The Oxpecker and the Giraffe: I Need You and You Need Me by Patrick Fitzpatrick

In The Oxpecker and the Giraffe: I Need You and You Need Me, written by Patrick Fitzpatrick and illustrated by Tim Newcombe, Giraffe is fed up with Oxpecker always picking at him.  Oxpecker tries to make Giraffe see that they really do need each other, but Giraffe is not convinced until he talks to the Rhinos.  Cape Buffalo, the Rhino, tells Giraffe that it is part of God's plan that the oxpecker actually help the bigger animals by eating the bugs that could give the bigger animals diseases.  The story is told with rhyming text and great illustrations.

I picked this book up at the Creations Ministries International booth at our provincial homeschool conference this weekend and Anna and I both really enjoyed reading it together. The text is interesting and informative and the illustrations are beautiful.  We learned a bit about both the Oxpecker bird and about giraffes, and about how animals depend on one another to survive.  I will definitely be watching out for more books by Creation Book Publishers.