I liked this book for a couple of reasons. The story presents a good message for children. It starts out with a “funny-looking bird” named Little Too-Tall, who wishes she had a friend. She goes throughout the jungle looking for someone who could be her friend, but all the animals make fun of her because of what she looks like. Upset that no one would be her friend, she runs out of the jungle into a grassy field where she sees a lion. She warns a zebra and an antelope of the lion and they run away to safety together. The zebra and the antelope want to be Little Too-Tall’s friends and say “We like you just the way you are.” The message of this story is that no matter what you look like or who you are, there is always someone who loves you just the way you are. I like the illustrations because they are very cartoon like and colorful, which I found very amusing. The language in the book follows a rhyming pattern some of the time. This pattern flows very nicely through the pages. For example, when Little Too-Tall asks the parrot if he would be her friend he says, “My word, you are a funny looking bird. Your legs are too tall. You can not fly at all.” This pattern makes the story more entertaining to read. ( )