A beautiful story perfect for all ages. Throughout the story kindergartner, Gisbert the giraffe shrinks as his classmates make fun of him and say hurtful things about him. No one else can see he’s shrinking, but he knows something is wrong. He can feel it inside. This is an excellent story especially for younger children on the power of our words and kindness.

What a lovely little book centering on bullying! What in the World is Wrong with Gisbert? is a children's book appropriate for younger children through 12 years of age to be a springboard for discussing bullying. The writing is crystal clear that words hurt Gisbert the Giraffe, who begins to shrink when his friends make negative comments about his looks and actions. Gisbert stays home from school to avoid his hurt feelings. One of the friends from school drops a note for him at his doorstep that he is missed at school, and only then is a discussion started with his parents. This is key, that parents and teachers should stress, that talking with adults is important to help them problem solve the problems.

Illustrations that support the text and are very pleasing and kid friendly make this book perfect for every elementary school teacher to include in their classroom libraries. More books on this topic should be read over and over, so that young children can be given the tools to combat bullying.

Highly recommended!

Cute sounding we had a bit of download trouble so there wasn't any pictures. I do believe that this book has great potential.

Gisbert the giraffe isn’t sure what’s happening. He feels like he keeps shrinking even if no one else can see it. His parents notice he is down and ask him if he’s okay, but he can’t explain it himself. With time, Gisbert realizes that his friends’ words hurt him, and each time he felt hurt and sad, he also felt weak and small. When he rejoins his friends who happily welcome him back to school Gisbert feels a new feeling that sends him through the roof!

What in the World Is Wrong with Gisbert? addresses a common problem kids face: their friends’ words are sometimes hurtful. The book offers a positive solution of talking to your parents and talking to your friends about how you feel. Before the positive outcome, Gisbert even misses school because of how hurt he is feeling. What in the World Is Wrong with Gisbert? can be a good discussion starter of what to do when our friends say hurtful things or if we have said hurtful things to someone else.

There's a lovely, positive message at this heart of this story about feeling free to talk about things that are upsetting you, and also how easy it is to make others feel small if you're mean. The illustrations are good, and there's some great visual illustrations of how small Gisbert has become as well as written ones. It's perhaps a little bit too obvious, even for a book designed for young children, but overall it's very pleasant.

This book is about a giraffe named Gisbert who loves life until he starts to encounter some unkind words directed towards him. He starts to shrink and lose interest in the things he used to love. With the support of those around him, he realizes his true value and begins to grow again. Very cute to build confidence in kids and could be used to discuss individuality and self-love, the impact of words, and processing through negative emotions. As a teacher, I added this to my classroom wish list and absolutely NEED this book in my life!

Gisbert is a happy giraffe, who enjoys playing with his friends. But after his classmates make some unkind comments, Gisbert starts shrinking. No one can see it, but with every comment, Gisbert grows smaller and smaller. His parents are worried about him, but he doesn’t know what to tell them. Will he ever be able to return to the way he was and be happy again?

While the message could be delivered in a more subtle way, What in the World is Wrong with Gisbert? is nevertheless an uplifting story that teaches children they how to deal with bullying, or simply unkind words spoken thoughtlessly by others. It shows that the best solution is to talk about the problem – either with the person who upset you or a grown-up you trust.

The cute, colourful illustrations will appeal to children and adults alike. I was most drawn to the scene where Gisbert stands in the doorway of his (very tall) house looking out into the night.

An additional bonus is that the story effortlessy follows Gisbert from Monday through to Sunday, so children can learn the days of the week.

The book was originally published in German and was apparently considered worth translating into English. After reading it, it’s easy to see why!

This story is a metaphor for who even the smallest thing said by another can make someone feel like less of a person. Gisbert is a very tall and beautiful giraffe. But small things said by new classmates make him shrink. Each day they keep adding on, and he gets smaller and smaller. I think this book would be a great way to help kids understand their feelings, and talk about them. I think it can help them realize that their feelings are real, and understood by others, and that there are ways to help these feelings and grow tall again. Well done to the author, illustrator, and publisher.

#NetGalley #WhatInTheWorldIsWrongWithGisbert? Available July 31, 2018

Gisbert, a rather tall giraffe is happy and enjoying life: watching TV as he peers through a window in a high building, being a bridge for his friends to walk across, and napping as his head rests high in leafy treetops. He has a worry-free life.

Unfortunately, life sometimes throws us a curve, and Gisbert's life begins to change when his classmates whisper behind his back and tease him about several things including his spots and his height. Each time that happens he feels like he is shrinking a little bit.

His parents sense something isn't quite right with Gisbert, but he isn't ready to share. However, his school experience is making him feel so small and bad that he stays home from school.

When his classmates leave him a note saying they miss him, it's just enough to give him the courage to share what's been bothering him with his family. They listen then both give him some good counsel; they tell him that it's okay to let his friends know that their words make him sad.

With his parents' encouragement, he returns to school. But will his friends listen to how he's been feeling?

What Concerned Me: The writing felt like it didn't quite flow in places, perhaps that is due to the fact that it was first published in Germany.

What I Liked Most: This is a very good book to use one-on-one or in a classroom. It never hurts (old or young) for us to have it brought to our attention that our words can be very hurtful.

The illustrations are all cute, especially of Gisbert.

This book has beautiful illustrations and cute animal characters.

This title is a great choice for mid-elementary grade school children who might be experiencing issues with bullying or being different. The call-backs/repeats in the story also make it a great choice for reading aloud.

Cute story with a sweet ending.

My son really enjoyed this book, primarily because of the lovely jungle animal illustrations.

The book centres around Gisbert who feels himself getting smaller if his friends say something to upset him. It's quite a subtle concept that was difficult to explain to my son, but older readers would be fine with it. The book is a clever way to illustrate the 'sticks and stones' moral.

This book is so sweet, and has such a great message. I'm currently trying to teach my almost-4-year-old that sometimes people will be nice to you and sometimes they will be mean, and you can't control how other people will act but you can always control how YOU act. (And it's never OK to hit or call names.) Poor Gisbert has some things said to him that he finds hurtful, and it makes him feel sad and small, like he's shrinking.

"'I'm fine,' he said, but inside he thought I don't know what's going on.

Gisbert just keeps feeling smaller and sadder and doesn't understand what's happening.

His mom tells him "Sometimes people say things that hurt you, even if they don't mean to... It's okay to tell them that their words made you sad." In the end, Gisbert talks to his friend, and they say they're sorry that what they said made Gisbert feel bad. Along with some great messages about talking about your feelings instead of bottling them up inside and letting them make you feel small and sad, What in the World is Wrong with Gisbert has really gorgeous illustrations, and language that is accessible to small children. A wonderful addition to any child's bookshelf.

Read it with kids! Great illistrations. Good story to start a discussion about bullying and how kids see themselves. Reactions to bullying can be hard. This shows how Gisbert sees himself but no one sees what he sees. Would recommend!

This is a great book to teach kids about expressing their feelings instead of keeping it inside. I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Gisbert the giraffe is very tall. He has great friends who love him, but one day they begin to tease him about his height and his spots. Gisbert finds himself shrinking, much to his dismay - shrinking so small, in fact, that he can no longer use his height to help his friends! Gisbert doesn't know what's going on: he just knows that he feels sad and small.

Finally, his friends begin to miss him and realize that their teasing may have gone too far. They apologize to Gisbert, which causes him to return to his full height (and maybe even get a little taller)!

Overall, a very nice story for kids about how friends can sometimes hurt their feelings, even when they don't mean to - and how it's possible to make up afterward.

What in the World Is Wrong with Gisbert? is written by Jochen Weeber and illustrated by Fariba Gholizadeh.

Gisbert the Giraffe has fun playing with his friends, yet negative comments affect Gisbert so much that he starts to shrink due to sadness. Within thirty-two pages, this book focuses on the consequences of bullying and the power of friendship.

What in the World is Wrong with Gisbert? is a children's picture book with delightful illustrations. It's geared toward young kids, particularly ages three to eight.


Note: I received this book from NetGalley, which is a program designed for bloggers to write book reviews in exchange for books, yet the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The pictures in this book were colorful and eye catching. I think they will appeal to young children. The message was important: think before you speak. Words have power and sometimes you don't realize how you are affecting others with the things you say.

At times I felt the book tried a little too hard to make the point, but I think overall it was a good message.

Gisbert, a cute giraffe, feels himself shrinking whenever his friends say something unkind to him. His parents are worried about him and want to help, but Gisbert isn't sure what is going on.

This book has a good message and the illustrations are cute. The text was kind of awkward or overly wordy and not at all subtle, but all in all, it's a good discussion starter and can help remind kids to be kind to one another.

3.5 stars.

I read an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

3.5 (rounded up to 4) stars for What in the World Is Wrong with Gisbert? This is a sweet little book that covers a couple of important topics: how unkind words can make a person feel, and that it's always a good idea to trust your parents and to let them know about things that have you upset. The illustrations by Fariba Gholizadeh are just darling and sure to appeal to most kids.

As a general picture book, I found the way the subject matter was handled to be a little heavy-handed; there was no subtlety at play here. But I think this would be an ideal story to share with children who are having trouble expressing their feelings, who are having difficulty handling being teased or dealing with negative remarks, or who are perhaps too liberal with the amount of teasing or negativity in their comments to others.

Thank you to NetGalley and Flyaway books for providing me with a free electronic ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Poor Gisbett, with every mean word, he feels smaller and smaller. Using a giraffe to show how words belittle us is quite fitting. When he gets help, he feels better and grows inside and out. This is a great story to show children how our words can hurt, even when we don't mean them to. A great story for teachers to use with their students or parents to read to their children when there is a problem with negative words. I liked the illustrations, they were large and colourful, sure to capture a child's attention.