18x05 - My America- A Poetry Atlas of the United States

[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 ♪

♪ Ooh ooh ooh ♪

Captioning made possible by
u.s. Department of education

Hi! We're going
on a journey

Through one of the coolest
places I know.

It's an amazing part
of the world

Full of incredible
sights, sounds, and people.

Can you guess where we are?

That's right.
The united states of america.

One thing's for sure
about the united states--

It's gigantic!

It's about 10 times
the size of egypt,



And almost 75 times
the size of greece.

Because the united states
is so huge,

It can look and feel
completely different

From one place to the next.

For instance,
within our 50 states,

We have deserts
and rain forests,

Buttes and bayous,

Prairies and snowy tundra.

But what a lot of folks
don't realize is

That we even have volcanoes,

The most famous of which are
found in the islands of hawaii.

While pacific ocean's
white surf gleams,

Rolling seas glide,
shifting dreams.

Sudden thunders,

A tumbled tomb,

Breaking lazy beauty

Of calm, quiet noon.

Birds of paradise scatter

As all birds do.

Mauna loa gulps,
fire!

Long overdue.

That poem was from this book,
my america,

A collection of poetry
that celebrates

This great and grand
country of ours.

Even though our country is huge,

For the most part, it's pretty
easy to get from place to place.

In fact, that's one
of the things I love most

About being the host
of reading rainbow.

Over the years, we've traveled
thousands of miles,

Crisscrossing the country
from nebraska to new mexico,

From maryland to massachusetts.

Ok, time for a pop quiz.

Can you name all 50 states?

Alabama.

Alaska.

Arizona.

Arkansas.

California.

Colorado.

Connecticut.

Delaware.

District of columbia.

Florida.

Georgia.

Hawaii.

Idaho.

Illinois.

Indiana.

Iowa.
Kansas.

Kentucky.

Louisiana!

Maryland.

Massachusetts.

Michigan.

Minnesota.

Mississippi.

Missouri.

Montana.

Nebraska.

Nevada.

New hampshire.

New jersey.

New mexico.

New york.

North carolina.

North dakota.

Ohio.

Oklahoma.

Oregon.

Pennsylvania.

Rhode island.

South carolina.

South dakota.

Tennessee.

Texas.

Utah.

Vermont.

Virginia.

Washington.

West virginia.

Wisconsin.

Wyoming.

Ha ha ha!
That was well stated.

America!

In all of this land,
you and I are only

A few of the 300 million people
who live here,

And when you stretch us all out,
from maui to maine,

It makes for pretty
big differences

In the kinds of homes
we live in,

The foods we eat,
even the words we use.

Even though we all pretty much
speak the same language,

There are plenty
of differences, too.

Here, I'll show you
what I mean.

Do you see this?

I call it a paper bag.

But then some of you
might call it a poke.

And then again some of you
even might call it a sack.

Let's look at another one.

What do you call this?

This is what
I call a hot dog.

Where I come from,
we call it a footlong.

I call it
a frankfurter.

It's a wiener.

Ok. And how about these?

Looks like
tennis shoes to me.

I call them sneakers.

They're called kicks.

I call them gym shoes.

Hm. And what do you call this?

It's a grinder.

I call it
a submarine.

Looks like a hoagie.

That's what
I call a hero.

Ha ha ha! Isn't it amazing

That we use so many different
words for the same thing.

And speaking of words,

Here are a couple from
the twin cities of minnesota,

Minneapolis and st. Paul.

Hi, I'm michael.

And I'm daniel.

Both: we are twins who have
just moved to the twin cities,

St. Paul and minneapolis,

Right here in our new
home state, minnesota.

Michael: if you like swimming,
you'll love minnesota.

It's called the land
of 10,000 lakes.

Also great for fishing

And canoeing.

Daniel: and if all that exercise
makes you thirsty,

Help yourself
to our state drink.

It's milk.

[Moo]

We even have a state muffin,
the blueberry.

What's yours?

Minnesota is the home of
the amazing mall of america.

It's so big, it has an indoor
roller coaster,

Ferris wheel,

And aquarium.

And my favorite,

The walker art center
in minneapolis,

Has the country's biggest
sculpture garden.

Both: so come on up
to minnesota.

You'll have
twice as much fun.

The united states of america
is so big,

We have 6 different time zones.

That means that
at any given moment,

It could be a completely
different time

In another part of the country.

For instance, let's imagine
it's 3:00 in the afternoon,

Hawaiian-aleutian time.

[Ringing]

School's out.
Time for me to go home.

At the exact same moment,
it's 4:00 alaskan time.

Time for soccer practice.

Meanwhile, it just turned 5:00
pacific time.

I have lots
of homework to do.

Which means it's 6:00
mountain time.

It's dinner time!

Which is the same as 7:00
central time.

I'm surfing the net.

Which is exactly 8:00
eastern time.

Ah! It's time for bed.

Isn't that something?

When it's 3:00 in the afternoon
way out west in hawaii,

It's 8:00 at night
all the way east.

And in certain parts
of the north eastern coast,

Nighttime brings its own special
sights and sounds.

It's a tower of stone,
a refuge of white,

With a code all its own,
flashing constant and bright.

It's a house made of iron,
a home of concrete,

A vigilant beacon
for sailors at sea.

It's a turret of lanterns,
a castle of lights,

A compass for ships
as they pass through the nights.

If you live in a big city
like chicago,

You can probably run down
to the corner store

For a carton of milk.

But if you live in a rural area,
say in the southwest,

You might have to drive
miles and miles

To get to the nearest
supermarket.

Where we live really
does shape how we grow up,

Down to the smallest details.

This is helmville, montana,

Home to mountains, valleys,
ranches, and erica mannix.

Erica, voice-over:
I love living on a ranch

Because it's a rural area
and there's lots of animals.

Our ranch was homesteaded
in 1882

And my brothers and I
and my cousins

Are the fifth generation.

On weekdays in the morning

I usually get up
and have breakfast.

You got a big
ball game coming up.

You ready for
your ball game?

Uh-huh.

You got
your uniform?

Erica, voice-over: and then
I go up to the barn

And I feed my colt.

Come here,
jessie.

Sometimes getting her out of
the field is kind of difficult

Because she's stubborn
sometimes--

Doesn't want to move,
but she usually comes in ok.

My favorite thing is probably
being around horses,

Being with them.

And I don't know,
they're just a favorite animal

And I like being around them.

They're fun to be with.

The bus picks us up at 8:45
and drops us off at school.

Hi, anna.

I've known anna
for basically my whole life,

And I love to hang out together
and gab and talk and such.

In the morning we go down
and sing.

We sing the pledge
and grand old flag and montana.

♪ Montana, montana ♪

♪ Glory of the west ♪

♪ Of all the states
from coast to coast ♪

♪ You're easily the best ♪

Erica, voice-over:
our school is very small.

There's about 39 kids
including the kindergartners.

I am in the sixth grade,
and I have two classmates.

Teacher: let's
go over your review.

I think going to school
in a larger city

Would be a lot more difficult.

You'd have to know more people

And the kids in the country,
we know everybody.

I've probably been riding
for about 10 years,

Since I was about two years old.

Annalee and I
love to ride together.

It's really fun riding

Because you can be
with the horse

And it's more
like being a partner.

You have to control the horse,
but you're still being partners.

They're doing the work

And you're kind of
thinking about doing work.

One of the things I love to do
is go sledding,

And we oftentimes
get the whole family

And go up to
my great-grandfather's place

And sled up there.

There's not a movie theater,

So we usually
don't go to the movies.

And there's not really
a restaurant,

So we'll get together
and have dinner together.

Can I have the raspberries
please, grandpa?

My family, actually,
is fairly close.

Oftentimes it's nice
to get at the dinner table

And actually be able to talk
to them about what is going on.

But I don't
care much.

I also play the violin,

And I oftentimes play it,
or try to play it,

With my grandmother elaine.

My family and friends
mean a lot to me,

And I like to be near them
and be around them.

And I love ranching
and being around animals.

This is the only place
I've really ever known.

Meanwhile,
thousands of miles away,

In a place that seems
as far from the mountains
of montana as the moon,

Is a big city--new york.

[Cars honking]

Stephan white lives
with his family

In jackson heights, queens.

That's a neighborhood
in new york city.

Stephan: if I was describing
new york to a friend,

I'd describe it as very busy.

[Cars honking]

What do you want
for breakfast?

Who wants bananas?

Me.
Me.

Stephan, voice-over:
I get up around 6:45.

My mom and dad drive me
to school,

But sometimes it's just my dad.

It's really fun being alone
just with my dad,

Driving to school on friday
morning, thursday morning.

No, there's
another guy.

Who was the guy
who was there
yesterday?

In aftercare?

Stephan, voice-over: we usually
talk about soccer, about school.

That makes me feel really good

Because I know I have
someone to talk to.

I do not believe it.

My school is located
in downtown manhattan

On 23rd street and first avenue.

To get there we cross
the queensboro bridge
into manhattan.

My school is the united nations
international school.

It goes all the way up from
kindergarten to 12th grade.

Kids from all over the world
go to it.

My friend irving,
he comes from spain.

My friend jordan,
he's based in africa.

And my other friend,

They're based in, like, africa,
trinidad and tobago.

[Speaking french]

My teacher is very nice.

You hardly ever
get in trouble with her.

I've learned a lot of french,

Such as je l'aime pizza
et david est un singe.

It means "I love pizza
and david is a monkey."

David is one of my best friends.

Uh-oh. Uh-oh. Uh-oh.
Hit. Hit. Oh!

Bowling is really a lot of fun.

I'm good at it,
but I'm getting better.

Try again.

And my brother is really
very good.

Whoa!

Whoa!

We all really like bowling
a lot.

I take french horn lessons
in school,

And I feel really good about
playing the french horn.

It's really
a lot of fun to play.

All you have to do is put
your lips together and blow.

I read a lot.
Two hours every day.

I really, really get
into the stories,

And it makes me think
I'm going someplace.

I close my eyes and sometimes
I feel like I'm right there

Next to the character
in the story.

[Singing in spanish]

There's a spanish restaurant
called natives,

And it serves a lot of spanish
food that's really very good.

It's a restaurant my family and
I like to take out food from.

Eating dinner with my family
is really a nice experience,

Because we get to talk about
whatever happened that day.

Gabriel, what was it
that your cousin said
to you the other day?

I have the b*at.

Mother: that's why
he wants to play drums.

Now, stephan,
how are you doing
with your horn?

It's cool.
I also like the drums.

Father: why maybe
you and gabriel can
do the drum thing.

Stephan: I love walking around
new york, because there are so
many signs to look at,

So many good places to eat,
so many lights, so many sounds.

Almost nobody gets
bored in new york.

I was raised mostly
in california.

But we traveled
around quite a bit,

And I actually found out
that I had a lot in common

With kids who lived in
other parts of the country.

And you know what?

So do you.

And now, a word from
the state of washington.

Calling all nature lovers.

Hi. I'm ashley.

And I'm way up here in
washington, the evergreen state.

This is the state for you.

We have everything from
sea lions to mountain lions.

If you're a city slicker,
you'll flip for seattle.

It's famous for its computers
and the space needle.

So come on up to washington
and enter our annual
spam carving contest.

Check out this apple.

Isn't it spam-tacular?

Ok, guys, it's time
for another pop quiz.

And this is a tough one.

In the united states,
where is the one place
you can stand

And be in 4 states
at the same time?

The four corners.

That's where colorado,
utah, new mexico, and arizona

All meet together.

Thanks, anna. You're
absolutely right.

If you travel
to the four corners,

You'll find it's
an incredibly stunning
part of the country.

But even if you never
leave your hometown,
a story or a poem

Can help you
imagine not only what
a place looks like,

But what it sounds like
and tastes like, too.

I always like summer best.

You can eat fresh corn
from daddy's garden,

And okra and greens and
cabbage and lots of barbecue,

And buttermilk and homemade
ice cream at the church picnic,

And listen to
gospel music outside at
the church homecoming,

And go to the mountains
with your grandmother,

And go barefooted
and be warm all the time,

Not only when you go
to bed and sleep.

If you're ever lucky
enough to get down to
tennessee for a visit,

You're in for a real treat.

But even if you never get there,

There are plenty of
fascinating places to visit
right in your own home state.

And speaking of states,
it's time for another word
from one of our sponsors...

The state of florida.

Hi, I'm kathy.

Looking for fun things to do?

Well, come to my home, florida.

It's the sunshine state,
and it has it all.

We've got beaches
and theme parks,

Forests, cities, and swamplands.

Our climate is subtropical,
which means it's toasty
warm year-round.

It's perfect for
the alligators and manatees
who live in the everglades.

And check out the amazing
islands of the florida keys,

Where you can go
coral reef diving and
swim with dolphins.

So, come to florida and
have an ice cold glass
of orange juice to go.

Thanks, kathy.

If the idea of exploring
our country has given you
the traveling bug,

Then here are 3 books that will
map things out for you.

But you don't have
to take my word for it.

Hi, I'm maris.

Did you ever wonder what might
happen if the united states
weren't so united?

Find out in this book,
the scrambled states
of america.

It all begins with kansas.

He isn't happy with
his place on the map.

He convinces nebraska, his next
door neighbor, to have a party.

All 50 states are invited.

This is where the fun begins.

At the party, the states
decide to switch places
with each other.

Florida switched places with
minnesota and was freezing.

And minnesota got a sunburn.

Soon every state wanted
to get back home.

But if you want to
find out how these scrambled
states unscramble,

You'll have to read
this book, the scrambled
states of america.

Hi. My name is adam.

If you like to travel to places
you've never been to,

Then I have
a great book for you.

It's called tulip sees america.

The boy in the story lived
with his parents in ohio.

When he grew up,
he wanted to see america.

So he bought a car, and he
and his dog tulip left ohio
and traveled west.

They saw beautiful, open skies.

They saw so many amazing sights.

When I read this book, I felt
like I was on a big adventure.

If you love adventures, then
you'll love tulip sees america.

Hi, I'm ron.

Do you want to find out
some cool facts about
the united states?

Well, you can in this book
called celebrate the 50 states.

Every state is in this book,
from alabama to wyoming.

There's information galore.

Mystic, connecticut,
is famous for its seaport.

Kentucky is famous
for its horse racing.

New york has
the statue of liberty.

This is the kind of book
you can browse through anytime.

It's a lot of fun, so check out
celebrate the 50 states.

The united states of
america is a great country
because of what it is,

A gigantic group of amazingly
different people and places

Bound together by
a common identity.

From the snow-capped
mountains of washington

To the white, sandy beaches
of the florida coast.

It's no wonder we call it
america the beautiful.

I'll see you next time.

[America the beautiful plays]

♪ O beautiful
for spacious skies ♪

♪ For amber waves of grain ♪

♪ For purple mountains'
majesty ♪

♪ Above the fruited plain ♪

♪ America, america ♪

♪ God shed his grace on thee ♪

♪ And crown thy good
with brotherhood ♪

♪ From sea to shining sea ♪

♪ Ooh ♪

♪ America, america ♪

♪ God shed his grace on thee ♪

♪ And crown thy good
with brotherhood ♪

♪ From sea to shining sea ♪

Today's reading rainbow
books are

My america: a poetry atlas
of the united states,

Selected by lee bennett hopkins,

Illustrated by stephen alcorn,

Published by simon & schuster.

Celebrate the 50 states
by loreen leedy,

Published by holiday house.

The scrambled states of america
by laurie keller,

Published by henry holt
and company.

Tulip sees america
by cynthia rylant,

Illustrated by lisa desimini,

Published by blue sky,
scholastic.