West With Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge

 My Rating: 4.9

Woodrow Nickel is 105 years old and flashing back to when he was young. It was 1938 in the Great Depression. Woody finds himself driving two giraffes across country from New York to the San Diego zoo.  Inspired by true events, the tale weaves real-life figures with fictional ones, including the world’s first female zoo director, a crusty old man with a past, a young female photographer with a secret, and assorted reprobates as spotty as the giraffes. 

This was a beautiful book. It is part adventure, historical sage, coming of age, love story and most of all, about people and animals. An absolutely delightful read.