Description
From School Library Journal PreS-Gr 2-In a follow-up to Penguin Problems, John and Smith team up again and bring their zany brand of comedy. Edward the giraffe has a problem with his neck-it's just too necky. Who wants such a long neck? "Everybody stares at it. This guy. That guy. Him. Her. Them. Whatever that is. Her again." Edward envies his fellow African animals, who generally respond unfavorably. When Edward admires the zebra's classic stripes, the zebra snaps, "Quit staring at me," but it takes a self-effacing turtle named Cyrus to convince him that his neck is just perfect. A foldout page reveals Edward using his neck for its intended purpose. In a beautiful introduction to the uniqueness of a giraffe's spots, Smith has created large, block-printed spots in natural colors to adorn the end pages. The textured print continues throughout, visible in the hides of animals, the bark of trees, and the textured ground of the African plain. Of course, there is the theme of self-acceptance and a bit of sublime silliness as well, especially in Edwards's fruitless attempts at camouflage and in the expressively simple eyes of Cyrus the turtle. VERDICT This book will appeal to older preschoolers as well as elementary school kids, and would lend itself perfectly to dramatic interpretation or an art lesson in sponge or block printing.-Lisa xadTaylor, Florida State College, Jacksonvilleα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. "Side-splittingly funny, totally original and one to return to time after time." -- Picture Books Blogger "Sure to garner laughs." -- Publisher's Weekly , STARRED Review "That [his neck] is just right for a giraffe is a notion that Edward, not to mention young readers with self-consciousness issues of their own, will have no trouble swallowing." --Booklist , STARRED Review "In a follow-up to Penguin Problems , John and Smith team up again and bring their zany brand of comedy. Of course, there is [also] the theme of self-acceptance and a bit of sublime silliness as well, especially in Edwards's fruitless attempts at camouflage and in the expressively simple eyes of Cyrus the turtle." --School Library Journal , STARRED review "Another hilarious story of personal insecurities from Jory John. Definitely a laugh-out-loud read with a nice lesson about appreciating what you have, with fabulous illustrations from Lane Smith." --IndieNext ."This is one of my favorite picture books so far this year." -- Cracking the Cover (blog) "With this and Penguin Problems , John is clearly setting out to catalogue animal angst continent by continent, and audiences won't want to miss the trip." --The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books , Review, July/August 2018 issue "Readers are afforded caring models for self-accepxadtance and unconditional friendship." -- The Horn Book , Review, September/October 2018 issue "The creators of Penguin Problems may well have outdone the original in this companion tale about a giraffe who feels bad about his long neck; a turtle who is blue about his dinky one; and the shared dismay, assistance, and courtly manners that ensue." --Publisher's Weekly , The Most Anticipated Children's Books of Fall 2018 "Jory John and Lane Smith have done it again. Giraffe Problems , like its companion Penguin Problems , is both funny and endearing, with an extra little dash of style ... John's effortless wit and Smith's delightful illustrations." --Reading Is Our Thing (blog) ."From the team that created Penguin Problems , this picture book has a great mix of humor and empathy. The writing is pitch perfect ... presented in a conversational tone that begs to be shared aloud. Smith's art is textural with graphical elements that are compelling. Visual humor adds to the silliness of the book, creating just the right balance." -- Waking Brain Cells (blog) . " Smith's artwork is eye-catching and expressive." --Kirkus "Read it to any child between three and thirteen. All will love it: guaranteed. But don't get the book only for the laughs. It's much more than just another humorous picture book for entertaining children. The story of the giraffe with the really, really long neck, who doesn't like his neck at all, will resonate with kids." --Pamela Kramer (blog) JORY JOHN is a New York Times bestselling author and two-time E.B. White Read-Aloud Honor recipient. Jory's previous collaboration with Lane Smith was the national bestselling picture book, Penguin Problems , an Amazon Best Children's Book of the Year selection. Jory's work also includes the award-winning Goodnight Already! series, the bestselling Terrible Two series, the national bestseller All my friends are dead , and the recent picture books I Will Chomp You! , Quit Calling Me a Monster! and The Bad Seed , among many other books for both children and adults. He lives and works in Oregon. Find out more at joryjohn.com.LANE SMITH (also the illustrator of Penguin Problems ) has written and illustrated a bunch of stuff, including Grandpa Green , which was a 2012 Caldecott Honor Book; It's a Book, which has been translated into over twenty-five languages; and The True Story of the Three Little Pigs! Four of his books have been New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Books of the Year. In 2012 the Eric Carle Museum named him an Honor Artist for "lifelong innovation in the field of children's books." In 2014 he received the Society of Illustrators Lifetime Achievement Award. Lane and book designer Molly Leach live in rural Connecticut. Visit him on the Web at lanesmithbooks.com. Read more
Features & Highlights
- 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.
