I Am Not a Chair!

A giraffe, new to the jungle, can't seem to persuade his fellow animals that he isn't a piece of furniture. To them, he's a chair, and chairs are for derrieres. "I'm a giraffe," the giraffe complains to no one in particular (which is part of the problem) after being sat upon once again. "Can't they see? I have spots and ears and eyes"--he points to his ossicones--"and whatever these things are." Burach (There's a Giraffe in My Soup) pursues the chain of consequences triggered by his wonderfully ridiculous premise with gleeful doggedness. The result is a steady stream of silliness that leads to a classic punch line, in which the core misunderstanding saves the put-upon protagonist from being eaten by a lion; a bonus final joke turns the tables yet again. Rat-a-tat dialogue and freewheeling cartooning, featuring a bounty of googly eyes and goofy expressions, make this a great readaloud for anyone who's ever felt objectified or misunderstood--a wide audience if ever there was one. Ages 4-8. Agent: Lara Perkins, Andrea Brown Literary. (Feb.)

PreS-Gr 1--Giraffe has a problem. It's his first day in the jungle, and everyone thinks he's a chair! All the animals take turns sitting on him--a monkey, a hippopotamus, and even a human mistake the herbivore for a comfy chair! Giraffe has no luck vocalizing his concern. However, when a lion decides to take a seat, Giraffe musters the courage to say, "I am not a chair!" Readers can engage with this goofy tale while also picking up the message of learning to speak up for themselves. The stylized cartoons are done in pencil and acrylic paint. Burach uses warm colors to depict a populated jungle that welcomes readers and the main character to a new environment.