Review by Booklist Review
An oblong format invites interactivity as readers are greeted by a set of wide-eyed animals, from a mouse to an elephant--but not by Giraffe, whose neck extends past the top edge of the page. "This book is too small!" Giraffe tries bending down, but that just makes the whole scene crowded and uncomfortable. How about turning the book sideways? Oops, that just makes everyone but Giraffe fall to the bottom in a heap. "What do you think Giraffe could do to fit?" asks the flamingo. Move to the back? But now tiny Giraffe is too far away to hear. What if everyone climbs Giraffe's neck? Not only is Elephant too big for that but: "Oh, great . . . the only thing I have a view of is Giraffe's butt." One more sideways turn and all the animals are fully visible, at last! But then Elephant, bulging beyond the page, discovers, "This book is too narrow!" Young audiences will gleefully echo the leopard's droll "Oh no, here we go again . . ."
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A gang of animal friends helps Giraffe attempt to fit into this book. Readers become an active part of this story from the first page, when Elephant, Giraffe, Cheetah, Flamingo, Snake, and Mouse make eye contact with them, then acknowledge and welcome them. Bright, appealing digital illustrations stand out against a plain white background, and the animals speak to each other and the reader via speech bubbles that are color-coded to match their fur, feathers, or scales. The animals fill each spread, but Giraffe's head and neck don't fit onto the page, and that's the problem. Snake has several solutions, but the spread is too cramped when Giraffe brings its head down. When Snake asks readers to turn the book to make it taller, the animals slide into a heap, and Flamingo and Snake are crushed beneath the pile. When Flamingo suggests that everyone move up to the space where Giraffe's head is, Giraffe bends to create stairs so the friends can climb up--all except Elephant, who's afraid of crushing Giraffe. All Elephant can see is a view of Giraffe's butt, but Elephant has one last idea. Readers will enjoy manipulating this book, predicting outcomes, and coming up with a few creative suggestions the animals didn't consider. Take special note of the giraffe and elephant print endpapers. Personable animals, humor, and hands-on problem-solving make this tale a winner. (Picture book. 5-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
