There are good ideas in this story, like the mythology of the legend of the giraffe and the child, and Martine's powers over animals. But there were some things that just worked out to easily in the end. For example, all of a sudden the grandmother, who didn't seem to like Martine, says she knew everything that was going on and would help Martine save the giraffe. It just seemed very sudden for her to help in the end. So while I liked the ideas in this book, I think the story could have been done better in the end.