Nick: Whoa!
It's P.S. 304 in New York City.
Let's see what's happening!
Ms. Ganthier: Here comes Christopher Myers!
Kids scream and cheer
Myers: My people!
My people!
Nick: Wow!
This guy looks like a rock star!
But his fans are all less than half his size?
That's cause his job is writing books for kids!
What's that all about?
Let's get to know him.
Mr. Myers, what makes you tick?
What rocks your world?
Exactly who is Christopher Myers?
Myers: My job is to tell stories about my neighborhood, about where I come from, about
where I grew up.
I think everyone has stories to tell.
This is one of the things I'm really interested in is telling kids that I don't care who you
are, you have a story to tell.
Myers: I wanted to do a book about a kid who was different, because I'm different, okay?
Because I got big feet, because I'm tall.
Kid: Your hair's different.
Myers: What's wrong with my hair?
Kid: It's curly.
Myers: Cause I got curly hair?
Uh-huh.
Myers: Who else here is different?
Kid: I have big feet, too.
Myers: You're different because you have big feet, too.
All right.
Myers: Growing up, I was the tallest one in my class.
I was the youngest one in my class.
I always had big feet.
It took me a long time to learn that all those things were cool.
Myers: I wanna write a story with you.
I'll do the pictures.
The first thing I need is a character.
Kid: A boy named Anthony.
Myers: A boy named Anthony.
OK.
Does Anthony have big eyes or little eyes?
Kids: Big eyes.
Myers: Big eyes.
Okay.
That's Anthony.
Myers: Every story has characters and has a problem.
So what's Anthony's problem gonna be?
Kid: Big feet.
Myers: So Anthony had big feet.
How big was Anthony's feet?
Kid: Like yours.
Myers: Like mine?
You saying I got big feet again.
Kid: Yeah, big feet.
Myers: So you tell me where to stop.
Kids giggle and scream stop!
Myers: What?
What?
OK, I'm gonna stop.
All right.
Kids: Yeah!
Kid: That's too big.
Myers: But that's his problem.
That's a problem.
That's a for real problem there.
Kid: And, like, his feet is swollen?
Myers: How's he gonna fix his problem?
Kid: You could solve the problem by giving Anthony a plastic surgery.
Myers: A what?
Kid: A plastic surgery.
Myers: A plastic surgery on his feet?
Myers: My grandfather couldn't read, and yet he was one of the best storytellers I ever
met.
I used to sit on his knee and he would tell me these stories about everything from radioactive
bunnies running around, and he would scare you.
He could tell a story like nobody's business.
Myers: Who here likes to read?
Kids raise their hands
Myers: Who here doesn't like to read?
Kid: I think it's hard.
Myers: Cause it's hard sometimes.
Do you think it's sometimes hard for me when I make books?
Kid: No.
Myers: No, it is hard sometimes.
Sometimes it's hard.
Does that mean it's bad?
No, sometimes some of the good things, some of the fun things to do are hard to do.
You know?
And that's one of the things you need to remember if you feel like sometimes reading is hard,
that's okay.
Myers: We're all having a hard time with something, and I don't care who you are.
There are books that I will read one time, feel like I know what it's about, then read
another time and find it's about a whole 'nother thing.
It doesn't matter how good of a reader you are, because you will always get to be a better
and better reader.
Myers: And look at you touching my shoes.
I told you never touch my shoes.
Kids laugh
Myers: It doesn't matter what it is that goes on in your life.
The things that make you you, are the things that you need to be proud of.