Product Description

A story with a rhyming text in which Gerald dreads the annual Jungle Dance because he is such a bad dancer. Then Gerald discovers that we are all different, and that sometimes all we need is a different song to dance to. Illustrated in colour by Guy Parker-Rees.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #444 in Books
• Published on: 2001-07-12
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 32 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review

Gerald was a tall giraffe Whose neck was long and slim, But his knees were awfully bandy And his legs were rather thin...

Every year Gerald dreads the great Jungle Dance, and feels ashamed that he cannot tango and two-step with the rest of the jungle animals. But then one day he realises that it doesn't matter that he is different from everyone else--its just that he needs a different tune to dance to.

A lovely story, wittily illustrated by Guy Parker-Rees and told in rhyme by the award-winning author Giles Andreae, it has a stealth and humour that makes it perfect for reading aloud. Giraffes Can't Dance is a nifty little 1story that children and adults will love to read time and time again. (Ages 3 to 5 years) --Susan Harrison

Review
Andreae's ode to a different drummer stumbles when it preaches about uncovering your own beat, but is ferried along by enough sweet verse and Parker-Rees's dazzling colors that it almost pulls its own weight. Gerald the giraffe's legs are too spindly for dancing; they are always buckling at the knees when it comes to the old soft-shoe. And while all the other creatures show some mean moves at the Jungle Dance ("The chimps all did a cha-cha / with a very Latin feel, / and eight baboons then teamed up / for a special Scottish reel"), poor Gerald is hooted off the dance floor before he even has a chance to crumple. As he shuffles homeward, and as he stops to admire the moon, a cricket suggests that "you just need a different song." So, to the sound of the wind in the trees, Gerald starts to move: a gentle swaying, some circling, and some swishing. Suddenly he commences to belt out Olympic-quality gymnastic moves-"Then he did a backward somersault / and leapt up in the air"-that blows the other animals away. But probably not readers, even the youngest of whom will want to know just why Gerald's legs didn't buckle this time, special music or not. Bad enough that in a story about rhythm, the verse doesn't always scan-but must Gerald strike the Travolta pose? Gerald doesn't find himself; he simply learns how to mimic. "(Picture book. 3-5)" (Kirkus Reviews)

Belfast Telegraph
"A wonderfully funny book that is also a subtle way to discuss prejudice"

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Customer Reviews

Simply wonderful.
This book is simply wonderful. I have read it so many times and I never tire of it.

Giraffes almost come alive!
This is an absolutely charming book, my son loves listening to the rhyming verse and spotting all the different animlas in the book. A fantastic book to generate your childs love for books, highly recommended.!

brilliant!
My little boy is only 7 months and he loves it already. He coos and gurgles at the brightly coloured pictures and loves me reading the fabulous rhyming story to him. I'm sure it'll be a firm favourite for years to come.