The Day You Begin

Today we're reading the day we begin, written by Jacqueline Woodson, and illustrated by Raphael Lopez." Welcome, I'm Julie Andrews, and this is my library. Every week I'm joined by my daughter Emma Wolkson Hamilton. Hello, and we read a book that we picked out just for you.

“Emma, guess what? What? You know how I've always wanted to learn to play the cello?”

Yes? Well, I'm finally doing it. Oh, that's great, Mom. How exciting.

I know my very first lesson is this evening, and I must say I am a little nervous. I was feeling so bold and adventurous when I signed up for it, but now I don't know. It's a lot to take on. Well, trying new things can be scary, but it's exciting too, right? I'd say I'm half nervous and half excited. I thought our listeners might be able to make me feel brave,

so I asked them to share a time they tried something new. Well, let's hear what they had to say.

I wasn't sure. I would like first grade. I was kind of scared, but then I saw that it was really fun.

Connected. When I thought that I didn't like pieces because of the paper part around it, I had done a really light kick up when I tried them. It's fun to go lipping and doing handstands cartwheel piano, but now I enjoy it because I like learning these pieces, and I just love playing all the notes. I do feel braver just hearing about how adventurous all of you are. You know what else might help you feel less nervous, Mom? What's that? A good book,

but of course. And I have just the one. It's called The Day You Begin, and it's written by Jacqueline Woodson. Oh, I'm such a fan. Jacqueline was the young people's poet laureate,

“and also the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature. She was, and guess what?”

She's coming to the library to read with us. She should be here any moment now. That's fantastic, Emma. I'm so excited. Listeners, why don't you get nice and cozy and will meet you in the reading book after a short break? Welcome back. We have a very special guest with us in the reading book. Hi, I'm Jacqueline Woodson. We're so honored to have you with us today. We are indeed Jacqueline. It's my pleasure.

You have so many cozy pillows and you're reading book. Oh yes, and a glowing lamp, here to shine its light on the pages. And we have a squishy rug under our feet, and a copy of my book. Ah, would you read it to us, Jacqueline? I'd love to.

“The day you begin by me, Jacqueline Woodson. There will be times when you walk into a room,”

and no one there is quite like you. Maybe it will be your skin, your clothes, or the curl of your hair. There will be times when no one understands the way words curl from your mouth, the beautiful language of the country you left behind. My name is Riga Bertho, we just moved here from Venezuela. And because they don't understand, the classroom will fill with laughter until the teacher quiets everyone.

Riga Bertho, from Venezuela, your teacher says so soft and beautifully,

that your name and homeland sound like flowers blooming, the first bright notes of a song.

There will be times when the words don't come, your own voice once huge. Now smaller, when the teacher asks, what did you do last summer? Tell the class your story. We went to France. Chalice says, "These shells came from a beach and mane. A boy named Jonathan holes out of jar filled with tiny shells so fragile. They look like they'll turn to dust in your own untraveled hands. My whole family went to India, Spain, South Carolina.

Each souvenir, a small triumph of a journey, their travels going on and on.

off the curb, and your day spent at home caring for your little sister, who made you laugh out loud

and hugged you hard at nap time. You can only remember the books you kept reading long after she had fallen to sleep. And in that room where no one else is quite like you, you'll look down at your own empty hands and wonder, what good is this? When other students were flying and sailing and going somewhere. There will be times when the lunch your mother packed for you is too strange and too unfamiliar for others to love as you do. When even your own friend

Nigel will wrinkle her nose and say, "What's in there anyway?" And you'll wonder how she

“doesn't see the race beneath the meat and kimchi. You'll wonder why she doesn't remember that”

race is the most popular food in the world. There will be times when the climbing bars are too high, the run is too fast and too far. The game isn't one you can ever really play. I don't want them on my team. You can watch. Maybe you can have a turn later. There will be times when the world feels like a place that you're standing all the way outside of. And all that stands beside you is your own brave self. Steady is steel and ready, even though you don't yet know

what you're ready for. There will be times when you walk into a room and no one there is quite like you. Until the day you begin to share your stories. My name is Angelina and I spent my whole

“summer with my little sister you tell the class, your voice stronger than it was a minute ago.”

Reading books and telling stories and even though we were right on our block, it was like we got to go everywhere. Your name is like my sister's, the governmental says, her name is Angelina too. And all at once in the room where no one else is quite like you, the world opens itself up a little wider to make some space for you. This is the day you begin to find the places inside your laughter and your lunches, your books, your travel and your stories,

where every new friend has something a little like you and something else so fabulously, not quite like you at all. The end. What a beautiful story, Jacqueline. Thank you so fun reading it here with y'all. I love all the different characters and how unique each one is. Did you ever have an experience like Angelina or Rigo Berto yourself? I definitely have walked into rooms where

I felt quite unfamiliar. I think all of us have in our lifetime. I think there's always going to

be a room we walk into and feel like in some way we don't belong there. I always tell my daughter when you walk into room, realize how lucky the room is to have you in it. Oh, I love that, Jacqueline. You feel nervous, but then stand it on its head and think of the opposite and they are lucky to have you. Yes. That's really great advice. What do you hope your readers will take away from your book? I really do hope they'll take away the knowledge that, um, well, first and foremost,

“a good story always, right? That's what we want from an absolute book. And that, that's what I”

say here. I truly believe that each one of us has something that's so fabulously unique and to recognize that and recognize how important all of us are to the bigger world and to the greater good. That's so lovely. Jacqueline, I heard that your book started out as a poem and I was hoping you might be willing to read that poem for us, too. Oh, definitely. I wrote a memoir called Brown Girl

Dreaming and it's a story of basically how I became a writer trying to figure out how I became a writer

and this is a poem in it about my great-great-grandfather. The title of the poem is "It'll be scary sometimes." My great-great-grandfather on my father's side was born free in Ohio 1832, built his home at Farmed Island, then dug for coal when the farming wasn't enough, fought hard in the war, his name and stone now on the Civil War Memorial. William J. Woodson, United States Colored Troops, Union Company B, Fifth Regiment, a long-time dead but living still among the other

soldiers on that monument in Washington, D.C. His son was sent to Nelsonville, live with an aunt,

My mother will tell us over and over again. A moment when you walk into a room and no one there is like you. It'll be scary sometimes but think of William Woodson and you'll be all right. Oh, that is so lovely, Jacqueline. Yes, your poem tells us so much about you and your mom and your

“great-great-grandfather. Jacqueline, what inspired you to begin writing and how long ago was that?”

That's such a great question. I've known I wanted to be a writer since I was about seven and two things really inspired me. I remember the first time a teacher read to me a book called the Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Anderson. I know it. I know it. I love that book and I fell in love with the story and the way it was being told and I fell in love with that little girl and I wanted the world to be different. So I wanted to write a different narrative. I was also when I was a kid

I got in trouble for lying a lot and I would always get in trouble and I had a teacher who said

instead of lying right at down because if you write it down it's not a lie anymore. It's fiction.

“Oh, she's a mod. What she's mod? Well, thank you both for having me at the library today.”

Oh, Jacqueline, the pleasure is all ours. Yes, it was such a treat to hear you read. Come back again, soon. Won't you please? I definitely will. Goodbye, you too. Bye. Thank you. Goodbye, Jacqueline. I am so inspired by Jacqueline's characters and her great, great grandfather. They've made me

feel much braver than I did before. Isn't it amazing? How stories can do that? Now I'm feeling

quite ready for my first cello lesson and I'm more excited than nervous. Wonderful. Oh, you've just reminded me before. I go. It's time for. Wonderful. Wonderful. Every week we share the words we love and our listeners do too. I heard a wonderful word in Jacqueline's book today. Homeland. It means where a person originally comes from. Oh, that is a special word. My homeland is England. I was born there and lived there for many years before I moved to America. Yes, me too. Another

“word I love from Jacqueline's book is souvenir in French. It means to remember. But a souvenir”

is also what we call an object that helps us remember something. It could be a snow globe you buy to remember a vacation or maybe a photo that helps you remember a person even if they're far away. That's a souvenir. That is a wonderful word. Let's hear our listeners wonderful words too. My wonderful word is inspired because it means someone's really impressed with your work. Sassafras because it's fun to say and it sounds silly. My favorite word is ice cream because

it's so yummy. House because it's cozy and nice. My favorite word is gurgle because it's so fun to say. Oh, those are great words. Yes, everyone. Do you have more wonderful words you'd like to share with us? You can send them to us by visiting juli's libraryshow.org. Oh, look at the time mom. You'd better run to your cello lesson. Oh, you're right. Oh, wish me luck. Good luck. We'll be back next week with another book that we picked out just for you. So until then, happy

reading. Goodbye. Bye, everyone. Julie's library is hosted and produced by Julie Andrews and me Emma Walton Hamilton. The featured book in this episode was The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson illustrated by Raphael Lopez and published by Nancy Paulson Books. Thanks to the team at Penguin

Random House. We always recommend picking up the book for yourself. You can find the day you

begin at your local library or bookstore. Raphael's illustrations of all the students in this book are gorgeous. You can read more of Jacqueline's poetry in her award-winning memoir Brown Girl Dreaming. For more book recommendations, head to juli's libraryshow.org. Sign up for our newsletter

Molly Bloom, Elissa Dudley, Rosie DuPont, Tracy Mumford, Mark Sanchez, and Sandan Totten. Our executive

“producer is Lauren D. Digital production is by Christina Lopez and original music is from Alice”

and Layton Brown. Engineering is by Sam Hamilton and sound mixing is by Cory Shreple and Eric Romani.

Special thanks to Lily Kim and associate professor Sarah Park Dollen of St. Catherine University

“for consulting with our team. We always love hearing from our listeners. Today you heard the”

voices of Sarah Fina from Vernon Connecticut, Lily from Ashland, North Carolina,

Evelyn from Richmond, Virginia, Pippa from Macon, Georgia, Charlie from Farmington, New York,

“Amelia from San Diego, California, Frieda from Maryland and Gussy.”

Julie's library is a production of American Public Media.