About the book: 2019 / Gerald Malcolm Durrell (1925–1995) - English naturalist, writer, founder of the Jersey Zoo and the Wildlife Conservation Fund, which are now bear his name. Man of the 20th century was tired of the hustle and bustle of big cities, of the noise, of the eternal rush and nervous tension. Therefore, books about nature, in particular about animals, are now in great demand, and many authors are now mastering this genre. But Gerald Durrell has no rivals: his books are eagerly awaited and sold with lightning speed. What is the reason for this exceptional success? First of all, in the charm of Darrell himself. In his kindness, in his sweet character, in his ability to find friends everywhere. But this is the spirit of the book. And besides the spirit, there is also the skill of the writer: the ability to unusually subtly see the basic essence of the nature of an unfamiliar country, to notice its most characteristic features along with the ability to select, to find surprisingly true, surprisingly new, non-standard, sometimes completely unexpected, but always voluminous means of conveying one’s impressions and experiences. This is what makes Darrell's storytelling light, lively and expressive. He happily combines the ability to see and the ability to tell, and this is where real talent is manifested. The main characters of Darrell's books are animals. Among them there are no nasty, ugly, ugly ones: they are all good in their own way, and Darrell finds warm words for each of them. That is why Darrell’s images of animals are so purely individual and so touching to the point of tears. They are remembered as if you saw them yourself, took care of them, loved them yourself. After Seton-Thompson, it is perhaps difficult to name another such master of animal portraiture. And another wonderful feature of Gerald Durrell’s work is his inimitable humor. Darrell's humor is friendly, calm, but subtle and omnipresent. Humor is not an end in itself, but as a philosophy of life, as a way to emphasize something most important, the most typical, as a means of dealing with difficulties. A humorous perception of everything that does not concern the tragic fate of animals is one of the most attractive character traits of Darrell.