land. Lanting's four-color photographs, in large format, are almost surrealistic at times, ever exciting, and never repetitive. From the cover onward, the show chameleons, lemurs, bottle-shaped baobab trees, needlepoint karst landscapes, eroded fields, and matchless vistas in an unending procession of the strange, eerie, and beautiful. You will be amazed as each page turns to the next. An excellent written narrative compliments the effort well.

The title is double-edged for, as well as being a fascinating anachronism, Madagascar is running out of time in our generation. Human encroachment is rapidly destroying the habitat of numerous creatures found nowhere else. The Elephant Bird, Aepyornis, whose giant egg is being held in a man's arms in the book's cover photo is gone. So is the giant lemur. Others may soon go, as well. This was, and would be, an unspeakable tragedy.

So read the book and enjoy. Then see what you can do to save at least some of this fascinating paradise.

I rate this book very highly.