The Short Giraffe

The Short Giraffe
Written by Neil Flory
Illustrated by Mark Cleary
Albert Whitman and Company, 2014. Unpaged picture book.

When Boba the baboon comes to take a picture of the world's tallest animals, the giraffes, he runs into a bit of a problem. All the giraffes look perfect, except for Geri. Geri is the shortest giraffe who ever lived, and he doesn't fit in the shot. The group tries to make the shot work, from tying stilts to Geri's legs to hanging him from branches, but nothing works. Then, a tiny caterpillar who is observing the giraffes' shenanigans, proposes an easy solution: why not bend down to Geri's level? Of course, the resulting picture is perfect. This is a very funny, clever picture book. Neil Flory's story is fresh, and Mark Cleary's illustrations are hilarious! Also, the simple text makes this a great picture book for new readers.

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