Giraffe Problems

Penguins aren’t the only animals with problems....A second hilarious collaboration from picture-book superstars Lane Smith and Jory John!

Can you guess what’s making this giraffe self-conscious? Could it be...HIS ENORMOUS NECK?? Yes, it’s exactly that — how on earth did you figure it out?

Edward the giraffe can’t understand why his neck is as long and bendy and, well, ridiculous as it is. No other animal has a neck this absurd. He’s tried disguising it, dressing it up, strategically hiding it behind bushes — honestly, anything you can think of, he’s tried.

Just when he has exhausted his neck-hiding options and is about to throw in the towel, a turtle swoops in (well, ambles in, very slowly) and helps him understand that his neck has a purpose, and looks excellent in a bow tie.

Jory John and Lane Smith have truly outdone themselves in this companion book to Penguin Problems.

“Never one to let an opportunity for caricature go to waste, Smith stretches Edward’s neck to comical length…That it’s just right for a giraffe is a notion that Edward, not to mention young readers with self-consciousness issues of their own, will have no trouble swallowing.” Booklist (Starred Review)

“Lighthearted palaver by John (The Bad Seed) flows effortlessly, and the pair’s courtly manners (“That means a great deal to me, Edward”) are sure to garner laughs as their shared dismay rings true.” Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

"This book will appeal to older preschoolers as well as elementary school kids, and would lend itself perfectly to dramatic interpretation or an art lesson in sponge or block printing." School Library Journal (Starred Review)

Penguins aren't the only animals with problems. . . . A second hilarious collaboration from picture-book superstars Lane Smith and Jory John

Can you guess what's making this giraffe self-conscious? Could it be . . . HIS ENORMOUS NECK Yes, it's exactly that--how on earth did you figure it out?

Edward the giraffe can't understand why his neck is as long and bendy and, well, ridiculous as it is. No other animal has a neck this absurd. He's tried disguising it, dressing it up, strategically hiding it behind bushes--honestly, anything you can think of, he's tried. Just when Edward has exhausted his neck-hiding options and is about to throw in the towel, a turtle swoops in (well, ambles in, very slowly) and helps him understand that his neck has a purpose, and looks excellent in a bow tie.

JORY JOHN is a New York Times bestselling author and two-time E.B. White Read-Aloud Honor recipient. Jory’s previous collaboration with Lane Smith was the national bestselling picture book, Penguin Problems, an Amazon Best Children’s Book of the Year selection. Jory’s work also includes the award-winning Goodnight Already! series, the bestselling Terrible Two series, the national bestseller All my friends are dead, and the recent picture books I Will Chomp You!, Quit Calling Me a Monster! and The Bad Seed, among many other books for both children and adults. He lives and works in Oregon.

Lane Smith is a four-time recipient of the New York Times Best Illustrated Book award and a two-time Caldecott Honor recipient. In 2012 the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art named him a Carle Artist for “lifelong innovation in the field of children’s picture books,” and in 2014 he was awarded the lifetime achievement award from the Society of Illustrators. He is the illustrator of many books, including The Stinky Cheese Man, and the author/illustrator of It’s a Book, Grandpa Green, and John, Paul, George & Ben, among others. He is married to book designer Molly Leach.