I'm always drawn in by the illustrations of Emily Sutton so couldn't resist picking up this new picture book by Nicola Davies, written with conservationist Kisilu Musya, explaining about giraffes and climate change.

Giraffes were once a part of daily life in Niger and appreciated by the people who lived there. "Their beauty is a blessing on our land," they said.

The giraffes were useful too. They helped the trees spread their seeds and so more trees grew, giving shade and shelter to the people, and cooling the earth.

But then things changed. The giraffes were killed for meat, the trees were felled for firewood, the land was filled with roads and buildings. 

Eventually, the people realised how much they needed and wanted the giraffes back, and so they worked at providing the habitat needed for the creatures to thrive. And now there are many more giraffes again. 

Supplementing the gently-told story of this particular region and group of giraffes are a few passages explaining conservation, climate change and how we can all do our part. There are also more details about these spectacular animals - for example, there are nine different kinds of giraffe living in different countries and habitats in Africa. A beautiful, touching and hopeful book. Wonderful!