♪ Hey, wow... ♪

♪ Here's how ♪

♪ Come and read ♪

♪ Between the lions ♪

CHORUS: ♪ Come on ♪

♪ Come in ♪

♪ Begin ♪

♪ The world awaits ♪

WOMAN: ♪ Between the lions ♪

♪ Between the covers of a book ♪

♪ It's time to look between the lions ♪

♪ Behold the tales beyond the tails ♪

CHORUS: ♪ Behind the door ♪

♪ Become, explore ♪

♪ Come in between the lions ♪

♪ Begin between the lions ♪

♪ Be here between the lions! ♪

THEO: And here's Langston Hughes!

( laughs )

Nice!

Enjoy Poetry Day!

Hey, Mr. Webster!

Dr. Seuss.

Dr. Seuss...

Dr. Seuss.

There you go, Mr. Webster.

Great!

Poetry Day!

LIONEL: Poetry day!

THEO: Poetry day!

Poetry day!

Poetry day!

Poetry day!

CLEO: Click, raise the curtain.

Right, curtain going up!

CLEO: Click, the curtain, not the spotlight.

Right, curtain, yes.

Searching, searching.

Got it!

Welcome to the Barnaby B. Busterfield III

Memorial Library's Annual Poetry Day!

Only one rule on this Poetry Day.

All poems must have words with the "A-I" sound-- "ai"--

like "chain" and "train" and "drain" and "raining"

I'm sure you will find it quite entertaining.

( band playing cool jazz )

CUBS: Mom?

Yes, cubs?

If Lionel and I write a poem

can we read it to everybody?

Absolutely.

Come on, Leona, let's go write our poem!

Okay!

Okay, we're going to write a poem.

Ah!

A hundred years ago on this very date

our founder, Barnaby B. Busterfield III

held the first Poetry Day.

What he began long ago we still celebrate.

If he knew that, I wonder what Barnaby would say?

I would say, "Thank me.

"Thank me very much.

Busterfield, you are truly great... and handsome."

Poultry Day?

Why do chickens get a day

and not us, uh...

Pigeons?

It's not Poultry Day!

It's Poetry Day!

Oh!

Oh!

Poetry!

Poetry!

Never heard of it.

A poem can transport you

take you places in your imagination.

It can move your heart and soul.

It can...

Oh, they're starting!

Ooh!

Oh!

Hey, I see a chicken.

( playing snazzy tune )

And now the first poem of the day

read by the handsomest...

straight-shelf-stackingest librarian, Theo!

( applause )

Thank you. Thank you.

THEO: Oh, spotlight, Click.

CLICK: Spotlight on Theo, coming up!

THEO: Click, the spotlight, not the curtain.

Oops.

CLICK: I have got it!

THEO: Okey-dokey.

"Waiting for...

Oh.

"Waiting for the Train."

A poetical extravaganza for persons of all ages

by Theo the Lion.

Illustrated in stunning depictions in the antique style.

Starring my sweet, adoring family.

THEO ( reading ):

The end.

( laughing ): Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Now, that was poetry!

It had meter, a rhythm, a beat.

Yes, yes, yes!

And it had rhyme--

words that sound the same at the end

like "train" and "rain."

BOTH:

Yes, yes, yes!

And it transported you to another place and time

and told a story, didn't it?

Yeah, but, uh, it didn't have a...

Chicken?

Yeah!

Maybe, it's poultry without the chicken.

It's not "poultry," it's "poetry"!

Right, without the, uh...

Chicken!

( laughing )

( stammers ): Bah!

Hey, you having a good time?

All right.

And now Martha Reader and the Vowelles sing the "ai" sound

made by the letters A-I in the word "pail."

( Martha singing "ai" sound, then Vowelles repeat "ai" )

( singers sing "ai"; then monkeys say "pail" )

( music ends, monkeys whoop )

WOMAN:

( children laughing )

( blues music plays )

♪ A-I, "ai," "ai" ♪

♪ A-I, "ai" ♪

♪ A-I can bring you pain ♪

♪ Pain ♪

♪ A-I between an R and N can make it rain ♪

♪ A-I can wash a sunny feeling down the drain ♪

♪ A-I can bring you pain. ♪

♪ A-I, "ai" ♪

♪ A-I can make you wail ♪

♪ Wail ♪

♪ A-I gets folks complainin' ♪

♪ When it's in the mail ♪

♪ And every time they nail you, A-I is in the nail ♪

♪ A-I can make you wail! ♪

♪ A-I, "ai" ♪

♪ "A" and "I" together sound like "ai" ♪

♪ They'll be there each time you fail! ♪

♪ Don't you wonder whether that's why people say ♪

♪ A-I is always in jail? ♪

♪ Jail! ♪

♪ A-I can bring you pain ♪

♪ Pain! ♪

♪ A-I can trickle down your shirt ♪

♪ And make a stain! ♪

♪ Better get this information ♪

♪ Through your brain ♪

♪ A-I can bring you pain! ♪

♪ A-I, "ai," get it through your brain ♪

♪ A-I can bring you pain! ♪

♪ A-I ♪

♪ "Ai"! ♪

( music ends, women gasp )

If it weren't for A-I

we wouldn't be getting paid.

Oh, you got a point there.

That's true-- no pain, no gain.

You know, I love you all, but I've got to go.

( cheering )

GAWAIN: Excellent!

Gawain here once again at Blending Fields

where two brave knights in armor

will charge together at high speed and make a word.

Competing today we have Sir P...

( cheering )

and Sir Aint!

( cheering )

Blend on, dudes!

BOTH: Paint!

( cheering )

Hold still.

Hold still!

Oh, it's you!

"Paint"-- excellent!

That's Gawain's word for today.

And this is Gawain saying

"Don't you complain"

because I'll see you next time on...

ANNOUNCER ( quietly ): Here we are back at the final "t" of the Word Cup Masters.

Word-writing ace Tiger Words is approaching the "t"

where he must write the word "paint."

Could be challenging.

There's the "p" sound at the beginning

followed by the "ai" sound

then the "n" sound, then that final "t."

P... ai... nt...

Paint.

If he makes it, he will win a train trip to Spain.

Tiger is selecting his writing tool.

He's playing it safe on this one.

It's a number-two pencil.

He gets in position

and, oh, look at that stroke--

a perfect letter P.

So far so good.

The letter P makes the sound "p"--

the first sound in the word "paint."

Let's see what Tiger does next.

He places his pencil and... there it is-- the letter A

which is the second letter in the word "paint."

Now watch.

Tiger is writing the letter N.

That makes the word "pant."

Oh, no!

He's putting his pencil away.

He seems to think he's finished.

What a disappointment.

But wait.

He's noticed his mistake.

Out comes a paintbrush.

( crowd applauds )

With that signature Tiger style

he slips the letter I right in there next to the A

making the "A-I" sound of "ai."

He's written the word "paint," ladies and gentlemen.

Congratulations, Tiger

and enjoy that train trip to Spain.

( train whistle blows )

( bagpipes, drums playing march; audience applauds )

Our next poet is a very special guest.

This poet was born in Scotland.

( inhales deeply, plays sour note, band music stops )

But later, he lived in Samoa.

( swaying music plays )

CLEO: Besides writing excellent books like Treasure Island

and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

he was also a great poet

who wrote A Child's Garden of Verses.

Now, direct from A Child's Garden of Verses

Mr. Robert Louis Stevenson!

( cheering and applause; bagpipes, drums play )

( both chuckling )

Thank you.

You're embarrassing me.

( Stevenson laughs )

Ahh!

( audience applauds )

Thank you very much.

Thank you very much!

Oh, you're very kind.

Click, a spotlight for Mr. Stevenson.

Engaging spotlights.

( gasps )

THEO: Click!

Och, my briscuit!

Click, raise the curtain!

Yeah!

Raising curtain.

Oops!

( gasps ): Oh, Mr. Stevenson, are you all right?

( groans )

Oh, at my age, a few new wrinkles don't bother me.

And now a wee poem that's all about the rain.

And I call it "Rain."

( cheering and applause )

CLEO: Oh, wonderful!

Robert Louis Stevenson, everybody!

Give it up for Robert Louis Stevenson.

Great stuff, R.L.

Hey, hold, uh...

It?

Yeah!

Yeah, that did not tell a... a...

Story?

Yeah!

Hey, you said that poetry...

Poetry does not have to tell a story.

It can just be a word picture, like that one

with meter and rhyme, but no story.

That is poetry.

Hmm.

It made more sense when it just meant, uh...

Chicken?

Yeah!

Yeah!

It never meant chicken, never!

Our next poets are my talented cubs, Lionel and Leona

with a poem they wrote.

Oh, hang on, hang on, hang on, hang on.

( clears throat )

Click? Curtain!

Curtain.

( spotlight clicks on )

Very clever, Lionel.

Yeah.

LIONEL: Watch your step.

( clears throat )