Giraffes Can't Dance

by Giles Andreae

Other authorsGuy Parker-Rees (Illustrator)
Paperback, 2001

Status

Available

Collection

Publication

Orchard Books (2001), Edition: 1st American, 32 pages

Description

Gerald the giraffe is too clumsy to dance with all the other animals at the Jungle Dance, until he finds the right music.

User reviews

LibraryThing member BVstorytime
Gerald the giraffe is too clumsy to dance with all the other animals at the Jungle Dance, until he finds the right music.
LibraryThing member mduval7
Giraffes Can't Dance is a great book that shows that if you put your mind to something and open your mind to change, you can accomplish even the hardest of tasks! I absolutely adored this book, it made me actually feel some connection to the character I could relate too! I believe that the book
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touches good topics and the plot has a clear path that it takes and progresses with. The main character shows his emotions towards being unable to dance and the point in the story where he freezes up at the dance and runs off really shows how much he cares. Another thing I really liked was the illustrations of the book, they helped drive the point across. One example that held with me was the image of the Giraffe freezing at the dance party and just staring at the reader. The image just shows how terrified he actually is and gives an image to the kind of panic and fear that people can have in uncomfortable situations.
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LibraryThing member Esus15
this is a wonderful book that can make even the shyest person dancer feel like they can dance. its a good story that can also be used for pretty much everything in life. just becasue you dont do things like everyone else doesnt mean you arent doing it right. we all work in our own special ways, and
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i love that they use animals, something that kids love, to portray the story.
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LibraryThing member TorrieM
All the animals made fun of Gerald the giraffe and said he couldn't dance. Then he met a cricket who told him he just needed to find his kind of music. All the animals thought that Gerald was the best dancer ever. This book shows that everyone may do things different, but being different is good.
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Everyone can be good at something.I would use this in K-4th grade.
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LibraryThing member frogblossoms
This is a great book about a giraffe who feels out of place because he can't dance. All the other animals also make fun of Gerald because he is always so clumsy and tripping over. This book is great in the way that it touches on the issue of being yourself and not worrying about what other people
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think in a way that kids can 'get'. It is a fun book to read with wonderful language throughout! 10 out of 10!!!
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LibraryThing member finnyann126
Genre: Fantasy

This book is a good example of fantasy because, although the main character is a giraffe, he is very easy to relate to. This story has a wonderful moral about being confident in who you are, even if you are different from the others.

Characterization: Gerald is a main character. He is
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a giraffe who develops from being insecure about his dancing to very confident in it.

Level: Primary
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LibraryThing member vivacelibre
Grif loves this book...he is taking ballet right now so wanted him to read some books about dancing. love love loved it!!! he asked for it again and again and talks about Gerald the Giraffe.
LibraryThing member ReadAloudDenver
At the Jungle Dance, all the animals make fun of Gerald the Giraffe and tell him he can't dance. A violin-playing cricket encourages Gerald to listen to "a different song" and Gerald "finds the music that he loves." He then dances gracefully and the animals acknowledge that "Gerald is the best
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dancer that we've ever, ever seen!" Kids will love the rhythmic rhymes in this book which will teach them the sounds of letters and words.
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LibraryThing member nkertz
this poor giraffe wants only to dance but he cant because his friends say he cant and he beileves them. when he recieves encouragement from an interesting friend he finds that he can indeed dance despite thoughts or him and other people. a lesson about individuality would be best with this book.
LibraryThing member restock
A poor giraffe is so embarressed by his inability to dance. Everybody makes fun of how silly he looks. After leaving the party and finding his own music he learns beautifully and is applauded. Very cute story.
LibraryThing member ccostakis
This is a charming story about a giraffe struggling to be himself and feel comfortable with it. This story has a great moral of being yourself and celebrating who you are once you find yourself. The giraffe at first embarrassed by his awkwardness, finds that he can dance and enjoy himself when
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"dancing to his own rhythm. Seems like a great story for prek-5.
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LibraryThing member schroem
This book is written at a 2.5 grading level. It is a poetry book written in ABCB format. This book creatively shows that everyone is capable of doing anything; they just have to find their own rhythm, or way about doing it.
LibraryThing member stormiejean
this is a good book to teach cause and effect.
LibraryThing member gjchauvin504
This is one of my favorite "new" childrens' books! The illustrations are bright, interesting, and engaging. Even better, the story is so inspiring for adults and children alike. "Anyone can dance if they just find their own song." A book I would readily gift to any child. This is a great book and I
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will defiantly read it to my students because I think they will throughly enjoy this book..
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LibraryThing member tfink
Gerald the giraffe really wants to dance, but his legs are too skinny, his neck is too long, and his knees buckle whenever he tries to twirl. However, there is one critter that believes in Gerald and encourages him to dance. I really like the illustrations and the colors that were used.
LibraryThing member LindseyB12
I loved this book! Not only did the pictures capture my attention, but the message being told was one that all children should hear. The story is about a giraffe who struggles with self-esteen because he can not dance and everyone laughs at him. In the end, he learns that he is unique, and that
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everyone dances to their own beat. It teaches kids that just because they are different, does not mean they aren't special. In fact, it is our differences that make us special!
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LibraryThing member ageoflibrarius
Adorable book--discusses different types of dances and celebrates the fact that everyone can dance :).
LibraryThing member PatrickRiegert
Giraffes Can't Dance, main theme is if you are confident in yourself, you can achieve anything. I thought it was a good book because it talked about self confidence and it taught the value of helping someone out as well. This book is meant for kids who are in first to third grade.
LibraryThing member vanessa.wallace
I love the sing-song style of the writing in this book and the feeling you get about Gerald and his relationship with the other animals. He is socially awkward and nervous until he learns that it's ok to be different an accepts himself for who he is. When he does this he is respected by the other
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animals in the jungle The Illustrations are very vibrant and interesting.
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LibraryThing member SaraColvin
I had heard people talking about this book several times so I had to read it for myself. I ended up enjoying this book for several reasons. I like that the characters are all different types of animals, but they can be related to people. Every person is different and has different characteristics,
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just like the animals did. The Giraffe was tall and had skinny legs so it was looked at as awkward and different from the rest of the animals. All the other animals could dance, but the Giraffe was made fun of because he couldn’t dance. I liked how the jungle setting could be related to any real world setting because you will always experience people who are different and people who criticize you. I liked the language the author uses like when he says that the “chimps cha-cha and the tigers tango.” The words flow nicely together and it shows me that each animal has their own special talent. I also enjoyed that the author had the last word of every other sentence rhyme. For example,
“He was very good at standing still
And munching shoots off trees.
But when he tried to run around,
He buckled at the knees.”
This language makes the story flow nicely and I can relate rhyming to be fun like dancing, which is the focus of this story. The text structure of the story was something I enjoyed as well. When the author talks about the tigers dancing boldly, the text is curved and bold. When the author talks about the chimps cha-cha, the text is zigzagged and silly looking. This helps me understand how the dance is if I had never heard of it, which adds to my understanding. It also helps me feel more in the moment when they are talking about each dance and I am reading it with the feeling of that dance. All the illustrations were very brightly colored with yellows, oranges and greens, which added to the jungle setting of the story. When the Giraffe got upset that he couldn’t dance, the background became darker colors like blue and black. This helped add to the mood of the story. The Giraffe learns to dance when he is told to find music he enjoys and he does just that. The big idea of this story is that even though we may be different, when we find something we love, we become good at it. We are all good at something; we just have to find it!
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LibraryThing member Madams21
This book is good for getting children to talk about emotions and moods. The book shows a range from meanness when they called Gerald Silly for thinking that Giraffes could dance to ecstatic when Gerald shouted “I am Dancing”. It is also very engaging to young readers because it uses all sorts
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of zoo animals and it has them dancing to different dances like the waltz and to different types of music like rock and roll. Children love animals and they love to move, so I feel that they would really enjoy this book. The illustrations are also very comical.
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LibraryThing member Kbenis1
This story really hit home for me as a future special educator. Gerald the giraffe begins the story by mentioning how he had a long neck but his knees were crooked and his legs were thin. He speaks of this in a slightly negative manner but it doesn’t really hit him until one of the animals from
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the dance party mentions that because he is a giraffe that he is not able to dance and is weird for trying. Gerald automatically took this to heart and truly believed it that was until a cricket believed in him and found his Gerald his own special music that he would become the most graceful dancer to. This story relates to me because I am going into the field of special education and the second you label a child and tell they can’t do something because of their disability you have automatically shut them down. As a future educator it is my job to be like the cricket and build my students up. I need to do what I can to find their music to help them to shine. By doing that I can prove to all those around me and my students that they have amazing abilities just like everyone else we just have to believe in each other. This book has a strong message of not limiting anybody or in this case any animal. People will always surprise you especially when you care about them.
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LibraryThing member AmberTheHuman
My friend Sam gave me this book as a gift several years ago. I think it was a joint gift with The Lions of Al-Rassan. She told me that she had asked her boyfriend (now fiance) what his favorite children's book was, as he worked then in the children's department of the now-gone Barnes & Noble at the
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Westside Pavilion. Anywho, it was a great choice, and I love having it. I recently took it with me when I went to visit a 1 and half year old, and she loved all the animals. So thanks, Sam!
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LibraryThing member TSmith23
Summary: Gerald, the giraffe is like any other giraffe long and slim, however; his legs are crooked. When the day came for the African dance poor Gerald thought to himself, now how in the world will I ever dance? As he watched everyone else he was so envious. He was bullied and everyone just knew
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he could not dance. He began to believe it as well, so he just gave up. As he was glaring at the sky a cricket gave him a little bit of hope that he could dance. Gerald did it! He danced in front of everyone and he was the best everyone had seen. As he danced, they began to be envious of him.

Personal Reaction: I loved this story. Everyone has a weakness; however, we can conquer anything if we set our minds to it. This story would be a great one to read in the classroom to give children that little extra bit of hope they need.

Classroom Extension Ideas: This would be a great book to read when it comes to bullying. When students see bullies they can be that one person who can give someone a little hope like the cricket did for Gerald. Also, this book is a great book to read when it comes to children not believing in themselves. Our children can do anything if they really want to, just like Gerald did.
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LibraryThing member jmb090
This book would be great to use to teach children that everyone is different, but just because they are different doesn't mean they don't have strengths. Don't make fun of people because everyone is different

Awards

Buckaroo Book Award (Nominee — 2002)
Children's Favorites Awards (Selection — 2002)

Language

Original language

English

Original publication date

2002

Physical description

12 inches

ISBN

0439287197 / 9780439287197

Barcode

293
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