SOURCE: Charles, Ron. “Giraffes, Children, and Stories.” Christian Science Monitor (25 June 1998): B7, B11.

In the following review, Charles praises The Everlasting Story of Nory, lauding its ability to evoke the innocent, simple, and “miraculous” world of childhood.

My six-year-old daughter recently asked me about the giraffe in our house.

“What giraffe?” I asked.

“That giraffe you and Mom felt coming down the stairs.”

“That was a draft, some cold air, you know, a breeze.”

She nodded skeptically, as though she'd stumbled upon an exotic smuggling ring. For me, her question was a reminder of the miraculous, perplexing world in which children live.

Nicholson Baker has written a most beguiling novel about that world. The Everlasting Story of Nory perfectly captures the ordinary life of a kind, creative nine-year-old girl. In the cacophony of novels, memoirs, and talk shows about the harrowing hazards many children face, Nory's story is...