Unsatisfactory read given how interesting the premise is. I've read better journey stories, such as This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger, and books that paint the atmosphere of the Great Depression better. I liked that this was based on a true story and enjoyed the newspaper clippings throughout the story. The characters were agreeable, but lacked depth and I didn't feel that any of them were truly changed for the better by time they reached California. But, the giraffes were fun to learn about and the story was fairly easy-reading, which I appreciated.