00:06Now it's story time on Nick Jr.
00:11Hello and welcome to the Screen Actors Guild Foundation Book Pals.
00:15My name is Sean Astin and I played Sam in Lord of the Rings.
00:20I love to read, especially to kids.
00:24I have a daughter whose name is Allie and she loves it when I read to her.
00:27And we both love lima beans.
00:32Hmm.
00:34The story I'm going to read to you is called A Bad Case of Stripes, written and illustrated by David
00:42Shannon.
00:43Allie loves this book.
00:45I hope you do too.
00:53Camilla Cream loved lima beans, but she never ate them.
00:58All of her friends hated lima beans and she wanted to fit in.
01:04Camilla was always worried about what other people thought of her.
01:09Today, she was fretting even more than usual.
01:13It was the first day of school and she couldn't decide what to wear.
01:18There were so many people to impress.
01:21She tried on 42 outfits, but none seemed quite right.
01:27She put on a pretty red dress and looked in the mirror.
01:31And then she screamed.
01:33Her mother ran into the room and she screamed too.
01:37Oh my heavens, she cried.
01:39You're completely covered with stripes.
01:42This was certainly true.
01:44Camilla was striped from head to toe.
01:46She looked like a rainbow.
01:48Mrs. Cream felt Camilla's forehead.
01:50Do you feel all right?
01:52She asked.
01:53I feel fine, Camilla answered.
01:55But just look at me.
01:58You get back in bed this instant, her mother ordered.
02:02You're not going to school today.
02:04Camilla was relieved.
02:06She didn't want to miss the first day of school, but she was afraid of what the other
02:10kids might say.
02:12And she had no idea what to wear with those crazy stripes.
02:17That afternoon, Dr. Bumble came to examine Camilla.
02:20Most extraordinary, he exclaimed.
02:22I've never seen anything like it.
02:24Are you having any coughing, sneezing, runny nose, aches, pains, chills, hot flashes, dizziness,
02:31drowsiness, shortness of breath, or uncontrollable twitching?
02:38No, Camilla told him.
02:39I feel fine.
02:41Well then, Dr. Bumble said, turning to Mrs. Cream, I don't see any reason why she shouldn't
02:47go to school tomorrow.
02:49Here's some ointment that should help her clear up those stripes in a few days.
02:53If it doesn't, you know where to reach me.
02:56And off he went.
03:00The next day was a disaster.
03:03Everyone at school laughed at Camilla.
03:05They called her Camilla Crayon and Knight of the Living Lollipop.
03:11She tried her best to act as if everything were normal.
03:15But when the class said the Pledge of Allegiance, her stripes turned red, white, and blue, and
03:21she broke out in stars.
03:24The other kids thought this was great.
03:27One yelled out, let's see some purple polka dots.
03:29Sure enough, Camilla turned all purple polka dots.
03:34Someone else shouted, checkerboard!
03:36And a pattern of squares covered her skin.
03:40Soon, everyone was calling out different shapes and colors, and poor Camilla was changing
03:45faster than you can change channels on a TV.
03:50That night, Mr. Harms, the school principal, called.
03:54I'm sorry, Mrs. Cream, he said.
03:56I'm going to have to ask you to keep Camilla home from school.
03:59She's just too much of a distraction, and I've been getting calls from the other parents.
04:03They're afraid those stripes may be contagious.
04:08Camilla was so embarrassed.
04:10She couldn't believe that two days ago, everyone liked her.
04:14Now, nobody wanted to be in the same room with her.
04:18Her father tried to make her feel better.
04:21Is there anything I can get you, sweetheart?
04:24He asked.
04:26No, thank you, sighed Camilla.
04:29What she really wanted was a nice plate of lima beans.
04:34But she'd been laughed at enough for one day.
04:40Hmm, well, yes, I see.
04:42Hey, Dr. Bumble mumbled when Mr. Cream phoned the next day.
04:48I think I'd better bring in the specialists.
04:52We'll be right over.
04:54About an hour later, Dr. Bumble arrived with four people in long white coats.
04:59He introduced them to the creams.
05:02This is Dr. Gropp, Dr. Sponge, Dr. Cricket, and Dr. Young.
05:06Then the specialists went to work on Camilla.
05:10They squeezed and jabbed, tapped, and tested.
05:15It was very uncomfortable.
05:17Well, it's not the mumps, concluded Dr. Gropp.
05:21Or the measles, said Dr. Sponge.
05:23Definitely not chicken pox, put in Dr. Cricket.
05:27Or sunburn, said Dr. Young.
05:30Try these, said the specialists.
05:32They each handed her a bottle filled with different colored pills.
05:36Take one of each before bed, said Dr. Gropp.
05:39Then they filed out the front door, followed by Dr. Bumble.
05:45That night, Camilla took her medicine.
05:48It was awful.
05:50When she woke up the next morning, she did feel different.
05:54But when she got dressed, her clothes didn't fit right.
05:59She looked in the mirror.
06:00Here and there, staring back at her, was a giant, multicolored pill with her face on it.
06:12Dr. Bumble rushed over as soon as Mrs. Cream called.
06:15But this time, instead of the specialists, he brought the experts.
06:21Dr. Gord and Mr. Mellon were the finest scientific minds in the land.
06:25Once again, Camilla was poked and prodded, looked at and listened to.
06:29The expert wrote down lots of numbers.
06:32Then they huddled together and whispered.
06:35Dr. Gord finally spoke.
06:38It might be a virus, he announced with authority.
06:42Suddenly, funny little virus balls appeared all over Camilla.
06:45Oh, possibly some form of bacteria, said Mr. Mellon.
06:50Out popped squiggly little bacteria tails.
06:53Oh, it could be a fungus, added Dr. Gord.
06:57Instantly, Camilla was covered with different colored fungus blotches.
07:01The experts looked at Camilla, and then at each other.
07:07We need to go over the numbers again, back at the lab, Dr. Gord explained.
07:11We'll call you when we know something.
07:14But the experts didn't have a clue, much less a cure.
07:19By now, the TV news had found out about Camilla.
07:22Reporters from every channel were outside her house, telling the story of the bizarre case
07:27of the incredible changing kid.
07:28Soon, a huge crowd was camped out on the front lawn.
07:33The creams were swamped with all kinds of remedies, from psychologists, allergists, herbalists,
07:40nutritionists, psychics, an old medicine man, a guru, and even a veterinarian.
07:45Each so-called cure only added to poor Camilla's strange appearance, until it was hard to even
07:51recognize her.
07:52She sprouted roots, and berries, and crystals, and feathers, and a long, furry tail.
08:00But nothing worked.
08:03One day, a woman who called herself an environmental therapist claimed she could cure Camilla.
08:10Close your eyes, she said.
08:15Breathe deeply, and become one with your room.
08:21I wish you hadn't said that, Camilla groaned.
08:26Slowly, she started to melt into the walls of her room.
08:32Her bed became her mouth, her nose was a dresser, and two paintings were her eyes.
08:37The therapist screamed and ran from the house.
08:42What are we going to do, cried Mrs. Cream.
08:45It just keeps getting worse and worse.
08:48She began to sob.
08:52At that moment, Mr. Cream heard a quiet little knock at the front door.
08:58He opened it, and there stood an old woman, who was just as plump and sweet as a strawberry.
09:06Uh, excuse me, she said brightly, but I think I can help.
09:11She went into Camilla's room and looked around.
09:14My goodness, she said with a shake of her head.
09:18What we have here is a bad case of stripes.
09:22One of the worst I've ever seen.
09:24She pulled a container of small green beans from her bag.
09:28Here, she said, these might do the trick.
09:32Are those magic beans?
09:34Asked Mrs. Cream.
09:35Oh my, no, replied the kind old woman.
09:38There's no such thing.
09:39These are just plain old lima beans.
09:42I'll bet you'd like some, wouldn't you?
09:44She asked Camilla.
09:47Camilla wanted a big heaping plate full of lima beans more than just about anything.
09:52But she was still afraid to admit it.
09:55Yuck, she said.
09:57No one likes lima beans.
09:59Especially me.
10:01Oh dear, the old woman said sadly.
10:05I guess I was wrong about you.
10:07She put the beans back in her bag and started toward the door.
10:12Camilla watched the old woman walk away.
10:16Those beans would taste so good.
10:19Being laughed at for eating them was nothing compared to what she'd been going through.
10:24She finally couldn't stand it.
10:26Wait, she cried.
10:27The truth is, I really love lima beans.
10:33I thought so, the old woman said with a smile.
10:37She took a handful of beans and popped them into Camilla's mouth.
10:46Hmm, said Camilla.
10:49Suddenly, the branches, feathers, and squiggly tails began to disappear.
10:53Then the whole room swirled around.
10:55When it stopped, there stood Camilla.
10:59And everything was back to normal.
11:02I'm cured, she shouted.
11:05Yes, said the old woman.
11:07I knew the real you was in there somewhere.
11:10She patted Camilla on the head.
11:12Then she went outside and vanished.
11:15Into the crowd.
11:18Afterward, Camilla wasn't quite the same.
11:20Some of the kids at school said she was weird.
11:23But she didn't care a bit.
11:24She ate all the lima beans she wanted.
11:27And she never had even a touch of stripes.
11:30Again.
11:34Well, pretty good, right?
11:37I liked it.
11:39My daughter likes it.
11:40And we like lima beans.
11:43So, I don't know about you, but if you can get a hold of some of these things.
11:49Well, books, lima beans, whatever.
11:53I recommend it.
12:00Read with your kids for 20 minutes every day.
12:03And inspire a lifetime love of learning.
12:06Have a good one.
12:06I'll get it done.
12:07I'll get you out of here.
12:07All right.
