Video published by Daniel’s Music Foundation here on YouTube (link is external)

Nancy’s Book Corner: Episode 1 – When Charley Met Emma (Friday, January 15, 2021)

[Cheery Music – Nancy’s Book Corner Theme Song]

[Image – The show’s logo (“Nancy’s Book Corner” in white text inside a black rectangular sign outline) on a bright turquoise background slides up the screen. Illustrations of five books on a shelf, along with an open book with two red and pink heart shapes floating above the pages, appear below the show’s title.]

[Voiceover:] Nancy’s Book Corner. A read-aloud of children's books that introduce disabilities and celebrate differences.

[Image – Nancy is seated in the “Studio” in front of a piano against a bright yellow wall. Nancy is wearing a pearl necklace and a black long-sleeved blouse printed with birds and flowers.]

[Nancy:] Welcome to Nancy's Book Corner. I'm Nancy Trush, co-founder of Daniel's Music Foundation, and Daniel's mom. I've also been an early childhood educator for the past 30 years, and one of the things I love to do most is to teach my students through stories.

[Nancy:] We decided to create this series so I could share some of my favorite books that introduce disabilities and celebrate differences. Let's get started.

[Nancy:] Today we are going to read a story called…

[Image – Nancy holds up a white color book with an illustration of a girl and a boy on the cover, entitled: When CHARLEY met EMMA]

[Nancy:] …‘When Charley Met Emma,’ written by Amy Webb, and illustrated by Merrilee Liddiard. This is a book about differences. We are all different and our differences are what make each of us so special.

[Image – Front cover of the book on a black table. Below the book’s title, ‘When CHARLEY met EMMA’ in black, red and turquoise text, is an illustration of a young girl with brown hair tied up in pigtails seated in a wheelchair on the left side, and a young boy with blond hard standing on the right side.]

[Nancy:] ‘When Charley Met Emma’

[Image – Nancy opens the book and starts reading aloud]

[Nancy:] Charley liked to do lots of different things. Sometimes Charley liked to be loud and wild. (Roaring like a lion) ROAR!

[Image – Two pages from the open book: Left page has an illustration of Charley looking at three children playing with toy cars; Right page has illustrations of Charley in a lion costume with the word “ROAR!” coming out of his mouth, and three children running while Charley swings on a swing that is attached to a tree trunk.]

[Nancy:] He liked to climb and swing and run with his friends.

[Image – Nancy in the Studio with an open book in her hands]

[Nancy:] But Charley also like to be quiet. He liked to sit and think and draw by himself. This made Charley feel different. But whenever Charley felt different, he remembered what his mother taught him: Different isn't weird, sad, bad, or strange.

[Image – Two pages from the open book: Left page has an illustration of Charley painting a picture while lying on the floor on his stomach with two children watching him; Right page has an illustration of Charley and his mother talking as they sit on a brown couch.]

[Nancy:] Different is different, and different is OK!

[Image – Nancy in the Studio with an open book in her hands]

[Nancy:] One day, Charley and his mother went to the park and he saw someone even more different than he was. Charley stopped and stared. He saw a girl without any hands.

[Image – Two pages from the open book: Illustration of Charley and his mother walking in a park as two children are playing on swings and a child is standing in a playhouse. Two girls are making a sand sculpture together, and one of the girls, who is seated in a wheelchair, is missing both of her hands.]

[Nancy:] And she was in a wheelchair. He rubbed his eyes and looked again. Yep, still no hands.

[Image – Nancy in the Studio with an open book in her hands]

[Nancy:] What happened? Where did her hands go? Maybe some aliens came from outer space and took her hands with them. Or maybe, a monster had bitten them off. Or maybe her hands were just lost. Charley had a strange feeling inside his stomach. Before he knew what was happening, he heard himself asking…

[Image – Two pages from the open book: Left page has illustrations of Charley deep in thought with an alien spaceship, a blue monster with the word “BURP!” coming out of its mouth, and a flyer with the words “looking for LOST HANDS” posted on a tree trunk next to him; Right page has an illustration of Charley asking his mother a question very loudly with the words “WHY DOES SHE LOOK SO WEIRD MOMMY?” in all capital letters inside a speech bubble.]

[Nancy:] …in a not so quiet voice: “Why does she look so weird mommy?”

[Image – Nancy in the Studio with a open book in her hands]

[Nancy:] Charley looked up and noticed that his mom’s face looked weird, too.

[Image – Two pages from the open book: Illustration of Charley’s mother with her arm around his shoulder, and a very sad look on the face of the little girl in the wheelchair.]

[Nancy:] Charley looked at the girl and saw that she looked sad. Now Charley’s stomach started to hurt.

[Image – Nancy in the Studio with an open book in her hands]

[Nancy:] Charley's mom knelt down next to Charley: “Sweetie, it's not nice to call people weird. Weird is a rude word. Rude words can hurt people’s feelings. She's not weird.

[Image – Two pages from the open book: Illustration of Charley’s mother kneeling and speaking with Charley, while the little girl in the wheelchair and another girl with long brown hair look on.]

[Nancy:] “She's different. Do you remember what I taught you about being different?”

[Image – Nancy in the Studio with an open book in her hands]

[Nancy:] Charley remembered: Different isn't weird, sad, bad, or strange. Different is different, and different is OK.

[Nancy:] But was different okay? Maybe this girl was too different. Maybe this girl was strange.

[Image – Two pages from the open book: Left page has an illustration of Charley with a thought bubble above his head with the words “DIFFERENT ISN’T WEIRD, SAD, BAD, OR STRANGE. DIFFERENT IS DIFFERENT AND DIFFERENT IS OK.”; Right page has an illustration of Charlie standing next to his mother as he speaks with the girl in the wheelchair.]

[Nancy:] “You should introduce yourself,” Charley's mom said. “I bet she likes making new friends, too.”

[Image – Nancy in the Studio with an open book in her hands]

[Nancy:] “Hi. I'm Charley. What's your name?”

[Nancy:] “I'm Emma,” the girl said.

[Image – Two pages from the open book: Illustrations of Charley on the left page, and Emma on the right page with Emma’s sister, Chloe, standing in the background]

[Nancy:] “And this is my sister, Chloe.”

[Image – Nancy in the Studio with an open book in her hands]

[Nancy:] “I'm sorry I said you look weird,” said Charley. “My mommy says that's a mean word.”

[Nancy:] “That's right,” Emma said. “I also don't like it when people point, stare, laugh or whisper about me. But it's OK if you have questions,” Emma said.

[Nancy:] Charley smiled. He did have questions. Lots of them.

[Image – Two pages from the open book: Left page has an illustration of Emma with an upset look on her face with a thought bubble of two people at a party staring and pointing at her; Right page has an illustration of Charley and Emma smiling as they speak with each other.]

[Nancy:] “Why don't you have any hands?” he asked. “And why do you have that chair?”

[Image – Nancy in the Studio with an open book in her hands]

[Nancy:] Emma sat up straight and smiled. “I was born this way. I have limb differences. That means my arms and legs are different. I can't walk so I use this wheelchair. I drive it all by myself.”

[Nancy:] “Wow,” Charley said. “You really are different.”

[Image – Two pages from the open book: Illustrations of Charley and Emma chatting with each other in the playground as Chloe looks on]

[Nancy:] “Yep,” said Emma. “I am. Lots of people are different.”

[Image – Nancy in the Studio with an open book in her hands]

[Nancy:] “Some people can't hear or speak and need to use their hands to communicate. Some people need special machines to help them walk or breathe. Some people can't see because they are blind and need special canes to get around. All of us are different sizes, shapes, and colors!”

[Image – Two pages from the open book: Illustrations of Emma providing examples of different types of disabilities that people have: a girl using her hands or sign language to communicate; a girl walking with tubes in her nose and an oxygen tank in tow; and a visually-impaired boy walking with a long straight cane.]

[Nancy:] “We’re all different in one way or another. Do you ever feel different, Charley?”

[Image – Nancy in the Studio with an open book in her hands}

[Nancy:] Charley thought for a second, and then told them about how he sometimes likes to run and play and shout like his friends – and sometimes liked to sit and think and draw.

[Nancy:] “Yeah,” said Chloe, “Some people are different on the inside and some people are different on the outside. But we're all different!”

[Image – Two pages from the open book: Illustration of Charley, Emma and Chloe observing others in the playground: A visually-impaired old man with a long cane holding on to the hand of a young girl; a woman using her right hand to communicate with two young children; and a woman walking next to a man who is holding on to a walker to get around.]

[Nancy:] “We’re all different,” Charley repeated, “And different is okay!”

[Image – Nancy in the Studio with an open book in her hands]

[Nancy:] “That's right!” Emma said. “I am a little differenter than you, but I'm a lot the same, too.”

[Nancy:] “You are?” asked Charley. “How?”

[Nancy:] “I like to play on the playground,” said Emma.

[Nancy:] “Me too!” said Charley.

[Nancy:] “I liked to swing,” said Emma.

[Nancy:] “Me too!” said Charley.

[Image – Two pages from the open book: Illustration of Emma, Charley and other children playing in the playground. Charley and three other kids are running behind Emma in her wheelchair, while two children are on swings and another is coming down a slide.]

[Nancy:] “I even like to play tag with my friends.”

[Nancy:] “Wow,” said Charley. “Me too!”

[Image – Nancy in the Studio with an open book in her hands]

[Nancy:] Then Charley said, “My favorite thing in the whole world is drawing. I really like to draw.”

[Nancy:] With a big smile on her face, Emma grabbed a pencil with her foot…

[Image – Two pages from the open book: Illustration of Charley and Emma drawing and writing in Charley’s notebook. Emma is holding a pencil with her left foot to write “me too!” on the page.]

[Nancy:] …and wrote something on Charley's notebook: “me too!”

[Image – Nancy in the Studio with an open book in her hands]

[Nancy:] Soon it was time for Charley and his mom to go home. “Good-bye Emma! Good-bye Chloe! Let's play again soon!”

[Nancy:] Emma and Chloe yell back, “Good-bye Charley!”

[Nancy:] As Charley and his mom walked home, Charley said, “Mom, I made a new friend today. My friend Emma is different than me, but different isn't weird, sad, bad, or strange! Different is…

[Image – Two pages from the open book: Left page has an illustration of Charley and his mother waving good-bye to Emma and Chloe in the park; Right page has an illustration of Charley and his mother smiling as they leave the park.]

[Nancy:] …just different, and guess what? I think different is GREAT!”

[Image – Nancy in the Studio]

[Nancy:] I hope you enjoyed the story ‘When Charley Met Emma,’ a book about friendship, kindness, and special abilities. And I hope you will always remember that different isn't weird, sad, bad, or strange. Different is different. And as Charley said, “Different is GREAT!”

[Nancy:] I look forward to sharing another special book with you soon. (Waving right hand) Good-bye!

[Image – Nancy’s Book Corner logo slides down the screen as the theme song plays]