Gerald was a giraffe, but he thought he was really a monkey. He had always lived with the monkeys and wondered why he looked so different. because he had such a long neck he stood taller than the monkeys and thought himself so much more clever.
At school he always knew the answers. When the teacher, the Lion, asked a question Gerald always replied before the others.
"I know that," said Gerald. "Easy-peasy. Why was I born so tall if I am not cleverer than all of you?"
The monkeys looked at each other and sighed.
"How arrogant!" said Bobo, the monkey. "What a know-it-all," said another monkey.
"I always know the answers," said Gerald. "It's because I stand so tall."
"You're a big-head, alright," said Bobo.
The monkeys slowly moved away into the trees leaving Gerald on his own.
"If you listened more to what I say, you too might become more intelligent," said gerald,a nd he carried on bragging all day and saying how clever he was. In fact, he was so busy talking about himself he had not realised he was left completely alone.
"Where's everyone gone?" he asked, and he wandered through the forest looking for Bobo and the others, but nobody wanted to know.
"Here comes that boring Giraffe, Gerald." said the monkeys, and they ran off to hide in the trees. Everyone avoided gerald the Giraffe. The birds flew away. All the insects scuttled off when they heard him coming. Even his teacher, the Lion, would walk past without stopping.
Gerald grew sad and lonely until, one day, he met some other giraffes.
"Better to be thought a fool and say nothing, than open one's mouth and prove it beyond all doubt," said one of the other giraffes.
"Yes, I suppose you are right," said Gerald. "That's very clever!"
Those were the last words he ever spoke, and even today giraffes remain quiet and never say a single word!
Copyright © Hedley Griffin 1993.
Children's picture books with safety stickers helping to prevent accidents within the home and elsewhere.
Home Page | About “The Child” | Sitemap | Child Accident Prevention | Baby proof your home | Parenting | Links | The Erasmus Foundation | Childhood Obesity | Child Criminals? | Spiritual Stories | Dietary advice