Giraffes

Children's Literature - Jamie Hain

The tallest mammals to walk the earth, giraffes are naturally occurring only in Africa, though they have been shipped to countries around the world as gifts of state and zoo purchases, dating back to Ancient Rome. This book takes readers on a journey into the world of the giraffe, examining its habitat, lifestyle, body composition, and predation concerns. Additional sections focus on the conservation efforts being made to preserve all nine giraffe subspecies—which were once hunted almost to the point of extinction—and new ideas currently being researched in regards to how these tall creatures, once believed to be incapable of making sounds, communicate with one another using infrasound waves. Beautiful full-page photographs showcase all nine subspecies of giraffes and enhance the accompanying text. Part of the "Living Wild" series, this book contains a glossary of new words, an easy to use index for young readers, and excerpts from stories about man's first interactions with giraffes. This book is an ideal starting point for readers just beginning to learn about the vast world of giraffes and would be a great addition to any library serving middle school children. Reviewer: Jamie Hain

School Library Journal

Gr 4-6

Enticing readers with clear color pictures of the animals in the wild, Hanel and Helget begin with exciting action scenes and then introduce subspecies, physical features, diet, threatened habitats, and, in Giraffes , scientists' ideas about the creature's evolution (the information in these last two sections is particularly strong). The color photographs are attractive, but are not always near the relevant text and fail to expand its content. Each book includes a folktale ("How the Tiger Got Its Stripes" in Tigers and "Why the Giraffe Cannot Speak" in Giraffes ), and Tigers reproduces "Mowgli's Song" from Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book . Additional purchases.-Nancy Call, Santa Cruz Public Libraries, Aptos, CA