The King's Giraffe (Hardcover)

~ (Author), (Author), Stephane Poulin (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-4?This account is a longer, even more fictionalized version than the one found in Nancy Milton's The Giraffe That Walked to Paris (Crown, 1992). With its focus on Abdul, the Egyptian stable boy who accompanied the animal to France, the Colliers' story is also more personal and immediate. In their description of events, the pasha and the King of France are posed as friends exchanging gifts of mutual affection rather than as warring rulers trying for rapprochement. King Charles is portrayed as a lovable duffer who likes to spend time with his grandson. He is so awed by the sight of the giraffe that he flubs his speech of welcome, which must then be finished by the boy. The result of such touches is a sanitized and often too-cute text, but it does give a sense of the excitement and possessive pride that the giraffe engendered in the French people. The oil paintings have a palette and quality of light that, without being a pastiche, are reminiscent of Rococo painters such as Watteau. Poulin offers some interesting views. For example, the title-page illustration shows the giraffe looking more akin to a tree trunk than an animal as he peers out of a copse at a bucolic scene of gamboling sheep, and the picture of the docking in France shows the wharf as seen from the level of the giraffe's head. A pleasant story about a historical event that conveys the lasting sensation caused by the animal's arrival.?Karen James, Louisville Free Public Library,
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Ages 6^-8. The year is 1826. When the king of France sends his friend the pasha of Egypt a printing press, the pasha responds by sending the French king "the most wondrous animal on earth," a beautiful giraffe. Abdul the stable boy accompanies his long-necked friend on the voyage and the stately walk through France, where they are greeted with honor and enthusiasm. The oil paintings, as formal as the prose, illustrate the story in a soft-edged realistic style graced with touches of humor. Considerably longer than the text for most picture books, this tale unfolds at a leisurely pace, and, given the complete lack of conflict, it's more than some children will sit still for; however, larger libraries may want to have the book on hand for its unusual story and its introduction to nineteenth-century France. Carolyn Phelan

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 1 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books; 1st edition (April 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689806795
• ISBN-13: 978-0689806797
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 8.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,370,242 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautifully told and richly illustrated story, May 21, 1999

By	[e-mail] (David Allswang) (Berkeley, California) - See all my reviews

THE KING'S GIRAFFE is a delight. The story succeeds as an enchanting and exotic narrative while it empowers its young readers by portraying the child characters, Abdul and Henry, as problem solvers for their bewildered masters, the Pasha of Egypt and the King of France. The story, while fanciful, is well-grounded in history and geography and would be a wonderful aid in preparing children for their first visit to France since the illustrations and the story refer to actual cities and locations. The illustrations are evocative, gentle, exotic, richly textured and whimsical as befits the text. The authors have a gift for appealing to the fantasy life of children while captivating the adults who will undoubtedly be asked to read this story aloud over and over again.

5.0 out of 5 stars "The King's Giraffe"; a Whimsical Tale Guaranteed to Please, January 23, 1999

By A Customer

Few childrens books captivate and charm like "The Kings Giraffe". Poulain's illustrations captivate adults and kids alike, and Colliers storytelling evoke the magical true story of a african giraffe in Paris.