The White Giraffe

I read White Giraffe, as I wanting to read about one of my favorite wildlife animals. This book is a treasure. I enjoyed the interaction between White Giraffe and Martine. The building of their friendship that formed while each tried to bring comfort and security to each other. I recommend this book for midgrade and others as a read independent reader, but I also think that 8–12-year-olds, would enjoy the rich language and vivid descriptions of the African terrain when read aloud to them. This book receives a 5-star rating from an elementary teacher of 40 years. Well done. Rhonda-Kay Gatlin

It's true that it is hard to resist the cover. All the rest of the wonderful black and white illustrations by David Dean are also delightful, but the book also is paced well, has fun characters, and the appeal of animals and foreign places. The best part for me is that the setting rings true; it sounds like the author knows what she's talking about and loves sharing it with her audience. She does mention some of the social issues in South Africa, but since that is not the intent of the book, she doesn't dwell on them. The book isn't aimed at young adults; it's a children's book so the plot is fairly simple but nonetheless enjoyable for all ages. I'm looking forward to future journeys with St. John's colorful settings, whimsical fantasy, and endearing animals.

Martine has lost both her parents in a tragic fire and is sent to live with her grandmother on a wildlife reserve in Africa. Life is much different than it was in England and Martine feels lonely and afraid, especially since her grandmother has made it clear she isn't pleased Martine is living with her.Late one night she sees the impossible: a white giraffe. She sneaks out to meet the animal and becomes friends with him. Encounters with injured animals show Martine that she has a special power to heal those animals, a gift. When her classmates see her gift, they suspect her of being a witch.I thought this was a neat story, and the illustrations are beautiful. As a mother, the amount of sneaking out and danger that 11-year-old Martine encounters bothered me, but none of that scared my daughter. There's also a woman that reads bones to predict the future, so that might bother some people.The book is recommended for ages 8-12, and I think that's pretty spot on. For a kid's book, this was a decent length, 180 pages. Some of the animals mentioned I'm not sure that age group would be able to identify, but it's a well written book. There are 3 other books in the series: Dolphin Song, The Last Leopard and The Elephant's Tale.

This book is certainly for the animal lover. I enjoyed the interacting of Martine with the animals and the other people in the story. None of it was clear and defined and it allowed for growth. Martine grew and learned along with the others in the book. I enjoyed the magic of the story.There were some editing challenges on the first page of almost every chapter. That was a little rough on the reading.

I used to love reading these books when I was in middle/high school, the series is great! I ordered this partially for myself, but also to read to my niece. Highly recommend!

My daughter and I read this book aloud when she was about 9 or 10. We did that because we enjoyed the activity of reading aloud. I probably wouldn't have read this book if I hadn't read it with her. We both absolutely loved it. One of the rewards of raising a child is coming in contact with children's literature that didn't exist when I was growing up. Lauren St. John's work is some of this literature. When I gave my now 15 year old daughter a Kindle for the holidays, I included The White Giraffe as a nostalgic present, along with several books more of her age group. I'm sure we'll both re-read this book more than one time. It's an adventure story, it's magical, and it's poignant. There are other Lauren St. John books in the series with the same characters, but The White Giraffe remains a favorite.

Read this as a read aloud to my 3rd graders in Malawi. This is their rating. They all loved it and want to read the next one. 😊

Words can't describe the feeling I have for this book. As an adult, it draws back to me the many strong bonds I have held with animals and how they soothe our human griefs. I have compiled several small photo books of pictures of Sawubona, the mountains, the sea, and all the places they rode ,and some photos of the people Maritine may have met. ( downloaded from internet site) I will include these with the books that I plan to give to my 7 year old , gentle animal lover grandaughter so she can imagine the terrain as we read it to her ( perfect for a chapter at bedtime), and also to some other young girls ages 9-14 in my family. I have recommended this to all my friends who also give it 5+ stars. Looking forward to reading the rest of Lauren St. John books.

Libro de segunda manos en perfectas condiciones. Se nota el uso pero no tiene ni una esquina doblada. Muy contenta.

Good

This is a magical adventure following a young girl's relocation to Africa to live with her Grandmother following the death of her parents. Lauren St John has very cleverly combined a "traditional" adventure story whilst also addressing some current issues about conservation. The relationship formed between the girl and "Jemmy" the rare white giraffe is touching. I would recommend this book for boys and girls from about 8 years upwards, particularly if they love animals and adventure!This is the first in a series and St John has also written another series beginning with "Dead man's cove" which is also excellent and won a Blue Peter prize last year.

I found it very intriging and absolutely loved everything about it. The detailed description, the pictures and the characters. My favourite character is Tendai, he is such a kind man who has a passion for nature. If you read other comments saying this book is bad just ignore them. The BEST book of history!!!

Todo perfecto y rápido