Gervase Phinn - Who Am I (retail) (pdf)

Gervase Phinn

Tony Ross

One hot day in the middle of the jungle a strange little creature hatches out of an egg.

“Who am I?” he asks himself.

Off he plods through the tall grass to find out. He meets many animals but all of them are different. Will he ever find out who he is and what makes him special?

Ages 4–9

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For Harry and Megan. G.P.

American edition published in 2012 by Andersen Press USA, an imprint of Andersen Press Ltd. www.andersenpressusa.com First published in Great Britain in 2012 by Andersen Press Ltd., 20 Vauxhall Bridge Road, London SW1V 2SA. Published in Australia by Random House Australia Pty., Level 3, 100 Pacific Highway, North Sydney, NSW 2060. Text copyright © Gervase Phinn, 2012. Illustration copyright © Tony Ross, 2012. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the prior written permission of Andersen Press Ltd., except for the inclusion of brief quotations in an acknowledged review. Distributed in the United States and Canada by Lerner Publishing Group, Inc. 241 First Avenue North Minneapolis, MN 55401 U.S.A. www.lernerbooks.com Color separated in Switzerland by Photolitho AG, Zürich. Printed and bound in Singapore by Tien Wah Press. Tony Ross has used pen, ink, and watercolor in this book. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Available. ISBN: 978-0-7613-8996-5 1 – TWP – 12/31/11 This book has been printed on acid-free paper.

eISBN: 978-0-7613-9003-9

Gervase Phinn

Tony Ross

Andersen Press USA

One

hot, hot day in the middle of the

deep, deep jungle, a strange little creature

hatched

f out o an

egg.

He

scratched . . .

an

and he his

opened

big round

eyes and looked

around him.

dh e

yawn e d . . .

“Who am I?” he asked himself. “Where do I come from?” Off he went plodding through the tall, tall grass to find out.

Soon he met a creature with a

very long neck.

“Excuse me,” said the strange little creature chirpily. “Could you tell me

who I am and where I come from?”

“I have no idea,” chuckled the creature. “I know that I am the

giraffe and I am the tallest animal in the whole wide world, but I do not know what sort of creature you are.” So the strange little creature plodded on through the tall grass.

Soon he met a creature with

a long nose.

“Excuse me,” said the strange little creature cheerfully. “Could you tell me

who I am and where I come from?”

“I have no idea,” trumpeted the creature. “I know that I am the elephant and I am the strongest animal in the whole wide world, but I do not know what sort of creature you are.” So the strange little creature plodded on through the tall grass.

Soon he met a creature with

very long legs.

“Excuse me,” said the strange little creature shyly. “Could you tell me

who I am and where I come from?”

“I have no idea,” snarled the creature. “I know that I am the cheetah and I am the fastest animal in the whole wide world, but I do not know what sort of creature you are.” So the strange little creature plodded on through the tall grass.

Soon he met a creature with a

sharp, pointed horn.

“Excuse me,” said the strange little creature anxiously. “Could you tell me

who I am and where I come from?”

“I have no idea,” snorted the creature. “I know that I am the rhinoceros and I am the toughest animal in the whole wide world, but I do not know what sort of creature you are.” So the strange little creature plodded on through the tall grass.

Soon he met a creature with a

very hairy body.

“Excuse me,” said the strange little creature timidly. “Could you tell me

who I am and where I come from?”

“I have no idea,” chattered the creature. “I know that I am

chimpanzee and I am the cleverest animal in the whole wide world, but I do not know what sort of

the

creature you are.” So the strange little creature plodded on through the tall grass.

dark, muddy river, and there, resting on the bank, was a creature with great Soon he came to a deep,

yellow eyes and a

wide smiling mouth.

“Excuse me,” said the strange little creature desperately. “Could you tell me

who I am and where I come from?”

” , n a I c s e “Y

snapped the creature.

“You can!” exclaimed the strange little creature. “I can, but you will have to come a little closer,” whispered the creature, smiling and opening

wide his jaws.

“Climb on my nose and I will tell you.”

So the strange little creature plodded

and

closer . . .

closer . . . and

closer

...



and just as he was about to climb onto the

crocodile’s nose . . .

he heard a voice behind him.

“There you are!” He turned to see a creature just like him but

much, much

bigger.

“Who are you?” asked the strange little creature. “I’m your mother,” said the

big strange creature,

“and you’re my little baby chameleon,

the most

beautiful and unusual creature in the whole wide world!

I have been wandering around the jungle, wondering where you were. Now, come along and meet your brothers and sisters.”

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Gervase Phinn is a bestselling

author and poet, teacher, professor of education, and, last but by no means least, father of four. He spends much of his time in schools with teachers and children. He is best known for his autobiographical accounts of his time as a school inspector in the Yorkshire Dales, which have been likened to James Herriot’s books.

Tony Ross was born in London and

trained at the Liverpool School of Art. He has worked as a cartoonist, graphic designer, and art director of an advertising agency. Considered to be one of the finest children’s illustrators in the world, Ross has written and illustrated dozens of books for young readers during his decades-long career.

Andersen Press USA www.andersenpressusa.com Distributed in the United States and Canada by Lerner Publishing Group, Inc. 241 First Avenue North Minneapolis, MN 55401 U.S.A. www.lernerbooks.com

www.andersenpressusa.com