"Giraffe tongues are the longest in the world
for a land animal. Some reach 1.65 feet, or
20 inches. Your tongue is probably only 4
inches long. And talk about color! Our
tongues are black, dark blue, or purple and
have lots of a pigment called melanin, which
helps protect them from sunburn. Your skin
has melanin, too."
About to be released, this book that has kids looking at giraffes in numeric terms is sure to attract interest. We all know how connected to animals of all kinds most kids feel. Twiga is the giraffe narrator who comfortably welcomes readers to learn about the ways that math concepts and giraffes can fit together. Obviously, she knows a great deal about them.
She begins with height, stating that giraffes are the 'tallest animals on earth'. Geraldo Valerio's paint, colored pencil and paper collage artwork uses perspective to show just how tall they are when he places a horse, child, and dog in close proximity. Twiga moves on to explain that when she bends over to take a drink of water at a waterhole, her body forms a triangle shape to allow such movement. Vulnerability to attack in that position is ever-present.
She moves on to compare her weight to a whale, an elephant and a human adult. Further facts are provided with each turn of the page: their group name (a herd or a tower), the length of an ossicone on top of her head and the difference between male and female ossicones. There is a description of vision, including the size of the eye and length of the eyelashes. And talk about a tongue; they are the longest in world for a land animal. It takes a vertical turn of the book to show readers just how long her neck is.
The heart, the tail, spots and camouflage, powerful legs, hooves the size of a medium pizza, and personality also have importance in the narration. Back matter includes further facts, including a description of a giraffe's life cycle. A map of Africa shows their historical range from the 1700s, as compared with today.
"In the 1700s, more than a million giraffes
roamed across Africa. Today, scientists
estimate that only 117,000 giraffes remain
in the wild."
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