Review: `You have to be patient if you want to have fun'
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 18, 2014
Anat Umansky continues her very impressive output of quality children's books with the current book WHY GERALDINE THE GIRAFFE IS CRYING? ably assisted by her illustrator Alin Mag. And though the book needs some editing it is still a winner.Geraldine lives in Kenya, is very sweet, but cries all the time and the tiger is always laughing at her. Her friend Jeffrey Giraffe comforts her and encourages her to look at the puddle of tears at her feet - and there is her best friend Croakette the wise toad, basking in her tears, laughing because she can blowup like a balloon - and Geraldine stops crying to laugh. Geraldine runs a race with Doris the deer but despite her long legs she loses - and cries again. And in her pool of tears Croakette shares more wisdom about winning and losing races and Geraldine is able to stop crying again. She later encounters Humphrey the hippo and asks to play with Humphrey's inner tube, and when Humphrey says no, Geraldine cries - and once again Croakette appears with jokes and fun wise sayings in Geraldine's pool of tears. Soon Geraldine realizes that every time she cries she makes a puddle of tears and that brings her best friend Croakette to deliver fun and wisdom. There is always a bright side to everything.Anat Umansky delivers a message about behavior that can be helped by friends and once again she gives us a story that ismemorable - and as wise as Croakette! Grady Harp, January 14