Chee-Lin: A Giraffe's Journey

by James Rumford

Eighty years before Columbus, China sent ships to explore the world.
The Chinese discovered many marvelous things, but one discovery stood out above the others: the chee-lin.
This chee-lin was just a giraffe, but to the Chinese it was an omen of good fortune so rare that it had appeared only once before—at the birth of Confucius.
In a storybook in which each page evokes the richness of faraway places and long-ago days, James Rumford traces the chee-lin’s journey from Africa to Bengal to China, weaving a tale not just of a giraffe but of the people he meets along the way. Chee-lin is a story for all time: of captivity and struggle, friendship and respect.

Genres: Picture Books, Asia, Historical Fiction, Africa, Cultural, China, Animals

38 pages, Hardcover

First published September 22, 2008

About the author

I have been writing, illustrating, and designing children's books since 1996. I am on the verge of self-publishing through books that are printed on demand and via the internet. For more on my children's books, see my website: http://www.jamesrumford.com. I also have a blog about writing and illustrating children's books at http://www.calabashcat.blogspot.com. Besides commercially published books, I run a private letter press company and do limited-edition, handmade books. See more at http://www.manoapress.com. I am interested in foreign languages and in poetry. See my blog "Horace et al." at http://www.jasrumford.blogspot.com. I live in Honolulu with my wife.

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Born in the grasslands of East Africa, Tweega the giraffe was very young when he was captured by hunters, and sold to the sultan at Malindi. Here he lived for a time, before being sent as a gift to the sultan of Bengal. From India, he was taken by Chinese sailors back to Nanjing, where he was thought to be the mythical chee-lin, an animal with the body of a deer, the tail of an ox and the hooves of a horse. An omen of peace and good fortune, the chee-lin was said to have only appeared once before in China, at the birth of Confucius. And so Tweega lived out the rest of his life in the possession of the emperor of China, far from his native home...

Based upon a true story, author/illustrator James Rumford's Chee-Lin: A Giraffe's Journey was inspired by Chinese artist Shen Du's 1414 painting, The Tribute Giraffe with Attendant, and upon accounts of the voyages of exploration undertaken by the Chinese Admiral Zheng He. Although little is known about the life story of the actual giraffe, Rumford has expanded upon the little information that is available, to imagine what the experiences of such a creature might be, captured and taken so far from his home. Although a beautiful book, both in the storytelling and in the artwork, which was created with casein paint, this was a rather melancholy read. There are moments of happiness, when Tweega finds humans who seem to care from him, but he is always being ripped from these new companions, and one never forgets that he is far from what he knows, and all on his own in an alien world. In many ways, this story reminded me of that found in Emily Arnold McCully's Clara: The (Mostly) True Story of the Rhinoceros who Dazzled Kings, Inspired Artists, and Won the Hearts of Everyone... While She Ate Her Way Up and Down a Continent . In that book, an 18th-century Indian rhinoceros was brought to Europe, where she was the only one of her kind, and where she was often thought to be a mythological being, just as Tweega was thought in China to be the long looked-for chee-lin.

Because it is a little text heavy for a picture-book, and because the themes it addresses could potentially be distressing - much like Clara the rhinoceros, Tweega dies in captivity, far from his native home - I would recommend this one to slightly older audiences, perhaps ages six and above. Children who enjoy animal stories will find it interesting, and it could also be used in a study unit about the Chinese voyages of exploration in the 15th century.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This true story describes the life of a fifteenth-century giraffe named Tweega. Born in Africa, Tweega is taken to Arabia, India, and Bengal before ultimately arriving in China, where he is thought by the Chinese to be a creature of good luck that will bring happiness and good fortune. The reader can't help but feel sorry for the animal, as he is taken forever from everything he knows, sometimes mistreated and often lonely and frightened. An author's note at the end of the book states that he based the story on a painting of the giraffe and a brief mention of him in a book from that time period. Rumford did an admirable job of research to flesh out the story and tell it from Tweega's point of view. Recommended.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This historical and semi-biographical story tells the story of a baby giraffe who was captured in the grasslands of modern day Kenya and taken to the royalty of India and then Asia. The book shares the wonders of a different age - an age where information was slow and many things, such as animals from other lands, had to be seen to be believed. Chee-lin was cherished and despite being stolen into captivity, it seems like he had humane conditions to live out his life. But, there is a definitely a discussion topic in this innocent giraffe's journey and the fictional people who came in contact with him. The book is long and even with my kids' impressive attention spans for books, it took us a few sittings to get all the way through it.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful book based on the history of a giraffe in the 1400s that was captured from Africa and taken to India and ultimately to China. the story is well written and the illustrations are made up of gorgeous paintings and detailed backgrounds reminiscent of the locations in the story.

[Dana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing! The artwork was stunning. The story was unbelievable and yet true. If I could give it more stars I would. This is not a quick picture book to devour. Plan to spend some time with Chee-Lin.

[Ralf Urbach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the illustrations in this book. Very inspirational and good for giving a perspective on the Chinese culture. This book was fairly longer that what I would have liked and lost some of my childrens attention but because of the giraffes many encounters we were anticipating Tweegas next meeting. Wonderful map at the very end highlighting the journey of Tweega.

[Peacegal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the astonishing story of a baby giraffe who was captured in Africa, then shipped to India as a curiosity and China as a gift. Chee-Lin will inspire some good conversations about how often we don't consider what is in animals' best interests; only what we desire for ourselves.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Picture book for older readers. Powerful and evocative illustrations. Parts of it reminded me of King of the Wind.

[Lucy · Rating 3 out of 5]

lovely pictures, interesting story, for older (school age) kids as it's
a fictional account of something that is based on fact

[Kaethe · Rating 3 out of 5]

The true story of a giraffe's rather surprising adventures. Very cool.

[Ellie Dietzen · Rating 3 out of 5]

children may enjoy this book. It is about how the chinese people discovered giraffe's

[Brittney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a story about how the Chinese discovered a giraffe.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was much longer and more involved than I was expecting, but Moira liked hearing about the real giraffe's journey.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is actually a fiction book based on a painting. There is little facts here, but a very good story anyway.

[Suki · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful book. We had a rather confusing discussion on non-fiction elements in a fictional story based on a non-fiction painting. :-)