Original subtitles

[MUSIC PLAYING]

LEVAR BURTON (VOICEOVER): As the host of "Reading Rainbow,"

I was able to talk to kids in every episode

about the joys of reading.

Telling stories to children is such an amazing thing for me

because it opens up new worlds for them and also

to the grown-ups who are doing the reading.

I'm going to read my children's book, "The Rhino Who

Swallowed a Storm," and then offer a few of my best tips

for engaging with young audiences.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

One day, I was with my camera crew in Central Park in New

York, and it was another one of those days in America

where someone had gone into a public place

with an automatic weapon and started firing.

And there were deaths and injuries.

And I thought, you know, if Fred Rogers were still here,

he would be addressing in an age-appropriate way what

it's like growing up in a world where there are

these calamities and tragedies that seem

to befall us with regularity.

And you know, Fred was gone, and so I figured,

maybe I should take a shot at doing

what Fred might have done.

And Fred always talked about looking

for the helpers that when--

when you're in trouble, look for the helpers.

They're all around, and on that theme,

I came up with "The Rhino Who Swallowed a Storm," which

was designed to be a story about loss and recovery for kids.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

"In the middle of the morning, Mica Mouse

trembled under her blanket.

[THUNDER]

A storm boomed outside her window.

Rain crashed against the glass.

Window rattled the shutters.

More than anything else, Mica was afraid of storms.

A year before, a powerful hurricane

had destroyed her home.

'I'm scared, Papa,' she said."

And there's Mica Mouse, and there's

Papa reading "The Gouda Times."

Get it, "Gouda Times"?

"'We are safe, Mica.

This storm will pass soon.

Would you like me to read you a story?

I know just the one to help you feel better.'

Well, Mica loved books, and Papa's gentle voice

soothed in a way that made her forget all about the thunder.

Papa opened the book and began.

'Long, long ago, before there were words,

animals roamed in bountiful herds.

Little Rhinoceros lived happy and free,

exploring mountains and meadows, rivers and trees.

His world was delightful and chock full of magic

until out of the blue, that magic turned tragic.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

A storm swept through the valley,

turning bright sky to black.

A flash flood came raging, no time to react.

Lost in the thundering, no time for wondering, chaos

and lightning, fury so frightening,

earth shaking, him quaking, water rumbling, him tumbling,

raggedy jaggedy, senseless calamity,

the storm crashed through his world

and tore it apart, took away everything dear to his heart.

Rhino was stunned by the terrible scene, death

and destruction all through the ravine.

Enraged by the pain of such a great loss,

Rhino acted without a thought to the cost.

Rhino look at his world, all tattered and torn, stood out

on the ledge, and swallowed that storm.

Inside his belly, he felt the storm growing.

Inside his head, he heard howling and blowing.

Like a tornado he spun as the storm raged inside,

growing bigger and bigger and wider than wide.

When he finally stopped, when he regained control,

he was at the very bottom of a very deep hole.

'What to do?'

Rhino worried as rain dripped down his face.

'I'm lost, and I'm lonely and in such a dark place.'

Well, at just the right moment to comfort and guide him,

a spider dropped down and dangled beside him.

'The world up above is shattered and gray,

but it's where you belong.

So you must find a way to let that storm out and move

through your sorrow.

You'll find many helpers on your road to tomorrow.'

Oh, but that hole was dreadfully deep, and the walls around him

were slippery steep.

Rhino tried to climb out but was losing

all hope when Kangaroo heard him and threw down a rope.

The Rhino was heavy from the weight of the storm.

They towed him right up, got him safe, dry, and warm.

'We're strong and steady and always ready.

When danger strikes, we hop to it.

Fire or flood, snow or mud, when help is needed,

we'll pull you through it.'

Well, watching those heroes do what

they did best gave Rhino the strength

to set off on his quest, but that storm he was clutching

made him buzzy and blurry.

It kept his brain foggy.

It filled him with worry.

'What to do?

Where do I go?

How will I ever make it through?'

'After every dark night, there comes a new day.

Be kind.

Do your best, and you'll find a way.

Up comes the sun.

There are steps to complete.

There isn't a map.

Just follow your feet.'" Those were the bees,

if you couldn't tell.

"'Well, Rhino followed his feet to a wallowing spot where he

plopped on a rock and had a deep thought.

'I'm tired of caging this wind and this rain,

exhausted from holding this anger and pain.'

'We are all on this Earth to learn and to grow,' a wise old

tortoise chimed in from below.

'Allowing yourself to start feeling your feelings

is the very first step on your journey toward healing.

It doesn't much matter if you're fast or you're slow.

If you want to move forward, just trust and let go.'

Well, Rhino shook, and he shimmied.

And he stomped in the muck, and just as he'd hoped,

that storm came unstuck.

And at first, one little teardrop leaked out of his eye.

Then Rhino let go and had a good cry.

And his tears formed a river that flowed to the sea

where a pod of whales swam, happy and free.

'I do feel better,' Rhino thought as he drifted.

Then up swam a whale, and Rhino was lifted.

'If you ever feel blue,' the whale said with a spout,

'remember to breathe, breathe in, and breathe out.

Sing your own song and take it deep, deep, deep.

Then rise above with a joyful leap.'

[MUSIC PLAYING]

As he floated home on a gentle wave,

Rhino felt calm and strong and brave.

His vision was clear like the sky above,

and he looked at his world through eyes filled with love.

So he thanked the kind spider and the brave kangaroo

and all of the others who had helped him through.

He was glad to know that if he ever lost hope,

they'd lend him a hand or throw him a rope.

He had journeyed his journey a very long way to find the light

in a world turned gray.

He'd swallowed a storm with no thought to the cost.

He'd felt all alone.

He'd been tumbled and tossed.

Life would bring changes, beginnings and ends,

but he had faith in himself and faith in his friends.

And as they curled up together, he felt loved and protected,

and he dreamed of a world that was safe and connected.

Rhino understood now, it was love that mattered.

Love could never be lost.

Love could never be shattered.'

Papa closed the book and gave Mica a hug.

'I know it was scary when the storm destroyed our home last

winter,' said Papa.

Bad things happen sometimes, and we can't always control that.

'But we had lots of helpers,' said Mica,

'just like Rhino did.'

'That's right, little one,' Papa said in his gentle way.

'You're never really alone when bad things happen.

There are always family and friends,

even people we don't know who are always there to help us

through the tough times.'" And just like every story with

a storm, this one ends in a rainbow.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

We worked really hard with psychologists,

child psychologists, and one of the things I'm most proud of

is at the back of the book, there is a page of props

that caretakers and adults can use to engage the child on--

on issues and themes that are brought up in the story.

So some of the prompts include questions like this.

"At the beginning of the book, Mica Mouse

is scared by a thunderstorm.

Can you think of a time when you've been frightened?"

And of course, we all can think of a time

when-- when we've been frightened,

so it's easy to relate to Rhino and what

Rhino was going through.

"Did you notice that after Rhino swallows the storm,

the illustrations turn to gray to show Rhino's sadness?

And how does Rhino learn to see the color in the world again?"

Now, that's a real subtle difference

that we included visually.

And the first time you read the story, you might not notice,

but once you hear that question, you-- you'll see it every time.

As Rhino gets deeper into the story,

his world does indeed turn gray, and the color

returns once he finds his-- his balance,

once he finds a circle of love in which he

feels safe and protected again.

And finally, "Mica feels better after reading a book

with her papa.

What books or activities comfort you and make you feel better?"

Well, I think that's a question we can all answer--

a piece of pie, [LAUGHS] a favorite song, a best friend.

Everybody has something that makes us feel

better when we're feeling blue.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

The things that you really can do

to make sure that kids are-- are engaged

and to keep them engaged with the flow of the story

is to discuss or make comments about what's

happening in the pictures.

And again, they love those little details,

and-- and if you're in a group, not everybody

is close to the illustrations.

So you know, pointing something out

is-- is sometimes valuable for the kids in the audience,

and they love those details.

They're just such a great audience, kids are,

and I think that's mostly because they have easy access

to their imaginations.

And when telling a story to children,

it's great to be more on their level, as much on their level

as you can.

The older I get, the harder it gets

for me to sit on the floor, so--

so a stool, a low stool is the right tool for the job.

And again, what you want to do is establish rapport

with your audience, and proximity and eyeline

are really essential.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

I've read to, you know, rooms full of children,

and it's daunting because, you know,

there is a lot of energy in a crowd of children,

in a room full of kids.

But they're also-- they're very easy to read.

And if you approach the reading with energy and enthusiasm,

it really does help to-- to sort of corral that energy

and get the kids focused, everybody

being in the same moment.

Unless you're incredibly good at cold reading,

take a pass through the book yourself

first, so you know where the story is going, especially

if you're reading a picture book to children, because they love

seeing the pictures, right?

So a part of your job is to keep them engaged

with the art in the story.

And so a familiarity with the story

kind of helps you keep your place.

People ask me all the time, well, do I need to do voices?

No, you don't need to do voices of different characters,

but kids love it when you do.

And it's an opportunity for us to step out

of our comfort zone, right, and take a chance,

because our experience in the world

is that not everybody speaks with the same voice.

So it's just a reflection of the world that we live in.

And its own way, trying different voices

for-- for characters makes the storytelling real for kids.

It helps engage their imaginations

because you're providing them with clues that

differentiate the characters.

It's easier for them to follow the story

when the different characters speak in different ways

with different voices.

Well, it's funny.

In writing the book and-- and choosing the characters, I--

I paid no attention.

I had no thought of what the voices were

until I started reading the book out loud to kids,

and the voices just came.

They presented themselves, really, to me.

I-- the kangaroo, I sort of--

I modeled on Jimmy Stewart for some reason.

The spider-- just his voice just came to me.

"The world up above"-- it just sounds like a spider

to me, some--

this old, wizened creature.

The whale-- I don't know why the whale has a Scottish accent.

I have no idea, but that's what the whale wanted to sound like.

For me, reading aloud is-- is a performance piece,

and every time I do, it's--

it's a different experience.

Now, here's the thing.

The writer gives you so many clues

as to pace, as to tone and tonality, right?

The writer has left you a road map, and all you have to do

is follow it.

It's really a matter of interpretation,

and in the interpretation of a story, you can't get it wrong.

Why?

Because it's your interpretation.

The most important component is your engagement

in the telling of the story.

If you're engaged, the audience will be engaged,

and that is absolute truth.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

So a couple of major takeaways for anyone interested in--

in storytelling to kids or-- or maybe

improving your storytelling skills to kids, if possible,

familiarize yourself with the material

before you begin to read.

Don't be afraid to take chances with voices of the characters.

Pay attention to the response that you're

getting from the audience and then just

be willing and able to adjust yourself accordingly.

Do I need to speed up?

Am I losing them?

Do I need to use more voice?

Do I need to be louder, or do I need to be softer?

And by the way, all of those changes that--

that you make in the telling of a story,

all those adjustments that you make-- louder, softer, faster,

slower--

those are also engagement tools for your audience as well.

Have fun.

Enjoy the moment yourself, which increases the likelihood

and probability that they're going to enjoy it, too.

So enjoy the moment.

Allow yourself to be sort of a kid for a moment

and remember what it's like to have somebody spend the time,

take the time to spend with you, and read a story or two.