The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me

by Roald Dahl., Quentin Blake (Illustrator)

Billy's biggest wish is to turn a weird old wooden house into a wonderful sweet-shop. But then he finds a giraffe, a pelly and a monkey living inside-they're the Ladderless Window Cleaning Company! Who needs ladders when you've got a giraffe?

They become best friends and when they meet the richest man in all of England, there's a chance that Billy's scrumptious-galumptious dream just might come true...

Genres: Childrens, Fiction, Fantasy, Classics, Middle Grade, Animals, Young Adult

80 pages, Paperback

Published January 22, 2009

Reviews

[Vita Luna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A charming, funny little tale with some suspense thrown in the mix! I always enjoy Dahl's writing

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoy books that you can read in a day that are short and sweet this book is definitely that . I really enjoyed this books because Roald Dahl’s imagination and the ya he writes his characters are great they are so endearing and funny . Dahl comes up with these crazy things for his characters to do but does it in such a realistic way I always find myself believing or wishing it was possible . Another great book :)

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of Dahl's shorter, fluffier books. Still fun, and the 7 year old LOVED it.

[Calista · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute little story about window cleaning animals. A story about working hard and being rewarded for the work. Plus, I love Giraffes so I enjoyed the giraffe character.

[Maťa · Rating 3 out of 5]

2,5/5

Pravdepodobne moja najmenej obľúbená knižka spomedzi detských kníh od Dahla. Nebolo to také vtipné, zaujímavé ani zapamätateľné.
Dalo sa to prečítať, ale znova netreba.

[Reading Kitty · Rating 5 out of 5]

114 🖼
All you do is to look
At a page in this book
Because that's where we always will be
No book ever ends
When it's full of your friends
The Giraffe and the Pelly and me
✏️
Reading Kitty 🌟 5/5
Goodreads 🌟 3.8/5
✏️
I was just wishing to read Roald Dahl describing food then I reached this book! It’s like a trip down Honeydukes all over again!!!! The descriptions of ‘the sweets and toffees and fudges and nougats’ are just lovely! 🍬🍭🍬🍭
They have weird, off-putting names though (Giant Wang Doodles, Spitsizzlers, Gumglotters... sounding like they came from Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes 🤣 My favorite has to be Glumptious Globgobblers, that ‘go squirting perfumed juice of Arabia down your gullet one after the other’... I almost can feel Giraffe’s heavenly ecstasy ‘as a cascade lovely liquid flavours poured ALL THE WAY DOWN her long long throat’ 🍯💧💦🌊🦒 Are you tasting the warm sweetness too nowwwwww 🤤🤤🤤
Roald Dahl really made the sweets come alive, leaving me ‘all wobbly just thinking about it’! 🤣

And I think this is the first book of his that I closed feeling a fairy-tale like warmth 🥰 From the adorable typos at the beginning, how the LWCC welcomed Billy into their queer family with open arms... and the Duke going all the way out to make everyone’s dream come true 😭
So much love❣️❣️❣️

It’s also this book that made me truly appreciate Quentin Blake’s sketches ✏️🖤
... and made me Google about Geranous giraffe & pelican beak’s mechanism 🤣🤣🤣
Now I really want a giraffe plushie!!! 🦒🛌

So a hearty 5 stars from me for all the scrumptious- galumptious sweet treats and for a happy tale that made me smile throughout! 😊😊😊

Reading Kitty 😽📚
https://www.facebook.com/readingkitty/

[Ends of the Word · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was no fan of Roald Dahl when I was young. Probably I was so used to more traditional fare that Dahl's particular brand of humorous fantasy was too surreal and subversive for my tastes. Reading these books with my girls has led me to some pleasant (re)discoveries. The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me, Dahl's story about the world's strangest window-cleaning company, is an enjoyable romp which skilfully reinterprets elements of traditional fairy tales. Instead of a Cinderella we get a young boy who seems not to have too many friends, instead of elves and gnomes we get a group of hilarious talking animals and a rich Duke takes on the role of Fairy Godmother. Enjoyable stuff.

[Kathryn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t particularly enjoy the book although the characters were likeable. I can understand why young children would enjoy the story with rhymes included, nonsense happenings and relatable (debatable!) events. Written in true Roald Dahl style with fun phrases this is a lovely story of a friendship formed between the boy Billy, a giraffe, a monkey and a pelican as they clean the windows; one thing leads to another. As a teacher I can see elements of this being good for teaching points and use in the classroom but not as much as other Dahl stories.

[Chris Callaghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun, whimsical, but ever so short book. Left me wondering of their further adventures - which isn't a bad thing at all. Some delightful song/poems and even a few Wonka references - lovely jujube-ly!

[Sarah A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reread with my daughter. A nice quick Ronald Dahl read with his usual wonderful exploration of the English language and human nature. Wonderful descriptions and plot twists, gorgeous drawings from Quentin Blake.

[Sonia Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Totally loved it... I wish I knew where I could get some Glumptious Globgobblers!!! :)

[Ghostly Writer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Liked this one more than the others.

[Nick Claxton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent book

[Ammie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and unique. Loved the Wonka tie in.

[寿理 宮本 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute story about a boy befriending a magical giraffe, pelican, and monkey (who is curiously absent from the title, hmm) and the four of them (VERY) briefly going into business together. It's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory-adjacent, as at the end, Billy acquires a lot of candy from Wonka's factory for the grubber (sweet-shop).

I think it's interesting how much of Dahl's work focus on some kind of food—candy, giant peach, huge poultry farms, candies laced with mouse-transformation potion... I mean, sure, food is pretty central to being alive and all, but off the top of my head, Matilda is the only one I can think of without food as a major plot point or part of the setting.

(I haven't read probably a LOT of his books, of course, not like I'm going down a checklist.)

Recommended for anyone who wants to read a short, lighthearted adventure! Actually, it reminds me of a very simple Starter Villain, in a way—main character imagines owning a business, encounters some talking animals, then after thwarting a large crime, is given the business he wanted. Huh!

[Megan Cureton · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me is a book about a young boy named Billy that comes across an old empty wooden shop that he dreams of renovating. When he peers into the windows, he finds a giraffe, pelican and a monkey staring back at him and they are Window-Cleaners. The animals soon invited Billy to join in and help clean the windows because they needed them cleaned fast so they can get their rewards. While they were cleaning, a chauffeur pulled up with a letter from The Duke of Hampshire asking the Window-Cleaners to clean all of his 677 windows. They accepted without hesitation. After cleaning the windows, Billy’s reward is the purchase of the sweet shop he desired in the beginning of the book. I really enjoyed this story. My favorite part was of course the ending and how Billy got to purchase his shop that he loved so much. I also think that the most fascinating part of the story is how the author incorporated these song type poems throughout the book. These song/poems are catchy and keep the reader entertained. I also like the fact that this story is very descriptive. For example, when they are restocking the sweet shop there are a number of sweets from Willy Wonka, which my favorites were the Gumtwizzlers and Fizzwinkles from China. I just like the name of them. I thought this part of the book was really neat because it let you see which candy was associated with which place in the world. I thought it was very catchy and I enjoyed reading these different types of candies using children's imagination for them to picture the candy in their head. I would recommend this book for third through fifth graders. You could also use this book to work up to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I think once the students become more advanced readers, if they enjoyed this book then they would love that book.

[Dominique || dominiquetravels · Rating 3 out of 5]

And another Roald Dahl book and to be honest I'm starting to really appreciate his writing style. This time I read The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me. Before this I thought the way he made up words was annoying, now I actually think it is quite cute. In this book he gives a whole list of candy that doesn't exist in real life but the way he says we all know it, is really nice.

This book is about a window cleaning company consisting of a pelican, a giraffe and a monkey. They clean windows without a ladder and they can reach every window because giraffe has an extendible neck. The monkey cleans, and the pelican is the bucket.

This book has a really cute ending. Maybe I'm just in a sentimental mood because I can't seem to finish The Three Musketeers, but I really like it:
We have tears in our eyes
As we wave our goodbyes,
We so loved being with you, we three.
So do please now and then
Come and see us again,
The Giraffe and the Pelly and me.
All you do is to look
At a page in this book
Because that's where we always will be.
No book ever ends
When it's full of your friends
The Giraffe and the Pelly and me. (Dahl 73)

[Sarah Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was entertaining, a small boy dreams of turning an empty shop into a sweet shop, but one day when he walks past the shop has been sold and a giraffe a pelican and a monkey are there. They were a window cleaning company, and soon a chauffeur pulled up asking them to clean his employer's (the Duke's) windows - all 667 of them.
The crew go to clean the windows, and end up catching a diamond thief! The Duke asks they to live with him, and he has all the things they like to eat, then he asks Billy (the small boy) what he would like and he says 'a sweet shop', so the Duke helped him turn the old shop into a sweet shop.

[Stefani · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had no idea where this book was going until it was the end (another random book by Roald Dahl). So far, of the short books of his that I have read with my 5-year old son, this seems to be his least favorite. I think I agree. But a cute, quick and entertaining read for an elementary aged child. But I do wonder if J K Rowling got many of the ideas for the Weasley brother's sweet/trick shop from this book....

[Victoria (hotcocoaandbooks) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this to my sons over a period of time after dinner. They wanted to learn more of the story every time I stopped. There are no actual chapters in it. My sons loved it.

The story is about a young boy who sees that a disheveled building that once held a candy shoppe within it was being used again by a window washing company. The company is a giraffe, a pelican, and a monkey (who is "me"). I don't believe it flowed too well at times but it was interesting and cute!

[Cristi-Lael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thought I'd be able to stretch this over two nights of reading aloud to my girls, but it just went so fast, before I know it, I had read the whole thing the first night.

This is a cute, simple children's story. It's nice to have a story without any scary bits in it. Even the part with the burglar was free of scary stuff. Since my 7 year old is dealing with night fears, it's good to have this to read.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Owen: I really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, (etc.) liked it! It's super good. I liked the window washers and I liked the book. I want to read it again. The whole entire world must like this book.

Mom: Really fun and quick. Only one chapter, pictures on pretty much every page. The usual Dahl style shenanigans, but not as dark as some of his stuff can get. I enjoyed it as well as O.

[Nape · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Charlie and the Chocolate Factory origin story?

About the same length as George's Marvelous Medicine, this is a super short little story about a boy who joins a group of musical animals to clean windows. That's it. Cute and heart-warming. Especially the ending.

Really, that's it. I mean, it's Roald Dahl, so it's whimsical and well-written, but it's just as simple as the synopsis. Not in a bad way, either.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

while i do not enjoy this book as much as many of Dahl's other classics (maybe because i did not read it as a child) it still held the same wonder and humor as most of his books. a book for his younger readers this would make a fairly good introduction into the wonderful world of Roald Dahl

[Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such a charming little book! Emphasis on the "little"...I think I read it in about twenty minutes. It's surprisingly void of the darker aspects that most Dahl stories include. It's a happy story where everything always turns out splendidly. :) {I love that it also involves a sweet shop...Roald Dahl seems quite smitten with candy! I also love that it mentions the Wonka factory briefly.}

[Ria · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was about a little boy named billy met a giraffe , pelliken , and a monkey they were window cleaners the giraffe was the ladder , the pelliken was the hose , and the monkey was the cleaner . They cleaned for the duke and billy owned a sweet shop . I liked it because it was very very very very very very very very very very very very very funny .

[Yue · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

Funny short book! I love the animals! And the old man with a mustache! The illustrations are so funny! One of the best books of RD! No villains in this story! There are a lot of candies and sweets as well! And a mention of Willy Wonka and his chocolate factory!

*I over-used the exclamation point because RD loves to use them, for a good reason =) It always makes me laugh.

[libs :p · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kinda interesting story.
It follows a boy who helps a giraffe, a pelican and a monkey with their window cleaning business.

I really liked the singing bits and had fun coming up with the tunes of each song.

However, I didn't find it super memorable and it isn't my favourite Roald Dahl book. But, it certainly isn't the worst one that I've read, it's just pretty average.

[Whimsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a perfect example of the extraordinary imagination that Roald Dahl had. This is a charming little book about a giraffe, a pelican, and a monkey teaming up to be window-washers with a little boy whose dream is to own a sweet shop. Their adventures are adorable and the limericks are so catchy you might catch yourself singing them out loud! It's a perfect book to give your children.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute little story that has so much a kid would want: magical animals, cartoonish interactions, and a candy shop! The song that the animals sing on the last page is quite beautiful. I recommend this book to anyone who is young or young at heart.

I read this for a reading challenge as a "book narrated by a child."