BIOGRAPHY OF A GIRAFFE

As the mother stands while giving birth, the giraffe begins his life with a five-and-a-half-foot drop to the ground; the fall breaks the cord and the blow starts him breathing. In her latest animal biography, Hopf follows one leaf-spotted male from that moment until he wanders off with another young bull, mates with a wandering female, gradually acquires a small herd of his own, and fights a competitor who would take it over. Collins' muted etchings seem more interested in poetic atmosphere than in action or information, but they do at least take note of the text, making clear why the giraffe's awkward drinking posture makes him an easy victim and, later, showing us the long-necked animal's frustrated battle with telephone wires. A pleasant introduction.