This astonishing book recounts the true story of the presentation of a giraffe to the King of France in 1827, a gift from the ruler of Egypt.

The giraffe travels by river and sea, and then by land, walking thousands of miles in a journey taking two and a half years, accompanied by his young keeper, a boy called Atir.

Once in Paris, the king creates a special building to house the magical, bewildering creature, and Zeraffa lives here for 18 years, still cared for by Atir.

This is a magnificent, yet strangely understated, book. The story is told simply and quietly, leaving the reader to ponder with breathless wonder each element of the curious tale - what must it have been  like to see this creature for the first time?

It is a mythical, mysterious tale where Jane Ray's bold, powerful, exotic illustrations are the perfect accompaniment.