cover image The Story of Giraffe

The Story of Giraffe

, , illus. by Pigni. . Front Street, $16.95 (32pp) ISBN 978-1-932425-87-1

This sweetand quirky spin on the Noah's Ark story begins as a lonely giraffe seeks a female partner with a long neck and spots like his own, all at the behest of a white-bearded man holding an umbrella in the rain. Giraffe searches the ends of the earth asking a bevy of other creatures for help along the way, but to no avail. All his traveling takes him far from Noah (who is named later in the book) and his friends, but when Giraffe gets back home, he has literally missed the boat—the ark has sailed. Luckily, Giraffe can recall some advice he received from an affable fish and he orchestrates a soggy but joyful reunion with the floating menagerie. Pigni's unfettered backgrounds and simple yet arresting central images give this jaunty tale its kick. Young readers will find much to enjoy in this wholly recognizable but slightly outside-the-box approach. Ages 2-up. (Mar.)