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Children's Nonfiction Giraffes

The Girl Who Loved Giraffes

And Became the World's First Giraffologist

by (author) Kathy Stinson

illustrated by François Thisdale

Publisher
Fitzhenry and Whiteside
Initial publish date
May 2021
Category
Giraffes, Women
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9781554555406
    Publish Date
    May 2021
    List Price
    $21.95
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9781554555895
    Publish Date
    May 2021
    List Price
    $12.99

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Where to buy it

Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels

  • Age: 5 to 10
  • Grade: k to 5

Description

When Anne Innis saw her first giraffe in a zoo, she was entranced. So much so that a love for giraffes shaped her whole life. She decided at a young age that she would one day travel from her home in Canada to study giraffes in their natural environment in Africa.
After overcoming obstacles to doing so based on her gender, Anne succeeded in fulfilling her dream in 1956 and became the world's leading scientific expert on giraffes.
Gender discrimination then interfered with her ability to share her passionate interest and her knowledge with students. The disheartening injustice of it led her into work championing equal rights for women.
Anne eventually gained the recognition she deserved for her remarkable achievements in the field of animal behaviour. By then giraffe numbers in the wild were dwindling and she became devoted to helping save them.
In The Girl Who Loved Giraffes: And Became the World's First Giraffologist, Kathy Stinson and Fran�ois Thisdale have created a gem of a book that captures the dramatic story of Anne's life, the majestic beauty of giraffes, and fascinating facts about this most intriguing and magnificent creature.
Anne Innis Dagg herself is thrilled that the book will cause young readers to fall in love with giraffes as she did, and bring their attention to the cause dearest to her heart, that of giraffe conservation. Readers are bound to fall in love with Anne, too.

About the authors

Kathy Stinson is a familiar name in children’s literature. She wrote the award-winning Red is Best and Big or Little?—two of the first picture books for preschoolers in Canada. Both were a huge success and have since achieved international acclaim. Red is Best 25th Anniversary Edition was released in 2006 a newly illustrated Big or Little? was published in 2009. Kathy’s latest book, The Man with the Violin (2013), was greeted with rave reviews, including starred reviews in Kirkus and uill & uire. Illustrated by Duan Petricic, this beautifully evocative picture book tells the true story of world-renowned violinist, Joshua Bell, who conducted an experiment by anonymously playing his priceless violin in the Washington D.C. subway station. Kathy grew up in Toronto. “My love affair with books began as a child,” she says. “I remember regular visits to the library, getting stacks of books to read.” She still has a notebook of stories that she wrote when she was in grade four. She believes that reading a lot is the key to becoming a good writer. In the early 1970s Kathy attended university while teaching elementary school. In 1981, she took a course called “How to write and get published.” The titles she has published in the years since range from picture books to young adult novels, from historical fiction chapter books to short stories in the horror genre. 2008 sees the publication of her first brand-new picture book in sixteen years! Kathy enjoys visiting schools across Canada, and especially talking with fellow writers. In 1987 she traveled to England as part of an exchange of Canadian and British children’s authors. She has helped students across Canada pursue their own creative projects through the Writers in Electronic Residence program, and in many communities has conducted writing workshops for children and for adults. When she’s not busy writing or reading, Kathy is a self-proclaimed jigsaw puzzle addict. Her children now grown, she lives with her partner, editor Peter Carver, in a hamlet not far from Guelph, Ontario.

Kathy Stinson's profile page

 

L’œuvre de François Thisdale mélange les techniques traditionnelles et l’imagerie numérique. Il est l’illustrateur de The Stamp Collector, qui a été sur la liste d’honneur IBBY, That Squeak, un livre qui s’est mérité une mention d’honneur pour le prix IBBY Canada Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver et Missing Nimama, lauréat du prix TD de littérature pour l’enfance et la jeunesse. François vit à Montréal, au Québec.

 

François Thisdale's work blends traditional drawing and painting with digital imagery. He is the illustrator of The Stamp Collector, which is on IBBY Honor List, That Squeak, an honour book for the IBBY Canada Elizabeth Mrazik- Cleaver Picture Book Award, and Missing Nimama, winner of the TD Canadian Children’s Book Award. François lives in Montreal, Quebec.

 

François Thisdale's profile page

Editorial Reviews

"In their picture book biography of Anne Innis Dagg, The Girl Who Loved Giraffes: And Became the World's First Giraffologist, author/storyteller Kathy Stinson and artist/illustrator Francois Thisdale have created a beautiful story that captures the dramatic story of Anne's life, the majestic beauty of giraffes and fascinating facts about this most intriguing and magnificent creature. The Girl Who Loved Giraffes: And Became the World's First Giraffologist is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to family, elementary school, and community library picture book biography collections."
The Midwest Book Review

"Thisdale's exquisite and detailed illustrations are so clear they almost seem like photographs. . . A reminder that many appreciate you even if those in charge do not."
Kirkus Reviews

"Compelling. . .This inspiring biography of an eminent animal rights and equal rights defender showcases Dagg's passion, determination and courage. Fascinating facts about giraffes are also included on every page. Fran�ois Thisdale's stunning illustrations capture the intrinsic beauty of these majestic animals."
CCBC's Librarians' Picks

"Throughout the book, Anne's curiosity, determination, courage and sense of purpose will leave the reader with admiration and a conviction that anything is possible, with visionaries like Anne to thank for the advancement of both women's rights, and conservation.
"This timely biography is a good one to add to books that focus on the precarious state of some of the world's wildlife—giraffes being only one example—and habitats.
Highly Recommended"
CM Magazine

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