10x09 - Through Moon and Stars and Night Skies

[bunniefuu]

♪ Reading rainbow ♪

♪ Butterfly in the sky ♪

♪ I can go twice as high ♪

♪ Take a look ♪

♪ It's in a book ♪

♪ A reading rainbow ♪

♪ I can go anywhere ♪

♪ Friends to know ♪

♪ And ways to grow ♪

♪ A reading rainbow ♪

♪ I can be anything ♪

♪ Take a look ♪

♪ It's in a book ♪

♪ A reading rainbow ♪

♪ Reading rainbow ♪

Hi. It's family skate day
at prospect park,

So everybody's here
with their families.

You can tell
who's related.

Families just act
a certain way--

Like they belong together.

Families--
everybody grows up in one.

You spend
so much time together,

You get to know
each other.

But there's always
something your family does

That gets on your nerves.

My mom
still calls me
everybody's name.

"Uh, pat,
lisa, salina--
um...michele."

When it's time
to do my homework.

Leaving the cap
off the toothpaste.

Fighting.

When the kids leave
their clothes

On the bathroom floor.

She's
a copycatter.

I am not.

O.k. O.k. O.k.
Nobody's perfect.

But there's another side
to this story.

Your family also
makes you feel great.

What's the best
about your family?

I really love it

When we get
to go bike riding

With the family.

When my brother
helps with chores.

They're there for me.

Being able to share
things with each other.

What don't
I love about them?

They do
the little things.

"Dad, you're
my best friend."

That really
gets to me.

I like you because
you're my mommy.

I like you, too.

Ha ha ha!

Whoa! Excuse me.

Ha ha ha!

There's no one way to feel
about your family.

Sometimes you love them.
Sometimes you complain.

But your family really is

One of the most important
things in your life.

Families are created
in different ways.

This story tells
how one started

When parents
who wanted a child

Found one who needed parents.

It's called through moon
and stars and night skies.

"Let me tell the story
this time, mamma.

Let me tell how
I came to you."

Mamma said,
"let's remember.

Once I was a picture
you held in your hand."

"Shh, mamma. I'll tell how
I carried all your pictures

All the way to you."

One was of my new
papa and mamma.

Another was
of your red dog.

There was a white house
with a green tree.

Inside was a room
waiting for me,

And a bed just for me.

On that bed was a teddy bear
quilt waiting for me.

I needed a bed of my own.

I needed a papa
and mamma of my own,

But I had to fly for a day
and a night to come.

Someone took my hand.

I climbed up long steps
to the plane.

A woman sat beside me
all the way to you.

I flew through blue skies
and clouds and sunlight.

I flew through night
and moon and stars,

But I did not sleep.

I was afraid
of the night rushing by,

Of the plane roaring,
of all the new things.

I kept your picture in my hand
all the way to you.

The woman took my hand
and led me to a room

With too many people,

But I looked and looked
and saw you.

You both held out
your arms to me.

The woman gave me
to you, mamma.

You took me home.

You held my hand
all the way.

We stopped in front
of the white house

With the green tree.

I knew it was my house.

Then you took me inside.

The room was full
of strange things.

It had dark corners.

You tried to put me down,
but I yelled.

I did not want to be
in that strange room.

Then I heard a bark.

[Ruff]

The red dog ran up to me.

He jumped
and licked my hand.

Mamma, you smiled at me.

I was beginning
to know your smile.

Papa took me upstairs.

We sat in the rocking chair
by the window.

I held your pictures
in my hand.

We rocked back and forth,
back and forth.

I looked into papa's eyes.
They were dark and warm.

I was beginning
to know his face.

Mamma, you held out
a teddy bear quilt.

I touched it.
It was just like the picture.

It was soft and warm.

I closed my eyes.

I knew your voice now.

I knew your smile.

I was not so afraid
anymore.

I had you, mamma,
and a new papa.

You would watch over me.

I went to sleep

And dreamed of moon and stars
and night skies

And coming to a room

Where your arms were
always held out to me.

Lots of families
come together

The way this one did.

It's called adoption.

Every year,
thousands of families

Are created
through adoption.

People adopt children

From their own
or other countries.

Once a new family is born,
it grows just like any other.

This is the harris family.

They're retelling
a favorite story--

How they became a family.

When we got married,
we wanted a family,

But we weren't able to.

So we went
to a special place--

An adoption place--

Where there were people
to help us adopt.

When we went there,

They said,
"it will take time.

You'll have to wait."

We said, "o.k."

They asked if we wanted
a boy or girl.

We said, "we want a baby.
That's all. We'll love it."

Then, one day,
the phone rang.

They said, "we have
a boy for you."

Who was that?

Andrew.

When we woke up,
it was snowing.

I was so nervous.

I said,
"what if we can't

Drive into new york?"

Daddy said,
"don't worry.

Everything's
all right."

So we drove
into new york,

And we got andrew.

He was so little
and cute.

So then, andrew grew up
to be 3 years old,

And we wanted
another baby.

Andrew would have
somebody to play with.

We'd have more people
to love and take care of.

And when andrew
was 4 1/2,

We got another call.

You know
what they said?

They said,
"there's a baby
that needs parents."

We said,
"tell us where."

A couple of days
after gavin was born,

Me and my dad
went to a store

Called rye beach
pharmacy,

And we looked
for something for gavin.

We found a little bear

That we thought would
be great for gavin.

We bought him
at the front counter

And brought him home,

And I gave him
to gavin.

And I named him
bear-bear harris,

And that's how it--

I always had him
for my whole life.

We always end
the adoption story

With saying,
"adoption is forever."

I was adopted
because my birth parents

Couldn't take care of me,

But wanted a good
family for me.

I was very, very lucky.

The school kids--

When they don't understand
that you're adopted

And they find out,

They're like, "adoption?
You're strange.

You're different."

And I'm like,
"big deal,

"Because I have a family,
you have a family,

"And we're all people.

"It doesn't make us
any different.

We were both born
the same way."

I don't really
run up to somebody

And say, "guess what.
I'm adopted.

Isn't that great?"

Sometimes I'll decide
if I want to tell somebody

Or I don't want to.

Sometimes I get into it
after a few years.

[Mother]
andrew has expressed interest

In his birth heritage,

And I try to explain
that this was a closed adoption.

We didn't know
his birth parents' names.

I don't know

If I'll ever look
for my birth parents,

But I might.

We'll share whatever
we know with the children.

If, at some point,

They feel they need
more information,

We'll help if we can.

My parents
said they'd help

If I wanted to find out
about my birth parents.

They said it was o.k.,

But I'd never leave
this family...

No matter what.

Check out
this volleyball game.

You'd think it's
some neighborhood kids,

But it's really
the peck family.

All nine kids
are adopted.

Here's their mom cindy
with allee and abby.

Here's emily and caroline,

Meredith, and jessica...

And john...

And chris and ben.

Of course
it's a real family.

I'm the real mother.

I am a real mother.

I raise my children.
I love them.

From another
person's standpoint,

As they see
my family,

They'd probably
think it's unique

That my mom's
not married

But has adopted
nine kids.

But that would be
from somebody

Who doesn't know
my mom that well.

Every child
who's adopted--

Especially
at an older age--

Has a history
that precedes them.

They have to deal,
at some point,

With what happened
in the past.

No matter how wonderful
the present may be,

The past is there
until it's dealt with.

I have no memory
of my birth parents.

I came here at 3 1/2.

Emily came when
she was just turning 4,

And one day,
when she was about 8,


Maybe 9 years old--

We were riding home
from school.

Suddenly, a little voice
came from behind me--

"Mom, where's
my real mother?"

I almost drove
off the highway.

I think that was
the first time

I ever asked.

I said, "when we get home,
let's look at your papers."

She said, "you have
that about me?"

My mom told me

Who my father
and mother were

And why I was given up.

She sat there reading
the papers over and over.

Suddenly, she looked up.

She'd been very calm
until then,

And she said, "mommy...

"I can't believe
a 28-year-old father

Couldn't
take care of me."

And she just went
to pieces.

So did i.

But that was the point

At which emily
first dealt with her past.

That helped because
I've haven't had

That many questions,

Now that I'm older,
about them.

I don't really see
adoption as a big issue

Because--i don't know.

I consider everyone
in the family

As if they're my real
brothers and sisters.

We'll always be close
as a family.

Meet the abney family.

Look at that, tess.

The newest member, tess,
is adopted.

Uh-oh. Uh-oh.
Bad news.

Two big brothers,
christian and lee,

Were born into the family.

You got it.
That's good.

Say thank you.

I always knew
I was going to adopt.

It's just something
I knew I wanted to do.

Before I was married,

I knew
that at some point,

I would want to adopt.

It was my mom's idea
at first.

I thought
it would be good

Because lee and I
wanted to.

It took me
six or seven years

To conclude that's
what we should do.

I always wanted
more than two
or three children,

And adopting
extends your family.

[Mother]
at the adoption agency,

When they brought
tess to me,

They said,
"this is your baby."

The feeling
when you see the baby--

There's an immediate
connection.

It's was like being
in the delivery room again.

It was just
a sense of love.

In the bathtub.
Oh.

Whoa.

Hi.

[Father]
it's fun watching her grow up.

She's smart.
She gets into everything.

She's funny.

There's never
a dull moment.

[Tess babbles]

Ha ha ha!

Quit ruining
the game, tess.

[Mother]
the way I envision it

Is that
tess will grow up

Knowing she's been adopted,

That it's a perfectly legitimate
way to enter a family,

And that we love her
as much as her brothers.

Do you
remember that?

Tess is
really sweet.

She's, um...everything
I could imagine

In a daughter.

She's very loving.

[Father]
very even-tempered,

Easy to--
to be around.

Keeps you laughing
all the time.

When you come down to it,
families are just families--

Whether you're adopted,

Live with one parent
or two,

Or an only child,
or have brothers and sisters.

There are as many kinds
of families

As books in the library.

Hello. I'm nico bocour.

I read a story
with a character

Who was adopted
like me.

His name is horace.

Horace is
a spotted leopard.

His mamma and papa
are striped tigers.

Mamma and papa
love him very much.

All his cousins
have stripes,

And horace feels
that he doesn't belong.

At the park, he meets a family
of spotted leopards.

He has fun playing
with them.

When the sun sets,

Horace remembers
his mamma and papa

And wants to go.

He realizes that
that's where he belongs.

This book will
make you feel good--

Especially
if you're adopted.

After reading horace,
you'll know you belong.

Have you ever thought
about your family?

They're made
of different people.

This book is filled with poems
about families.

It's called fathers, mothers,
sisters, brothers.

The poems in this book
are great.

There's one
about a baby brother,

A big sister,

Your grandma and grandpa.

The one about cousins
is really sweet.

"Cousins are cozy
wherever they're from.

"They feel like your family
whenever they come.

"Some people have many.
Most people have some.

Cousins are cozy
wherever they're from."

I think all families
are special.

My family is special
because I'm part of it.

I'm alexa,
and I'm adopted.

What makes
your family special?

Think about it.

Are you having trouble
managing your family?

Does your mother nag?

Is your brother picking
on you constantly?

Then I've got
a book for you.

It's called
free to be...a family.

This book is all about

How people
in families behave.

It's like an encyclopedia
of stories, plays,

Poems, and songs.

Each tells a story
about belonging to a family.

One I really like is a poem
called I'll fix anthony.

It's about being
a little brother.

I'm a little brother,
so I laughed.

I'm stephen condouris.

After I read
this book,

My brother stopped
picking on me.

Well...we're still
working on it.

♪ I hear a lot of talking
about families ♪

♪ Seems like everyone's
telling me ♪

♪ How they're
supposed to be ♪

♪ I've been doing
a lot of looking ♪

♪ And what I see is all
different kinds of ways ♪

♪ To be, be a family ♪

♪ It's all in the way
you care about each other ♪

♪ Whether your family's
big or small ♪

♪ Day by day,
doing things together ♪

♪ You know
they're there for you ♪

♪ And most of all, a family is
where you find love ♪

♪ A family is
where you find love ♪

♪ A family is where
you find love ♪

♪ A family is
where you find love ♪♪

It doesn't matter
who's in your family

Or how they got there.

The important thing
is how you feel about them.

An invisible bond
binds you together.

No matter what,
it lasts a lifetime.

I'll see you next time.

Hey, levar!

Aah! My family!

Ha ha ha!

Hi.

It's my family!

This is my mother
and my sister.

He didn't know
we were coming.

How are you doing
on skates?

We haven't skated
for years.

Come on. Come on.

Ha ha ha!

This is so cool.

♪ Now, friends can be
a part of your family ♪

♪ Anyone you want can be ♪

♪ You know it's up to you ♪

♪ It's all in the way ♪

♪ You care about each other ♪

♪ Whether your family's ♪

♪ Big or small ♪

♪ Day by day,
doing things together ♪

♪ You know they're
there for you ♪

♪ And most of all ♪

♪ A family is where ♪

♪ You find love ♪

♪ The ones who love you ♪

♪ A family is
where you find love ♪

♪ A family is where
you find love ♪

♪ A family ♪

♪ Is where you find love ♪

♪ A family is
where you find love ♪

♪ That's where you find it ♪

♪ With your family ♪

♪ Talking about your mamma ♪

♪ And your daddy ♪

♪ And your sister ♪

♪ And your brother ♪

♪ That's where you find love ♪

♪ Oh, yeah ♪

♪ That's where you find love ♪♪

Today's reading rainbow
books are...

Through moon and stars
and night skies

By ann turner,
pictures by james graham hale,

A charlotte zolotow book.

Horace by holly keller,

Published by greenwillow books.

Fathers, mothers,

Sisters, brothers:

A collection
of family poems

By mary ann hoberman,
illustated by marylin hafner,

Published by joy street/
little, brown and company.

Free to be...
A family:

A book about
all kinds
of belonging

By marlo thomas
and friends,

Published
by bantam books.