• Age: 4 to 7
• Grade: k to 2

The award-winning not-friends of Giraffe and Bird are back!

Bird lives for adventure. He wants to swoop, soar, and explore. Giraffe is perfectly happy right where he is, thank you very much. He never worries when Bird flits off for a while. But one afternoon his friend fails to return. Giraffe has a bad feeling that something has happened to Bird. Giraffe dreads the wide world full of tangly forests, craggy mountains, and mysterious plains. But he doesn't hesitate. If Bird is in trouble, then Giraffe will find and rescue him.

Award-winning author-illustrator Rebecca Bender pushes Giraffe and Bird to new heights of courage, ingenuity, and humour in Giraffe and Bird Together Again. The two unlikely companions are firmer in their friendship, but their antics are just as uproarious as ever. Readers of all ages will laugh and cheer as Giraffe and Bird discover just how far each will go for the other.

"A strength of this title is the action verbs and rich vocabulary that is introduced....This title lends itself to discussion about friendship and being open to try new things. VERDICT A strong choice for a preschool storytime or a one-on-one sharing."—School Library Journal

Rebecca Bender is a well-loved author-illustrator of children’s books as well as an art director and designer. Her picture books include Not Friends, Don’t Laugh at Giraffe, Giraffe Meets Bird, Peach Girl (illustration), and How Do You Feel?. She has also illustrated the chapter books Slug Days, Penguin Days, and Duck Days. Rebecca’s awards and honors include the OLA Blue Spruce Award, a Cooperative Children’s Book Center best-of-the-year choice, and a Toronto Public Library best-of-the-year selection. Rebecca graduated from the Ontario College of Art and Design at the top of her class, earning the Medal for Illustration. She lives in Burlington, Ontario, with her husband and two children.

Rebecca Bender's profile page

• Short-listed, Forest of Reading Blue Spruce Award
• Short-listed, SYRCA Shining Willow Award
• Commended, CCBC Best Books for Kids & Teens selection
• Short-listed, IODE Jean Throop Book Award

Praise for Giraffe and Bird Together Again

2020 Forest of Reading Blue Spruce Award nominee

2019 IODE Jean Throop Book Award shortlist

2019 SYRCA Shining Willow Award finalist

2019 CCBC Best Books for Kids & Teens selection

"A strength of this title is the action verbs and rich vocabulary that is introduced....This title lends itself to discussion about friendship and being open to try new things. VERDICT A strong choice for a preschool storytime or a one-on-one sharing."—School Library Journal

"Savor for the warmth of the illustrations, the fun, and the read-aloud possibilities."—Booklist

"Bender's sharp wit, onomatopoeic language, and cartoon-style illustrations capture Giraffe's exasperation, determination, and terror...Bender includes a map of the locations Giraffe visits in his odyssey; inset pictures of the new animals in this book, a bush baby and an ibex, along with their Latin, scientific names offer bonus STEM material....A sequel that delivers."—Kirkus Reviews

"Rating: E...[A]n exciting and warm tale. Friendship is at the heart of the story and the sentiment is worthwhile and very wise in its depiction. The charming lush illustrations are created with acrylic and coloured pencils and endued with great humour."—Resource Links

"The illustrations and story are wonderful....This book is around a first-grade reading level, but the pictures are sure to delight any page-turner. It is a wonderful book for adventurers and those who are more cautious: it will encourage and motivate both types."—Tulsa Book Review

"Bender's acrylic and coloured pencil artwork is an essential part of the book's success, and, as in the previous Giraffe and Bird books, the illustrations' contents not only reflect the characters' emotions but add to the book's written text....Bender provides foreshadowing to the contents of Giraffe and Bird Together Again via a map that occupies part of the copyright page and its facing page. There, young readers can see the route that Giraffe will follow in his quest to find Bird as well as learn the names of the two other African animals that will make cameo experiences in Bender's illustrations....Highly Recommended."—CM Magazine

"Rating: 5...Beautiful illustrations with acrylic and colored pencil. A fun lively sequel to Giraffe and Bird....A wonderful map at the beginning of the book depicts the route Giraffe takes to find Bird and the animals he encounters along the way."—Youth Services Book Review

"A delightfully entertaining story from first page to last, Giraffe and Bird Together Again is unreservedly recommended for family, daycare center, preschool, elementary school, and community library picture book collections."—Midwest Book Review

"Young readers will cheer on Giraffe as he conquers clinging vines, rocky slopes and even deadly quicksand to rescue Bird. A lesson in friendship and bravery, Bender's evocative illustrations give a feeling of endless yellow plains and hot red days."—Winnipeg Free Press

"One of the best elements of Giraffe and Bird Together Again is the artwork. Rebecca Bender's use of colour to place the reader in the forest, on the mountain and looking out over the plain is extraordinary....But, of course, it's her characters that draw the reader back every time."—CanLit for LittleCanadians

"An engaging story full of adventure, bursts of surprise, humour, and highlighting a sweet endearment between friends, fans of Rebecca Bender's previous Giraffe and Bird stories will likely adore this, as may readers looking for a new and vibrant story focusing on friendship and courageousness."—Fab Book Reviews

"This delightful picture book is part of a series featuring Giraffe and Bird as companions in various escapades and situations....The map at the front of the book names these animals for the reader, and shows the distance that Giraffe had to follow to find Bird. The illustrations are great, and I loved how Giraffe and Bird supported each other."—Canadian Bookworm