A good storybook for a child should be about a child and narrated by him or her, to be effective for the readers. In Roald Dahl books, the stories are mostly told by children and carry the same childlike fascination with the world.

The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me is a short story by Dahl and the ‘Me’ in the title refers to Billy, a young boy who makes friends with a giraffe and Pelican and a monkey. At first Billy is dismayed and then fascinated seeing these animals because they have taken over a long abandoned shop in his neighbourhood where Billy had dreamt of opening up his sweet shop. They call their business Ladderless Window Cleaning Company, rightly so because the giraffe has a long neck and can clean any window with ease.

Humorous, charming and some senseless bits make, the tale very easy for those starting to read books that are longer than picture books. Dahl’s characters are easy to feel for and their weirdness make them endearing to young readers. The action suddenly picks up pace in places with breathless ease, and the trouble these friends get in when they meet an old Duke, make it impossible to put down the book until it is over. But it’s a short story and the illustrations are as good as Dahl’s books always have.

Not one of the most well-known of Dahl’s stories, The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me is still a great children’s storybook because it contains all the magic that make Roald Dahl a master storyteller for kids.

Published in Dawn, Young World, May 20th, 2017