The K-2 version of the Giraffe Heroes Program gives the facilitator a user-friendly, three-ring binder containing—

• 200+ pages of lesson plans,
• 30 stories and photos of Giraffe Heroes,
• student handouts,
• a dvd featuring Giraffe Heroes, and stories told by Stan Tall and Bea Tall, twin giraffe mascots.

“In our society, with its focus on selfishness, greed and accumulation of material goods without regard to one’s fellow citizens, the character building accomplished by the Giraffe approach is desperately needed.… Teachers and many parents are crying out for help. The K-2 age group is the perfect place to start.… The Giraffe material is lively, relevant and developmentally right on the mark.”
—Dr. Michael Rothenberg, co-author with Dr. Spock of Baby and Child Care 

The 3-5 version of the Giraffe Heroes Program gives the facilitator a user-friendly, three-ring binder containing —

• 300+ pages of lesson plans,
• 30 stories and photos of Giraffe heroes,
• student handouts, and
• a dvd video featuring Giraffe heroes.

“In Michigan we are mandated to teach core democratic values like life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness and the common good. Where do you find something at the elementary level that does that? When I saw The Giraffe Heroes Program I knew I'd found the materials to address these values.”
—Sharon Feldman, 3rd grade teacher, Rochester Hills MI

“The kids have already become much more considerate of each other. They’ve shown a real change in attitude—for the better—and have been empowered by understanding that they can affect the people around them.”
—Janet Rusin, 4th-5th grade teacher, Sacajawea Elementary School, Seattle WA

Grades 3-5...$195

The 6-9 version of the Giraffe Heroes Program gives the facilitator a user-friendly, three-ring binder containing —

• 300+ pages of lesson plans,
• 30 stories and photos of Giraffe heroes,
• student handouts,
• a video featuring Giraffe heroes, and
• take-home materials for families.

“The best part for our students (in doing The Giraffe Heroes Program) was seeing themselves as part of the solution, not part of the problem. They were amazed how appreciated and respected their efforts were.“
—Amy Spargo, middle school teacher, MAT-SU Borough School District, Palmer AK

“When I do reflect back on the Giraffe Heroes Program, I come up with a wonderful gift, that has been given to troubled children that will last a lifetime—a bright memory of a success in lives that are cluttered with failure. And with that success is the memory of a road map of problem-solving steps and a philosophy of determined philanthropy for others. Each of our students has been given a compass that will last a lifetime.“
—Pete Farr, elementary teacher at Island Discovery School, Coupeville, WA 

Grades 6-9...$195

It's Up to Us
The Giraffe Heroes Program for high school

In the book’s foreword, Giraffe Patch Adams calls It’s Up to Us, “the golden ticket to meaning—giving you the ABC’s of making your life count.”

It’s Up to Us, written by Giraffe Heroes Project Executive Director John Graham, inspires teens to lead meaningful lives. It assumes that kids have concerns about the world they’re living in and that, given the chance, they want to have a positive impact on that world. It shows kids how to pick a problem that concerns them and to carry out their own service projects to address that problem. It helps them build the personal courage they need to stick their necks out for the common good, even when that means they might be embarrassed or criticized—or might fail.

Some of the chapters deal with profound topics—meaning, courage, compassion and responsibility—in words and graphics that appeal to teens. Other chapters build specific skills, such as handling stress and conflict, planning, making decisions and giving presentations.

It’s Up to Us is for the full spectrum of kids in high school, no matter how they've been categorized or stereotyped.

“Students were ignited to hear about local people who were actively risking their safety to stand up for the common good, to take a risk for what they believed in, and to model activism and community service against racism. The community service aspect of our class is thoroughly met by The Giraffe Heroes Program.”
—Betsy Bowen, teacher, Franklin High School Life Skills class, Seattle WA

“I’ve looked at other character education programs—a lot of platitudes; they just didn’t wash because the students didn’t live it. The Giraffe Heroes Program has an impact like nothing else does. And it’s not just something they’ve memorized, they are learning to live it. This is powerful, powerful stuff.”
—Sandra Barbaro, principal, Fulmar Road Elementary School, Mahopac NY

Grades 10-12..$125
Student paperbacks...$16.95 (discount for quantity orders)

We've heard from many quarters that one of the things kids need most now is hope. We looked at our Giraffe Heroes Project files, bulging with stories of "Giraffe Heroes"— people from an array of ages, locations and backgrounds who are plunging into every imaginable problem and getting positive results. Their lives are models for positive action and enormous sources of hope.

We've put forty of these stories into Voices of Hope, a unique middle/high school program that builds reading skills while it encourages kids to be active citizens in their communities. We know from many years' experience in classrooms how well the inspiring and exciting stories of Giraffe Heroes grab kids' attention—even kids who don't like to read. Used as a supplementary reader, Voices of Hope is a welcome addition to standard reading texts, many of which are notoriously dull.

But Voices of Hope is much more than an anthology of stories and instruction in vocabulary, sentence structure and comprehension. Voices of Hope tells kids that individuals can impact their world for the better, and that they themselves can do that too. Then it shows them how, with easy-to-use service-learning lesson plans and skills-building materials in the Voices of Hope Service Learning Guide.

Giraffe Heroes' stories inspire many kids to move from "Why bother?" to "How can I make a difference?" The Service Learning Guide can help teachers help kids create and carry out successful service projects on issues they care about. Guiding kids into courageous, caring service can change their attitudes—and their lives.

Service-Learning Guide $21.95
Anthology $12.95 (quantity discounts) select 1 book $12.95 10 books $115.00 30 books $330.00