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    Giraffes Can't Dance
    Giraffes Can't Dance
    Giraffes Can't Dance
    Audiobook13 minutes

    Giraffes Can't Dance

    Written by Giles Andreae

    Narrated by Billy Dee Williams

    4.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Gerald the giraffe longs to dance like everyone else, but his legs are too skinny, and he just can't seem to get it right. At the Jungle Dance, all the other animals make fun of him, and he almost believes he is a failure, until one friend's encouragement shows him how his uniqueness can make him the best dancer of all.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherWeston Woods
    Release dateJan 1, 2006
    ISBN9780545861021
    Giraffes Can't Dance

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    Reviews for Giraffes Can't Dance

    4.5/5

    91 ratings46 reviews

    What did you think?

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      Gerald is a giraffe who can't dance until he listens to his heart and hears the music in the wind and trees. Yes, the moral is pretty heavy-handed. But it's still a really delightful book to read out loud, with a good rhythem and meter (one clumsy line always catches me). But the illustrations of the various animals dancing is what totally makes it worthwhile -- from waltzing warthogs to disco giraffe, they are just priceless. My 3 year old has loved this book for over a year now, and I don't hate it yet either. High parental praise!
    • 5/5
      Giraffes Can’t Dance is simply fun! My one year old granddaughter brings it to me a couple times a day, when she’s here. The illustrations are colorful and draw your eye. Like many children’s books there’s a lesson here, don’t let others tell you what you can’t accomplish!
    • 4/5
      Children really like this book because it is very imaginative and silly. They could also relate it to a time of when they tried to do something but couldnt do it at first with out the help of some encouragement. This book should be aligned with identifying themes in stories.
    • 5/5
      Who says giraffes can't dance?! Who says anyone can't dance?! Love love love this book! Teaches that anyone can do anything. I am a dance teacher so this one is close to my heart, but i am an advocate for kids trying anything and everything.. nobody but you can determine what you can or can't do. The presence of animals instead of people makes it relatable to all children.
    • 4/5
      This book teaches to just be who they are. The giraffes is unable to dance and then he finds his own beat to the drum and he is is applauded for his dancing skills.
    • 5/5
      I loved everything about this book. The concept, the pictures, and the text all made this book really interesting and really fun for me, so I think young children would enjoy it too. The illustrations are really bright and become very detailed as you go farther into the book. The text has a few words per page and they rhyme, which would engage the students more. I really like the message of the book because it teaches you to believe in yourself. The giraffe cannot dance as well as the other animals, so he is really worried to go to the school dance. A cricket finds the giraffe and gives him advice to have confidence and it does not matter what other people think of you anyway. The giraffe ended up amazing himself about how well he danced and the book ended happily ever after. I really enjoyed it because it had an important message while still being fun with the pictures and the text.
    • 5/5
      Adorable book--discusses different types of dances and celebrates the fact that everyone can dance :).
    • 4/5
      Fun story of Gerald the Giraffe who wants so much to dance, but just can't find the beat. Great positive messages of being true to yourself and finding your own talents. Illustrations are great, text is rhythmic and includes some great vocabulary words to expose kids to. This would be great for a preschool storytime.
    • 4/5
      I like this book because of the lesson it teaches. The big idea is the classic lesson that "everyone is special in their own way." The book also tackles the common issue of teasing. Gerald the giraffe is teased by the other animals because he is "too clumsy" to dance. I think it would be a great book for discussion because children would be able to relate to both the characters who are teasing and the character who is being teased. I like how the language of the book evokes emotions such as when the animals call Gerald "weird." I also like the inclusion of the friend character, the cricket, because it teaches children that they should be nice to those who are struggling rather than join the crowd.
    • 3/5
      Cute story, cute illustrations. Your average story of a young giraffe who feels like an outcast because he can't dance like the rest of the animals, then discovers that he just couldn't dance because he needed his own kind of music. Can't have too many of those.
    • 3/5
      This story shows us that anyone can achieve their dreams, and should not listen to the judgements of others. I was engaged because I could relate to the giraffe in the sense where I have been in the predicament where I didn't think I could do something, and everyone else told me I couldn't do it, but I tried and it worked! Recommended to 2nd grade and up.
    • 5/5
      Beautiful book about finding your own music or beat to dance to. Many times we feel like that out of sync Giraffe, but Gerald finds out that he just has to find the music he can dance to so he can really shine.
    • 4/5
      Gerald the giraffe just wants to dance, even if his crooked legs and backwards knees make the others call him clumsy. Making an unlikely friend, he realizes that he may just "need a different song" and soon he was dancing the night away. This is a great book for children to understand that everyone can do and be what they want to be, even if they aren't "built" for it.
    • 5/5
      Gerald the giraffe feels that he cannot dance because of his long legs and neck. After been ridiculed by the lion at the yearly dance, he leaves the dance. He meets a cricket and learns from him that everyone can dance as long as they find the music that they love. He finds his music and shows to the animals that he can dance.
    • 4/5
      Great book for children who think they aren't good, This book allows one to have a better self-esteem, and allows people to believe in them self. It easy to read and one is able to understand the context very well.
    • 4/5
      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 "dancing to his own rhythm. Seems like a great story for prek-5.
    • 3/5
      A story about a giraffe that has a hard time believing in herself. she really wants to dance but she thinks she's not good at it. so she starts practicing and then finally one day she is able to dance just like the others.Ages 3-6Pierce College Library
    • 5/5
      The theme of this book is about self-esteem. It is a great book for children to read because building up a child's self esteem is very important for them to grow into healthy adults. The children who read this book may find it relatable and will make them feel happy in the end.
    • 5/5
      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 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.
    • 4/5
      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 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!
    • 5/5
      I loved this book! I did not just love this book because my favorite animals are giraffes, but it has a wonderful message! This books main idea is that no matter what obstacles you're facing, and no matter what others say you can't do, that stuff doesn't matter, you can! In this book, Gerald the giraffe is mocked by all of the other animals saying "Giraffes can't dance!" Luckily, Gerald meets an encouraging cricket on his sad walk home who helps him believe in himself. Gerald started dancing along to the sounds of nature, and then all of the animals who were making fun of him showed up to see what a great dancer he really was. I loved Gerald's response. He just said "we all can dance when we find music that we love." He was not mean because two wrongs do not make a right, as the saying goes. I also believe that was one of the main ideas. This was a great story and will show kids that they can do anything, as long as they want to, and that other people's opinions do not matter if they are doing what they enjoy.
    • 3/5
      Gerald the giraffe overcomes the misconception - held by both his animal peers and by himself - that he it too awkward to dance in this sweet picture-book from British author/illustrator team Giles Andreae and Guy Parker-Rees. With an entertaining narrative whose rollicking rhymes - "Gerald was a tall giraffe / whose neck was long and slim. / But his knees were awfully crooked / and his legs were rather thin" - are sure to entertain, Andreae follows Gerald as he learns, with the help of a little cricket, that he just needs the right music in order to let loose and dance.I liked the message here, that everyone needs to dance to their own drummer, that musical inspiration can be found all around us - in Gerald's case, in the form of the beautiful moon - and that we should have the confidence to just be ourselves. I also liked the text itself, which, with its fun rhyming scheme, makes for an engaging read-aloud selection. The pen, ink and watercolor illustrations are just adorable, with vivid colors and expressive animals figures and faces. All in all, a charming little book, one I would recommend to any young child who has felt self conscious, or worried that they don't have the "right" body type to dance.
    • 2/5
      Sweet enough, and the baboons doing the Scottish reel were delightful. I really didn't like how the animals sneered" and called Gerald "weird" when he wanted to dance, though. And I find implausible that an animal who couldn't even "run around" without falling down could dance spectacularly, just because cricket taught him a new tune. Heck, I don't even like the implication that ungainly = clumsy - giraffes irl don't fall down, even though they look awkward. I've seen the theme expressed more effectively elsewhere. It's not a bad book, but I just can't bring myself to give it 3 stars. According to GR, 2 stars means "It was ok" and that's what I'm going with."
    • 5/5
      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 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.
    • 5/5
      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.
    • 4/5
      Gerald starts out being a "clumsy" giraffe & it is well known throughout the jungle that giraffe's can't dance. Some fun rhyming and colorful graphics for early readers. Gerald goes out alone in the night and meets a cricket. The cricket encourages Gerald to close his eyes & listen to his surroundings. The cricket starts to play the violin & Gerald starts moving his body to the sounds of nature & the music coming from to cricket playing the violin. Gerald ends up being the best dancer in the jungle and moves & grooves with the rest of the animals.
    • 5/5
      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 will defiantly read it to my students because I think they will throughly enjoy this book..
    • 4/5
      A very cute book about finding your own way of doing things. The poetry isn't perfect but is still makes for a great read aloud if you add some expressive pauses or words to the parts where the rhythm breaks a little.This Scholastic edition has as puffed cover and stiff pages that are sturdier than paper but not as thick as a standard board book. The illustrations are active and expressive and a variety of dances are shown and are (more or less) recognizable.For the observant reader, the grasshopper that has been "watching" Gerald the Giraffe does appear in each previous page.
    • 5/5
      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 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.
    • 5/5
      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.