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A review by dullshimmer
The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me by Roald Dahl
5.0
"No book ever ends when
When it's full of you friends
The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me"
This final bit of the book is where the name of this comes from, but it may seem unclear to you who the me is if you haven't read the book. I know it is to me and I still think this isn't the best name for the book as the me isn't the main character in the story. The main character is a little boy named Billy. One day, he notices that a local building that used to be a candy shop has been sold. As he stops by during his daily walk he meets the owners of the new building, a giraffe, a pelican, and a monkey (who is the me of the title). This meeting leads to a short whimsical little adventure that I found to be one of Dahl's better short story books.
As I said it is a rather short book, so the story isn't too involved. Even so I found that the characters we so very likeable in this book that it was hard not to enjoy it. I mean just the idea of a giraffe, a pelican, and a monkey starting a window washing business is so fun that it's kind of hard not to like the book.
It's also one of those fun books that just leaves you feeling good, there is no real antagonist and everything goes rather smoothly throughout the book. Even where there are problems, like a robber or very specific dietary needs things all work out maybe a bit too easily. Some may not like the book due to this, but I found it to be very enjoyable and much better than many of Dahl's other short stories.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. Sure it's a short children's story and so it lacks some of the impact of Dahl's larger works that I've enjoyed, but I still really enjoyed my time with the book. The title may be a little off in my opinion, but it was a book that was delightful to read to my children.
When it's full of you friends
The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me"
This final bit of the book is where the name of this comes from, but it may seem unclear to you who the me is if you haven't read the book. I know it is to me and I still think this isn't the best name for the book as the me isn't the main character in the story. The main character is a little boy named Billy. One day, he notices that a local building that used to be a candy shop has been sold. As he stops by during his daily walk he meets the owners of the new building, a giraffe, a pelican, and a monkey (who is the me of the title). This meeting leads to a short whimsical little adventure that I found to be one of Dahl's better short story books.
As I said it is a rather short book, so the story isn't too involved. Even so I found that the characters we so very likeable in this book that it was hard not to enjoy it. I mean just the idea of a giraffe, a pelican, and a monkey starting a window washing business is so fun that it's kind of hard not to like the book.
It's also one of those fun books that just leaves you feeling good, there is no real antagonist and everything goes rather smoothly throughout the book. Even where there are problems, like a robber or very specific dietary needs things all work out maybe a bit too easily. Some may not like the book due to this, but I found it to be very enjoyable and much better than many of Dahl's other short stories.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. Sure it's a short children's story and so it lacks some of the impact of Dahl's larger works that I've enjoyed, but I still really enjoyed my time with the book. The title may be a little off in my opinion, but it was a book that was delightful to read to my children.