Giraffes Can't Dance Board Book - Hardcover

Giles Andreae

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1408303701 ISBN 13: 9781408303702

Publisher: Orchard Books, 2008

Synopsis

Number One bestseller Giraffes Can't Dance from author Giles Andreae has been delighting children for over 15 years. Gerald the tall giraffe would love to join in with the other animals at the Jungle Dance, but everyone knows that giraffes can't dance . . . or can they? A funny, touching and triumphant picture book story about a giraffe who finds his own tune and confidence too, with joyful illustrations from Guy Parker Rees and a foiled cover. ... wonderfully funny. - IndependentA fantastically funny and wonderfully colourful romp of a picture book. All toddlers should grow up reading this or hearing their parents read it aloud to them. - Daily TelegraphA joyful read about an outsider who finds acceptance on his own terms.... there's also a simple moral about tolerance and daring to be different. - Junior

About this title

Review:

Gerald the giraffe doesn't really have delusions of grandeur. He just wants to dance. But his knees are crooked and his legs are thin, and all the other animals mock him when he approaches the dance floor at the annual Jungle Dance. "Hey, look at clumsy Gerald," they sneer. "Oh, Gerald, you're so weird." Poor Gerald slinks away as the chimps cha-cha, rhinos rock 'n' roll, and warthogs waltz. But an encouraging word from an unlikely source shows this glum giraffe that those who are different "just need a different song," and soon he is prancing and sashaying and boogying to moon music (with a cricket accompanist). In the vein of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Gerald's fickle "friends" quickly decide he's worthy of their attention again.

With this rhyming, poignant (in a cartoonish way) tale, Giles Andreae, author of Rumble in the Jungle, and numerous other picture books, shows insecure young readers that everyone can be wonderful, even those that march to the beat of a different cricket. The rhymes are somewhat awkward, but the bold, bright watercolors by Guy Parker-Rees will invite readers to kick up their heels and find their own internal harmony. (Ages 3 to 6) --Emilie Coulter

From the Inside Flap:

Gerald the giraffe longs to dance, but his legs are too skinny and his neck is too long. His knees buckle whenever he tries to twirl. At the Jungle Dance, the warthogs waltz, the chimps cha-cha, and the lions tango. "Giraffes can't dance", they all jeer when it's Gerald's turn to prance.

Fortunately, there is one little creature who believes in Gerald. "Everything makes music", says the cricket, "if you really want it to". So Gerald starts swaying to his own sweet tune.

With light-footed rhymes and high-stepping illustrations, this tale is gentle inspiration for every child with dreams of greatness.

About this edition

• Publisher: Orchard Books
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 1408303701
• ISBN 13: 9781408303702
• Binding: Board book
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Guy Parker-Rees