Hi there! Welcome to a fun story adventure with Storyline Online. Today, we’re going to hear a story called Abdul’s Story. It’s written by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow and has beautiful pictures by Tiffany Rose. Let’s dive into the world of Abdul and his amazing stories!
Abdul is a boy who loves telling stories. He tells tales about kids who dance and collect donations, teenagers who perform in subway cars, and even a man selling yummy bean pies. Abdul’s stories are about the people and places he knows and loves.
But writing these stories down is tough for Abdul. Sometimes, letters are tricky, and silent letters are sneaky! Abdul likes straight lines, but his writing is often scribbly and messy. He writes, erases, and writes again, but his paper ends up with smudges. He wonders if his stories are meant for books.
One day, Abdul’s class gets a visitor named Mr. Muhammad. He has neat lines around his beard and cool sneakers just like Abdul’s. Mr. Muhammad is a writer, and he reads a story about a boy who watches over his community. He encourages the kids to write new stories with new superheroes.
Abdul tries to write neatly but ends up with a hole in his paper. Feeling frustrated, he hides under the table. Mr. Muhammad notices and asks to see Abdul’s story. Abdul whispers that he doesn’t have one, but Mr. Muhammad says everyone has stories. He shows Abdul his messy notebook and says, “I get messy words out so good words can come too.”
This gives Abdul an idea. He starts writing without erasing, filling the page with his thoughts. “I wrote a mess like yours!” he tells Mr. Muhammad. Over the next few days, Abdul rewrites his story, making it less messy each time. He loves his story, even if it’s not perfect.
When it’s time to share, Abdul feels nervous. But Mr. Muhammad reads Abdul’s story to the class. It’s about a boy who watches over his neighborhood. Everyone listens, and when Mr. Muhammad finishes, the class claps and cheers for Abdul’s story!
Abdul learns that writers make mistakes, and that’s okay. Mr. Muhammad helps him fix them. Abdul realizes that he is a writer, and his stories matter. We all have stories to tell, and it’s important to share them with the world.
Thank you for joining us for this story. Remember, everyone has a story to tell, and your voice is important. Keep reading and writing, and share your stories with pride!
Create Your Own Storybook: Gather some paper, crayons, and markers. Think about a story you want to tell. It could be about your day, your favorite animal, or a magical adventure. Draw pictures to go along with your story and write a few sentences on each page. Remember, it’s okay if your writing is a little messy at first, just like Abdul’s! Share your storybook with a family member or friend.
Storytelling Walk: Take a walk around your neighborhood or a nearby park with an adult. As you walk, observe the people, animals, and things around you. What stories can you imagine about them? Maybe the squirrel is on a mission to find the best acorn, or the mail carrier is delivering a special letter. Write down or draw your favorite story ideas when you get home.
Messy Writing Challenge: Just like Abdul learned, sometimes it’s okay to start with messy writing. Set a timer for 5 minutes and write or draw as many ideas as you can without worrying about mistakes. After the timer goes off, look at your work and pick one idea to make into a neat story. Share your final story with someone and see what they think!
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the provided YouTube transcript:
—
[Storyline Online intro]
Welcome to Storyline Online, brought to you by the SAG-AFTRA Foundation. I’m Tramell Tillman, and I’m going to read the book *Abdul’s Story*, written by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow and illustrated by Tiffany Rose.
Abdul loved to tell stories. He told one about the high-stepping kids who collected donations in boots. Another was about the teenagers who danced in subway cars. He had one about a man selling bean pies on Broad Street and even one about a woman who sold water ice from her basement on hot summer days.
Writing these stories was hard, though. Making lowercase letters face the right way was tricky. Silent letters were sneaky. How could Abdul know there was an ‘e’ if it never made a sound? Abdul loved straight lines, like the ones his barber shaved. But his scribbly, scratchy letters never stayed on any line. During writing period each day, he wrote, then erased his mistakes… wrote then erased… wrote then erased. His classmates had neat sentences. Abdul had smudges. Why write his stories anyway? The people and places in his schoolbooks never looked or sounded like the people or places he knew. Some stories are for books, Abdul decided, but not his.
One day, Abdul’s class had a visitor. Mr. Muhammad had lines straighter than straight around his beard and hairline. His sneakers, like Abdul’s, had not a single crease or scuff. Mr. Muhammad was a writer. He read a story about a watchful boy with hair shaved low and skin the color of night. Women braided hair on front steps in this story, girls with clacking beads jumped rope, and men in white thobes prayed on the sidewalk outside a full storefront mosque. The boy watched over this community.
“Write new stories with new superheroes,” Mr. Muhammad said. Abdul pressed his paper down firmly. He could be an author like Mr. Muhammad. But writing was tricky again. Mr. Muhammad walked around, reading each child’s work. Abdul tried writing neatly. Write, erase, write, erase, erase, rip! He slammed down his pencil. His classmates had pages of words. Abdul had a hole. He slid down under the table, imagining an eraser big enough to erase himself.
“Nice sneakers! Can I see your story?” Mr. Muhammad asked. “I don’t have a story,” Abdul whispered. “Everyone has stories.” “But I can’t write like them,” Abdul pointed. “Me neither,” Mr. Muhammad said. “Come with me. I want to show you my notebook.” “That’s a mess!” “I get messy words out so good words can come too. I fix the mess later.” Before walking away, he said, “Keep trying.”
That gave Abdul an idea. “Bismillah,” he said. SNAP! Abdul scribbled words and made mistakes without erasing. He wrote around the hole, filling the page. “I wrote a mess like yours!” Abdul told Mr. Muhammad. Mr. Muhammad smiled. “Find a great story in there.” Abdul squinted. He saw words, misspelled, but wondrous and sloppy-looking sentences he loved.
Over the next few days, Abdul rewrote a less messy mess, then an even less messy mess. He smiled when he read his story to himself. But when it was time to hand it in, he didn’t feel like smiling. “That’s sloppy!” Jayda said. “You spelled a word wrong,” Kwame added. Abdul slipped his paper underneath the others. Some kids are writers, Abdul thought, but not me.
Days later, Mr. Muhammad returned. “I loved your stories!” he exclaimed. “I had to read one again and again. It was so good!” Everyone sat up, except Abdul. Kwame whispered, “I bet it was mine. I spelled every word right.” Jayda whispered back, “He probably liked mine. I have the best handwriting in the class!” Mr. Muhammad started reading the story in a loud, clear voice. It was about a boy with tall hair, shaped with sharp lines, and skin the orange-brown of sunrise. He watched over the kids stomping down the block and the ones breaking to the beat of a city train. He even protected the grown-ups who sold things and were like family.
Abdul sat up. It was his story. And then Mr. Muhammad paused. He frowned at the page. Abdul’s cheeks burned. Everyone listened, wide-eyed and silent. Mr. Muhammad read on, stopping a few more times at mistakes, until he reached the end of the story. “That was by Abdul,” Mr. Muhammad said. Abdul slowly looked up. Everyone stared. Were they smiling? Yes! And clapping, too! “Great story!” Kwame told Abdul. “I loved it!” said Jayda.
When they returned to their writing, Abdul whispered to Mr. Muhammad, “What about my mistakes?” “Writers make mistakes. We’ll work on them.” As they worked, Abdul thought: Some people are writers, and I am one of them. I love this story because of Abdul’s journey. He was able to find his voice and realize that his voice matters. And what I love about that is that we all have a story to tell. And what a beautiful way to tell stories through books. So no matter your story, no matter how you tell stories, no matter your journey, make sure you tell it loud and proud because the world is ready to hear it.
Thank you for watching Storyline Online. Be sure to check out all of our stories. And remember, keep watching and keep reading.
[Storyline Online end credits]
—
This version maintains the essence of the original transcript while ensuring it is appropriate for all audiences.
