Gerald the giraffe longs to dance but his knees seem to buckle whenever he tries to twirl. Will he learn to sway to his own sweet tune? Find out in this gentle ode to dancing to the beat of your own drum. Giraffes Can't Dance is a touching tale of Gerald the giraffe, who wants nothing more than to dance. With crooked knees and thin legs, it's harder for a giraffe than you would think. But with some words of encouragement from an unlikely friend, he might just find the courage to be himself on the dance floor. With light-footed rhymes and high-stepping illustrations, this tale is gentle inspiration for every child with dreams of greatness. 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 Andreae's rhyming text has a jaunty rhythm that's likely to spark interest in the read-aloud crowd... Parker-Rees's kicky depictions of slighly anthropomorphic animals boogying on the dance floor are the highlight here. His watercolor and pen-and-ink artwork exudes a fun, party vibe. -- Publishers Weekly , September 10th, 2001 A clumsy giraffe is instantly transformed into an exceptional dancer when he finds music that he loves. Full-page color illustrations done in pen and ink and watercolor are bold and warm. --- School Library Journal , October 2001 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. Giles Andreae is the author of many top-selling, award-winning picture books. These include Free to Be Elephant Me , Rumble in the Jungle , Commotion in the Ocean , and I Love My Mummy . However, it is for the international bestseller Giraffes Can't Dance that he is best known. Giles lives with his wife, Victoria, a children's clothes designer, and their four children by the river in Oxfordshire, UK. Guy Parker-Rees' exuberant and energetic illustrations have made him a household name and one of today's bestselling children's illustrators. Notable successes include the picture book classic Giraffes Can't Dance , a worldwide bestseller; Spooky Hour ; and Free to Be Elephant Me . Guy lives in Brighton, UK, with his wife and three sons.