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One of my favourite new books of 2010! This is an absolutely wonderful book that you'll just love. It's about, as you can tell, giraffe and bird. They hate each other, and the annoying things the other does all the time - things that seem designed to annoy them. But when they finally have had enough of each other and go off to better pastures, they find that they miss the other, and value each other's differences.

It's no surprise that the author and illustrator lives in Toronto: it's one of those big cities with a hugely diverse population of people crammed in together, who don't always understand each other or even try, with racism simmering beneath the tension - especially when you get in the subway. Giraffe and Bird is about acknowledging differences in culture, lifestyle, habits, even looks and appreciating others regardless, seeing the value in others and learning to live alongside them.

Accompanied by beautiful painted illustrations, the engaging and slightly cheeky prose will also teach some new words, like "abide".