'The best books, reviewed with insight and charm, but without compromise.'
- author Jackie French

Monday 5 August 2013

Review: The Short Giraffe

The Short Giraffe has the special ‘it’ factor that makes picture books so magical, with gorgeous illustrations and joyful, spot-on storyline.


The giraffes are a comical lot, all big smiles, in a variety of pastel hues, complete with polka dots.

They want to take a photo. The problem is that the shortest giraffe who ever lived, is not tall enough to be seen in a photo with the other giraffes.

When the shortest giraffe, Geri, is embarrassed about ruining the photo, the tall members of the herd don’t think about that for a second, they’re more concerned about finding a way to include him. 

There is no question that Geri should be included. The question is how?

After at least six humorous attempts, bound to make you smile, someone offers the perfect suggestion. It's so sweet that the solution comes from a caterpillar who is, of course, tiny, and the final photo is just perfect, with all the giraffes grinning their cheesy grins and having a giraffe-sized hug.

This picture book cannot be faulted. The concepts are simple and will be understood by the very young, but the older picture book reader will enjoy it too, especially due to its ability to look at things from a different perspective.

It's worth mentioning that although the book is a soft cover, it's made of a thick, quality cardboard, and the endpapers are glued to the cover. This gives it a more elegant feel than a soft cover, so it will make a lovely gift book. Perfect!

Title: The Short Giraffe
Author: Neil Flory
Illustrator: Mark Cleary
Publisher: Allen & Unwin, $12.99 RRP
Publication Date: June 2013
Format: Softcover
ISBN: 9781743315071
For ages: 3 - 10 
Type: Picture Book