Hello friends, and welcome to Storytime with The Met. My name is Julie Marie and
I'm so glad to see you today. Now, grab a cozy spot let's get started. We're going to
begin with their Storytime song, just like we do at the Museum. Tt goes to the
tune of This Old Man. Sing along with me 1, 2, 3. Welcome friends.
Get ready, get set. For Storytime with The Met. Where we love to read and
sing and look. At works of art and picture books. We'll use our eyes to look
and see. We'll use our ears to hear stories.
Now take the seat and give a shhhhh. Let's begin with our first book. Good job everyone! Today's book is
Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress. The author wrote the book,
Christine Baldacchino, and it was illustrated by Isabelle Malenfant.
Morris Micklewhite had a mother named Moira and a cat named Moo. Morris like
Sundays because his mother makes him pancakes on Sunday. Mmm delicious.
Mondays are great too because on Mondays Morris goes to school. Morris likes lots
of things about school. He likes to paint. He likes to do puzzles.
He likes the apple juice at snack time. He sings the loudest at circle time. La la la la la!
Most of all Morris like the dress-up center and the tangerine dress.
Morris likes the color of the dress. It reminds him of tigers and the sun and
his mother's hair. He likes the noise it makes
swish swish as he walks. And crinkle crinkle crinkle when he sits down. He
takes turns wearing all the different shoes but his most favorite go click
click click across the floor. Sometimes the boys make fun of Morris. Sometimes
the girls do too. Morris pretends he can't hear their
words over the swish swish swish, the crinkle crinkle crinkle, and the click click click. Morris pretends he can't hear their
words but he can. On Monday Becky tried to pull the dress right off
his back. "You can't wear it! Your a boy!" On Tuesday Eli and Henry and the other
boys wouldn't let Morris ride in their spaceship unless he took the dress off.
"Astronauts don't wear dresses!"
Morris looks really sad. On Wednesday Bea and Lela noticed Morris's fingernails.
His mother had painted them painted them for him the night before. They chased him
around the playground shouting, "pinky fingers pinky fingers!" On Thursday the
boys wouldn't let Morris sit at the snack table. "W we don't want you
to turn us into girls!" I think that's possible. On Friday Morris pretends that
he has a tummy ache. When he thought of all the things the kids in the class
said and all the mean things they did and said. His tummy aches for real.
His mother let him stay in bed and read books about elephants. Ohh that sounds nice.
Moo sat on his lap. Moo likes elephants too.
On Saturday Morris's mother brought him some apple
juice. As he took a sip, she stroked his hair. And Moo purred loudly. Morris suddenly
felt well enough to do a puzzle. He hummed to himself. Hmm hmm hmm. On Sunday Morris crawled
out from under the covers. After a wonderful dream about being on a
spaceship safari with Moo. In the dream they saw a big blue elephant and tigers
the color of the sun that Morris could hold in the palm of his hand. The
elephants swish swish swished as they move through
the grass. And the Tigers ate giant leaves that crinkle crinkle crinkled
as their tiny teeth chewed them. The buttons on the spaceship click click
clicked under Morris's fingertips.
Morris wanted to share all the amazing things he'd seen. He took out his brushes,
put on his smock, and began to paint using every color he could imagine. He
showed his painting to his mother when he was done. He pointed out the big blue
elephant and the tiny tiger the color of the sun and the tall grass, and the
giant leaves. He pointed out Moo and his shiny, round space helmet. Can you find Moo?
"And who is that?", his mother ask, pointing to the little boy in the
tangerine dress riding on top of a blue elephant. Morris was hoping she'd ask.
"That's me!" he said. On Monday Morris went to school with
his painting rolled up in his backpack. When he had the chance, he put on the
dress that reminded him of tigers and the sun and his mother's hair. Morris swish
swish swish. The tangerine dress crinkle crinkle crinkled.
His shoes click click clicked. Morris felt wonderful. Eli and Henry wouldn't
let him on their spaceship so Morris built his own. He hung his painting on
the front of it and climbed in ready to take off. "Are there really elephants in
space?" Eli asked. "And tigers?"
"If you follow me you can find out. Morris it's offered.
Eli and Henry followed Morris to the planet that they
had never seen before. As they explored Morris swish swish swished. The tangerine dress
crinkle crinkle crinkled. And the shoes click click clicked. By the
time they return to Earth, Eli and Henry had decided that it didn't matter if
astronauts wore dresses. All the best astronauts knew where the good
adventures were hiding. Morris smiled, he already knew that.
When snack time was over, Becky demanded the dress. Morris told her that
he could have that she could have it when he was done with it. "Boys don't wear dresses!" Becky sniped.
Morris smiled as he switched
crinkled and clicked back into the spaceship. "This boy does!"
The end. Thank you for reading with me friends! This book reminds me of a
beautiful dress in the Costume Institute. It's an American dress that's made of
silk. And it flows all the way down to the ankles and has these lovely, puffed sleeves.
I think Morris would really love this dress!
Where'd you think you might wear it just like that to? Wnd what sounds do
you think it'll make when you walk across the floor? Do you think you'll
have shoes that go click click click like Morris shoes? I hope so!
Take a look around your house and see if you can find some scarps or some strips
of fabric. Now, can you investigate them?
How does the light reflect on it it? Does it make a sound like Morris's dress?
Can you turn these strips of fabric into different things make yourself into
someone new? I bet, if you look hard enough, you'll find some fabric that you can
turn into an amazing cape! And be a superhero like me. I think I'm gonna tie this right heree
so I can go on an adventure to save the day. Or you might find some
fabric that'll give you long beautiful hair just like Morris's mom.
What do you think? Does it work?
Take a look around your house and see what you can find.
Go and explore and see if you can be an adventure just like Morris. Thank you for
reading with me today. And I hope to see you again next week. Bye!