The Mockery Bird

Did you ever wish that the Dodo had not really gone extinct; that it might be simply hiding away somewhere? if so, then you will love this story about the pleasantly eccentric island of Zenkali. This tale is the best fictional tale to spring from the mind of Gerald Durrell, the greatest conservationist of the 20th century. Most of his books were non-fictional accounts of his life experiences - first on the island of Corfu in Greece where he grew up and later as he developed the idea for the world's first zoo given over entirely to conserving endangered species. The story follows the adventures of Peter Foxglove, a cultural attaché newly dispatched to oversee plans for a new airstrip for Zenkali. He arrives to discover that the description in the guidebook he read en route was completely accurate. The entire population of Zenkali is made up of nuts. Peter quickly gets caught up in the local politics and even finds himself trying to stop an all out civil war (a very funny one, trust me). The story ends with Peter happily, permanently settling on the island. One wonderful thing about this book is that if you are familiar with Mr. Durrell's other books, you will find that many of the characters are modeled on real people from his travels. Captain Pappas is Gerry's childhood friend Spiro (My Family and Other Animals). Kingy is a cross between the late King Toupo of Tonga and the Fon of Bafut (A Zoo in My Luggage,The Bafut Beagles). Above all, this book is a wonderful way to introduce young people to the idea that modern convenience may not always be the best thing for our long term comfort. It also points out that the extinction of a species can have serious social ramifications as well as ecological ones. I would pair this book with Golden Bats and Pink Pigeons as two of the most important books every written on any subject.

Gerald Durrell was the first to claim that he was not a writer, he gave that honour up to his brother Lawerence. Gerald wrote first and foremost to pay for the Zoo in Jersey that was his life. Many of his books are hilarious accounts of his exploits in collecting the animals for his zoo. When he added an account of his youth in Corfu the book "My family and other animals" became a huge success, much to his surprise. It was some time before he wrote the absolutely hilarous "Rosie is my relative" which was his first work of true fiction. In this book I believe he reaches the pinnacle of his ability. Not as bellyachingly funny as "Rosie" this book is more poignant and very beautifully written. It is more poignant since it describes the rediscovery of the Mockery Bird which is a metaphor for the Dodo, that most famous of extinct species. Durrell fought all his life to save species from extinction and so I think that there is a special hope in his heart that emerges in this book. A hope for the future of animals.