There's a Giraffe in My Soup

by Ross Burach, Ross Burach (Illustrator)

Overview

Named one of the 10 Best Children’s Books of 2016 by Parents Magazine!

What if you found a giraffe in your soup, an alligator in your entreé, an elephant on the table, or even an ostrich in your dish?

In this debut picture book from author-illustrator Ross Burach, an assortment of hairy, scary animals pop out from under the lid at a restaurant!

Jam-packed with adorable illustrations and an assortment of animal puns, this kid-friendly story is sure to delight fans of books by Jon Klassen and Oliver Jeffers!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062360144
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	02/23/2016
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	562,549
Product dimensions:	10.30(w) x 10.20(h) x 1.50(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Ross Burach is an author and illustrator with a degree in fine arts from the University of Massachusetts. Since graduation, Ross has focused on designing characters and backgrounds for animation studios within children’s media. He has always loved combining words and pictures to create humor and has since found the perfect blend for a career in children’s books. Ross currently lives with his wife and daughter in a concrete jungle called Brooklyn. You can find Ross online at www.rossburach.com.

 

Ross Burach is an author and illustrator with a degree in fine arts from the University of Massachusetts. Since graduation, Ross has focused on designing characters and backgrounds for animation studios within children’s media. He has always loved combining words and pictures to create humor and has since found the perfect blend for a career in children’s books. Ross currently lives with his wife and daughter in a concrete jungle called Brooklyn. You can find Ross online at www.rossburach.com.

 

Editorial Reviews

03/07/2016
The old joke about a diner complaining about a fly in his soup gets an update from newcomer Burach, as a dapper boy discovers a string of impossibly enormous animals in his entrée. Working in pencil, paint, and digital media, Burach gets in a lot of solid visual jokes: when readers first see the boy, he has just left the chunky plastic keys to his tricycle with a befuddled-looking valet, and the titular giraffe's legs and neck trail like wobbly strands of spaghetti as the waiter races the bowl of soup back to the kitchen to fetch a replacement. Later, the sights of giant alligators roaring out of tiny bowls and a lion peering out from under a cloche are sure to trigger laughs. It's only in the text that the story falters: occasional rhymed lines and bits of wordplay ("Waiter! Waiter! Save her! Save her!.... There's an elephant in my soup, and I don't think she can swim!") don't quite keep pace with the humor of the artwork. Ages 4–8. Agent: Lara Perkins, Andrea Brown Literary Agency. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

06/01/2016
PreS-Gr 2—Many people have experienced going out to eat and finding something they didn't order in their soup. The boy in this story is surprised to find a giraffe in his bowl, followed by an alligator, an elephant, a yak, and a whale. This is a funny book that engages readers from the very first page, when the young diner arrives at the restaurant on his Big Wheel and leaves it with the valet. The waiter does not initially believe the boy at first but realizes that the child is right and quickly brings him a fresh bowl. Each new serving brings a bigger and more difficult dilemma. The animals prove to be more of a problem for the waiter than the boy. He ends up with bandages, cuts, and a broken leg. Children will be eager to see what comes next. They will also enjoy watching the waiter become more frightened and exhausted with each trip to and from the kitchen. When it is suggested the young boy have a free dessert…things become even worse! The ending will surely elicit laughs. The exaggerated cartoon artwork is colorful and expressive. VERDICT This is a great, silly read-aloud for storytime or one-on-one sharing, especially for finicky eaters.—Barbara Spiri, Southborough Library, MA

School Library Journal

2015-10-06
Lively and quirky, Burach's first picture-book outing aims to send kids into fits of giggles. A little boy pops into a restaurant expecting a delicious bowl of tomato soup. Instead, he encounters a whole zoo-ful of animals in his soup. Hilarity ensues. First, a bowl with a gangly giraffe arrives at his table. This is followed by an alligator with an appetite for children and then a host of animals including a drowning elephant, a sleeping koala, and, ultimately, a massive blue whale. Giving up on soup, the boy decides to go straight to dessert. Alas, the waiter can't get that right either! While the dialogue is succinct and simple, attempts at wordplay are more contrived than clever. " ‘YAK! YAK! YAK!' ‘Yuck? Yuck? Yuck? / Oh. YAK. Yuck.' " Later, the waiter thinks the boy is accusing him of lying when he's warning him about a lion. However, Burach's illustrations more than make up for this shortfall. Dynamic angles and multiple points of view ensure that the colorful characters leap off the stark white pages. Double-page spreads emphasize size and heft. Amusing facial expressions animate the characters, and googly eyes and rosy cheeks make even normally scary creatures seem cute and docile. Plus, brilliant use of the front endpapers starts the story with an unexpected prologue. A zany read-aloud book for the youngest of diners. (Picture book. 2-5)

Kirkus Reviews