Hello, my wonderful reading friends! I’m Annie, and I’m so happy you’re here with me today. Are you ready to hear a fun story about popcorn? Let’s find out what happens to the little kernels that don’t pop!
Today is a special day called Happy Pop Day! All the little popcorn kernels are leaving their jars to go to the microwave. Otto, one of the kernels, is super excited and ready for his big moment.
Otto and his friends have been getting ready. They checked the oil and the heat to make sure everything is perfect. Look! Piper popped! There goes Connor! Otto can’t wait for his turn. He dreams of swimming in butter, getting covered in chocolate, and rolling in cheese. Yum!
All around Otto, the kernels are popping—pop, pop, pop! But Otto is still waiting. He tries everything, but he just doesn’t pop. Otto feels a little sad and goes back to his jar.
One day, Otto smells something yummy—it’s butter! He follows the smell and finds a big yellow bowl. Inside, he sees all sorts of fun things like Caramel Plaza and the Great Chocolate Fountain.
Otto’s new friends tell him, “You can have fun whether you pop or not! Just leave the jar and enjoy!” So Otto decides to try, and guess what? He has a blast! He rolls in cheese, soaks in chocolate, and spins in butter. It’s so much fun!
The next Pop Day, Otto stands outside the microwave with a sign that says, “Happy Pop or Not Day.” He wants other kernels to know that it’s okay not to pop. They can still have a great time!
In the end, Otto and his friends learn that you can have fun no matter what. It’s all about enjoying the adventure!
Let’s say hello to some of our friends from all over the world:
Thank you for joining our reading family! I hope you enjoyed the story. See you next time for more fun adventures!
Popcorn Experiment: Let’s explore what makes popcorn pop! With the help of an adult, take some unpopped kernels and place them in a clear jar. Add a little oil and cover the jar with a lid. Shake the jar gently and observe what happens. Discuss with your friends or family why some kernels pop and others don’t. What do you think makes them pop?
Popcorn Art: Create your own popcorn art! Use popped popcorn to make fun shapes or pictures on a piece of paper. You can glue the popcorn onto the paper to create a popcorn collage. What shapes can you make? Can you create a picture of Otto and his friends having fun?
Story Time Reflection: Think about Otto’s adventure. What was your favorite part of the story? Why do you think Otto was happy even though he didn’t pop? Draw a picture of Otto and his friends enjoying their “Happy Pop or Not Day.” Share your drawing with your class and talk about how you can have fun in different ways, just like Otto.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the YouTube transcript:
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Hello, my lovable reading friends! It’s Annie. I’m so glad you’re here! If you want to stay up to date on my newest videos, ask a parent to click that subscribe button and make sure to watch all the way through because I’m going to do some shout-outs at the end. Are you ready for a story?
Have you ever wondered what happens to the kernels of popcorn that don’t get popped? Let’s find out as we read “Pop.” If you have a copy, go get it so you can read along with me!
**Pop**
Words by Karen Kilpatrick
Pictures by Herman Blanco
It was a big day—Happy Pop Day! The kernels were leaving their jars for the first time to head to the microwave. Otto was ready, like the rest of the kernels. He’d been preparing for this moment.
“High five! Wave!”
“Pop Day prep: oil check, heat check, more oil check, more heat check.”
Look! Piper popped! There goes Connor! Otto couldn’t wait for his turn. Once he popped, he could finally do all the fun things he’d been dreaming about from the jar, like swimming in big buckets of butter, drizzling himself in elegant swirls of chocolate, getting sprinkled with shimmery sparkly salt, coating himself in shiny but sticky caramel, rolling in all kinds of cheese flavors, and even hanging out with some nuts.
“This is so fun! Yeah, let’s dance! I love a party!”
Things were heating up all around him. Kernels were becoming popcorn—pop, pop, pop! All the kernels, that is, except for one. Nothing was happening to Otto. He waited until every kernel had popped, then waited some more. But Otto never popped. Did he not use enough oil or get enough heat? No matter what he tried, Otto remained a kernel while the new popcorn celebrated.
Otto went back to his jar alone, where he stayed for a while. Until one day, Otto noticed his favorite smell floating by on the breeze—butter! He couldn’t resist. He followed the delicious smell through the jars, past the microwave, and up to a large yellow bowl.
“Wow, look at all the cool things they have in Microwave City! There’s Caramel Plaza, the Great Chocolate Fountain, Pistachio Way—what else do you see?”
When Otto peeked inside, he couldn’t believe his eyes. “Hey, come on down!” He had thought butter was only for popcorn. His new friends disagreed. “You can have fun whether you pop or not! All you need to do is leave the jar, and the rest is up to you!”
So Otto took a chance, and you know what? It was so much fun! “Yeah! Whoa! Sprinkles! Shake it! Let’s do it again!” Otto sped down the cheese, soaked in chocolate, and was the fastest butter spinner around.
The next Pop Day, Otto waited outside the microwave with a sign: “Happy Pop or Not Day,” just in case there were other kernels who didn’t know that it was okay not to pop or only pop halfway.
In the end, even though the kernels of popcorn didn’t get popped, they were still able to have a great time.
Alright, let’s do some shout-outs! Today I’m sending them out to:
– Isaac, Maya, and Malachi in Idaho
– Grace and Lydia in Belleville, Ontario, Canada
– Carmen and Marcy in New Brunswick, Canada
– Maddie, Grace, and Kelly in Apple Valley, Minnesota
– Gregory and Matthew in Cumberland, Rhode Island
– Mira and Luna in Bardovsi, North Macedonia
– Mirjan and Pate in Karachi, Pakistan
– CJ and Emma in North Dakota
– Brooklyn and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
– Charity Rose Thomas in Humble, Texas
Hello, my good friends! I am so happy that we all get to be one great big happy reading family, no matter where in the world we live. I hope you enjoyed our story today. See you next time!
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Let me know if you need any further modifications!
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