Just ordered pizza! How many pictures books can my wife and I read before it arrives? Here's #2:

Sophia wants a giraffe for her birthday so she tries to persuade the members of her family to get it through a series of individualized pitches. The reader learns about tailoring proposals to different audiences, and Sophia learns about the power of being succinct.

Cute and funny with a quirky multiracial family. ( )

Signed by author, Jim Averbeck

As Sophia begins to plead her case with her speech, each person looks at it from his/her own viewpoint, influenced by his/her profession. I think we tend to run into this very often as children and it is a good book to share with children that their voice matters too.

What do you do when your birthday is coming up and you have 4 desires and one problem? I don't know either- let's find out. This is Sophies problem and she has a very specific request. She wants a giraffe for her birthday. The four problems are her family members. Join Sophie on her hilarious journey to get what she wants. The illustrations are fun and the text is intelligent. ( )

Adorable! Sophia has made great arguments tailored to each of her family members: a judge, a businessman, a politician, and a very strict Grand-mama. Personally, I would have been impressed with her vocabulary and visual presentation, but I guess she did forget that all-important word. ( )