Giraffes Can’t Dance

Really Cute Book!
This is a really cute book with engaging illustrations and an actual complete story in a board book. Many board books, due to the age of the audience don’t have a clear ending or conclusion. This one does and keeps my granddaughter engaged through the last page! I recommend adding this book to your baby’s library!

Awesome Book With a Great Message About Being Yourself, Beautiful Illustrations
My 3 year old loves giraffes and when I saw this book, I knew she’d be excited to read it. The story is about Gerald, a giraffe who isn’t the best dancer, and how he has low self esteem about his dance skills because the other animals made fun of him and his clumsy dancing. Gerald feels sad and a cricket, who had been watching him, encourages him to find the music he loves inside himself and dance to it his way. Once he followed this advice and let go of what other animals thought and danced to the beat of his own drum so to speak, he found he really could dance and at the party he impressed the other animals by being himself.I absolutely love the morals of this story because they apply to all people, old and young: when you let the opinions of others get to you, you begin to doubt yourself and become so self conscious that you forget to be yourself; and you may not be the best at any given activity, but if you do your personal best and believe in yourself, you will shine anyway. Gerald was able to let go of the opinions of others when he was alone in the field with the cricket and he found his own rhythm and realized he really could do what others said he couldn’t do. He started to believe in himself and it showed as he did his best dancing. The morals make great conversation starters with your children about what things they have doubted themselves about and why it’s important to believe in yourself. This book touches on bullying and the negative feelings it brings in an easy to understand way for young children as well and opens dialogue about what the animals could have done differently instead of laughing at Gerald.I love the rhyming text and the bright and engaging illustrations. I like that the pages are made of thick cardboard since it’s a board book and I don’t have to worry about her bending or tearing the pages. Overall, this is an awesome book with a great message!

How much laughter reading it/showing pics irrupted from the 2 & 3 yr olds listening
I, myself a manic reader, loved the story! The art work is stellar!!! It’s a great conversation piece. Gets kids talking about the issues in a story. I did not have to dumb it down, just went slowly, gave lots of time to look at the illustrations, watch the interactions between listeners before continuing.Interestingly the parents!! were giving cues to “get on with it” already!! Get a clue people!!These are little kids! If they’re engaged let it develop in their time! Or leave the room. Kids do notice tension, what have you, in a room!

Really cute except…
Bought a bunch of this book for favors for my toddler son’s friends. Though this book is very cute and has great rhymes, I decided to not give it to the toddler age range because there’s name calling “fool” and “weird”. Though it’s nothing concerning to some parents, I try to model not to call names and reading it in a book at bedtime wouldn’t coincide with this. The overall lesson of the book is great. I just opted to give this book to the older children coming to my son’s party instead.