Earwigs to Rhinos

by Geoff Read

A baby ape swinging under the table, a kangaroo in the supermarket, a deadly insect bite. Geoff Read, head zoo\-keeper for over forty years tells his story. This book gives us a true snapshot of what zoo life is like.\n\n
The ride of emotions is tangible as we read about the birth, death, and conservation of some of our rarest insects and animals. This peppered with snippets of his family life makes this a colourful, informative, and nostalgic readd.\n\n
In the 1950’s, as a child Geoff lived in a flat in London. A boy who searched the old bombsites for creepy crawlies was perhaps not in favour with his mum for storing the so\-called projects under his bed! But Geoff knew he wanted to work with animals and insects. His interest was insatiable, often getting him into trouble.\n\n
Sandra was the girl next door and elated when Geoff asked her out. Being a teenager, she was naturally exited and spent the afternoon getting ready, wondering where their first date would be. Little did she know she would be teetering down rubbly paths in her highest heels, to a privet hedge to look at insects. Despite the shaky start the romance blossomed.\n\n
Geoff never excelled at school and was desperate to leave so when he saw a vacancy for a position at London Zoo, he lied about his age and applied. His father had died whilst he was young so once offered the job, he had to break the news to his mother. He was on the road to live his dream. Later he married Sandra and moved his young family to the country and took up a position as head keeper at Marwell Zoo, where he remained until retirement.\n\n
The book is full of raw emotion and honesty, attention capturing moments, a near death experience, conservation and much more. You cannot fail to want to read on to see what the next chapter in Geoff’s daily life brings.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, Animals

217 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2021

Reviews

[Evelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charming anecdotes about the author’s life as a zookeeper, and the high points and low points of being part of a team building a world class zoo (the Marwell Zoo in the UK) for the most part fill this book. However, the book sags as it approaches the end as the closing chapters about construction and operation of the tropical house become more technical and preachy in nature. They lack the delightful animal stories juxtaposed with the conservation messaging that made the earlier chapters a joy to read.

The ending aside from the chapters written by the author’s wife, and his discussion of his post-retirement activities, are a bit heavy handed and dry despite the author’s well meaning effort to promote zoos and their conservation projects.

[Heather Browning · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this - read it in a day! The writing was basic, but the stories were enchanting. The writing is complemented by cute and funny illustrations, and there's even a chapter with his wife's perspective on their life together, and some personal reflections on the role of zoos. He perfectly captures zookeeping work, both the good and bad parts, highlighting why it really is the best job in the world (and making me miss my own zookeeping days almost unbearably).

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who regularly visits Marwell Zoo. This book opens your eyes to behind the scenes of life at the zoo.
Who knew that a Rhino can eat Polo’s? And the best way to catch earwigs is in a teapot?

This book encapsulates the whole point of having a zoo and how it has progressed through out the years. This book is designed for the visitors of Marwell and anyone who has all love of animals.

[Zoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant read about the life of a zookeeper from collecting earwigs other bugs under his bed to becoming a success with Marwell Zoo. A very personal touch and I thoroughly enjoyed a bit of history alongside.

[Sophie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well written book with many insights to how the zoo is run