With one eye always on the lookout for picture books on historical topics, I come across them surprisingly often, A few months ago I found one about the first giraffe in France.

This giraffe was given to King Charles X of France by Muhammad Ali, the pasha of Egypt, in 1827. She traveled by boat across the Mediterranean, spent the winter in Marseilles, and then walked all the way to Paris with her entourage. In every town along the way people flocked to see the giraffe and she inspired songs, paintings, jewelry, gingerbread cookies, and even hairstyles! She lived for 18 years in the Jardin des Plantes in Paris, until her death in 1845.

After I read the book I discovered through Amazon’s recommendations that there were two other picture books about this same giraffe. Then, with a little further digging I came across two more picture books about the giraffe. (And even one written in German.) The last two were not available from any of the Alberta library systems (you can find them here and here), so I decided to simply compare the first three books, in the order of their publication dates. I think you’ll want to check them out!

The Giraffe That Walked to Paris by Nancy Milton, illustrated by Roger Roth (Crown Publishers, 1992)

This was the third book that I read, but it was published first and ended up being my favourite. It begins in 1826 with the pasha of Egypt wondering how to patch up a disagreement so the people of Egypt and France can be friends and deciding to send a giraffe as a gift. The text is quite long, as it describes the giraffe’s journey, all leading up to her meeting with the king. It includes quite a bit of dialogue and is full of details, like the names of the assistants (Atir and Youssef) who accompanied the giraffe on her journey, the hole that was cut in the deck of the ship so she could stand up in the hold, and the raincoat made especially for her. This book gives Charles X’s perspective more than the others, showing his impatience to receive his gift. The final page describes the giraffe’s life in the zoo in France and how the people of Paris loved her and still remember her today.

The Giraffe That Walked to Paris had my favourite illustrations of the three books (feel free to judge for yourself by comparing the covers). Another high point was the historical note. At more than two pages long, it describes the history of zoos in France and giraffes in Europe, the disagreement between France and Egypt (over Greece, which was fighting for independence from Turkey), Charles X’s reign and exile to Scotland, and the life of the giraffe. It includes a small map and a photo of the remains of the giraffe, who was stuffed after her death.

Zarafa: The Giraffe Who Walked to the King by Judith St. George, illustrated by Britt Spencer (Philomel Books, 2009)

This book is only slightly shorter than the first one and contains many of the same details. One difference is that it calls the giraffe by the name Zarafa. It begins with Zarafa’s birth and early years in an African village and describes her feelings more than the other books, emphasizing her gentle nature and willingness to travel.

Spencer’s Illustrations are a little more cartoonish than Roth’s, but quite nice. I liked that the book opens with a two-page spread showing the giraffe’s route from Africa to Paris. Historical details like the rulers’ names and the dates of events are not mentioned in the story but in the one-page “Author’s Note,” which doesn’t cover much more than the events of the story. It does give the meaning of “zarafa,” which is Arabic for “charming” or “lovely one.”

A Giraffe Goes to Paris by Mary Tavener Holmes and John Harris, illustrated by Jon Cannell (Marshall Cavendish, 2010)

A Giraffe Goes to Paris is the book I read first. It’s not as detailed as the other two, though it does include specific dates and place names and descriptive facts like what the giraffe ate and wore. One unique feature is that the story is narrated by Atir, one of the handlers who accompanied the giraffe from Egypt. The writing style is conversational and throughout the story he refers to the giraffe as Belle. The text is accompanied by primitive style, collage-type illustrations, which include photos of artifacts. It is the only book with a pronunciation guide for the French words. The historical note is very brief, explaining where the authors got their information and noting that many people call the giraffe Zarafa, which may be where the word “giraffe” originates.

In conclusion, all three books are aimed at roughly the same age group (6-8). I recommend The Giraffe That Walked to Paris, because I preferred the illustrations and it had the most detailed and interesting historical note. If you read any of them, be sure to let me know what you think!