The Short Giraffe (Neil Flory, illus by Mark Cleary, A&U)

When the Boba the baboon gathers the tallest animals in the world together for a photo portrait, little Geri is embarrassed. ‘I’d better stay out of the photo,’ says the shortest giraffe who ever lived. ‘I don’t want to ruin it for the rest of you.’ But Stretch, the tallest of the giraffes, won’t hear of it—and so begins the tall giraffes’ mission to bring Geri up to their height. With the help of the other animals, the giraffes attempt a series of precarious methods to make Geri taller, but none will work. In the end, it takes an animal with an entirely different perspective to help Stretch and his team solve the problem. In this cute picture book, Neil Flory has written a story about teamwork and diversity; however, at its heart, this is a story about kindness. Its emotional power comes from the fact that the gang of giraffes can’t abide the thought of taking their photo without Geri in it. Mark Cleary’s illustrations are simple and sweet; my favourite shows an optimistic Geri wobbling around on a pair of stilts. This will be a rewarding read for children aged one to four.

Kate Blackwood is editorial assistant at Books+Publishing

Books+Publishing pre-publication reviews are supported by the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund.

Category: Reviews