001[music] Hello. Welcome to Calling All Kids. I'm your storyteller, Jennifer Temple. I'm so glad my friends at home are joining us tonight to listen to some Thanksgiving stories. And I have some very special guests with me that are going to sit and listen in the studio. Let's find out who they are. Who do we have here today? >> Hi, my name is Nihira. >> Hi, Nihira. >> Hi, my name is Maverick. >> Hi, Maverick. >> Hi, my name is Auggie. >> Great. I'm so happy to have the three of you here today to listen to our Thanksgiving stories and I'm so happy to have my friends at home listening as well. Are you ready to read some things about Thanksgiving? Thanksgiving is a holiday that happens in November and it's an a wonderful time of
002the year to really just to start think about things that we're thankful for. So, let's get started. Our first book today is called Thanksgiving is and it's going to talk about all about Thanksgiving and it's written by Gail Gibbons. She's the author. She wrote the words and she also is the illustrator. Isn't that cool? Do you do writing and illustrating at school? So, you're just like Gail Gibbons. Let's find out about what Thanksgiving is all about. There's some beautiful pictures in here. Thanksgiving is the pilgrims. In September 1620, over 400 years ago, a group of 101 passengers sailed from Plymouth, England in search of a new home. These men, women, [clears throat] and children were called pilgrims. They wanted the freedom to wor worship in their own way, which they were not allowed to do.
003They crossed the Atlantic Ocean on a small ship called the Mayflower. Their voyage was very difficult. They sailed through many storms. One passenger died and a baby was born. And do you know what they named the baby that was born on the ship? Oceanist. Do you think that's a good name for a baby that's born on the ocean? Nihira, are you thinking about that name for your new brother? >> A different name than Ocean. All right. At last, after a long voyage, they came ashore at what now is known as Plymouth, Massachusetts. And we live in the state of Massachusetts. Did you know that that we live in Massachusetts? And right around near the letter M, that's where Ashland is. And in the red dot there, that is where Plymouth, Massachusetts is. That's where the
004Mayflower landed. The pilgrims began to build homes. Winter came with its cold winds. The pilgrims had little food to eat. And many of them died that first winter because when they landed here in in Massachusetts, do you know what? There were no McDonald's. There were no market baskets where they could go get food. There weren't houses. They had to build their houses and find food and it was a really cold winter and they didn't have time to do all that before the storms came. So, it was kind of a sad first winter there. Thanksgiving is Native Americans. Two famous Native Americans were Squanto and Massasoya. When spring finally arrived, the pilgrims were grateful. The Native Americans taught them how to grow food that they themselves ate. Also, they taught the pilgrims how to be better
005hunters. I wonder what kinds of things they were hunting. What do you think they would hunt that they could eat? Yes, Nhira. Um like some oranges or apples and fruits. >> Okay. So they might find food to pick. Good. What would they use? Yes. Agie. >> Turkeys. Yes. Would that be a good thing to go hunting for and to cook? Do we usually eat turkeys at Thanksgiving? Yes. Yes. Nihira. >> Um some pumpkins. >> Yes. They might find pumpkins growing. Okay. Let's see what else they might have found. During the growing season, the crops grew and grew. The fall harvest was plentiful. The pilgrims wanted to thank God for the abundance of food they would have for the coming winter. So, their second winter, they'd have lots of food and they would all be okay
006because they have plenty to eat and they built houses. So, they were so thankful to the Native Americans. Thanksgiving is the first ever Thanksgiving. There there was a great feast. The Native Americans were invited. It was the pilgrim's first Thanksgiving, the fall of 1621. Do you know how many years ago that was? 1620. That's a really big. So, we're in the year 2025 and we take away 1620 1621 that's 44, right? 404 years ago. That's a long time. Mrs. Temple wasn't alive at that time. The first Thanksgiving lasted three days. Is Thanksgiving three days long? Now, today, no, just one day. Thanksgiving is a holiday. In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln, have you heard of that name before? Abraham Lincoln, good. Proclaimed the last Thursday of November to be Thanksgiving Day. This was the first nationally
007declared Thanksgiving Day for the United States. Then in 1939, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt delan, I'm sorry, Franklin Delan Delano Roosevelt, tongue twister there, made a change and declared Thanksgiving to be the fourth Thursday in November. So every November, you count four Thursdays down and there's Thanksgiving. And you know what? In Canada, which is a country north of the United States, they celebrate Thanksgiving in October, on the second Monday in October. Thanksgiving has many symbols. There are Thanksgiving decorations. I bet you've noticed Thanksgiving things around. Have you noticed pumpkins and leaves and turkeys? Yes. In many ways, our Thanksgiving celebrations remind us of the pilgrims Thanksgiving. There are pumpkins and turkeys, fall leaves, and other symbols gathered together to look like harvest time. Some homes are decorated. Do you decorate your homes? You think, "No, that's
008okay. Some people do, some don't." Thanksgiving is family and friends. Family and friends come together to share good times. It is a time for loving and sharing. Thanksgiving is a Thanksgiving feast. Tables are filled with many of the same foods the pilgrims shared with the Native Americans. There's turkey, just like you said, I stuffing, cranberries, sweet potatoes, beans, squash, cornbread, and other good things to eat. And sometimes families add special dishes that come from their family heritage and they might add other things besides these things listed. Do you put a lot of these things on your Thanksgiving table? >> Yeah. What is your favorite thing to put on to have at Thanksgiving? >> Um, >> do you have a special you have something Maverick that you like? >> Do you like bread or rolls? >>
009Bread. >> Yeah. You like to have bread there. You hear that? Do you have >> I think I like bread. Okay, great. Abby, do you want to add anything? >> Turkey. >> Oh, turkey. Good job. Do you like it with gravy? >> No, I don't either. I like it plain. Good job. Thanksgiving is Thanksgiving desserts. Oo. There is pumpkin pie, mince meat pie, bread pudding, baked apples, all kinds of treats. Thanksgiving is giving. Sometimes people send Thanksgiving cards. They give plants and flowers to people they visit. So maybe you want to make a special Thanksgiving card for somebody. Thanksgiving is games. Lots of games going on. There's a lot of football games on TV. The high schools play football games. Families and friends play outside or they go to a game. Sometimes they might jump
010in the leaves. Do you like to do that? Make a big giant pile and go and jump in. Yes, I like to do that. Thanksgiving is Thanksgiving plays. There are plays about pilgrims and Native Americans who help them. And Thanksgiving is parades. There are floats, bands, and big balloons. Have you ever watched the Thanksgiving Day parade on TV? We're going to Do you remember watch? No. You might want to do that this um we'll talk a little bit more about that. one of our books are about the parade, but there's a wonderful parade that takes place in New York and it's really fun to watch. Thanksgiving is sharing and remembering others. So, if you know somebody that doesn't have um anyone to have Thanksgiving dinner with, you could always invite them to come and join
011you, right? Would that make them feel better and happy inside? Absolutely. Thanksgiving is giving thanks for many blessings. So, that told us a lot of information about Thanksgiving, didn't it? Great. Well, our next story is kind of a fun story about the Thanksgiving Day parade in New York City and it's put on by Macy's department store. Have you ever heard of Macy's? They have a store at the NIC Mall called Macy's. You heard of that? Have you heard of that, Nihara? >> I think so. >> Yeah. >> There is a girl named Macy and Maisie. >> Oh, yes. Sometimes there might be a friend named Macy, right? Great. Well, this is called Balloons Over Broadway. Now, Broadway is a very um big long street in New York City and this is where the parade walks
012down and you can watch it because New York's a little ways away from here. So, you can watch it on TV on Thanksgiving morning. It's kind of >> My cousin lives there. >> Oh, does she? Will you ask her about if she's been to the Thanksgiving Day parade? All right, let's find out. Now, this book is about the man who helped to create the big balloons that are in the Thanksgiving Day parade. Isn't that cool? So, this is a true story. So, it's called Balloons Over Broadway, the true story of the puppeteer of Macy's parade. And it's written and illustrated by Melissa. So, she did the pictures and the story, the words. So this is a picture of the man that created the giant balloons. His name is Anthony and we will call him Tony
013for short. Anthony Fderick Sar. And he is no longer alive. He was lived a long time ago. Every little movement has a meaning of its own. That's a quote that Tony Sar said about making puppets. So here he is. Tony Sar is a little boy. You can see, can you see that he has some puppets here? Now, I remember, do you remember back last year or two years ago for you, Maverick, when you were in kindergarten, did you see a puppet show, a marionette show with puppets and strings? And I bet our friends at home that are at Warren School, do you remember seeing that? Well, that's what he would make were special puppets called marionets. From the time he was a little boy, Tony Sar loved to figure out how to make things move.
014He once said he became a marionette man when he was only six years old. Are any of you six years old? Good. Yes. So your age is when he started making these marionette puppets. Is that super cool? Now listen to what he did here. His father had asked him to feed their chickens at 6:30 in the morning every day. Tony had an idea. What if he could feed the chickens without leaving his bed? Do you think that he can do that? How is he going to feed the chickens without going out to the to the chicken hut the chicken hut there? He rigged up some pulleys and ran rope from the chicken coop door to his bedroom window. That night, he spread chicken feed outside the chicken coupe door. Oh my goodness, look what he
015did. The next morning at 6:30, Tony pulled the rope and the door to the chicken coop opened. And who came out? >> The chickens. That's right. The chickens ate their breakfast. And Tony stayed snug in bed. His dad was so impressed. He never had Tony do another chore again. Can you imagine never having to do chores again? Pretty cool, huh? [laughter] You might have to think of something like Tony thought of. When Tony grew up, he moved to London where he discovered that no one was making was making marionets for the kids anymore. So, out of wood and cloth and strings, Tony began to make puppets. He figured out ways to make his marionets move so lifelike that they performed as if they were real actors. Word soon spread about Tony's amazing marionets. See them
016hanging over here? And can you picture back to when you were in kindergarten and you were watching the marionette show? When Tony moved to New York City, the Tony Sar marionets began performing on Broadway. Remember I told you Broadway is that big long road that goes down through New York City and they have special theaters there and that's where he would perform his marionettes. In the heart of New York City in Harold Square was the biggest store on earth. It was Macy's department store. Macy's had heard about Tony's puppets and asked him to design a puppet parade for the store's holiday windows. So Tony made new puppets based on story book characters, then attached them to gears and pulleys to make them move. Sounds so cool. And I love what Tony does. See how he's
017planning what he's going to do first. If you're going to do something important or you have to figure it out, it's great to write a plan and put down what you're going to do. Who's the character? He's Do you know who that character is? >> Humpty Dumpty Dumpty. >> Humpty Dumpty. So, he made a Humpty Dumpty marionette. Good job. And look at here's the window with all these characters inside. Wouldn't that be cool to see if you're walking by a store in Macy's Wondertown windows? Tony's mechanical marionettes danced across the stage as if by magic. All day long they performed to shoppers jostling by to get a better look. Everyone wanted to see. They would crowd around the windows. But Macy's had an even bigger job in store for Tony. Many of the people working
018at Macy's were immigrants. And as the holidays approached, they missed their own holiday traditions of music and dancing in the streets. Macy's agreed to put on a parade for their employees and they hired Tony to help. Tony too was an immigrant so he loved the idea of creating a parade based on street carnivals from all over the world. He made costumes and built horsedrawn floats and Macy's even arranged to bring in live bears, elephants and camels from the Central Park Zoo. Can you imagine seeing them walking down the street? Camels and elephants. And see again, he's making his plan. The animals join hundreds of Macy's employees on Thanksgiving Day 1924. So just over a year, a hundred years ago, winding their way from Harlem to Harold Square. It was a dazzling parade. In fact, Macy's
019first parade was such a success that did they decided to have one every year on Thanksgiving Day to celebrate America's own holiday. Isn't that cool? And it looks very different today. Each year, the parade grew. But when Macy's brought in lions and tigers in addition to the bears and elephants and camels, the an the animals roared and growled at one another and they frightened the children who were watching. Do you think they want to scare the children in the parade that are watching the parade? No. So, do you think they're going to take the animals away? Let's see. Let's see. Macy's asked Tony to replace the animals. So he's like, "Can you do something different so we don't have the live animals scaring the children that are watching?" It would scare me, too. I bet
020it scared some of the adults. Tony hoped to replace the animals with some kind of puppets, but his marionets were less than three feet tall. He would have to make much larger puppets in order for them to be seen in the parade. and how could he make them strong enough to hold up in bad weather yet light enough to move up and down the streets? So, he's thinking, he's making a plan here. Tony knew a company in Ohio that made blimps out of rubber. This is a blimp here. It flies in the air. Have you seen one of those before? Yeah. They're not too They're frequent. We don't see them too much in the air, but when he called the company, showed them his sketches, and they agreed to make what Tony wanted. Still, how
021would Tony make his big puppets move? So, he's like, "All right, here are the puppets. I want to make like a caterpillar." Then Tony had an idea from an Indonesian broad puppet in his toy collection. So, you think he's going to put sticks on the big giant puppets that he's making? Let's see. So, then he tried. See his big caterpillar? Isn't that kind of fun looking? On Thanksgiving Day, Tony's creatures, some as high as 16 feet, spilled into the streets, and the crowds cheered wildly. Part puppet, part balloon. The air filled rubber bags wobbled down the avenues propped up by wooden sticks. So he did use the sticks to help move them along. By now, the sidewalks were so packed with people that only those in the first few rows could see the parade. Tony
022realized his puppets would have to be even bigger and higher up off the ground. And though the sticks helped to steer the puppets, they still were stiff and heavy. They want Tony wanted his balloons to articulate and to move and to gesture more like puppets. But how would he do this with the marionette? The control of the puppets, right? He's holding it above and the strings and then the puppets down here and the puppets would hang down. But could he do that in a parade? Be a little tricky, right? Good, Maverick. You got it. But what if the controls were below and the puppet could rise up? H. So, what do you think he's going to make this into? >> A balloon. >> Yes, a gigantic balloon. And how will he control the balloon? Not
023using sticks. What do you think he'll use? >> String or ropes? You got it. During the next year, Tony set his new idea into motion. This time, he asked the company in Ohio to make balloons out of rubberized silk, as strong as rubber, but lighter than rubber alone. Most important, Tony ordered the balloons to be filled not just with air, but with helium. Helium is lighter than air and it would make the balloons rise and float in the air. Once the puppets were completed, they were deflated and shipped back to Tony in New York City. They were 439 miles away from Ohio to New York City. Tony did not know if everything would go as planned. So, he's thinking all these things. Oh no, what if a balloon hits something sharp? What happens to a
024balloon if you hit something sharp? It'll pop. >> It'll pop. And can you imagine a giant balloon popping? Would that be a loud bang? Yes. What if it What if the um Let's see. What's it? The helium. There was too much helium in the balloon. What would you think would happen to the balloon? >> It would float. >> Yes. Would it flow down to outer space maybe and take off? That would not be good. And then there's also they call it an elevated train in New York. and he's like, "How am I going to get these giant balloons under the elevated train without them popping?" Let's see what he happens and what what he does. It was still dark on Thanksgiving morning when Tony filled the balloons with helium, tethering them down with sandbags. By
0251:00, the sidewalks were packed with people ready to watch the parade. Then, one by one, Tony cut the lines of the sandbags. Let's have a parade. And do you think he just let the strings go or did he hand the strings to people? >> Yeah, because they don't want the balloon to flow away, right? And look at this. Isn't this cool? And the magnificent upside down marionettes rose up to the sky. So now people from all around can see the the puppets or the balloons. And then there's all kinds of people holding the strings to walk them down the street. Do you know that some of the balloons in the real Mac in the Macy's Day parade today have hundreds of people holding the strings because the balloons are so big? Look at this one.
026That looks kind of fun. Nothing. And I'm sorry. Nodding and waving to the crowds below, they sailed past Central Park. They sailed down Broadway Street. They shimmyed and swayed through the canyons of New York City. Look at people up in the buildings could even see them. That kind of cool. High above the crowds, the they flounced in the afternoon wind, pulling the rope handlers this way and that way. Yet with an easy heave ho, the balloons gestured and articulated like wild puppets, and the crowd screamed for more. After the balloons were eased under the elevated train, they ended in front of Macy's store at Tony's Wondertown windows. It was a parade New Yorkers would never forget. And they're still doing it today, 101 years later. And from that day on, every Thanksgiving morning, crowds have
027lined the sidewalks of New York City to see what new balloons would rise to the skies for the Macy's famous parade. Tony Sar, the puppeteer who loved to figure out how to make things move, had set the stage with a little rigging for a puppet to be anything anyone could imagine it to be. So, even though he's no longer alive, do we have this wonderful creation that he invented? So exciting. And does he bring so much joy to so many people? He sure does. And here's actually a picture of the elephant. Can you see that? That's an actual photograph of Tony with his first elephant balloon. So, what did you think of that story? Balloons over Broadway. And so don't forget on Thanksgiving morning if you turn on the TV, you'll be able to see
028the parade and you'll be able to see the balloons that they have today. They have some of the characters that we like, like you might see Pokémon floating down the street. Would that be kind of fun? Okay. All right. So, we are going to read one more story. It's a quick story called Thanksgiving Treat. And it's about a little boy that wants to help out, but his family's all saying, "Go ask someone else for help." And he's getting sad that no one is letting him help. So, it's called Thanksgiving Treat by Catherine Stock. All right, let's see what he ends up doing on Thanksgiving. Here we go. I am at grandma and grandpa's house. It's Thanksgiving and everybody is here. My mother and father and brother and sister and aunts and uncles and all my
029cousins. The house is full. The house is busy. Grandma and mommy are stuffing the turkey. Can I help? I ask. Not now, sweetie, says mommy. Careful. The oven is hot, warns grandma. See if you can help your sister. So now he's going to go see if his sister will let him help. My sister Maryanne and the other girls are peeling potatoes and scraping carrots. Can I help you? I asked. You're too little. You'll scrape your fingers, they say. Do you think he's feeling a little sad that he can't help? Aunt Sally is making pumpkin pies and cranberry sauce with my aunts. Careful, honey. You nearly knocked over the cinnamon. Go see if you can help the boy, she said. My cousins are shucking corn on the veranda. We can do this. They say you can
030go play outside. Daddy and Uncle Pete are chopping firewood. Keep back. Cause Daddy. There are splinters flying about. So, they don't want him to get hurt, do they? I go and sit on the swing. Everybody is busy. Everybody's having a good time. Everybody except me. What's up, champ? It's Grandpa. Got a minute? Sure. I run over to Grandpa. We go out the gate and down the muddy road. Where we Where are we going? Grandpa, I ask. You'll see. Do you think he's happy that grandpa asked him to help out? At the end of the apple orchard in a big tree, "Chestnuts," said Grandpa. "I'll knock them down with my stick if you pick them up and put them in the basket." Have you ever eaten a chestnut before? >> No. Soon the basket is full.
031We sniff the cool evening air as we walk home. Someone has lit a wood fire. Chestnuts. Everyone cries when we come in. You found some chestnuts to roast in the fire. And now he did his part to help with the Thanksgiving celebration. Grandma brings a bowl of sweet butter and the salt shaker. Grandpa splits the chestnuts with his pocketk knife and we poke them into the fire. M. Are they good? Maybe you could try a chestnut someday. So Thanksgiving is just around the corner and I want you to be thinking about things that you're thankful for. Do you have something in your head that you would like to share with our friends at home that you are thankful for? >> Do you want to start Nihira? What are you thankful for? >> I'm >> nice
032and loud. >> I am thankful for the world to be here. I love that. Great. Maverick, do you have something that you're thankful for? >> I'm thankful for food. >> Good. That's important, isn't it? Right. To keep our bodies nourished. What about you, Agie? >> I'm thankful for people to come to my house. >> Oh, that's wonderful to have guests there. Very good. You know what? I'm thankful that you came and joined me today. You did a great job. And I hope all our friends at home enjoyed our Thanksgiving stories today. And I hope you're able to tell your family what you're thankful for. Can we all look at the camera and say happy Thanksgiving to our friends? >> Happy Thanksgiving. >> See you next time on Calling All Kids. Bye-bye. Want to wave goodbye
033to your friends? [music] >> [music]