"Pardon?" said the Giraffe - Softcover

Colin West enjoys working on all types of book, including poetry and story books and has been described by The Good Book Guide as "the most consistently good poet of the absurd for children since Edward Lear." Colin lives in Battle, near Hastings, East Sussex.

ea. vol: illus. by author. unpaged. Lippincott. May 1986. PLB $11.89; Trophy. pap. $2.50. PreSchool-Grade 1 Friendly spring-like watercolors on a clean white background support the simple repetitive texts of these funny books. The cumulative story Have You Seen the Crocodile? , with its snappy ending, is the better of the two. As each of the birds and insects of the pond join to make sure that the crocodile is not around, they miss what is right under their noses. In the final spread, the crocodile, alone now, asks, "Has anyone seen the parrot and the dragonfly and. . . ?" Those young listeners who are upset at the idea that the animals have been eaten by the crocodile might allow themselves to be convinced that they have actually flown away to safety. In the other book, a frog asks a giraffe, "What's it like up there?" Due to the differences in their height, the giraffe can't hear him, and the frog is forced to repeat his question from atop various other animals. As he finally gets his answer, perched atop the giraffe's nose, the giraffe sneezes, flinging him down to the ground, at which point the giraffe attempts to find out what it's like "down there." This one is somewhat less satisfying in that the giraffe bends down to ask the frog his question, which negates the earlier problem and undermines its solution. Yet the large, happy jungle animals and the frog's determination will appeal to children. Both titles are pleasing in their simplicity, and story hour presenters are certain to be rewarded with big smiles. David Gale, "School Library Journal"
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.