The Short Giraffe

January 13, 2014
The giraffes are very excited to be photographed for posterity as “the tallest animals in the world.” The odd giraffe out, however, is Geri, “the shortest giraffe who ever lived,” who barely makes it into the shot. The conventional approach would have the larger giraffes shunning Geri, prompting him to earn their respect and thus ensure a happy ending. But debut talents Flory and Cleary, both advertising creatives, are thinking Management 101, not morality play, and so their story unfolds in a wholly refreshing manner. The full-size, toothy-grinned giraffes cheerily insist that Geri join them, and in a series of visually economic and gently slapstick scenes set against a Kraft paper–like backdrop, Geri is subjected to their ideas for bringing him “up to our level” (including filling him with helium). It takes a wise caterpillar to suggest the big guys rethink their approach. Simple and sunny, this story nonetheless makes it clear that “well-meaning” isn’t always enough—that if you believe the kid stays in the picture, then maybe it’s the picture that needs changing. Ages 2–5.

May 3, 2013
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

July 1, 2014
When giraffes gather to pose for a photo, they can't figure out a way to get Geri, "the shortest giraffe who ever lived," into the shot. Eventually a clever and observant caterpillar speaks up with a simple solution. The digital illustrations of goofy-looking, multicolored giraffes in silly situations (e.g., Geri tries stilts) and the heartwarming final photo will keep kids smiling.

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

January 1, 2014
A group of giraffes is known as a tower, but this tower of giraffes has a member who could live in a studio apartment, literally. Geri is short. For a giraffe, that can pose complications, especially when a group photo is being staged. To get Geri's mug in the group shot, his comrades try all manner of tricks. They try stilts, but there are balance issues. They try a stack of turtles, but there are balance issues, again. They try wings, but Geri makes like Icarus. They try helium, but you know what happens when the helium escapes. Springs look promising, but they are a little too springy. It comes down to a caterpillar--one of a collection of caterpillars, aka an army; perhaps he is AWOL from his unit, but at least he has a good idea: "Excuse me, giraffes, if I might say, instead of trying to get Geri UP to your height...wouldn't it be easier if you bent DOWN to his?" (Must have been the British army.) Cleary has staged the book on tawny brown paper--there are a couple of pages of sky blue, a nice, snappy contrast to the brown--which has a vibrantly colorful effect on the giraffes, which here look like a tower of Popsicles. The text is simple, carrying this plot that depends on an ability to see multiple perspectives with elegance. A genteel riot of laughs. (Picture book. 2-5)

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February 1, 2014

PreS-Gr 1-Caution: due to humor escalation, this is not a bedtime story. When a blue baboon arrives to photograph the tallest animals in the world, a quintet of goofy and multihued giraffes prepares a pose. When the animals realize that a sixth member, Geri, "the shortest giraffe who ever lived," won't fit in the frame, ridiculous attempts to raise him ensue. From stilts to filling Geri with helium, the resulting crashes are captured by baboon's photos and given running commentary by a wee caterpillar that ultimately solves the problem. Cleary's soft-hued, gentle cartoonlike illustrations magnify the silliness.-Gay Lynn Van Vleck, Henrico County Library, Glen Allen, VA

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