November 11, 2008 Storytime
Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae
Giraffes can’t dance. Or can they? When a giraffe named Gerald arrives at the annual jungle dance, the other animals laugh at him and tell him he is too clumsy to be a dancer. Gerald leaves the dance feeling sad and alone, but with the help of a small friend, Gerald learns “sometimes when you’re different you just need a different song.” Gerald finds his rhythm and amazes the other animals with his dancing. When asked how he learned to dance Gerald replies, “We all can dance when we find music that we love.”
After reading this story, the children and I danced! With scarves accompanying their movements, the children expressed themselves through the fast and slow rhythms of songs like the Chicken Dance, the Can Can, and Grieg’s Morning Mood.
–Jeanine