Picture Book Review - Giraffes Can't Dance

The picture book I have chosen is ‘Giraffes Can’t Dance’ by Giles Andreae and illustrated by Guy Parker-Rees. I chose this book as the front cover caught my eye as it is very brightly coloured and depicts a Giraffe doing a summersault, which is not something you see everyday.

The message of the book is outlined in an inscription from the author on the first page. Andreae states that he wrote Giraffes Can’t Dance after a trip to Kenya; he’d never seen giraffes galloping before and was captivated by how graceful they were, this was a surprise, as he wouldn’t have thought that such gangly creatures could move so beautifully. The moral of the story is that we can all do things that others don’t expect us to be able to do; all we need is a little encouragement.

The illustrations in this book are amazing; they are rich in colour and fill each double page. The colours used capture the warmth and vibrant nature of Africa. The pictures mainly show the various animals and show the time of day in the story. The attention to detail is incredible; one thing that struck me is that all the animals have shadows, which adds to the quality of the pictures.

The language used is very simple and easy to read. There is a rhyme scheme that continues throughout the text; each page contains a four line stanza in which the second and forth lines rhyme. This adds to the musical theme of the book and it reads like a song. The text is sometimes written in wavy lines, which also adds to the rhythm. The book is written from a third person narrator’s perspective but also contains the speech of the animals.

The book revolves around a giraffe called Gerald; although Gerald is a fine Giraffe who can reach the shoots of the highest trees, when it comes to dancing his long limbs mean that he has difficulties. Every year in Africa they hold a jungle dance and whilst all the other animals are excited about this event Gerald is dreading it as he is very insecure about his dance moves and all the other animals ridicule him.

When the day arrives:

‘The warthogs started waltzing
And the rhinos rock ‘n’ rolled
The lions danced a tango
Which was elegant and bold.’

The illustrations show the different species of animals dancing in pairs in their style of choice making it look easy, but as soon as poor Gerald steps on the floor the other animals double over with laughter and shout:

‘Giraffes can’t dance, you silly fool,
Oh Gerald, don’t be daft!’

Gerald is mortified but he knows they are right, he makes his way home feeling extremely alone; his loneliness is emphasised but the fact that all the other animals are in pairs and he is on his own. On his way home Gerald bumps in to a cricket that can sense Gerald’s despair, he tells him:

‘But sometimes when you’re different
You just need a different song.’

The cricket encourages Gerald that he should embrace his individuality and not let the bullies win; he tells him that he can dance he just needs to find his own way and his own music. With his new found confidence Gerald suddenly begins to move and once he has started he can’t stop, he sways, he shuffles and even manages a backwards somersault. Gerald cannot believe that he is dancing, he has never felt so happy especially when the other animals are looking at him in admiration, as Gerald is the best dancer they have ever seen. The story ends with:

‘Then he raised his head and looked up
At the moon and stars above.
“We can all dance,” he said,
“When we find music that we love.”’

The story highlights that when other people put us down we can develop a self-fulfilling prophecy and believe the bullies, this book reminds us that being different is not a bad thing and that we can do anything if we put our minds to it and do it our own way. This is a very important message for children to learn and the book conveys it very effectively. Gerald is portrayed as a likable character with insecurities that people can relate to, the reader is rooting for him throughout the text.

The illustrations bring the text to life and would aid children in their imagination. The animals and places described are not necessarily things that the children would be familiar with so in this instance the pictures help. The illustrations mainly show what is being said in the text but in more detail and shows the environment in which the tale occurs.

On my third reading of this text I decided to read it aloud and it struck me that the text is powerful on it’s own, without the illustrations. The rhyme scheme means that the story is very entertaining and amusing, although the ironic humour would appeal to adults rather than children. The sentimental language would appeal to children and adults but in different ways.

I really liked this book, it is charming and endearing but at the same time the way it’s written is light-hearted and witty. The illustrations and the text are effective in their own way and enhance each other.

Smashing. Warm-hearted too.