Zuri the Beautiful Giraffe and the Honking Hippo” is a heartwarming tale of unlikely friendship and daring adventure. When Zuri is rescued by airplane, courage, compassion, and the wonder of flight take centre stage. With humour, warmth, and lyrical storytelling, the narrative celebrates resilience, the bond between mother and child, and the enduring power of hope. Together, Zuri and the Honking Hippo face challenges and discover that courage, laughter, and friendship can overcome even the greatest odds.
ZURI THE BEAUTIFUL GIRAFFE AND THE HONKING HIPPO!
ISBN: 9781805714651
£12.99 / $17.99 (US)
NIGHTINGALE BOOKS
PEGASUS ELLIOT MACKENZIE PUBLISHERS LTD.
www.pegasuspublishers.co.uk
Release Date
Autumn 2026
Purchase link coming soon!
Genre
Children’s / Teenage fiction & true stories / Animal stories / Friendships
Author
Gabriella Somerville
The Story Behind Zuri
Zuri the Beautiful Giraffe and the Honking Hippo began in the African bush.
In September 2021, I was kindly invited by a friend, Jane Marriott, to stay in Muthaiga, Kenya. During my stay, I took a flight down to the Maasai Mara, and it was there that the idea for Zuri and her adventures first began to take shape.
At Jonathan’s Camp in the Maasai Mara, close to the hippopotamus bloat, I would regularly hear the unmistakable and surprisingly loud honking of the hippos.
And then there was the giraffe: elegant and graceful yet somehow carrying such authority as she moved through the bush, her silhouette standing tall against the African landscape and the baobab trees.
Both the hippo and the giraffe are strong, with their own character and their own chorus in the bush. The hippos had their honks, while the giraffes communicated through snorts, grunts and hisses. In the early hours, I would find myself laughing as the great African orchestra began around me, which inspired the ‘Honking Hippo’
The two seemed an unlikely pair, but the more I watched them, the more I began to see how perfectly they belonged together in the great bush. And so, sitting in the camp, I began to write the first words of Zuri the Beautiful Giraffe and the Honking Hippo.
The story continued to develop during my stay in northern Kenya at Lewa Wilderness. Around the camp bar, I overheard a story from one of the staff about a giraffe that had been rescued. Images were shared around the campfire of a young giraffe being carefully placed into a small, adapted aircraft to be transported to an animal rescue centre, where she could receive the treatment she needed.
It was a moment that brought two worlds together: Africa and aviation.
Upon my return to London, I took a friend’s young daughter to London Zoo, where we visited the giraffe house, built in 1837. But London Zoo is much more than a place for animals to live. Today, its veterinary team has specialist facilities, including an operating theatre, where animals from around the world can receive expert care for injuries and illnesses. I realised that perhaps the story had found both its beginning and its ending — for now.
What’s next for Zuri?
This is the first edition of Zuri‘s adventures.
Her next adventure is planned for 2027, when Zuri will meet Morani the Lion, the legendary brother of Scarface.
But beneath the adventure is another story, one about the extraordinary role aviation can play in the natural world. Aircraft can provide a vital lifeline, enabling animals to be rescued, transported and given a second chance.
Zuri‘s unexpected journey to London takes her to a different land, where she faces unexpected events and makes unlikely friendships that are better than she could ever have imagined, with many surprises along the way. The book also explores the powerful bond between mother and daughter, and the resilience woven into life in the African bush.
The bush is not easy terrain, and survival depends upon strength, instinct, cooperation, and an extraordinary ability to adapt. The animals are part of a remarkable ecosystem in which every creature has a role to play. It is this delicate balance that connects life throughout the bush and helps each species survive.
At its heart, however, Zuri‘s story is about courage, resilience, kindness, and hope.
Zuri‘s adventures are more than just a story. They are inspired by real animals, real places, and the extraordinary ecosystem of the African bush.
I hope children will discover something about giraffes, hippos, Africa and aviation and that they will also discover that sometimes the people we meet who may look, speak or live differently from us can become very special friends. And that our differences are not something to fear, but something to understand, respect and celebrate.
It is my hope that this book will also become an educational adventure, filled with wonderful facts, stories, and little hidden clues for children to discover along the way, the bush is a great teacher.
And perhaps, somewhere between the giraffe, the hippo and the aircraft, they will discover something wonderful:
that courage, kindness and friendship can take you somewhere you never expected to go.