Giraffes ruin everything

It's hard to believe that there's anything worse that having to hang out with a younger sibling, but Schulz (Hook's Revenge) and Robertson (Little Miss Liberty) have found it: a giraffe. Their redheaded narrator just can't shake a pesky giraffe that is always in the way. "A giraffe will eat the ice cream right off your cone from half a block away," the boy notes as the giraffe uses its neck to be as intrusive as possible. "A giraffe will win at hide and seek," he continues, startled out of a nap by the grinning animal. "Even if you are not playing." But when the boy is himself accused of ruining everything and the giraffe bails him out, he discovers a new reserve of empathy. In an age where hurling accusations about someone else's shortcomings has become something of a social norm, this is a gentle but firm reminder that patience and understanding have their rewards. Robertson's easygoing cartooning, with its hints of 1960s-style animation, makes it an easy lesson to learn. Ages 5-7. Author's agent: Brooks Sherman, Bent Agency. (Aug.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

PreS-Gr 1-What starts off as a story about how awful being friends with a giraffe can be turns into a heartwarming lesson of learning to understand and accept friends as they are. A giraffe's long neck and large stature can be challenging at a party or on the playground and may block people's view at the movies, but as the story continues, readers learn that a giraffe's neck can also be useful in retrieving items that are stuck in a tree, like a kite. The pastel-hued cartoon illustrations emphasize how large a giraffe can be compared to a small child. The giraffe dominates every page. The ending hints at a sequel about how elephants ruin everything. VERDICT This cute offering about friendship is a solid choice for storytime and individual sharing.-Vivian Ho, Port Washington Public Library, NY © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.