Hello there! I’m Sean Astin, and you might know me as Sam from “Lord of the Rings.” I love reading stories, especially to kids like you. I have a daughter named Allie, and we both enjoy reading together. We also love eating lima beans!
Today, I’m going to share a fun story called “A Bad Case of Stripes,” written and illustrated by David Shannon. It’s one of Allie’s favorite books, and I think you’ll like it too!
Camilla Cream is a girl who loves lima beans, but she never eats them because her friends don’t like them. She wants to fit in with everyone else. Camilla is always worried about what others think of her. On the first day of school, she was very nervous about what to wear. She tried on forty-two outfits but still couldn’t decide. Finally, she put on a pretty red dress and looked in the mirror. To her surprise, she was covered in stripes from head to toe!
Camilla’s mom was shocked and asked if she felt okay. Camilla said she felt fine, but she looked like a rainbow! Her mom decided she should stay home from school, which made Camilla happy because she was worried about what her classmates would say.
That afternoon, Dr. Bumble came to check on Camilla. He was amazed by her stripes and asked if she had any other symptoms. Camilla said she felt fine. Dr. Bumble told her mom that Camilla could go to school the next day and gave her some ointment for the stripes.
The next day, things didn’t go well at school. Everyone laughed at Camilla and called her names. When the class said the Pledge of Allegiance, her stripes turned red, white, and blue, and she even got stars! The kids thought it was funny and asked her to change colors and patterns. Poor Camilla couldn’t keep up with all the changes.
That night, the school principal called Camilla’s mom and said she had to stay home because she was too distracting. Camilla felt sad and wished everyone liked her again. Her dad tried to cheer her up, but what she really wanted was some lima beans.
The next day, Dr. Bumble came back with specialists to examine Camilla. They gave her different colored pills to take before bed. But when she woke up, she looked like a giant, multi-colored pill!
Dr. Bumble returned with more experts who tried to figure out what was wrong. Camilla’s condition got worse, and soon everyone knew about her. People sent all kinds of remedies, but nothing worked.
One day, an old woman visited Camilla and said she could help. She offered Camilla some lima beans. Even though Camilla loved lima beans, she was scared to admit it. When she finally said she loved them, the old woman gave her some to eat. Suddenly, Camilla’s stripes disappeared, and she looked normal again!
“I’m cured!” Camilla shouted. The old woman smiled and disappeared into the crowd. After that, Camilla was different. Some kids thought she was weird, but she didn’t care. She enjoyed eating all the lima beans she wanted and never had stripes again.
I hope you enjoyed the story as much as my daughter and I do. If you can, grab a book or some lima beans and have fun!
Lima Bean Experiment: At home, try a fun experiment with lima beans! Plant a few lima beans in a small pot or a cup with soil. Water them regularly and observe how they grow over time. Keep a journal to draw pictures of the beans as they sprout and grow. Discuss with your family why Camilla loved lima beans and how they helped her in the story.
Colorful Camilla Art: Create your own version of Camilla with stripes! Use crayons, markers, or colored pencils to draw Camilla with different patterns and colors. Think about how Camilla felt when her stripes changed and discuss with a friend or family member how it feels to be different. What makes you unique?
Feelings and Fitting In: Have a conversation with your family about times when you felt like you wanted to fit in, just like Camilla. What did you do? How did it make you feel? Write or draw about a time when you were proud to be yourself, even if it was different from others. Share your story with your class or family.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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Hello, and welcome to the Screen Actors Guild Foundation BookPALS. My name is Sean Astin, and I played Sam in “Lord of the Rings.” I love to read, especially to kids. I have a daughter named Allie, and she enjoys it when I read to her. We both love lima beans!
The story I’m going to read to you is called “A Bad Case of Stripes,” written and illustrated by David Shannon. Allie loves this book, and I hope you do too.
Camilla Cream loved lima beans, but she never ate them because all of her friends disliked them, and she wanted to fit in. Camilla was always worried about what others thought of her. On the first day of school, she was especially anxious about what to wear. After trying on forty-two outfits, none seemed quite right. When she put on a pretty red dress and looked in the mirror, she screamed. Her mother rushed in and exclaimed, “Oh my heavens, you’re completely covered with stripes!”
This was true; Camilla was striped from head to toe, looking like a rainbow. Her mother felt her forehead and asked if she felt alright. Camilla replied, “I feel fine, but just look at me!” Her mother insisted she stay home from school that day, which relieved Camilla, as she was worried about what the other kids might say.
That afternoon, Dr. Bumble came to examine Camilla. He was astonished and asked if she had any symptoms like coughing or sneezing. Camilla assured him she felt fine. Dr. Bumble told Mrs. Cream that there was no reason for Camilla not to go to school the next day and provided some ointment to help clear up the stripes.
The next day was a disaster. Everyone at school laughed at Camilla, calling her names. She tried to act normal, but when the class said the Pledge of Allegiance, her stripes turned red, white, and blue, and she broke out in stars. The other kids found this amusing and shouted for her to change into different colors and patterns. Poor Camilla was changing faster than anyone could keep up with.
That night, the school principal called Mrs. Cream to say they would have to keep Camilla home because she was too much of a distraction. Camilla felt embarrassed and wished for the days when everyone liked her. Her father tried to comfort her, but what she really wanted was a nice plate of lima beans.
The next day, Dr. Bumble returned with specialists who examined Camilla. They concluded it wasn’t mumps, measles, or chickenpox, and handed her various colored pills to take before bed. That night, Camilla took the medicine, but when she woke up, her clothes didn’t fit right, and she looked like a giant, multi-colored pill.
Dr. Bumble returned with experts who poked and prodded her, suggesting it might be a virus or bacteria. Camilla’s condition only worsened, and soon the media caught wind of her situation, leading to a crowd outside her house. The Creams received all sorts of remedies, but nothing worked.
One day, an old woman visited and claimed she could help. She pulled out a container of lima beans and offered them to Camilla. Although she loved lima beans, she was afraid to admit it. When she finally confessed her love for them, the old woman gave her some to eat. Suddenly, Camilla’s strange appearance began to disappear, and everything returned to normal.
“I’m cured!” she exclaimed. The old woman smiled and vanished into the crowd. Afterward, Camilla was different; some kids at school thought she was weird, but she didn’t mind. She enjoyed all the lima beans she wanted and never had a touch of stripes again.
Well, I enjoyed the story, and my daughter does too. If you can get your hands on some books or lima beans, I highly recommend it!
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Let me know if you need any further modifications!
