A Giraffe Goes to Paris by Mary Tavener Holmes and John Harris

A Giraffe Goes to Paris was written by Mary Tavener Holmes and John Harris and illustrated by Jon Cannell.
Genre: Picture Book
Sub-genre: Fiction
Theme: Cultural exchange
Primary and Secondary Characters: The primary characters are Atir the caretaker and Belle the giraffe. The secondary characters are the King of France and the cows and antelopes. 
Awards: None
Publisher and Date of Publication: Marshall Cavendish Corporation; 2010 
Summary and Uses: Recounts of the 1827 journey of a young giraffe named Belle, who was given by the Pasha of Egypt to the King of France as a gift. She made her way by boat and by land with her caretaker, Atir. The people loved seeing her and were happy with her arrival. This book is beautifully written and illustrated. There are real photos mixed with painted illustrations. The book goes through different French cities and finally ends in Paris. This book would be great to read out loud to a class if the focus of study was on France.