Giraffe Problems

Animal Problems #2

by Jory John, Lane Smith (Illustrator)

Penguins aren't the only animals with problems. . . . A second hilarious collaboration from picture-book superstars Lane Smith and Jory John!

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?

Edward 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 Edward 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.

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

42 pages, Hardcover

First published September 25, 2018

About the author

Jory John is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and two-time E.B. White Read-Aloud Honor recipient.

Jory's work includes the #1 New York Times bestselling picture book, The Good Egg, and the #2 New York Times bestselling picture book, The Bad Seed, both illustrated by Pete Oswald. He is also the author of the popular picture books, Penguin Problems and Giraffe Problems, both illustrated by Lane Smith, the award-winning Goodnight Already! series, illustrated by Benji Davies, the New York Times bestselling Terrible Two series, the recent picture books Quit Calling Me a Monster! (with Bob Shea), Can Somebody Please Scratch My Back? (with Liz Climo), and the international bestseller, All my friends are dead, among many other books for both children and adults.

Reviews

[Mischenko · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a such a cute children's book. We loved the story about Edward and his much-hated long neck. Edward eventually realizes--after meeting a new turtle friend named Cyrus--that his neck isn't so bad after all. His neck has some great advantages! Wonderful illustrations too. 5-stars

[Stace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Edward the giraffe hates his neck. It is too long, too bendy, too narrow, too stretchy, and too patterned. He believes he has a neck only a mother could love. He doesn’t like the other animals staring at his neck and he tries to hide in objects, with scarves, behind trees, etc.

One day Edward meets Cyrus the turtle. Cyrus loves Edward’s neck and wishes his was long then he could do so much rather than being nearly neckless. When Cyrus has a dilemma he would like Edward to help him with, Edward realises that his neck might not be that bad after all.

Have you ever looked at yourself or a part of your body and wished it was different. Maybe a smaller nose or bigger eyes? Wished you were taller or shorter? Then you are just like Edward the giraffe.

You might not realise it but every bit of you that you wish you could change there is someone else out there wishing they could be just like you. Do you want to have bigger feet? Another child might wish they had smaller feet and be envious of your feet, just as you are of their bigger ones.

Giraffe Problems is about learning to love the bits of you that you don’t particularly like. It is a beautiful book told in a humorous way. Some pages you read normally, others you have to turn the book sideways to read, there is even a page that opens out so you can see just how long Edward’s neck is.

The book is exquisitely illustrated and the animals look amazing and very eye-catching. The plot is superb and hopefully, it will make children understand that it is good to be different and to appreciate what body they have.

[Calista · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m sure I’ve mentioned how much I love Giraffe’s. This is about a self-conscious giraffe and his long neck, which is the incredible thing I love about giraffe’s and their spots. He is jealous of all the different necks around him.

He meets turtle who has a squishy neck and the two become friends. The turtle loves the giraffe’s neck and he would like to have that neck. Turtle wants a banana to try it the 1st time and he has waited 7 days. The giraffe easily reaches the banana for Turtle and turtle is so grateful. He loves the banana.

It is a good lesson in loving what makes you different. I love that message and I don’t think I can hear that message enough. I love the artwork. It looks like some different brush strokes were used. It has beautiful earth tones.

I also like all the neck wear that the book explores. ex: ties, scarfs and such.

I also appreciate how different turtle and giraffe can be and yet they become good friends who help each other out. It’s a lovely story.

Both kids enjoyed this read. The niece gave it 4 stars while the nephew gave it 5 stars. He likes the bow tie too.

[Haniyeh · Rating 4 out of 5]

"مامانم همیشه میگفت من باید به گردنم افتخار کنم. میگفت حیوانات دیگر خیلی دوست دارند گردنی مثل من داشته باشند؛
آره حتما!
مامان ببخشیدها،
ولی هیچکس این گردن را نمیخواهد.
گردنم از آن گردن هاست که فقط یک مامان میتواند قربان صدقه‌اش برود.
به خاطر این گردن مجبورم خودم را آنقدر قایم کنم تا خورشید غروب کند."

از اون دست داستان‌های خوب آموزنده برای دوست داشتن خودمون، همونطور که هستیم.
زرافه بخاطر گردن درازش از خودش بدش میاد. اون دائما خودش رو با بقیه مقایسه میکنه و حسرت میخوره. همه چیز به همین منواله تا وقتی که با یک لاکپشت آشنا میشه.

لینک کتاب در طاقچه:
https://taaghche.com/book/89139

[sAmAnE · Rating 4 out of 5]

داستان زرافه‌ای که از بدنش راضی نیست، بیشتر گردنش... با یه لاک پشت دوست میشه و سعی میکنه دنیا رو از دید اون ببینه. در نهایت افتخار به داشته‌هامون و حسرت ظاهر کسی رو نخوردن...

[Rana Heshmati · Rating 5 out of 5]

دارم عاشق جوری جان می‌شم دیگه. 😭

[Dream.M · Rating 3 out of 5]

از متفاوت بودن یا حتی عجیب بودن نترسیم. تفاوت ها قشنگن

[Robert Khorsand · Rating 4 out of 5]

گفتار اندر معرفی کتاب
مشکل زرافه‌ای، عنوانِ فارسیِ کتابی‌ست به قلمِ آقای «جوری جان» و تصویرگریِ آقای «لین اسمیت» که در ایران توسطِ خانمِ «آناهیتا حضرتی» ترجمه و نهایتا توسطِ انتشاراتِ «پرتقال» برای گروهِ سنی کودک و نوجوان چاپ و منتشر گردیده است.
داستانِ کتاب در مورد زرافه‌ای است که از طولِ گردنِ خود راضی نیست و به سایرِ حیوانات حسادت می‌ورزد تا اینکه روزی با لاکپشتی روبرو می‌شود و ... .

نقل‌قول نامه
"مامانم همیشه می‌گفت من باید به گردنم افتخار کنم. می‌گفت حیواناتِ دیگر خیلی دوست دارند گردنی مثلِ من داشته باشند.
آره، حتما! مامان ببخشید‌ها ولی هیچ‌کس این گردن را نمی‌خواهد. گردنم از آن گردن هاست که فقط یک مامان می‌تواند قربان صدقه‌اش برود."

کارنامه
متنِ داستان به شدت دوست داشتنی بود، از آن داستان‌هایی بود که برای خوب شدنِ حالم به سراغِ آنان می‌روم و در انتها با لبخند با کتاب خداحافظی می‌کنم.
داستان برای گروهِ سنیِ مختص به خود نیز داستان به شدت جذاب و پند آموزی داشت به همین دلیل در این بخش نمره‌ی کامل را برایش منظور می‌کنم و تنها بابت تصویرگریِ مبتدیانه‌ی کتاب یک ستاره از آن کسر و نهایتا ۴ستاره برایش منظور می‌کنم.

دانلود نامه
فایلِ پی‌دی‌افِ کتاب را ساخته و در کانال تلگرام آپلود کرده‌ام، در صورت نیاز می‌توانید‌ آن‌را از لینک زیر دانلود نمایید:
https://t.me/reviewsbysoheil/244

بیستم اردیبهشت‌ماه یک‌هزار و چهارصد

[Meg - A Bookish Affair · Rating 5 out of 5]

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!

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Penguin Problems so much, when I saw this I thought, "How could they top that book?"

Well, they can.

This book is EVEN BETTER than Penguin Problems! They work perfectly together, they work perfectly separate. It is a thing of beauty.

[Neda · Rating 3 out of 5]

کتاب برای گروه سنی خودش مناسب بود، تصویرگری هم ساده و زیبا بود. اینکه خودمون رو به شکلی که هستیم و خلق شدیم بپذیریم، نکته خوب ماجراست اما برای من آدم گنده این داستان یه باگ داشت. اینکه زرافه با روبرو شدن با لاکپشت تونست فایده گردن بلندش رو بفهمه و اون رو پذیرفت، اما پس لاکپشتی .
که از کوتاهی گردنش شاکی بود چی؟ هیچ نکته خوبی برای اون کوتاهی گفته نشد و لاکپشت به طور خودجوش شکایتش رو از گردن کوتاهش فراموش کرد. :))) طفلی حس میکنم گول خورد

[Moonkiszt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Featured in a grandma reads session.

Edward and Cyrus find comfort and resolution for their personal dissatisfactions in this practical picture book. After all, who hasn't picked on one of their particularly defective body parts and spent inordinate amounts of time trying to amend, fix, improve, remove, pluck, pull, break down, build up, disguise, or hide them? Ninety-nine percent of the time one simply must reconcile oneself to the part, as it is, and carry on.

Our group recommends to you Giraffe Problems, and you'll see the best way to dissolve all that sturm und drang, and just take a shortcut straight to reconciliation - no, better said, to appreciation for what you have. There's a reason you've got the parts you've got. Better than whining about how you wish you were different, perhaps consider finding a friend, and work on some collaborating that could benefit each of you.

Wishing you best strategies for dissatisfaction diminishment. Be an Edward, or a Cyrus.

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poor Giraffe! His lament?

"I feel bad about my neck."

It takes a low-to-the-ground turtle to teach him that while Giraffe's neck is not like other animals' necks . . . that doesn't mean it's anything to feel bad about. With delightful illustrations by Lane Smith.

[Jillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A super adorable book - and not only funny, but also important.
#1 - the huge, glaring physical flaw that you're absolutely obsessed with trying to hide? Most other people either don't notice or don't care.
#2 - the thing you hate most about yourself? Somebody else would probably LOVE to have it. (Curly/straight hair, skin tone, height, etc.)
It's a great book for anybody to read.

[Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

اگه قراره به یه بچه در مورد تفاوت‌ها و پذیرش این تفاوت‌ها بگید، این کتاب رو باید بهش هدیه بدید. بامزه و قشنگه.

[Essareh · Rating 4 out of 5]

گوگولಥ⌣ಥ

[katayoun Masoodi · Rating 4 out of 5]

so lovely drawings, cute, humorous text and lovely ending, this i would definitely buy for a child and read to a child (compared to "penguin problems")

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like Nora Ephron, Cyrus, the giraffe, feels bad about his neck. It is, to put it mildly, rather conspicuous. All of his attempts to conceal this standout feature end in disappointment. Enter Edward, the turtle, who also feels bad about his neck. When the pair compare necks, each animal realizes their distinguishing features might not be such a pain in the neck after all.

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Giraffe doesn’t feel good about his neck. He is deeply self-conscious and deeply unhappy until he meets a turtle who admires Giraffe’s neck and convinces Giraffe that his neck is an asset.

The charm of this book is in the delightful illustrations that s-t-r-e-t-c-h across the page and in the silly conversations of the characters in the story.

[Lindsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

We have been dealing with the "grass is always greener" life lesson at home this week so this book was perfect.

[KC · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful tale of a giraffe who is unhappy with his neck

[Janani(ஜனனி)⁷]

read with Mrs. Obama <3

[Becs · Rating 5 out of 5]

This picture book stands out from the crowd, much like its giraffe protagonist, setting itself apart with beautiful illustrations, just the right amount of humour within the dialogue and clever delivery.

The story is told in a standard format for the most part, but the author mixes this up a little by telling the story across the page, with extending pages or by requiring the reader to turn the book to continue reading. Whilst this isn't strictly speaking especially original or inventive, it is interactive and fun which fundamentally is what compels children to keep reading a lot of the time.

Edward, the giraffe, is really embarrassed about his super long neck. He spends almost all of the book coming up with creative ways to hide it, even going so far as to hide in the ocean and still his neck sticks out. That is, until he meets Cyrus. A turtle with quite the opposite problem!

I really loved Edward, he's a likeable and funny character children will enjoy with a great narrative voice - I can entirely imagine stuffed animal versions of Edward and Cyrus quickly becoming hugely popular. An easy book to recommend for small readers.

ARC provided free from walker books in exchange for an honest review.

[Mid-Continent Public Library]

Everybody has things that they’re self-conscious about; it might be the way they sneeze, or how their voice sounds, but for Edward the giraffe, he hates just how long and spotty and ENORMOUS his neck is. Edward might not like the way his neck looks, but he does have a friend in Cyrus the turtle who helps him realize just how important a long beautiful neck can be to a giraffe. This is a great story to talk about why we might be self-conscious and the many unique ways we are different with your little ones. Enjoy this one now by checking out a copy on Mymcpl.org or searching for it on Overdrive! – Reviewed by Stephanie at MCPL Reading Rocket

[donna backshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Say, do you like bow ties, Cyrus?"

"I'm not sure, Edward. I have very little experience with them."

Who would expect this gem of a conversation between a giraffe and a turtle?

I love it when a book teaches a lesson about self-assurance without getting all preachy and obvious. This book took a giraffe problem (a long neck everyone stares at) and used it to forge an unlikely, but satisfying, friendship.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Giraffe who is self-conscious about his long neck makes friends with a trutle who is equally self-conscious about his short neck. A thoroughly enjoyable follow up to Penguin Problems.

[Garrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel bad about my chin.

[Jeimy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one was merely cute. I’m just not a fan of books where the character realizes that one animal’s flaw is another animal’s treasure.

[Ria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Problemen zijn er om te op te lossen. Soms gaat dat echter niet zo eenvoudig. Je blijft er maar aan denken, iets proberen, over praten tot vervelens toe en dan nog heb je de oplossing niet voor een in jouw ogen onmetelijk probleem.

Onmetelijk, dat is ook de lange, lange, dunne, suffe, vlekkerige nek van Edward de giraf. Té nekkerig.
Hij denkt dat alle dieren naar hem kijken en wijst voor de lezer hem, haar en hen allemaal aan. Met zijn kop, doordat hij juist die lange nek heeft.
Edward versiert die vreselijke nek met héél veel stofjes en verstopt die nek op alle mogelijke plaatsen. Toch vindt hij nog steeds dat andere dieren een nek hebben die wèl klopt in lengte en patroon. Natuurlijk gelooft ook deze giraf zijn mama niet toen ze ooit zei dat hij trots op zijn speciale nek moest zijn. ‘Geloof je het zelf? Deze nek wil níemand.’

En dan komt hij een dier tegen dat een tegenovergesteld probleempje heeft met zijn nek. Te kort.
Dit dier, Christo de schildpad, vertelt zijn beperkingen en schaamt zich voor zijn nekje dat amper onder zijn schild uitkomt. ‘Ik kom pas tevoorschijn als de zon ondergaat.’ Hij zou die lange nek wèl willen hebben.
Een gesprek ontstaat, ze maken kennis, ze helpen elkaar door begrip te tonen en werkelijk iets voor de ander te doen. De onzekerheid verdwijnt, zelfvertrouwen komt, complimentjes worden gegeven en ze respecteren en accepteren elkaar. En dan het allermooiste: een vriendschap tussen eerst twee heel verschillende diersoorten ontstaat!

Een heerlijk en mooi prentenboek met een schitterend omslag. Het heeft alles in zich. De onderwerpen die aan bod komen: je bent goed zoals je bent, tegenstellingen en begrippenparen, vriendschap kan met iedereen.
De tekst leest vloeiend zoals een prentenboektekst moet zijn. Door de geweldige vertaling van Edward van de Vendel is zowel de humoristische als de serieuze toon in goed gekozen woorden aanwezig. De prachtige, in rustige kleuren en doordachte illustraties zijn kenmerkend voor Lane Smith. De vormgeving vraagt om een aparte vermelding. Beide dieren hebben een eigen passend lettertype. Je kijkt en leest niet alleen van links naar rechts, ook omkeren, draaien en uitklappen van pagina’s dragen bij aan een herhalende positieve leeservaring. Van kaft tot schutblad. Een boek dat voor iedereen een feest is in vertellen, luisteren en kijken. Gesprekken ontstaan. Je kunt er een toneelstuk bij bedenken! Aanrader van kop tot schouder!

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book about a giraffe self-conscious about his neck. I am glad he received help from another wild animal!