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Short Giraffe
Littlest Geri tries hard to stretch up to the other giraffes so he can feature in a group photo ... but is everyone looking at things from the wrong perspective? A charming and very funny picture book for anyone who has ever felt different from the herd. Meet Geri, the shortest giraffe in the world. The other giraffes try everything to get him up to their level... until an unexpected hero offers a solution that takes everyone by surprise. Sometimes the best way up is down. 1 to 4
24 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews
September 10, 2023
I have said many times for those of you who read my reviews, that you can always find a meaningful lesson within a children’s book. Even if you aren’t looking for it.
Of course, when you are in the midst of reading a children’s story with a child, they are usually immersed in the illustrations, which in this one, is joyful filled with color and whimsy.
But…
My favorite part is really the lesson.
And…
In this one it comes about through the simple story of how Bobo the baboon came to photograph some giraffes.
You see, Bobo was interested in taking pictures of the tallest animals in the world.
There was only one problem.
One of the giraffes didn’t meet the criteria.
So…
What were they to do?
As they contemplated all sorts of remedies, one finally came from the smallest observer, the caterpillar.
Learning lessons gained…
Acceptance of differences; and, a true sense of community.
Did it really matter who was the tallest, after all?
This book is good for preschool – grade 3 or ages 4-8 years.
February 27, 2019
This book for very young readers tells the story of a very short giraffe who can't quite get his head into the frame to take a herd picture. The other giraffes try all sorts of things to raise him up--from stilts to helium to springs--but he's just too short. It isn't until a smart caterpillar makes a suggestion that the giraffes finally manage to take a really great photo.
The pictures are simple, but cute and colourful. I like the facial expressions on the giraffes.
This is a basic story, but it shows good problem-solving skills. I'd probably recommend this to preschool kids, as it probably won't hold as much appeal for older readers.
Quotable moment:
The pictures are simple, but cute and colourful. I like the facial expressions on the giraffes.
This is a basic story, but it shows good problem-solving skills. I'd probably recommend this to preschool kids, as it probably won't hold as much appeal for older readers.
Quotable moment:
July 12, 2016
I feel like the universe brought this book across my desk this morning, because I'm a short giraffe (4'11). The illustrations are adorable and the story is charming, funny. There's a wise little caterpillar that reminded me of the clever worm in the movie Labyrinth. Cute book!
September 11, 2014
Poor Geri, he's a short giraffe trying to find solutions to his height predicament. It takes one wise caterpillar to convince him that he doesn't have to change.
November 10, 2017
This is a funny little story with bold pictures. Every page made me laugh. It is ideal for children of all ages. I love it and my daughter did too.
August 7, 2014
MOMMY: Boba the baboon wants to take a picture of the tallest animals in the world. The giraffes gather but Geri happens to be the shortest giraffe and he just won't fit in the picture. How will they get everyone in the picture together? It's a cute book with a sweet message.
PEANUT: He like this book and all the antics in trying to get Geri in the picture. We'll pick this up again in the future and see if he picks this to read more often.
PEANUT: He like this book and all the antics in trying to get Geri in the picture. We'll pick this up again in the future and see if he picks this to read more often.
October 15, 2018
Problem-solving and flexibility are on display in this simple, cute story.
February 1, 2020
WHY DID I READ THIS? The title was cute, giraffes are cute, and the cover was simple, but lovely.
PLOT 4/5
ART 4/5
This was a very fun book about solving a simple problem. Geri the giraffe is too short to make it into the photo with the other giraffes so they try to make him tall enough through a series of errors. In the end a caterpillar suggests the rest of the giraffes lean down to fit into a photo with Geri instead!
The giraffes are so cute and the font is fun and bouncy! The font did make a few sentences weird to read due to spacing, which could be confusing for younger readers.
November 28, 2020
The giraffes are getting their photo taken as a group because they are tall animals. The only problem is that one of the giraffes is extremely short and he can't fit in the photo because of it. The giraffes try to make him taller by doing all this extra stuff, and none of it seems to work. The other giraffes eventually choose to just bend their heads down at the small giraffe's height, and they were all able to fit in the photo together. To me, this teaches a lesson to not exclude anyone out of activities, regardless of their conditions. Coming from a relatively short person, I can relate to this very well.
July 16, 2018
It's a very cute, and very silly book about a group of giraffes getting their picture taken, and Geri is much shorter than the rest. This leads to the other giraffes trying to find ways to bring Geri up to their height. Until a very nice caterpillar suggests that instead of bringing Geri up to everyone else's level it's easier for the others to lean down to his level.
The sentences are very simple, and the message is good, my favorite part is how the words will follow the motion of what's happening on the page. Kids might not appreciate the typography work but I do.
The sentences are very simple, and the message is good, my favorite part is how the words will follow the motion of what's happening on the page. Kids might not appreciate the typography work but I do.
January 1, 2019
This is such a cute story. A baboon photographer wants to photograph the tallest animals - which are giraffes. There is a problem, though, because the shortest giraffe felt he ruined the picture. They have to come up with a remedy for this situation. Great illustrations, and a fun way to show children an example of cooperation and consideration for others.
September 24, 2018
I thought the book was a good selection for a younger child. The pictures in the book helped tell the story. I liked how the text in the book was related to what was happening, for example when Geri was up-side-down, the writing in the book was written up-side-down.
September 5, 2019
Geri is the shortest giraffes and this poses obvious problems. In this particular book however the biggest problem is that they can't fit him in the picture with all the other tall giraffes. I love the silliness but I especially love the solution.
July 6, 2021
Super cute and funny. My son is still too young for this story @ 1.5 yrs. But I enjoyed the message and the light hearted way it was delivered. the illustrations match the goofy story too. Though I must admit that I think this book would be nicer to read in print versus digitally.
June 15, 2017
Cute story about being the odd one out in your family.
The illustrations didn't work for me. Characters blended into the background.
The illustrations didn't work for me. Characters blended into the background.
March 7, 2018
Such a cute book. I loved the theme. Sometimes we need to change ourselves/behavior and not focus so much on another persons.
April 13, 2018
The ending was anticlimactic, but the rest was fun.
May 10, 2018
Super cute, but the giraffe hanging from the tree freaked me out.
October 9, 2018
Cute story about accommodating someone else instead of trying to make them more like you.
December 18, 2018
Fun, cute book about the shortest giraffe and a baboon’s attempt to snap a photo of the world’s tallest animals. The artwork adds a great deal of humor.
May 20, 2019
Too cute!
July 5, 2019
Great for storytime. tall and short, accommodating friends, photos, zoo, friendship, smart and small
October 1, 2019
Bright, vivid illustrations, silly hi-jinks, friendship, creative thinking and problem solving, what more could we ask for? A great group read aloud!
June 16, 2020
A preschool and up book about a group of giraffe's having their photo taken and trying to get even the shortest giraffe into the photo.
February 3, 2022
Geri’s friends try to help him fit in, but maybe it’s them that actually need to bend.
April 20, 2023
Fun story. Quick read.
December 8, 2023
A short giraffe is having trouble finding his way into the family picture. They try all sorts of ideas to no avail. But then the caterpillar saves the day. Fun colors.
January 23, 2019
Geri the giraffe is too short for the family picture. After all manner of attempts to make Geri taller, his family decides to bend themselves down to his level.
I LOVE this one. Even though Geri is the first to be down on himself because of his shortness (like, "That's okay! I'll sit out of the picture!") his family is not having it. They try everything in the book to get him in there. A very subtle message about love and acceptance wrapped in a very silly story. I can't wait to try it on my storytime kids.
Edited after storytime: Just dropping in to say the kids loooooved it and I would definitely recommend it for other librarians.
I LOVE this one. Even though Geri is the first to be down on himself because of his shortness (like, "That's okay! I'll sit out of the picture!") his family is not having it. They try everything in the book to get him in there. A very subtle message about love and acceptance wrapped in a very silly story. I can't wait to try it on my storytime kids.
Edited after storytime: Just dropping in to say the kids loooooved it and I would definitely recommend it for other librarians.
March 29, 2015
Had to read this one for 'stories by the giraffe' and was rewarded by a book that had our four year old crowd laughing and talking about the solutions that this group of silly giraffes could have tried in getting their group of 5-6 tall giraffes and one very short giraffe into the same photograph. I chose it because of the animals themselves and really didn't think that hard about the message but in this case the persevering nature of the subjects resonated more than anything.
Neil Flory's images are just beautiful and I thought that the colours might be a bit too subtle for my large group but they weren't at all. Kids at the back of the group were laughing and participating with gusto. There were some incredibly tiny caterpillars and one ridiculous baboon in the book and it all came together gloriously. Loved this book
Neil Flory's images are just beautiful and I thought that the colours might be a bit too subtle for my large group but they weren't at all. Kids at the back of the group were laughing and participating with gusto. There were some incredibly tiny caterpillars and one ridiculous baboon in the book and it all came together gloriously. Loved this book
July 23, 2016
Boba the baboon wants to take a picture of the tallest animals, the giraffes. But there's one tiny problem -- Geri the giraffe is much smaller than his friends, and it's difficult to get him into the shot. They try stilts, a turtle tower, and even helium, to no avail (but some hilarious pictures result from it). Finally, a tiny caterpillar suggest that instead of raising Geri up to their heights, the taller giraffes should bend down to Geri's height. This works perfectly and the final picture of the giraffes is the best one yet. The giraffes look a little silly, and the text can't decide if it wants to rhyme or not, but overall this is a great story to share for a jungle theme, a big and small theme, or a theme about being a little different.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews