Customer Reviews

Giraffes Can't Dance

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Cute book about dancing - not an easy topic to find for toddlers who love dancing. Good read-aloud level for 2 year old, nice pictures, easy to follow story and a great John Travolta/Saturday Night Fever pose by Gerald at the end. Includes peer group of animals who laugh at the giraffe for not being able to dance, which is a social concept that I had reservations about exposing to our 2 year old but may be okay for an older preschooler. So, I read it with reservations at first, but it seems to be okay for him. However, he's not enjoying the book as much as I am and hasn't been interested in hearing it much beyond the first couple of times.

This book is wonderful. It demonstrates, in its storyline and text, that there isn't always just one right way to do something. In other words, we may all have a unique approach. In this case Gerald thinks he's a bad dancer. His negative perception is reinforced by the other jungle animals whom Gerald thinks dances perfectly. The other animals tease Gerald. He doesn't seem to "fit in" with the crowd. Gerald's problem is, he is trying to dance their way. He needs to find his own style.

Good and bad examples abound in real life, and with our guidance they all provide rich learning experiences for our children. Given that, with your guidance, this book imparts to children a) There is often more than one way to do something, b) courage and perseverance pay off, and c) teasing hurts. Not bad for 29 pages of delightful rhyming text and colorful illustrations.

This book was such an amazing story! Andreae combines a great moral message with a wonderful story. Parker-Rees' illustrations are also beautiful and he brings very bright and vivid colors. If you have children, know children, or teach children this is one that must be added to your collection.

What a wonderful story! The rhyming verse is captivating and I fell in love with it the first time through! It's the kind of verse your young child will be able to chant along with after a few times, which excites them about reading. The illustrations are beautiful, and invite much discussion on thier own! Highly recommended! The book also has a moral, be your own person!

The poetic flow of this beautifully written and illustrated book is amazing. I am not sure who loves this book more, my 3 month old or me! It is so fun to read and even my young son looks bright eyed at the colorfully active and eye-catching pages. I especially like the different points of view the pictures show you, ie: the page where he leaps up into the air and you see him from above and all the animal down below. A great book, I will buy more for friends! Highly recommended!

I just bought this book for my 2 year old. While it may be a bit early for this lesson, why not teach it to her before she knows different? It's a neat book, and the illustrations are great also. My daughter loves it too!

Very sweet book with very colorful an imaginative artwork. The book delivers a wonderful message and Gerald the Giraffe is a sweet character.

Although written for children ages 3 to 6, as a middle school librarian, I know my students can also identify with Gerald the Giraffe's insecurities. They know too well how fickle their "friends" can be if they fail to fit in. Learning that everyone can dance when they find the music they love is a lesson that they will revisit many times during their lives...but probably never so simply or beautifully as with Gerald the Giraffe.

And so does my 4 month old. She loves the pictures and the sing song words. I have been reading to her since she came home from the hospital and this has been one of her favorites!

Gerald the Giraffe wants to be a dancer, but his neck's too long and his legs too skinny. He's ready to give up his dream until a little cricket teaches him how to adapt his goals to reality without losing them. Rollicking rhymes and whimsical drawings make for an inviting tale.