Review: Giraffe of Montana, Vol 1 (Lily Azerad-Goldman-Reviewer)

Illustrated by Bill Megenhardt

ISBN 0-9763359-4-8

The following review was contributed by: Lily Azerad-Goldman: CLICK TO VIEW Lily Azerad-Goldman's Reviews

English literature professor, William Bowman Piper, has penned a sweet-natured book, Giraffe of Montana, Vol 1. The book revolves around a Utopian fairy tale of an unlikely friendship between different animal species- a giraffe and a crocodile, a possum and a zebra, a hippo and a bear, etc. To make things even more interesting, they all gather together in the cold wilderness of Montana!

The clever narrative is divided into four chapters, wherein the feeling conveyed is that of the splendor of comradeship among all species, as well as the significance of getting along with everyone, notwithstanding our differences.

The first chapter introduces us to Giraffe living in a cave in a friendly kingdom and is friends with different kinds of animals. Giraffe is the important chief peacemaker for all of his buddies. One of his friends, the croc, is lonely, thus provoking Giraffe to travel to Florida in order to seek out a companion for him. Then there is Allison the alligator, who is self-conscious about her snub nose. When all the friends in Montana embrace her with “open arms”, she forgets about her snub-nose and regains her self-confidence. The second chapter takes us back to the friends’ “Olympics,” where conflicts are resolved in a friendly way. In the third chapter, the friends argue as to where to hold Christmas and what kind of tree they will have. Of course, all of their differences are resolved. The fourth chapter brings us to the celebration of a very special Christmas in Montana.

One of the shortcomings of the book and one that prevents the book from becoming entirely engrossing and kid-friendly is the non-stop chatter between the friends. This tends to become a bit exhausting, and in addition, retaining the names of all the friends is a taxing exercise for anyone’s memory, let alone children from 6 to 10.

The black and white illustrations and colored book cover by Bill Megenhardt enhance Giraffe in Montana. The cartoonish characters that are adorable and in synchronization with the text, as well as the vibrant colors result in a triumph of achievement and production. It is a harmonious concerto of peace among all species. Perhaps, we should all move to this peace loving place in the world, Montana. Are they still going to be friends in the forthcoming Vol. 2, or are they going to succumb to the real world’s frenzy?