Hello kids, my name is Daniel Bernstrom.
And I'm the author of One Day in the Eucalyptus, Eucalyptus Tree, Gator, Gator,
Gator, and Big Papa and the Time Machine.
You have probably noticed by now, that I have something weird on my head, and
it's pretty amazing, isn't it?
This on my head is a reading thing, a microphone that makes me sound super cool.
How cool?
Well, check this out I can whisper, hey, I'm whispering, can you hear me?
You can, that's awesome.
Or I can use to have a big voice.
This is my big important voice.
I am big and important.
And then I can do my squeaky voice.
Hello, this my big, squeaky voice, and this is amazing.
That was awesome?
So I have my big, cool microphone on, and I'm gonna read to you.
What am I gonna read to you today?
I'm gonna read to you, Big Papa and the Time Machine.
Now, this is a story about going to school.
It's kind of weird, right?
Going to school, but some of you can't go to school right now.
And it's about being brave when we don't know what's gonna happen next.
When we don't know about what tomorrow is gonna bring.
My daughter, she's in first grade,
and she was crying the other day when she was home from school.
And I asked her, I said, what's wrong?
And she said, am I going back to first grade this year?
Am I gonna get to see my teacher again?
And I said, well, probably online, but
you might not be going back to school and see your friends.
And she cried a little bit, and I said, but we can be brave, right?
She said yes, we can be brave.
So you might not know what's gonna happen tomorrow, and you might wonder,
how do I be brave when I'm not going to school when I want to go to school?
Well, that's what this book is about.
And after I'm done reading, I have a homework assignment for you.
I want you to go and talk to whoever's taking care of you.
It could be an aunt or an uncle, a grandma or a grandpa, mom or a dad,
and ask them say, can you tell me a story about when you were brave?
And see what they tell you, that's your homework lesson.
Hopefully, maybe you'll do a few more people than just one.
So without further ado, let me read to you Big Papa and the Time Machine.
I won't never forget that September time when I didn't wanna go to school.
And Big Papa came in his time machine to take us way, way back.
Do I have to go to school?
Yes, Big Papa said, I just wanna go home and watch TV.
You scared, Big Papa said.
Scared I'll miss you.
He turned the key and the engine wracked.
I think it's time I showed you something.
Along time ago Little Rock, Arkansas 1952,
we took Big Papa's time machine to a long time ago.
Big papa, why that silver haired lady holding that boy tighter than tight?
He was leaving home, Big Papa said,
needed to find him a new job where he could eat fried fish every night.
Big Papa, is that you?
Yes, Big Papa said.
You left your mama?
Yes, Big Papa said.
Was you scared?
Scared to death, big papa said, didn't have no job,
didn't have no money or place to stay.
But I thought you was never scared.
[LAUGH] No ,no, been scared lots of times, Big Papa said.
But sometimes you gotta lose the life you have if you're ever
gonna find the one you want, that's called being brave.
Chicago 1955, we took our time machine to when Big Papa worked in the sky,
on top of tall buildings wrapped in coats of smoke and ash.
You couldn't wear a white shirt back then, Big Papa said.
If you did, you'd be black by the end of the day, all that soot in the air.
You was so high up, wasn't you scared?
I was scared, Big Papa said, cars look like tiny toys,
and the wind would blow so hard.
[SOUND] You think it could carry you right away?
Why do you work up so high?
I couldn't stand to stay on the ground, Big Papa said.
Sometimes, you gotta walk with giants if you ever gonna find out what you made of,
that's called being brave.
Chicago 1957, we took our
time machine to when Big Papa sat by himself in some boogie music club.
Mm, Big Papa said, hear those trumpets and
them saxophones, they still make my bones wanna swim.
But why are you not dancing?
You see that angel dancing in a pink dress,
your Nana [SOUND] she stole my heart with that pink dress.
Then Big Papa jumped into the crowd and his feet and arms swam with Nana's,
and they danced and danced and danced, and Nana held Big Papa, mm-mm,
tighter than tight.
I thought you was scared.
I tell you I was scared, Big Papa said, but sometimes you gotta jump in
an ocean of scared if you ever gonna dance with an angel, that's called being brave.
Chicago 1986,
we took our time machine to the day, a sad girl left the baby in Big Papa's arms.
I'm that baby?
Yes, Big Papa said, your mama left you here for a while.
But she never came back.
No, Big Papa said, she never came back.
Was you scared?
You was so little and I was so old.
I'm sorry, I made you scared.
Big Papa hugged me tighter than tight., sometimes you gotta love the unexpected,
if you ever gonna find love at all, that's called being brave.
Little Rock, Arkansas, Cotton fields, 1941, we took
our time machine to a long, long time ago.
Big Papa, what are we doing here?
A boy who looked just like Big Papa scratch letters on a piece of paper.
Big Papa, is that you?
Big papa held my hand tighter than tight.
Just watch, Big Papa said.
What are you doing with that paper?
Said a man, I'm doing school.
The man pulled a fistful of cotton from his pocket.
See this cotton and see that field, look at it, this is your school.
The man took Little Papa's school paper and ripped it up.
Give up school, son, work, that's all you ever gonna do.
He said, that's all we ever can do.
Did you ever go back to school?
No, Big Papa said.
Does being scared ever go away?
No, Big Papa said.
Are you scared right now?
Big Papa, you're scared?
[SOUND] Big Papa said.
Why are you scared?
I'm scared you growing up too fast,
Big Papa said, and I already miss you.
I hugged big Papa, tighter than tight, but that's called being brave?
Yes, Big Papa said, that's called being brave.
Hey, I really enjoyed reading this story to you, Big Papa and the Time Machine.
Yeah, things are a little bit different right now for some of you, that's okay.
Remember your homework assignment,
ask someone around you about a time when they had to be brave.
Remember that story, because guess what?
You have a story of your own that's going on right now,
take care, bye.
[MUSIC]