Walter Rothschild was a very unusual boy. He was born into a family of bankers and was nearly the richest boy in the world. But that's not what made him unusual. Walter was so shy he barely spoke. He had no friends, but he loved every creature that crawled, slithered, or flew.

At the age of seven, Walter saw his first circus parade. He was so excited that he declared to his parents: "I'm going to collect animals from all over the world and build a museum!" Soon, Walter had his first exotic creatures: kangaroos, wallabies, and kiwis. From there, his collection grew and grew, until it threated to take over the Rothschild estate. "Walter!" his mother screamed when she found a giant lizard eating her prize-winning lilies. Lord Rothschild wanted his son eventually to lead the family business. But Walter wouldn't give up his dream.

Strange Creatures is the story of how a painfully shy boy followed his passion and became a brilliant scientist, forever changing our understanding of the world's diversity of creatures.

From the dust jacket