![]() ![]() The narrative is not held together so much by plot as by humour, which I think is an important ingredient in a children’s book. ![]() The descriptive prose is shockingly good. ![]() It’s not complex language, but it is beautifully expressed. His observations of his family are similar to his observations of the creatures he collects. Durrell manages to capture a child’s point of view of the adult world perfectly. The book is divided into three parts – the three different villas in which Gerald and his eccentric family live at various times in Corfu. It’s written by a naturalist, and opens your eyes, providing you with a vocabulary to describe and think about the creatures you encounter in the natural world – no matter how old you are. It’s a work of genius and should be in every child’s bookcase. Gerald Durrell’s My Family and Other Animals was first published in 1956 and is set between 19 when Gerald Durrell’s family move to Corfu. I am going to read this book to my children, and give it to every human being I ever meet who hasn't read it. How I wish I had read this book when I was a child. ![]()
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