Parent-Child Edition 1 -

Author: None
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-07-01
Features: Giraffes have long necks, and the frogs sing in the pond. The giraffes want to sing too, but they can't sing. The giraffes are sad and think, "I'm not even as good as a little frog. I'm useless." Peacocks dance in the forest. The giraffes want to join them, but they don't have peacocks' beautiful feather dresses. No matter how hard they try, their dance steps aren't as graceful as the peacocks'. The giraffes are sad and think, "I'm too stupid. I can't dance, and I'm not pretty. I'm useless." The giraffe sees the woodpecker catching bugs for Grandpa Tree. The giraffe wants to help, but his mouth isn't as sharp as the woodpecker's. He watches helplessly as the bugs hide in the tree's crevices and can't catch them. The woodpecker flies over, "," pecks the bark with its hard beak, and the bugs surrender obediently. The giraffe watches and feels sad, thinking, "Even though I'm big, I can't even deal with small bugs. I'm truly useless." Seeing how sad the giraffe is, everyone comforts him and says, "Giraffe, everyone has their strengths. Don't give up! Compared to us, you may not have beautiful feathers or a lovely voice, but you have a graceful long neck!" The giraffe and his friends race in the forest. Everyone quickly dives into the trees, running faster than the wind, and disappears in an instant. The giraffe is paired with a squirrel and a goat. However, because his neck is too long, he gets tangled in branches and stuck in branches every minute. He not only runs slowly but also needs the squirrel to bite off the branches to save him. The giraffe always causes trouble for everyone, and as a result, their team finishes last. Although his friends don't blame him, he feels extremely embarrassed and thinks he's holding everyone back. Back in the classroom, Hippo Teacher distributes test papers for the midterm exam. The giraffe sits in the back row, but his long neck stretches all the way to the head of the rabbit in the front row. The rabbit is the top student in the class. Hippo Teacher suspects the giraffe of cheating and severely scolds him, "You're not allowed to cheat during the exam!" The giraffe cries in frustration because he really isn't cheating—he just has a long neck. If he doesn't stretch it forward, it hits the ceiling. There's nothing he can do about it. The giraffe sadly thinks, "My long neck only causes me trouble. I really wish I didn't have such a long neck." The giraffe isn't happy at all because he thinks he's a useless animal in the forest. He doesn't dare play with his friends and rarely plays games with them. He walks around with his head down, lost in his thoughts, believing that everyone will no longer like him and won't be his friend—until one day, the Forest Building catches fire. Everyone gathers around the building, unsure what to do, because Squirrel Mom's children are trapped on the high floors and haven't escaped. Now, they're all scared, crouching on the windowsills, not daring to move.