Giraffes Can’t Dance with Processing

From the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, Miss Ally, Teen Librarian at the Walnut Hills Branch reads “Giraffes Can’t Dance” by Giles Andreae

Giraffes Can’t Dance

by Giles Andreae

From Goodreads: “Gerald the giraffe longs to dance, but his legs are too skinny and his neck is too long. 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. But with some sound advice from a wise cricket, Gerald starts swaying to his own sweet tune.”

Watch the video to the left for a reading of this book by the Public Library of Cincinnati as part of their digital response to the Coronavirus Quarantine.

Let your child watch the Storytime. There is an opening and closing song, the story, and a related craft. After it is over, process the story with these or similar questions before you do the craft.

• Did you like the story?
• Was it fun to see how the animals danced in the story?
• When Gerald couldn’t dance at the Jungle Dance, how did he feel? (Sad, useless)
• Have you ever felt sad or useless because you couldn’t do something? (Nobody can do everything well.)
• What did the cricket tell Gerald about dancing? (find the right music)
• What did Gerald do when he heard the music in nature? (danced his way)
• When Gerald danced his way, he was being Sincere and honored who he was and what he could do. How do you think he felt when he did that? (very good, happy)
• How did the other animals react when they saw Gerald being himself and dancing his way? (they cheered)
• Do you think he would have been happy if they hadn’t cheered? (yes because he was being true to himself)
• The next time you find something to do that is being yourself, do you think you will remember Gerald the Giraffe and his dance?