Un viaggio fantastico

by Gerald Durrell

Great-uncle Lancelot is an extraordinary man with a huge white beard and a walrus moustache. When he builds a fantastic flying machine, powered by tree sap, lit by electric eels and heated by solar panels, his niece and nephews have never seen anything like it. Then, in search of his lost brother, Perceval, he whisks the children off in his flying home, to set out on an amazing journey around the world.

Lancelot's remarkable knowledge and the special powers he gives the children enable them to watch and talk to some incredible creatures.

On their journey they discover all sorts of fascinating things about animals, such as how snakes move and how swallows migrate.

Of course, they encounter many dangers along the way - in Africa the plucky explorers are caught in a sandstorm and Lancelot is chased by an angry rhino. And throughout their journey, one question remains. Will they ever find Perceval?

Genres: Fiction, Childrens, Animals, Fantasy, Picture Books, Adventure, Nature

Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

Gerald "Gerry" Malcolm Durrell was born in India in 1925. His elder siblings are Lawrence Durrell, Leslie Durrell, and Margaret Durrell. His family settled on Corfu when Gerald was a boy and he spent his time studying its wildlife. He relates these experiences in the trilogy beginning with My Family And Other Animals, and continuing with Birds, Beasts, And Relatives and The Garden Of The Gods. In his books he writes with wry humour and great perception about both the humans and the animals he meets.

On leaving Corfu he returned to England to work on the staff of Whipsnade Park as a student keeper. His adventures there are told with characteristic energy in Beasts In My Belfry. A few years later, Gerald began organising his own animal-collecting expeditions. The first, to the Cameroons, was followed by expeditions to Paraguay, Argentina and Sierra Leone. He recounts these experiences in a number of books, including The Drunken Forest. Gerald also visited many countries while shooting various television series, including An Amateur Naturalist. In 1958 Gerald Durrell realised a lifelong dream when he set up the Jersey Zoological Park, followed a few years later by the Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust.

Gerald was married twice; Jacquie Durrell (1951-1979), Lee Durrell (1979-1995).

Gerald Durrell's style is exuberant, passionate and acutely observed. He died in 1995.

Reviews

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Went online and bought two extra copies because mine is wearing out. Spend the last few weeks reading it at night to the 4yo, who is surprisingly enthusiastic about it. I assumed he was too young.

[Gina Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored this book as a child and, having lost a shelf of books to water damage, was distraught to find it out of print (in the UK at least). Worth getting the hardback if you can - and treasuring it.

[Janelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was part story and part (supposedly) educational. But I think anyone reading it for educational purposes needs to be aware that it’s not entirely factual. I’m not sure about other countries, but there were errors in the info about Australian animals.

[Judy · Rating 1 out of 5]

This has me stumped. Why don't I like this book? Obviously, most readers have given it good reviews, but it felt hokey to me. And I've attempted to read it twice!

[Kate Hacker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just finished with the kids. What a joy!

[Silvia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Il primo libro che ho letto che mi ha aperto al mondo della lettura ♥️

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

When their Uncle Lancelot shows up at their house one day flying a giant hot air balloon called the Belladonna, the three Dollybutt children - Emma, Ivan, and Conrad - are completely shocked. They are even more surprised when Lancelot proposes that they join him for a year-long journey around the world to look for his brother, Perceval, who might be in need of rescuing. After getting permission from their mother, and assuring her that it will be worth missing school to learn what Perceval can teach them on their journey the three kids board the Belladonna and take to the skies. Over the next year, they travel from their home in England, to Africa, Australia, North America, and South America, where, thanks to a magical powder administered by Lancelot they are able to talk with the animals they meet and take notes on how they think and feel as well as how they live.

When I was in third grade, my teacher put together a unit for my class based on The Fantastic Flying Journey. As the book was read aloud to us, we worked in teams to accomplish different tasks associated with the regions the characters were visiting. We also ate a trail mix called gorp, which I remember had a lot of coconut and chocolate chips in it. The following summer, when I was shopping with my mom, I saw a hardcover edition of the book in an outlet bookstore. Based on how much I had enjoyed that unit in school, we purchased the book. For some reason, though, from that day to this, I never touched it! Not even once. When I chose the "books you loved in childhood" focus for the Old School Kidlit Reading Challenge, this was actually the first book that came to mind. I was curious to see whether it would hold up for me after 25 years.

For the most part, on this reading, I found this book pretty boring. I think my fascination with it must have had more to do with how much I liked my teacher and the classroom activities she developed to accompany the book than with the book itself. Though there is something of a plot, the book is really more about conveying information about animals and their habitats (and in some cases, the way humans have destroyed them) than following characters through a story that changes them in some way. It is definitely better-written than something like the Magic Tree House series, and the artwork is very attractive, but there wasnt much to it for an adult who already knows basic animal facts.

I do think this book will be useful for homeschooling purposes. While its not much fun to read straight through just for pleasure, the Dollybutts experiences do provide a very palatable way to learn about the geography of different parts of the world and the different varieties of animals that live there. It is a bit disappointing that Asia is not represented at all, and neither is Antarctica. At first I thought it might be because they were covered in a sequel, but the only companion book is a time travel story about dinosaurs (The Fantastic Dinosaur Adventure, 1989), so it appears these continents were just left out.

All in all, I will always cherish the memories of that wonderful third grade lesson based on this book, but I probably wont read the book again anytime soon.

This review also appears on my blog, Read-at-Home Mom.

[Claudia G-D · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recall reading Gerald Durrell stories as a child and was excited to find this book- which I had not read as a child. It tells the story of the Dollybutt children who are taken on an adventure with their Uncle Lancelot around the world in his giant hot air balloon- The Belladonna. The children travel in the hot air balloon to different countries. They meet different animals and learn about their habitats, threats to their existence and other facts about them all during their quest to find Perceval, Uncle Lancelot’s brother. I think this book is great because it has clear cross curricular links to geography and science. Children can learn about continents, countries and habitats through the context of this story. I also think there are many possibilities for various narrative outcomes. For example, children could write letters to Mrs Dollybutt from the perspective of the characters (Conrad, Ivan, Emma, Lancelot). As well as this, children could also research another country that has not been mentioned in the story and write their own scene in focussing on a country and the animals the characters could meet. Additionally, children could also create diary entries for a chosen character showing thoughts/ feelings/ reflections throughout the journey in the Belladonna. I think this book would suit EYFS/ Ks1 as it could link to topics such as, Jungles and journeys around the world or transport. This book would also suit lower Ks2, particularly with narrative outcomes.

[Emkoshka · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book from my childhood that magically appeared as a mail order from the Doubleday catalogue and yet I'D NEVER READ IT. How devastating and disappointing, because as an animal-loving child with an overactive imagination, I would've loved it. It even has a character called Emma. As it was, I picked it up now on a whim because I was looking for inspiration for a uni assignment that required me to plan a unit of work for a primary school class, based around the three sub-strands of the Australian Curriculum: English. As an animal-loving adult, this was my key text. Gerald Durrell was an environmental visionary, his imagined travelling balloon being powered by solar power and electric eels. In the 1980s! And I love how he carefully and unobtrusively wove scientific facts into the narrative as well as threading a clear conservation message through it. And so many talking animals! The buffalo's story in particular was so sad. Beautiful illustrations and good old English charm (plenty of picnics, of course) make this one a keeper.

[Maud · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun to listen to, for children as well as for grown ups! The narration is superb!!

[Trounin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Дома летают: попытался убедить читателя Джеральд. Достаточно хитрого механизма, наполненных воздушной смесью шаров, чтобы совершить кругосветное путешествие. Умудрённый жизнью дедушка Ланселот, гениальный изобретатель, научился с минимальными потерями переносить человеческое жилище на любые угодные ему расстояния. Дабы было веселее, он прихватил за компанию детей родственницы, чему те невероятно обрадовались. Ещё бы! На летающем доме отправится понаблюдать за происходящими на планете процессами. Как тут не крикнуть: Аой! Смельчаки отправляются в полёт, пока не зная, куда их занесёт ветер.

(c) Trounin

[Anna Nesterovich · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a very good first encounter with Gerald Durrell for my little one. For me it felt like a condensed, toddler-friendly version of all Durrell's adventures in one book. I would appreciate more details on the flying house itself (but I'm a big fan of exploring tiny little nooks) and an illustrator who actually saw at least some of it. I mean, Graham Percy was obviously trying, following the text and all that, but when you draw ancient pine forest as a Christmas tree farm, you know something has gone wrong.

[Mconne5 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book so much as a kid that I asked for a used copy for Christmas (as it is out of print). Read it to Reid and he loved it as well. The balloon is SUPER memorable and the rest reads as a National Geographic with the kids learning about the animals that they see on their adventures. Gerald Durrell is a famous naturalist (best known for the Durrells in Corfu). The pictures are a lot of fun too. Reading it with Reid was a ton of fun as it was an exchange of knowledge since he knew a lot of random facts about the same animals from watching wild kratts.

[Bea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Il romanzo è una sorta di diario di viaggio che racconta le mille avventure di un esploratore (più o meno esperto) e dei suoi tre nipotini, che conoscono il mondo esterno per la prima volta. Trovo che per un target infantile possa essere stimolante imparare nuovi nomi di animali e immaginare mondi lontani divertendosi. Carina anche la scelta di illustrare parti di mappe per agevolare l'apprendimento. Personalmente ho trovato il libro un po' noioso, perché il meccanismo era sempre lo stesso, senza grazi svolte o colpi di scena. Nel complesso però si tratta di una lettura leggera e scorrevole.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully illustrated adventure tale of 3 children sailing the globe in a fantastic balloon with their great uncle in search of his brother. Thanks to scientific powder, they can talk to the animals about their habits in their habitats. The illustrations deserve stars on their own. Would be a good bedtime story!

[Carmela Napoletano · Rating 2 out of 5]

Storia di viaggi e avventure, scritta per essere letta da un pubblico molto giovane. Personalmente apprezzo sempre i testi di Durrell, in questo caso si tratta proprio di una storia per ragazzi, dal linguaggio semplice ed una trama molto lineare (ed a tratti un po' ripetitiva).

Lo consiglierei comunque per ragazzi dai 10-15 anni.

[Irina (Beautiful pages) · Rating 3 out of 5]

cute little book with lots of lovely cosy illustrations. I read it in one sitting

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really fun read with my 5 year old

[Toby Chapman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good

[Marcos Ducatti · Rating 5 out of 5]

26 years later and still one of the best books I’ve read. Is really well written.

[Bec D · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful book, in the spirit of Doctor Doolittle. The illustrations are also gorgeous.

[Carmen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great uncle arrives in a hot air balloon. He picks up his niece and nephews and takes them on a world wide adventure.

[Robin Zink-Welten]

Huge family favourite.

[Tom Jonesman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this when I went back to visit my parents, and remember it as the book that remained always on the shelf. For some reason I never decided to read it as a child. Reading it for the first time as an adult made me feel like a kid again!

This story of the eccentric uncle who takes his nieces and nephews on a trip around the world in a floating house to find his brother, chatting to the wildlife along the way, having all kinds of weird and wonderful adventures sparked my childhood memory of lying down in bed to go to sleep, and as I closed my eyes, my sleepy mind would create whole worlds of imagination and adventure and animals, ending inevitably in being tucked up somewhere cosy and warm and safe in a bed that was invariably travelling on a boat or an iceberg or a starship or, in this case, a balloon house made of bamboo.

Even though it certainly would have fed my imagination as a child, I don't regret not reading it until now though, because a little dose of distilled childlike wonder as I approach 40 is a powerful, intoxicating thing.

[Friend of Pixie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was okay. I got it for Logan because I loved Durrell's My Family and Other Animals books. He had such a great sense of humor in those. Also, we have his dated but still useful Amateur Naturalist. But I'm afraid this was rather heavy-handedly didactic and, well, kind of boring. Logan wasn't enthused and commented that some of it was not believable. He rolled his eyes more than once. The plot went too fast, the characters were cardboard cutouts, and the point seemed to be to jam in lots of facts without giving them much context. Sadly, even though I respect Durrell immensely, this book reminded me of a (much) better Magic Treehouse book. But when you know how I loathe those low-quality, often inaccurate books, you'll know that "much better" is still only mediocre. We abandoned this book about half way through.

[Austen to Zafón · Rating 1 out of 5]

I got this for my son because I loved Durrell's My Family and Other Animals books. He had such a great sense of humor in those. Also, we have his dated but still useful Amateur Naturalist. But I'm afraid this was rather heavy-handedly didactic and boring. The plot went too fast, the characters were cardboard cutouts, and the point seemed to be to jam in lots of facts without giving them much context. Sadly, even though I respect Durrell immensely, this book reminded me of a MUCH better Magic Treehouse book. But when you know how I loathe those low-quality, often inaccurate books, you'll know that "much better" is still only mediocre. We abandoned this book about half way through.

[Trent · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my favorite bedtime book as a kid. A brother and sister get visited by their eccentric uncle (who lives in a home attached to a hot-air balloon), and they convince their mom to let them spend the summer traveling around with him. The story, as I remember, is pretty good and the pictures are super! Good for kids (and adults) who like animals and crazy adventures in hot-air-balloon homes.

[Shenek · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book to my children. They enjoyed it but not of us absolutely loved it. The pictures were lovely but the story was (as someone else reviewed,) bland.

I think it would be a perfect book to use as teaching material. Not to be read for the story itself but as an opportunity to study geography, animals, electricity, hot air balloons, etc, along with discussions on magic and real life.

[Ercsi91 · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a really nice children's book, and yes I recomand it for CHILDREN :))) I'm not a child anymore, so at first I was surprised because I am used to other tales of Mr. Durell's animal adventures. Well there is a start for everything.
The three siblings: Emma, Conrad and Ivan with their uncle go back in time and catch the villain pair.
It is a really nice and funny tale.

[Belinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had a tv show made. The tv show was great it was in cartoon form. It aslo had great music. This book is a great kids book