The Starry Giraffe

by Andy Bergmann, Andy Bergmann (Illustrator)

Overview

In the tradition of Shel Silverstein’s The Giving Tree, a generous giraffe gives away all of his apples to his hungry friends in this winning picture book that begs to be read aloud.

Poor starry giraffe: every time he reaches for a yummy red apple from a tall tree, one of his hungry friends comes along and the generous giraffe shares the treat. Just when you think he has nothing left to eat for himself, a turn of the page shows otherwise: the starry giraffe is at an apple orchard and there are apples and trees galore!

A disarmingly delightful debut picture book from Andrew Bergmann, an accomplished New York based artist and storyteller, The Starry Giraffe puts a surprising twist on a classic story.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781481491006
Publisher:	Aladdin
Publication date:	06/13/2017
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	10.00(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Andrew Bergmann is an accomplished New York based artist and storyteller. His work has been featured in The Washington Post, USA TODAY, and FastCompany and on CNN and NPR. Andy founded the Armadillo Puppet Theater in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala, which has now been entertaining and educating children in Central American orphanages, hospitals, and rural areas for almost two decades.

Andrew Bergmann is an accomplished New York based artist and storyteller. His work has been featured in The Washington Post, USA TODAY, and FastCompany and on CNN and NPR. Andy founded the Armadillo Puppet Theater in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala, which has now been entertaining and educating children in Central American orphanages, hospitals, and rural areas for almost two decades.

Editorial Reviews

2017-03-15
A hungry giraffe plucks apple after apple for a steady stream of friends, until the tree is bare and she is tired—but she will eat soon!Expressive tissue-paper collages against a stark white background (à la Eric Carle) ensure immediate interest. The starry giraffe's name derivation is obvious: instead of a typical giraffe-hide pattern, her long neck and ovoid torso—both ochre—are covered with slightly darker stars. Only the starry giraffe can reach the apples, and she obligingly gives them away to a mouse, a family of skunks, a gray bunny, a raccoon, a snake, a rhino, and an inchworm. Whimsy abounds in both text and illustrations: two bumps indicate how many apples were swallowed by the snake; the rhino "carried one off in his lunch box to eat later." Perhaps most delightful is the surprise ending—both humorous and satisfying and far removed from the sacrificial generosity of such books as The Giving Tree and The Rainbow Fish. The only misstep here is the fact that the starry giraffe is the sole animal with a female pronoun, while fully five of the others are male (the verdict is out on the skunk family members and the snake). Adults inclined toward gender parity will likely correct the imbalance as they read aloud the otherwise thoughtful—and charming—text. A gracious, humorous exploration of generosity and gratitude. (Picture book. 3-5)

Kirkus Reviews