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The Giraffe Who Was Afraid of Heights Reviews and Endorsements |
Reviews
The Bloomsbury Review - Jan/Feb 2007 ...Set on an African savannah, a young giraffe is sent by his parents to the village doctor because the giraffe is too scared to lift his head above his shoulders. He falls over every time he tries. Along the way, the giraffe meets a monkey who is afraid to climb trees and a hippopotamus who is afraid of water. In a moment reminiscent of Oz, the three funny friends decide to go together to see the village doctor. But how will they get across the river? When a crocodile threatens the group, the animals' courage solves their problems with, shall we say, a natural cure. 'I recommend this book,' said Samantha, 'because it is about saving self and others.' A five-page section, 'For Creative Minds,' discusses what is fact and what is fiction about animals, and suggests games and craft activities. Vervet monkeys, such as the one in the story, have thumbs, we learned, and at the book's suggestion--tape your thumb inside your hand--Samantha and I practiced what it would be like to live without thumbs. We learned that without thumbs it is pretty hard to turn the pages of a book. -Jacqueline St. Joan (Samantha and Elizabeth).
Science Books and Films - Nov/Dec 2006 Children can be fearful of many things, such as the dark, water or heights. In David A. Ufer’s new children’s book entitled The Giraffe Who Was Afraid of Heights, the author crafts a charming story about three animals what have fears and how they overcome those fears. The young giraffe of the title has a fear of heights, so his parents send him to the village doctor for help. On his way, he befriends a monkey that is afraid of climbing trees and a hippo that is afraid of water. A crocodile approaches the shore, threatening the monkey. The giraffe tells the monkey to jump on his head. The monkey jumps onto a tree, grabs some coconuts, and throws them at the crocodile. Just then, the hippo charges the crocodile, and they crash into the water and begin fighting. The crocodile finally decides that he has had enough and swims away. The three animals realize that they have all conquered their fears, and this story speaks to young children and how they, too, can overcome fears. The text is easy to read and blends fiction and facts about animal behavior. The beautiful illustrations by Kirsten Carlson bring a human quality to the animals. The “Creative Minds” section contains fun facts and information about how each of the animals presented adapts to its environment. There is also a match-the-feet game and a mix-and-match activity book. This book will appeal to preschool and early elementary school children and could be used in the classroom or as a wonderful addition to libraries. –Carol April Stories for Children Magazine - June 2008 Author David Ufer wrote a terrific story that will help children see how to overcome their fears through a unique storyline of a giraffe who's afraid of heights, a monkey who's afraid of climbing trees, and a hippo who's afraid to cross the river. You'll just have to read this delightful tale to see what fourth animal enters into the equation and what happens to all four of the animals. I give this book a high five all the way around – a unique, fun, extremely well-written storyline with a neat message that held my interest to the very end; fantastic, endearing illustrations by Kirsten Carlson; and the great learning experiences at the end of this book and also online thanks to the superior quality of Sylvan Dell Publishing. This is a must read for the little ones! The Creative Minds section at the end of the book has Animal Adaptations for each animal in the story, Fun Facts about each animal, A Matching Game, and Craft Activity: Mix-and-Match Activity Book. This entire section can also be downloaded at the Sylvan Dell website. In addition, readers can find cross-curricular “Teaching Activities,” an audio reading, child-friendly “Learning Links,” and comprehension and math quizzes for free at www.SylvanDellPublishing.com Another big plus – Author David A. Ufer donates a portion of his royalties from the sale of this book to the World Wildlife Fund. How cool is that? Children’s Literature - 2006 This tale addresses fears young children may have by highlighting the same fears in three animals. The giraffe is scared of heights, the monkey is scared of climbing trees, and the hippo is afraid of water. So they head off together to go to the doctor. However, help is closer than the giraffe, monkey, and hippo believe. Collectively they learn to conquer their fears because they choose to help each other when the need arises. This scenario lets children learn about the idea of cooperation in an understandable way. The characters are delightfully presented, and the illustrations fit the tale well. Material at the end of the book includes creative and factual activities. Only a few lines on each page keep the page moving forward. The same activities are also available from Sylvan Dell’s web site. The book meets national science and math curriculum standards in the categories of life science and numbers and operations. - Nancy Garhan Attebury Shelf Awareness - Fall, 2006 With soft illustrations and muted colors, this excellent picture books tells the story of animals that are afraid of the very things they should excel at. - Jan Warner-Poole, Storyteller Books, Vancouver, Wash. Children's Book Watch - Sept, 2006 The Giraffe Who Was Afraid Of Heights is a picturebook story about animal friends who bond together to face their fears. A young giraffe is so afraid of heights he's terrified to lift his head above the ground, a monkey is afraid of climbing trees, and a hippo afraid of water can't cross the river. When a terrible crocodile threatens to eat them, they must work together, and find courage within themselves stronger than any doctor's treatment. Soft color illustrations bring this story of cooperation and self-improvement to life. A supplementary section presents true facts about the animals portrayed in the book. An excellent, character-building picturebook for young readers. Heartland Reviews This picture book takes three animals’ natural environments and turns them into fears. They meet one another on the way to the doctor where they hope to find cures for the giraffe’s fear of heights, the monkey’s fear of climbing trees, and a young hippo’s fear of water. An attacking crocodile causes their instincts to over ride their fears, saving them from attack and curing them of their phobias. We gave this book five hearts. - Bob Spear Armchair Interviews Told from the perspective of a young giraffe with a fear of heights, this beautifully illustrated book teaches children that it's okay to be afraid. Hoping to help their son conquer his fear of raising his head up into the air, a young giraffe's worried parents send him off to see the village doctor. As the giraffe sets out on his journey, he meets a monkey with a fear of climbing trees, and a hippo who is terrified of the water. Together, the three young animals discuss their fears and decide to travel together across the African savannah. When they encounter danger in the form of a hungry crocodile that thinks the monkey would make a perfect lunch, the animals band together to protect their friend and in the process learn how to triumph over fear. At the back of the book is a brilliant section entitled "For Creative Minds," which explores fun animal facts, discusses animal adaptations, and includes a craft activity with instructions for making a mix-and-match activity book.This section is what makes Sylvan Dell books stand out from the crowd--combining a thoughtfully written story with educational "story-stretching" activities. Armchair Interviews says: The Giraffe Who Was Afraid of Heights is a gentle reminder for young children that everyone has fears, and that there are ways of overcoming them. - Jennifer Peacey Go to online review Wee One's Magazine - May/June Giraffe is afraid of heights. His parents decide to send him to the doctors, because after all, giraffes are tall and should not be afraid of heights! On his way, he meets a monkey, who is afraid of climbing trees. They walk to the doctors and meet a hippo who is afraid of water. When danger strikes, all three animals forget their fears and help each other. They overcome their fears! The message of friendship flows through this book. Facing your fears head on isn't always a bad idea either! Colorful illustrations bring the African savannah to life. A Creative Minds section at the end of the book engages young children in a game, activity and lots of fun facts! This is an all-inclusive book, perfect for young children. Children's Book Reviews Can you believe that a tall young giraffe is afraid of heights? Or, that a hippo is afraid of water? Or that a monkey is afraid of climbing trees? "That’s silly," you say. "Giraffe’s are supposed to reach their long necks up high for food. Monkeys climb trees ever so quickly for safety. And, hippos need water to play in and stay cool." Yet, in this adorable story these animals are afraid; and, when they meet each other on their way to the doctor for help, they find a way to help one another overcome their fears instead. A crocodile unwittingly helps. Storyteller Books The Giraffe Who was Afraid of Heights by David A. Ufer and illustrated by Kirsten Carlson is a softer and more gentle book. The illustrations are soft, muted colors and cute. The story is about animals that are afraid of the very things they should excel at. Again an excellent Creative Minds section. - Jan Warner-Poole HomeSchoolBlogger.com - August, 8 2006 The Giraffe Who was Afraid of Heights by David A. Ufer is an adorable little story about overcoming fear...The Giraffe Who was Afraid of Heights included scientific information about the animals in the story as well as a matching game and a simple activity book. - Cindy Downes Florida Media Quarterly- Fall, 2006 This is a delightful story of three young African savanna[h] friends who each have a unique phobia: the giraffe-a fear of heights, the monkey-a fear of climbing trees, and the hippo-a fear of water. When faced with an enemy, a crocodile, they forget their fear through courageous acts to save one another and find the fear gone.
The illustrations are humorous and unique, drawn from various perspectives. The first word on each page is written on a woodblock print. We see the same prints in a pattern at the end of the book in a section of true facts about four African animals. An added bonus is a matching game of animal feet and prints and a reproducible activity book. - Ms. Frankie Morgan, Media Specialist at Crown Point Elementary School in Jacksonville, FL
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