Giraffe Problems by Jory John, Lane Smith
Author: Jory John, Lane Smith (Illustrations)
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Publish Date: September 25, 2018
Source: Publisher
What's the Story?:
From Goodreads.com: "Can you guess what's making this giraffe self-conscious? Could it be . . . HIS ENORMOUS NECK Yes, it's exactly that--how on earth did you figure it out?
Cyrus the giraffe can't understand why his neck is as long and bendy and, well, ridiculous as it is. No other animal has a neck this absurd. He's tried disguising it, dressing it up, strategically hiding it behind bushes--honestly, anything you can think of, he's tried.
Just when he has exhausted his neck-hiding options and is about to throw in the towel, a turtle swoops in (well, ambles in, very slowly) and helps him understand that his neck has a purpose, and looks excellent in a bow tie."
My Two Cents:
Like Nora Ephron, Cyrus the giraffe feels bad about his neck. Yeah, he's a giraffe but he wants nothing to do with his super long neck. When he meets a new little friend in the form of a turtle, Cyrus realizes that having a super long neck is actually quite a good thing. This is a sweet story about how friends bring out the best of us and how important self-acceptance is.
As many of you know, I have toddler twins and thank goodness, they love books! Story time is a big deal in our house and this is such a perfect book. Between the good messages, the sweet friendship, and the great illustrations, this book has quickly become a bedtime story favorite in our household. There is always something more to talk about when reading the book and it's become a great jumping off point for having age appropriate discussions about self-acceptance and being a good friend.
This is a wonderful story and it got thumbs up from my whole family!