The Adventures of Albert the Running Bear, by Barbara Isenberg and Susan Wolf, is an entertaining kid's book read aloud for preschool, kindergarten, and elementary school ages (and adults still young at heart), about being active and not eating too much junk food.
Parents and teachers, join me here at The Children's Storytime Bookshelf for daily read alouds in the classroom, at bedtime, or anytime!
Follow The Children's Storytime Bookshelf for a classic children's library.
#kidsbooksreadaloud #readaloud #readaloudbooksforchildren
Parents and teachers, join me here at The Children's Storytime Bookshelf for daily read alouds in the classroom, at bedtime, or anytime!
Follow The Children's Storytime Bookshelf for a classic children's library.
#kidsbooksreadaloud #readaloud #readaloudbooksforchildren
Category
📚
LearningTranscript
00:00The
00:27Adventures of Albert the Running Bear by Barbara Eisenberg and Susan Wolfe, illustrated
00:33by Dick Gackenbach.
00:38Albert was a trained circus bear, but when his circus went out of business, he was moved
00:44to a zoo.
00:45The zoo was in the middle of a green park in the middle of a big, busy city.
00:53Albert's cage was large and clean.
00:56He had friendly neighbors on either side, nice toys, four meals a day, and a kind keeper
01:02named Norman.
01:04Although Albert was happy, he still missed the circus.
01:08Most of all, he missed making people laugh and cheer.
01:15One day, Albert decided to practice the waltz he used to do in the circus.
01:20As he pranced and twirled, a crowd began to gather.
01:28When Albert saw people smiling, he broke into a silly, wobbly kind of dance.
01:33The crowd began to laugh.
01:35Next, he grabbed his dinner bowl, turned it upside down on his head, wiggled his hips,
01:40and did the hula.
01:41The crowd cheered.
01:44Then Albert picked up the three fish that had fallen out of his bowl and juggled them
01:48in the air.
01:50The crowd went wild with applause.
01:53Albert took his final bow, but the crowd began to chant,
01:56We want more!
01:58We want more!
01:59So Albert did his tricks again.
02:03Soon Albert was performing to huge crowds every day.
02:08He loved hearing the applause and laughter again, but even more, he loved the food the
02:13crowds threw to him.
02:15The sign on his cage said, Please do not feed this animal, but people were always rewarding
02:21him with delicious snacks.
02:23Albert could not get enough of those tasty treats.
02:26There were fluffy bits of cotton candy, pointy ends of ice cream cones, chocolate bars, bubble
02:32gum, and buttery popcorn.
02:35Albert's two favorites were marshmallows and gumdrops.
02:41One day, Norman brought the zoo doctor in to examine Albert.
02:46Just look at that flab, the doctor said as he poked his finger into Albert's big fat
02:51belly.
02:52You must stop eating all those snacks and stick to this healthy meal we feed you here,
02:57the doctor warned.
03:02But Albert didn't stop eating those snacks.
03:04In fact, he soon stopped eating the zoo meals and ate only snacks.
03:10Mm-mm, this is the life, Albert thought as he held out his dinner bowl like a catcher's
03:15mitt while the crowd filled it with his favorites.
03:19Then he opened his mouth and slurped down the whole bowlful in one gulp.
03:28One day, a new sign appeared on Albert's cage.
03:31It said, This bear must not be fed snacks.
03:36Anyone caught feeding him will be fined $100.
03:40No one threw Albert anything that day, or the next, or the next.
03:49By the night of the fourth day, Albert was feeling very low.
03:53He lay in a fat heap on the bottom of his cage, muttering, Marshmallows and gumdrops,
03:59marshmallows and gumdrops.
04:02Maybe I could reach a little something for you, offered Julia the giraffe, who was Albert's
04:07neighbor.
04:08She knew she shouldn't help Albert go off his diet, but she hated to see her friend
04:13so sad.
04:18I have an idea, cried Albert suddenly.
04:22What is it?
04:23Asked Julia.
04:24Bend your head down into my cage, said Albert, and I'll show you.
04:29Julia thought Albert was going to whisper his plan into her ear.
04:33Instead, he wrapped his arms tightly around her neck and shouted, Lift, Julia, lift me
04:39to the wall.
04:44Julia was so surprised that she did what Albert ordered.
04:48Her neck rose like a great crane, with Albert dangling on the end.
04:52She placed him on top of the wall, dividing their cages, and Albert tightrope walked across
04:57the narrow wall to the bars.
05:00Thank you, Julia, Albert whispered as he slid down the bars to freedom.
05:05Gumdrops and marshmallows, here I come.
05:12When Albert could no longer see the zoo behind him, he stopped to catch his breath.
05:17Where can I get myself a little snack, he wondered.
05:21Just then, the moon disappeared behind the clouds, and it began to pour.
05:30Albert ran for shelter, stumbled into a trash can, and knocked it over.
05:35This place will be dry, he thought as he crawled inside.
05:39He wiggled and squirmed, trying to get comfortable.
05:42Then his nose began to twitch.
05:44He smelled food.
05:50Albert snacked around the small space with his great big paw until he hit something soft
05:55and gooey.
05:58It was a piece of an ice cream sandwich.
06:01He stuffed it into his mouth.
06:03Next he found half a box of Cracker Jacks, a can of fizzy cola, a crunchy candy bar,
06:09some potato chips, pickles, pretzels, and a hot dog bun.
06:13What a wonderful place this is, hiccuped Albert as he drifted off to sleep.
06:20Crash!
06:21Smash!
06:23A terrible jolt awakened Albert.
06:26His trash can had just been dumped into the loading bin of a garbage truck.
06:31He sat up and rubbed his big belly.
06:34Oh, do I feel awful.
06:37I wish I were back in my nice cozy cage.
06:41Albert rocked back and forth, moaning and groaning.
06:45A blue cloth bag caught his eye.
06:47He grabbed the bag and stuck his paw inside.
06:53This feels nice, thought Albert as he pulled out a beautiful red sweatshirt.
06:58He put it on, pulled up the hood and tied the drawstring.
07:02He reached in the bag again.
07:04This time he took out a pair of sweatpants, which he stepped into, and a pair of sneakers,
07:10which he put on.
07:11Bang!
07:13A gunshot from behind the trees made Albert jump.
07:17Dozens of people, all running in the same direction, came into view.
07:22Albert didn't know it, but the annual city marathon had just begun.
07:29Albert watched them go by and wondered what they were running from.
07:33Suddenly, the sanitation man turned on the garbage compactor.
07:37Whirr!
07:38Munch!
07:39Crunch!
07:40Yikes!
07:41yelled Albert.
07:42Whatever it is, it's coming after me.
07:45He leaped off the truck in terror.
07:48On the park path, he zoomed past a man with the number 24 pinned to his shirt.
07:55Hey, young fellow, said number 24 to Albert, not realizing Albert was a bear.
08:03You'd better take it easy.
08:04You'll never be able to keep up that pace.
08:07So Albert slowed down.
08:09And since the man seemed helpful and nice, Albert followed him out of the park and onto
08:14the crowded city streets.
08:20As number 24 turned the corner of the marathon course, Albert lost sight of him.
08:26He was confused by the honking horns and pushing people.
08:30How he longed to get back to the quiet and safety of his cage.
08:34Never would he go looking for snacks again.
08:37A blue bus roared by.
08:40On the back, Albert spotted a picture of his own zoo.
08:47I'll follow that bus home, Albert thought.
08:50He ran along behind, coughing from the fumes.
08:54The bus picked up speed, and Albert couldn't run any faster.
08:58He stopped to rest.
08:59His muscles ached, his fur was dripping with sweat, and his mouth was as dry as cotton
09:05wool.
09:06But even worse, he was lost.
09:09Utterly lost.
09:11He sat down on a curb, put his head between his paws, and began to cry.
09:19Then Albert heard a familiar voice.
09:21Don't give up now, old buddy, the voice said.
09:24Let's go!
09:25It was number 24 again.
09:27He pulled Albert up by the sleeve into the middle of the pack of running people.
09:36Albert was moving at just the right pace.
09:39He was beginning to enjoy the feeling of running, and didn't notice when number 24 let go of
09:44his sleeve and dropped behind.
09:46Albert passed one group of runners, and then another group.
09:50He had hit his stride.
09:53Albert's arms and legs and heart and breath were all working together.
09:57He felt better than he had ever felt in his life.
10:01He didn't realize he had come back into the park, or see the crowd that had come to watch
10:06the end of the marathon.
10:08Nor did he see the white tape that stretched across the path only a few yards away.
10:13Albert was moving as if he were in a dream.
10:16Suddenly, snap, went the tape.
10:21Flash!
10:22Popped the camera bulbs.
10:24Hooray!
10:25Cheered the crowd.
10:26Uh-oh, gulped Albert as he saw the crowd rushing toward him.
10:31He spotted a platform and ran for cover.
10:34An arm reached under and pulled Albert out and up onto the platform.
10:38The arm belonged to the mayor, who was smiling.
10:42Albert grinned back nervously.
10:45Congratulations, young man, the mayor said, not realizing Albert was a bear.
10:52You have just won the annual marathon race, he continued, and he handed Albert a beautiful,
10:59gleaming trophy.
11:01The crowd cheered again and the band began to play.
11:04At the sound of the music, Albert started to dance.
11:08He wiggled and swayed and twisted and twirled.
11:11The more the crowd cheered, the more Albert danced.
11:14At last, the mayor signaled the band to stop playing.
11:18The newspaper photographers asked Albert and the mayor to pose together.
11:23Wait a minute, said the mayor as he reached up and pulled back Albert's hood for the
11:29photo.
11:30The mayor's mouth dropped into a perfect O.
11:33You're a bear, he gasped.
11:37There was a long silence.
11:38Why, Albert, old rascal, it's you, someone called out from the crowd.
11:44It was Norman, the zookeeper.
11:47Then the crowd buzzed.
11:48It's Albert.
11:49It's Albert, the performing bear from the zoo.
11:56It's Albert, the running bear now, the mayor said.
12:00Albert ran a few steps in place and waved his trophy.
12:04Everyone laughed and got in line for his paw print.
12:07Keeper Norman was the last person in line.
12:10You're a celebrity now, Albert, Norman said.
12:13Do you still want to come back to the zoo?
12:16Without a moment's hesitation, Albert jumped into the zoo van.
12:24When they got back to the zoo, Norman promised to build a quarter-mile track for Albert to
12:29keep in shape.
12:31Albert promised he would never run away again and never eat snacks.
12:35Well, maybe just a few marshmallows and gumdrops now and then.
12:41Every morning now, Albert gets up, puts on his sweatsuit, and runs on the track.
12:46And the crowds are bigger than ever.