Hey kids! Welcome to the Storytime Family. Today, we’re going to read a fun story called “Picture Day Perfection” by Deborah Dies. Let’s jump right in!
Our story is about a kid who planned for months to have the perfect school picture. But sometimes, things don’t go as planned!
It all started with a wild case of bedhead. His hair was sticking out everywhere! Then, he had to find his favorite shirt, which was at the bottom of the laundry basket. It was stained, wrinkled, and a little smelly too!
For breakfast, his family always makes picture day pancakes. But this time, there was a big syrup disaster right when the bus arrived. Uh-oh! Looks like they might need a new tradition.
On the bus, he got into a bit of trouble and had to sit right behind the driver. By the time he got to school, he wasn’t in the best mood.
In class, Mrs. Smith collected the photo order forms. His mom chose a boring gray background, which made his favorite shirt almost disappear! Then, during art class, he ended up covered in paint. What a mess!
Finally, it was time for pictures. Everyone was saying “cheese,” but he didn’t like cheese at all! When it was his turn, he sat on a cold, hard stool. As he waited, he thought about his messy day. Everything had gone perfectly wrong!
Just as he was thinking about his day, the photographer took the picture. He accidentally smiled! His mom said it was his best picture ever, but he plans to make next year’s picture even better.
We hope you enjoyed “Picture Day Perfection.” Don’t forget to like and subscribe for more fun stories. Thanks for stopping by! See you next time!
Picture Day Dress-Up: At home, pretend it’s picture day! Choose your favorite outfit and practice different poses in front of a mirror. Ask a family member to take your picture and see how your smile changes when you think about something funny or happy. Discuss with your family what makes a picture special and how your feelings can show in a photo.
Story Sequencing: Draw pictures of the main events from the story, like the bedhead, the syrup disaster, and the surprise smile. Cut them out and mix them up. Then, try to put them back in the correct order. Share your sequence with a friend or family member and explain what happened in each part of the story.
Picture Day Traditions: Talk with your family about any special traditions you have for picture day or other important days. If you don’t have any, create a new one! It could be a special breakfast, a favorite song to listen to, or a fun activity to do together. Share your new tradition with your class and see what traditions your classmates have.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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[Music]
Hey kids! Welcome to the Storytime Family. Today we’re going to be reading “Picture Day Perfection” by Deborah Dies. Let’s begin!
“Picture Day Perfection”
I planned for months! This was going to be the year of the perfect school picture, but some days, not everything goes according to plan.
The cat says, “What month is it?”
September!
The day started with the worst case of bedhead ever. Exhibit A: front view. Exhibit B: side view. Exhibit C: back view. Exhibit D: the look on my brother’s face when he saw my hair.
Then it took me quite some time to unearth my favorite shirt. I finally found it at the very bottom of the hamper. You might call it stained, you might call it wrinkled, you might even call it smelly. You wouldn’t be wrong!
Breakfast was picture day pancakes—a family tradition. This year’s festivities involved a small syrup disaster, more accurately described as a large syrup disaster, and it occurred exactly as the bus pulled out. I had a feeling we would be getting a new family tradition. Uh-oh, that doesn’t look good!
On the bus, I got into a small bit of trouble—make that a large bit of trouble. The bus driver made me sit in the seat right behind him for the rest of the ride. By the time I got into school, my picture day face was fixed in a scowl.
In class, Mrs. Smith collected our photo order forms. Do you think my mom checked emerald green for my photo background, or peacock blue, or pizzazzy purple? No! Once again, of all the backgrounds in the world, mom checked snoring boring traditional gray. No one gets traditional gray except for me, and it just so happens to be the only color in the world that makes my favorite shirt disappear—all but the stains and the wrinkles!
After that, the teacher had us all stand up and practice our picture day smiles. Personally, I thought we needed a little something to get us in a picture day mood. Oops, got myself in trouble again! Luckily, I got to rejoin the class in time for art. Art involved quite a lot of paint—or at least it did for me. What a mess!
Finally, it was time to line up for our photos. Ned, just in front of me, got the last complimentary plastic helmet. I watched as classmate after classmate smiled for the camera. I got queasy listening to everyone say “cheese.” I can’t stand cheese! The mere thought of it turns me green.
Just as my face reached its most awful pea green shade, it was my turn. I stepped forward and sat down on a stool. It was hard as a rock and as cold as an iceberg.
“Just a sec,” said the photographer as he fiddled with the camera knobs. As I sat and waited, everything that had happened rushed through my mind—the monstrous messes, the muddles, and the mix-ups. The whole day from the moment I rolled out of bed had gone perfectly, even better than planned. This year, I was finally going to have the perfect school picture.
And that’s when I heard a click and a flash. All my hard work—my perfectly tangled hair, my perfectly rumpled shirt, my perfectly sticky face, my perfectly composed scowl, that perfect boring background, those perfect paint splatters, that perfect sickly pallor—wasted, useless, ruined in a moment of weakness by an unexpected smile.
Mom says it’s my best picture ever, but just wait till she sees next year’s!
[Music]
Hope you liked “Picture Day Perfection.” Give us a like and subscribe! Thanks for dropping by. See you again soon! Bye-bye!
[Music]
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