Spaghetti Giraffe and the Egg of Courage

What I loved most about this book was the rich descriptive language used, such as ‘hillocks of cream’, ‘jolted and jounced’ and ‘blossoms frothed on the trees’. Although the egg in the title features in the story, I personally found the endearing animals more memorable. They are made from ‘morsels of mangled food’ that have disappeared under the cooker during Mina Cucina’s culinary mishaps, and joined together to make creatures. These lovable animals play an important role and, because they are followed throughout the story, the reader becomes to know them and their personalities quite intimately.

The story revolves around themes of courage, bravery, friendship and love, with the under-cooker animals needing to conquer their own fears in order to help the adorable Gorgon to be brave enough to pluck up the courage to ask his dearest friend Mina Cucina to marry him. There’s another suitor, whom Mina likes a lot less than Gorgon. The author cleverly makes him less appealing to the reader by usually referring to him as ‘the baker’ rather than by his name; whereas Gorgon’s name is always used.

This is the second book in a trilogy, but readers do not need to have read the first story in order to enjoy this one. However, after reading this they will undoubtedly wish to read the original one as Spaghetti Giraffe is such a delightful character.

Title: Spaghetti Giraffe and the Egg of Courage

Author: Sarah Johnson

Illustrator: Deborah Hinde

Publisher: Flat Bed Press

ISBN: 9780473474010

RRP: $17.99

Format: Paperback

Date of Publication: September 2019

Ages: 7 to 11 years

Reviewer: Nadine Molloy, Assistant Librarian, Remarkables Primary School, Queenstown

How are you recommending this book? Recommended

Opening sentence? It was winter, and the buttery light that had filled the broad bowl of the Bonbon Valley since summer, was gone.

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