Giraffes Can't Dance is a charming picture book written by Giles Andreae and illustrated by Guy Parker-Rees. Published in 1999, the book has quickly become a classic storybook read aloud in schools and homes all over the world. Its age appropriate message about confidence, self-belief and embracing you uniqueness has remained important for two decades and is enjoyed by both children and adults alike.
The story follows Gerald, a lanky and clumsy giraffe who is an outsider at the Savannah’s wildlife party. All the other animals are skilled at one dance or the other - boogie-woogieing zebras, waltzing hippos, and even the occasional Fox Trotting gazelle. But Gerald seems to have two left feet and trips over all the other animals. He is too embarrassed to even try and dance, so he just turns around and leaves.
One day, Gerald stumbles across a wise old cricket who sees his sorrow and attempts to encourage him to discover his unique style by singing him a song. He tells him that all the other animals in the Savannah can teach him some basic moves. “There’s no such thing as two left feet,” the cricket said, “just find a different beat.”
Invigorated by the cricket’s words, Gerald goes back to the party, takes a few steps at his own pace and frees his body to express what comes naturally to him. To the surprise of all the other animals, what comes out is a graceful, jumps and twirls, swaying and spinning. The other animals quickly follow, catch onto the energy and show that even if you were as clumsy as a giraffe, you can still dance.
At the end of the book, Gerald’s unique moves have made him a star. The other animals threw a huge celebration and presented him with an extra-special gift - special groovy dance shoes. The shoes didn’t help him actually dance better, they reminded him he was enough just the way he was.
Giraffes Can’t Dance is an enchanting story that encourages us to be true to ourselves, explore our passions and find joy in embracing who we are. In unique, colourful and funny illustrations we are reminded that no accomplishment can be achieved without both hard work and believing in yourself. The books special message of self-confidence and resilience is one that will never go out of style, and its timelessness has been proven by its reception over two decades ago and today. No matter what age, it is a guaranteed way to spread joy, positivity and the most important message of all - that there really is no such thing as two left feet!
