The Long Tall Journey

by Jan Wahl, Laurent Gapaillard (Illustrator)

Overview

When a giraffe is taken from its beloved acacia grove in Africa and sets sail for France, it does not welcome the adventure at first. Everything is foreign; nothing is familiar. Taking his cue from the imagined perspective of the captive, author Jan Wahl crafts a sympathetic tale with roots in reality. Meanwhile, French artist Laurent Gapaillard's arresting landscapes offer a panoramic view of each episode, reinforcing the scope of The Long Tall Journey made by a 19th-century exotic gift.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781568462301
Publisher:	The Creative Company
Publication date:	09/15/2015
Pages:	48
Product dimensions:	8.60(w) x 11.40(h) x 0.60(d)
Lexile:	AD530L (what's this?)
Age Range:	6 - 8 Years

About the Author

Jan Wahl has dedicated much of his adult life to writing for children, authoring previous Creative Editions books such as The Enchanted Sled and Bear Dance. His first children's title, published in 1964, was illustrated by Maurice Sendak. An Ohio native, Wahl lives and works in Toledo.

Parisian designer and illustrator Laurent Gapaillard has lent his talents to animated feature films, television series, video games, and novels. Recent gallery exhibitions have also featured his work. The Long Tall Journey is his first project for Creative Editions.

Editorial Reviews

09/28/2015
Wahl and Gapaillard detail the 19th-century story of a giraffe transported to Paris from Africa, a trip also recounted in Judith St. George's Zarafa, Nancy Milton's The Giraffe That Walked to Paris, and other picture books. Created digitally, Gapaillard's sweeping spreads have the warmth and richness of oil paintings. Despite the drama in the images—a flock of flamingoes scatters as men lasso the giraffe to the ground—the animal's narrative voice is quietly matter-of-fact: "One day, men lead me away from the trees. I want to cry out, but giraffes have no voice. Where do they take me?" The giraffe's journey continues from a river boat to a ship that crosses the sea, arriving on French shores and walking through forests and fields of sunflowers before reaching the dusk-lit palace of King Charles X. The story strikes a careful balance between conveying the harsh aspects of the giraffe's capture and assuring readers of her eventual contentment: "At last, men build me my own beautiful palace. It has a fine wood floor and thick, fresh straw in patterns on the wall. There are no crocodiles here." Ages 6–up. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

"A stunningly produced version of an odd but oft-told story." - Kirkus Review

"Together, the text and pictures tell a panoramic story." - School Library Journal Review

From the Publisher

09/01/2015
Gr 2–4—Based on actual events, this stunning picture book follows the story of a giraffe that in 1825 was given by Muhammad Ali, the Ottoman viceroy of Egypt, to King Charles X of France. This heavily fictionalized tale is narrated by the giraffe, who describes how she is unexpectedly carried away from her home and bundled onto a boat for a ride down the "wide, blue river." She details how two small boys come aboard to care for her and how she endures a voyage across the endless ocean and comes to "a city with fountains and sweet grass." The giraffe finds this new place strange and uncomfortable and misses home. Slowly, the party traverses the countryside, passing through fields of sunflowers and tunnels of trees. At last they enter "the grandest city in the world," where the giraffe creates a sensation. Having reached her final destination, the giraffe lives in a glass conservatory in the king's park until her own palace is constructed. Although she still longs for Africa, the giraffe becomes content in her new home. The digitally created paintings add depth and emotion to the simple narrative. The sweeping spreads capture the settings: the African landscape, the port of Marseille, the French countryside, and the city of Paris. In one lovely illustration, the travelers parade through a sun-dappled forest, following a winding path and crossing a bubbling stream via a rustic stone bridge. Together, the text and pictures tell a panoramic story. VERDICT With its unusual point of view, this title will mainly appeal to animal lovers. Readers looking for a historical account of the events may prefer Judith St. George's Zarafa: The Giraffe Who Walked to the King (Philomel, 2009). —Linda L. Walkins, Saint Joseph Preparatory High School, Boston, MA

School Library Journal

2015-07-27
In 1825, the Ottoman viceroy of Egypt gave a giraffe to Charles X of France. The two-year journey of a giraffe from Sudan to Paris in the first quarter of the 19th century is exotic enough to have been told a number of times. This version is told from the deeply anthropomorphized point of view of the giraffe herself. The giraffe is captured by men with ropes and spears, carried on camelback and loaded onto a ship, where she is cared for by two boys. Across the Mediterranean, the party walks from Marseilles to Paris, and the giraffe becomes something of a media star. All of this is illustrated in lush, full-page, digitally produced art that resembles oil painting and that makes the most of the many varied landscapes the giraffe travels through. The giraffe opens herself to all these unknown experiences in her narration, finding joy in how people perceive her as elegant and graceful. Adult and older child readers may alternatively contemplate the horror of being forcibly taken from one's homeland or the gift of making the best of where one finds oneself; younger children may take delight in the scenes of the giraffe being carried on the back of a camel and eating the flowers from a woman's hair. A stunningly produced version of an odd but oft-told story. (Picture book. 5-9)

Kirkus Reviews