Thursday, August 31, 2017

Yours Sincerely, Giraffe

Yours Sincerely, Giraffe. Megumi Iwasa. Illustrated by Jun Takabatake. 2017. 104 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: This is the African savanna, home to one bored giraffe.

Premise/plot: Giraffe, one of the heroes of the book, is BORED. One day he sees a sign advertising a new business. A BORED pelican has decided to start a mail delivery service. Giraffe decides he will write a letter, and the letter is to be delivered to the first animal pelican meets "on the other side of the horizon." Pelican delivers the letter, and Giraffe waits...and waits...and waits. Will Giraffe receive a letter in return? Will he find a friend? Will Giraffe and Pelican find relief from their boredom?

My thoughts: This one was originally published in New Zealand. It stars four characters: Pelican, Giraffe, Whale, and Penguin. I really enjoyed all four characters; each is special in his own way. The book includes the text of each letter, and the letters are quite amusing. For example, "When I read your letter, I learned for the first time that there is such a thing as a neck. I think maybe I don't have a neck. Or maybe I am all neck?" (54) Another favorite:
"You asked what I look like, but looking is a very odd thing....No matter whether the sea looks blue or green or orange, when I scoop up a bucketful the water becomes transparent. Isn't that strange? Perhaps it isn't looking that's strange, but the sea itself. Or maybe it's the bucket. But you asked what I look like. I think that I am mostly black and white. Even when I climbed into a bucket, my feathers did not change. So I think that must be right." (60-1)
I would definitely recommend this one!



© 2017 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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