Poor Gerald the Giraffe desperately wants to participate and have fun at the Jungle Dance, but as it approaches all he feels is sad.  He knows that he can’t dance and when it is his turn to dance he freezes and ends up walking home feeling very sad and very alone. 

On Gerald’s trip back home, he meets a cricket who befriends him.  The cricket shares that Gerald can indeed dance he just needs a different song.  Before long Gerald finds that he really can dance when he finds music that he loves.  He then goes on to share his new found dancing skills with the other animals at the Jungle Dance.

This encouraging story is enhanced by bright colorful illustrations.  Of particular note is the inclusion of Gerald’s true friends – the cricket and three small bugs which appear on every page.  They are most visible on the pages in which Gerald is learning to dance, but they are on every page which makes for some fun searching for young readers.

This story