Oh Dear, Geoffrey!

Geoffrey the giraffe’s height makes him clumsy. It’s hard for him to make friends with the creatures on the ground, because he’s always tripping and bumping, and slipping and sliding in the dusty earth, the water and the mud. The meerkats are scared, the animals at the waterhole are soaked, and poor Geoffrey eventually gives up and nibbles leaves in the trees instead.

O'Neill's engaging artwork brings richness to this entertaining picture book. She uses patterning and digital layering to create stunningly physical muddy, watery and starry surroundings. The story is told with great sympathy, and we feel for Geoffrey in his friendless plight, as well as in his joy when he discovers happiness in just being who he is.