Emily the Giraffe

A friendly, helpful giraffe enjoys her trip abroad, but she is glad to return home to Africa

Emily takes maximum advantage of her unusual anatomy, turning somersaults to regale her friends, lowering her neck to serve as a diving board, and using her variegated back as a chess board. When offered a trip north she puts her talents to new uses, becoming a chimney sweep and a circus performer. Still, she is happy to return to her friends in the jungle when given passage back as a reward for rescuing a child from a high-rise fire. Although initially appealing, the concept behind this slight story quickly becomes repetitive and wears thin; unlike another transplant from the tropics, the insatiably Curious George, Emily has little personality (except for a bland, all-inclusive friendliness) and her adventures lack punch. She is depicted in watercolors that are cheery but, again, somewhat repetitive; with her wide, lash-framed eyes, Emily may be too cartoony a figure for some tastes. Ages 3-7.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.