0:00:02 > 0:00:05CBeebies Bedtime Story.
0:00:10 > 0:00:12Oh.
0:00:12 > 0:00:14Hello. I'm Stephen.
0:00:14 > 0:00:17You've just caught me practising the cha-cha-cha.
0:00:17 > 0:00:21You see, we've been invited to the Great Jungle Dance
0:00:21 > 0:00:24in tonight's bedtime story, which is called...
0:00:24 > 0:00:26Giraffes Can't Dance,
0:00:26 > 0:00:29and it's by Giles Andreae and Guy Parker-Rees.
0:00:29 > 0:00:33Gerald was a tall giraffe
0:00:33 > 0:00:36whose neck was long and slim,
0:00:36 > 0:00:38but his knees were awfully bandy
0:00:38 > 0:00:40and his legs were rather thin.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43He was very good at standing still
0:00:43 > 0:00:45and munching shoots off trees,
0:00:45 > 0:00:47but when he tried to run around...
0:00:47 > 0:00:50he buckled at the knees.
0:00:51 > 0:00:53Now every year in Africa,
0:00:53 > 0:00:57they hold a jungle dance where every single animal
0:00:57 > 0:00:59turns up to skip and prance.
0:01:00 > 0:01:02This year, when the day arrived,
0:01:02 > 0:01:04poor Gerald felt so sad,
0:01:04 > 0:01:07because when it came to dancing...
0:01:08 > 0:01:11..he was really very bad.
0:01:12 > 0:01:14The warthogs started waltzing
0:01:14 > 0:01:17and the rhinos rock-and-rolled.
0:01:17 > 0:01:19The lions danced the tango
0:01:19 > 0:01:21which was elegant and bold.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24The chimps all did a cha-cha
0:01:24 > 0:01:26with a very Latin feel,
0:01:26 > 0:01:28and eight baboons then teamed up
0:01:28 > 0:01:30for a splendid Scottish reel.
0:01:31 > 0:01:36Gerald swallowed bravely as he walked towards the floor,
0:01:36 > 0:01:39but the lions saw him coming
0:01:39 > 0:01:42and they soon began to roar.
0:01:42 > 0:01:44"Hey! Look at clumsy Gerald,"
0:01:44 > 0:01:46the animals all laughed.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49"Giraffes can't dance, you silly fool!
0:01:49 > 0:01:52"Oh, Gerald, don't be daft!"
0:01:52 > 0:01:54Gerald simply froze up,
0:01:54 > 0:01:56he was rooted to the spot.
0:01:56 > 0:01:58"They're right," he thought.
0:01:58 > 0:02:02"I'm useless. Oh, I feel like such a clot."
0:02:02 > 0:02:05So he crept off from the dance floor
0:02:05 > 0:02:07and he started walking home.
0:02:07 > 0:02:09He'd never felt so sad before -
0:02:09 > 0:02:12so sad and so alone.
0:02:13 > 0:02:18Then he found a little clearing, and he looked up at the sky.
0:02:18 > 0:02:20"The moon can be so beautiful,"
0:02:20 > 0:02:22he whispered with a sigh.
0:02:22 > 0:02:26"Excuse me," coughed a cricket,
0:02:26 > 0:02:28who'd seen Gerald earlier on.
0:02:28 > 0:02:33"But sometimes when you're different, you just need a different song."
0:02:34 > 0:02:37"Listen to the swaying grass, and listen to the trees.
0:02:37 > 0:02:39"To me the sweetest music
0:02:39 > 0:02:42"is those branches in the breeze.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44"So imagine that that lovely moon
0:02:44 > 0:02:47"is playing just for you."
0:02:47 > 0:02:50"Everything makes music if you really want it to."
0:02:50 > 0:02:53With that the cricket smiled
0:02:53 > 0:02:55and picked up his violin.
0:02:55 > 0:03:01Then Gerald felt his body do the most amazing thing -
0:03:01 > 0:03:06his hooves had started shuffling and making circles on the ground,
0:03:06 > 0:03:08his neck was gently swaying
0:03:08 > 0:03:11and his tail was swishing round.
0:03:11 > 0:03:14He threw his arms out sideways
0:03:14 > 0:03:16and he swung them everywhere,
0:03:16 > 0:03:19then he did a backward somersault
0:03:19 > 0:03:21and leapt up in the air.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24Gerald felt so wonderful,
0:03:24 > 0:03:26his mouth was open wide -
0:03:26 > 0:03:29"I'm dancing. Yes, I'm dancing.
0:03:29 > 0:03:32"I'm dancing!" Gerald cried.
0:03:34 > 0:03:36Then, one by one, each animal
0:03:36 > 0:03:38who'd been there at the dance
0:03:38 > 0:03:41arrived, while Gerald boogied on,
0:03:41 > 0:03:43and watched him, quite entranced.
0:03:43 > 0:03:45They shouted, "It's a miracle!
0:03:45 > 0:03:47"We must be in a dream.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50"Gerald's the best dancer
0:03:50 > 0:03:52that we've ever, ever seen!"
0:03:52 > 0:03:55"How is it you can dance like that?
0:03:55 > 0:03:57"Please, Gerald, tell us how!"
0:03:57 > 0:04:00But Gerald simply twizzled round,
0:04:00 > 0:04:02and finished with a bow.
0:04:04 > 0:04:08Then he raised his head and looked up at the moon and stars above.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11"We all can dance," he said.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14"When we find the music that we love!"
0:04:17 > 0:04:20And that story was called Giraffes Can't Dance.
0:04:22 > 0:04:24But now we know they can.
0:04:27 > 0:04:29I'm rather tired after all that dancing,
0:04:29 > 0:04:31and I think Gerald is, too.
0:04:31 > 0:04:36So it's time to settle down and have a good night's sleep.
0:04:36 > 0:04:38So we can all do some more dancing tomorrow.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42I'll see you soon for another bedtime story.
0:04:44 > 0:04:46Night-night.