Giraffes Ruin Everything

by Heidi Schulz, Chris Robertson (Illustrations)

In this mischievously funny picture book, friends come in all shapes and sizes.

In case you were wondering, here's an incomplete list of things giraffes ruin:
- Birthday parties
- Going to the movies
- Playing at the park
- Hide and Seek
- Everything else

Yes, that's right. Giraffes ruin everything.

But what happens when our narrator gets into a tricky situation? Perhaps he'll find giraffes aren't so bad after all . . .

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Childrens, Storytime, Humor, Fiction, Friendship

40 pages, Hardcover

First published August 16, 2016

About the author

NYT bestselling author Heidi Schulz lies to children for fun and profit. She is the author of Hook's Revenge, and other books for children. Heidi lives in Oregon with her best friend, an eighty pound German Shepherd named David. Vampires of Valhalla coming Spring 2027!

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have you ever wanted to spend time with a giraffe? Well, I have news for you... giraffes ruin everything. They’ll spill your juice at parties, block your view at movies, and ear your ice cream out from under you. However, given the chance, they can be quite useful, especially if there is a kite stuck up in a tree. However, elephants... they surely ruin everything all the time. Neo liked this story, laughing at all the antics of giraffes and their silly behaviours. With the end of the year literally around the corner, Neo was happy to choose such a great book as one of the last he enjoyed in 2017!

[Heidi Schulz]

Hey, look at that! We have a cover:

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again, this book was read to me by the author. It is soooo funny! I can easily see it becoming part of a series of books. It is one book I wouldn't mind rereading over and over to my children! I'll be giving these as gifts!

[Sarah Threlkeld · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cute idea, but the boy's negative attitude toward the giraffe started to grate on me and the ending was predictable.

[Ally McCulloch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute book. The giraffe reminds me of several human beings that I went to school with. The moral is good: that we all have different strengths and shouldn’t dismiss other people altogether.

[Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

The drawings were great! I liked lol the silly things that the giraffe did like steal the treehouse ladder and ruin the birthday party. This was funny

[zapkode · Rating 5 out of 5]

{My thoughts} – Giraffe’s ruin everything from birthday parties, to trips to the movies and park and more. I enjoyed how nicely the words on the pages blended together with the illustrations. I particularly like the usage of pastel colors, because I feel that they help to draw the reader into the book, without being overly distracting.

I do think however, that some words used like “frustration” and “undertake” might be a bit advanced for younger readers. I’d suggest reading through the book and making a list of the more difficult words and then adding a simplified definition so that you can easily explain to the child what it means as your reading. Otherwise, I found it to be an enjoyable book.

I recommend this book for any child that loves animals or more specifically giraffes. I personally love giraffes which as why I’d wanted to read this book. I do believe this has the potential to become a bedtime favorite in any household.

[Samantha · Rating 2 out of 5]

A humorous look at all the situations that are not built for giraffe participation. Funny, enough and ends with an introduction as to why elephants ruin everything making me think this might become a series (think If You Give a Mouse a Cookie etc).

Pencil illustrations finished digitally. PreK-2.

[Jocelyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

A boy is rather mean to giraffe about all the things giraffes ruin, while giraffe certainly looks sorry after each of his mistakes. Giraffe saves the day by rescuing a kite, and he is finally accepted, but then the boy says elephants ruin everything. I know this is just a picture book, and it's supposed to be humorous, and we are supposed to learn to accept others, and many people will say I'm taking this too seriously, but I'm not sure I want to encourage exclusionary bullying. We don't just invite people to play if they can serve a purpose - we invite them because it is the right thing to do and we want them to invite us next time.

[Jana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a signed copy of this book to share with my students and what an awesome picture book gift it is. I'm really looking forward to sharing this at school next week. It's a funny look at how clumsy and awkward it would be to have a giraffe at a birthday party, or the movies, or on a play date at the park. But it also has a terrific message, that there is good in everyone and sometimes we have to help our friends "fit in". It kind of reminds me of If You Ever Want to Bring an Alligator to School, DON'T! By Elise Parsley, which was also a big hit with my students when I read it aloud last week.

[Kristen · Rating 2 out of 5]

My children picked out this book - Giraffes Ruin Everything - from the library. While I think the idea is cute, I felt that the "ruin everything" aspect of the book was focused upon too much. Even at the end - when the narrator comes to the realization that giraffes may not be so bad after all - we are brought to "elephants ruin everything."

I do not plan on checking this book out of the library again.

[Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this book! The story is funny and clever, and has that element that will get kids repeating phrases along with you if you're reading aloud. And the illustrations are absolutely adorable. This would be a great book for classrooms, libraries, and to have at home. My kids are already asking for a sequel. :)

[Kellee Moye · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is so much fun!

Don't miss out on Heidi's Nerdy Book Club post about her inspiration.

Funny yet important! The theme in this one is quite evident, but don't forget to continue the conversation with the elephant also to talk about how everyone makes mistakes and that's no reason to not like someone!

[Savannah Hendricks · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun read! I loved the illustrations and page lay out, especially when you had to turn the book sideways to read one page. My favorite illustration and page was the giraffe on the slide, and how his head was still at the top and his feet already at the bottom. Kids will love this beautiful book.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute book. Great illustrations. Easy to read text. A young boy's not thrilled with the antics of his giraffe until he finds himself with a need that can only be met by his long necked pet.

Source: Review copy

[Earl]

Cute picture book about how giraffes aren't really that good to have around. Heidi Schulz was at our store a year or so ago for a book club and she had mentioned this story inspired by a real run-in she had with a giraffe so it's cool to get to read this! The illustrations are great!

[Miss Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little boy goes through his day complaining about all the things a giraffe messes up for him. But is the giraffe really messing everything up or is he being misinterpreted? Pictures play heavy in this book so preschool and up.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ah, those monstrous giraffes with the friendly butterfly flittering nearby.... Glad I was given the warning against them! I will be on my guard from now on and watch out for their evil ways (hahaha). Wonder if there will be a sequel concerning the dangers of elephants?

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

An argument, in a simple form, but certainly in a fun way exemplifies how a writer makes a claim and supports it with specifics. This book has an interesting beginning, too--a kind of starting with what everyone knows about giraffes and then the thing they don't know: giraffes ruin everything.

[Awjtf · Rating 5 out of 5]

love it!

[Michele Knott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun read aloud, kids will enjoy the repeating parts.
I loved reading the Nerdy post Heidi did that explains where she got the idea for the story.

[Wendy Darling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have a photo of Heidi signing GIRAFFES at her launch party: http://litsy.com/p/ZDFNTlNrQVdX

:)

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe not everything. Fun story with great illustrations.

[Jennifer Miera · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute book along the lines of What Do You Do With a Kangaroo by Mercer Myers

[Margie · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is always going to be that one person, or being, who seems to bumble around often ruining and upsetting things. In this lively tale for the Pre-K to 1st grade set, the being is a giraffe, whose very long neck and very long tongue cause all sorts of disruptions. Ultimately, the young boy who is the other main character, realizes that all of us have bad days from time to time and we are really good companions after all. This story is a good reminder for all of us to sometimes be more patient with others in our lives as we all have bad days, hard times, which may cause us to behave in annoying ways. The illustrations are colorful and engaging; the text is simple enough for beginning readers to handle on their own.

[Ruth Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

With adorable illustrations, we see that the Giraffe gets into trouble with our Narrator much like a bull in a china shop causes trouble due to his size.
Oh, an Elephant will cause similar disturbances, so think about that before you extend an invitation.
Maybe it would be better to plan Giraffe/Elephant-friendly activities?

[Sara Budarz · Rating 1 out of 5]

No no no no no. A story of a bratty child who discriminates and mocks those who are different from him, fails to read facial expressions and show any empathy, and in the end, learns absolutely nothing except that he was right but the annoying ‘other’ is sometimes okay to spend time with as long as it is on soiled kids terms. What, pray tell, are kids supposed to learn from this book?

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Humorous book about a young boy who shares a little known fact about giraffes - they ruin everything. Giraffes ruin birthday parties, trips to the park, movies, games, etc. Clever ending where the boy is blamed for "ruining everything." Schulz points out that bad days happen to everyone so maybe giraffes aren't so bad. Cute ending as an elephant arrives.
Read aloud to elementary level.

[Donna Mork · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute book about not inviting a giraffe when you fly a kite, go to the movies, or have a birthday party. They make a mess and won't even apologize. But sometimes giraffes can come in handy and everyone has a bad day now and then. So it's good to find the good in others.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet tale about strengths and weaknesses, being forgiving of others, etc