Hello there! I’m Caitlin Wachs, and I’m so excited to share a wonderful story with you today. It’s called “Sebastian’s Roller Skates,” written by Joan de Déu Prats and illustrated by Francesc Rovira. Let’s dive into Sebastian’s adventure!
Sebastian is a boy who doesn’t talk much, even though he has lots of things to say. He’s a bit shy. When neighbors tell him he’s getting tall, he just nods and blushes. What he really wants to say is that he dreams of being tall enough to reach all the buttons in the elevator!
At the barbershop, when asked about school, Sebastian whispers, “Fine.” But he actually loves geography and knows about faraway places. Even though he knows the answers in class, he stays quiet. He likes a girl named Ester, but he’s never talked to her.
One day, while walking home through the park, Sebastian finds a pair of old roller skates. He’s never skated before, but he’s curious. He tries them on, stands up, and… falls right down! He thinks skating might not be for him, so he leaves the skates on the bench.
The next day, the skates are still there. This time, he manages to stand up without falling right away. He decides to take the skates home and practice every day after school.
Every day, Sebastian practices skating in the park. He takes tiny steps and holds onto things like lamp posts and trees. He even accidentally grabs someone’s mustache once! Slowly, he gets better, but he still can’t skate very far.
One day, he sees other skaters zooming by and feels a bit sad. But he doesn’t give up. The next day, while practicing, a big dog runs by, and Sebastian grabs its leash. Suddenly, he’s skating smoothly behind the dog, gliding through the park!
After this exciting adventure, Sebastian feels more confident. When a neighbor asks how he’s doing, he happily says, “Great! I’m learning how to roller skate.” He even talks more at the barbershop, sharing his knowledge about deserts around the world.
In class, he raises his hand to answer questions about mountains. He feels brave enough to ask Ester if she’d like to go skating with him. She shyly says, “Yes,” and Sebastian is thrilled!
Feeling happy and proud, Sebastian buys himself a new pair of skates. He returns the old skates to the park bench, hoping someone else who doesn’t talk much might find them and discover the joy of skating, just like he did.
And that’s the story of Sebastian and his roller skates! It’s all about trying new things, practicing, and finding the courage to speak up. Remember, it’s okay to be shy, but don’t be afraid to share your thoughts and try new adventures!
Roller Skating Adventure: If you have roller skates or can borrow a pair, try skating just like Sebastian! Find a safe place to practice, like a park or a smooth sidewalk. Remember to take small steps and hold onto something sturdy if you need to. How does it feel to try something new? Write or draw about your experience and share it with a friend or family member.
Confidence Collage: Create a collage that shows things you feel confident doing and things you want to try, just like Sebastian did with roller skating. Use old magazines, drawings, or printouts to make your collage. Share your collage with the class and talk about one new thing you want to try and why.
Observation Walk: Go on a walk with a family member or friend and look for something new you haven’t noticed before, like Sebastian finding the roller skates. It could be a new plant, a colorful rock, or an interesting cloud shape. Talk about what you found and how it made you feel. Did it inspire you to try something new?
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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Hey, I’m Caitlin Wachs, and welcome to Storyline Online, brought to you by the Screen Actor’s Guild Foundation. Today, I’m going to read “Sebastian’s Roller Skates,” written by Joan de Déu Prats and illustrated by Francesc Rovira.
Sebastian didn’t talk very much, even though he had a lot to say. He was shy. The neighbors would say, “My goodness, Sebastian, you’re getting tall!” and he would look at the floor, nod his head, and blush. What he wanted to say was that someday he’d like to be tall enough to reach every single button in the elevator, even the ones at the very top. But Sebastian didn’t talk very much.
“How’s school?” the barber would ask, wrapping Sebastian in a cape. Sebastian would look down at his feet, blush, and whisper, “Fine.” What he wanted to say was that he loved geography and knew the names of faraway seas, tropical islands, and desert lands. When the barber was finished, he’d ask Sebastian how he liked his haircut, and in a very small voice, Sebastian would whisper, “Fine,” again. What he wanted to say was that if the barber made his head look like a billiard ball next time, he’d regret it.
Sebastian didn’t talk very much. Not in the elevator, not in the barbershop, not in school. When the teacher would ask him to name the capital of Iceland, Mongolia, or Burundi, Sebastian would just look down at his desk because, even though he knew the answers, he couldn’t seem to say anything. Sebastian sat in the last row, right behind Ester, who had curly hair and eyes the color of honey. Sebastian liked Ester, but he’d never spoken to her.
After school, Sebastian always walked home through the park. One afternoon, he noticed a pair of old roller skates. He had never skated before, but he’d always wanted to try. He waited a few minutes, and when no one approached, he decided to try them on. He stood up very slowly, took a careful step, and… Wham! Right on his rear end! He tried again, and again, the same thing happened. “Skating is not for me,” Sebastian thought. He took off the skates, put them back on the bench, and walked home.
The next day, when Sebastian walked through the park, he saw that the skates were still there, right where he had left them. He scratched his nose, looked right, and looked left. Nobody was around. This time he was able to stand up and stay up. But when he tried to take a step, he fell. But at least he’d stood up! Maybe he should take the skates home…
After that, Sebastian went to the park every day after school to practice. He always went slowly and carefully, taking tiny steps until he could grab onto something – a lamp post, a tree, a railing. Once, he even tried to grab onto someone’s moustache! Sebastian skated every day, and every day he got a little bit better, but after a week he still couldn’t go very far or very fast. Then he saw some other skaters gliding by, as if it were the easiest thing in the world. He sat down on the bench, sad and a tiny bit heartbroken, then went home.
He was back the next afternoon, though. He put the skates on, and then, just like always, he started to skate very slowly, first one foot, then the other. He was concentrating so hard, he didn’t hear the shouting, “My dog! Somebody, please! Help me catch my dog!” Suddenly, a big dog was licking his face. Sebastian had to grab him to keep from falling down. Just then, the dog started to run, and somehow, Sebastian managed to hold on to the leash.
What happened next is something Sebastian could never have imagined—he skated as if he were a water skier, gliding gracefully behind the big dog. They crossed the bridge over the pond, the path that led to the grove, the playground with the swings, and even jumped over a ditch where workers were repairing a pipe. Sebastian kept his balance the whole time until finally, the dog stopped running. The dog’s owner came for her dog, but Sebastian just stood there. He had skated through practically the whole park! He could hardly believe it!
When he got back to his apartment building, a neighbor was waiting for the elevator. “How are things, Sebastian?” the neighbor asked. At first, Sebastian didn’t say anything. He started to shrug like he usually did, but then he stopped. His face brightened, and he answered without thinking, “Great! I’m learning how to roller skate.”
The next day was Saturday, and Sebastian spent the whole morning skating without ever worrying about falling down. He skated through the whole park, and even though he did fall down twice, both times he got up right away and kept on skating. Sebastian began to worry less about other things, too. When he had to go to the barbershop again, and the barber asked, “How’s school?” Sebastian did not lower his eyes or answer in a whisper. Instead, he just opened his mouth… “I know the names of all the most important deserts in the world and where they are: the Sahara in Africa, the Gobi in Asia, and the Atacama in South America.”
“How about that?” the barber said in surprise. “And this time I don’t want my head to look like a billiard ball!” When Sebastian left the barbershop, he could hardly believe what he had done. He had a lot to say, and he’d said it!
So now, when the teacher asked, “Let’s see, who knows the names of the tallest mountains in the world?” Sebastian would put up his hand and answer, “Mount Everest, Qogir, and Kangchenjunga.” He still had something else he wanted to do, though. So one afternoon, when he saw Ester, the little girl with curly hair, he made up his mind. He didn’t fall very much anymore when he skated, and sometimes when he had a lot to say, he said it. So he walked over to Ester and asked with a smile, “Would you like to go skating with me?” And guess what? Ester was a little bit shy, but she did whisper, “Yes.”
Sebastian went home feeling very happy. He broke his piggy bank and ran to the store to buy himself a new pair of skates. Then he went to the park and returned the old roller skates to the same bench where he had found them. He thought maybe somebody else who didn’t talk very much, even when they had a lot to say, might also like to learn how to skate.
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This version maintains the essence of the story while ensuring it is appropriate for all audiences.
