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Snappsy the alligator is having an ordinary day whilst a pesky narrator steps in to boost the tale. Is Snappsy lounging with a book ... or is he making cunning plans? Is Snappsy on his way to the grocery store ... or is he searching the woods for helpless birds and cute bunnies? Is Snappsy simply searching for an event to go to ...or is he passionate about snacks that start with the letter P? What’s the truth? Find out in this exciting tale read by David Harbour.
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Transcript, as provided by SchoolTube’s video captions:
Welcome to Storyline Online, brought to you by the SAG-AFTRA Foundation. My name is David Harbour, and today I will be reading "Snappsy the Alligator (Did Not Ask to Be in This Book)". Words by Julie Falatko, pictures by Tim Miller. Snappsy the alligator wasn't feeling like himself. His feet felt draggy. His skin felt baggy. His tail wouldn't swish this way and that. And, worst of all, his big jaw wouldn't SNAP. "This is terrible! I'm just hungry! Why is this rude narrator trying to make it seem like I need a nap?" So Snappsy went off in search of food. He walked along the edge of the pond. He scooted up the tall, tall hill. He shimmied through the forest. "You're an awful narrator. You're just describing what you see in the illustrations." Snappsy, the big, mean alligator, kept looking for food. He liked to eat tiny, defenseless birds and soft, fuzzy bunnies. He prowled through the forest, looking for victims, when he came to a— "It's just a store. A grocery store! It's where I buy my FOOD." Snappsy looked hungrily at the other shoppers... ...while loading his cart with pudding, peanut butter, pita bread, and popcorn. Yes, Snappsy the alligator was particularly fond of a certain letter of the alphabet. "I don't only eat food that starts with the letter P. You don't have to make it seem like I only buy storybook food. I'm also buying cheddar, apples, pretzels, pasta, pears—" Aha! "It's just a coincidence!" Snappsy, the big, mean, hungry alligator, who only liked food that started with the letter P, carried his groceries back through the forest, back down the hill, back around the pond, until he got to a surprisingly lopsided shack. "Oh, you are really cheesing me off. It's my house. I built it myself." I'll say. Snappsy the alligator took his groceries into his splinter-laden shed and slammed the door. Quite hard. He was inside. Still inside. What was he doing in there? Was he making crafty plans? Was he roasting innocent forest creatures that he already had stored in his freezer? Had he fallen asleep? "I made a peanut butter sandwich and now I'm reading a book." Well, you have to come out. The story is really boring now. "If you must know, I'm planning a party." Snappsy the alligator, trying to better his reputation with the other animals, decided to throw a party. Snappsy vacuumed the rug. He made goody bags for all his guests. Wait, those aren't goody bags. He's just taking out the garbage. Snappsy should really put out goody bags for his guests. They love those. "You know what? I did not ask to be in this book! I was just having a normal day! And suddenly you were talking about what I was doing, so I'm throwing a party to make things more interesting! I hope you're happy! Now I just want you to buzz off!" "Thank you." "Oh, go ahead! I can hear you breathing!" Snappsy's party was shaping up to be quite a festive event. Colorful streamers hung from the ceiling. There were cubes of cheese and a bowl of punch. Some kind of danceable music was playing. Then Snappsy's friends started to arrive. They were laughing and dancing. They weren't hungry or thirsty. They looked like they were having a really good time. Yes, a fine time indeed... "Oh, all right! You can come in!" Oh gosh. Me?! The humble narrator? Well, I don't know. Let me check my calendar. I suppose I could come for an hour or two. Someone has to demonstrate proper dance steps. All the important guests had finally arrived. And while Snappsy's sharp teeth were still glinting menacingly, he was actually a lovely host. "Does anyone want pudding?" Aha! "Because pudding is really good." And we all ate pudding and did the Chicken Dance. We were really looking forward to Snappsy throwing parties like this every week. Hey! The end. I love reading. I think books are an amazing way to go inside of yourself and outside of yourself. Because you are able to get lost in another person's story, and another person's life, and sometimes when we're feeling lots of things we can feel like we're all alone in these feelings, and then you read a book and you realize that everybody has a lot of the same feelings and that you're not alone. And that's a wonderful thing for a human being to feel. Like you're part of something larger than just yourself. And also, they're not like movies and TV because you get to cast them yourself in your imagination and in your brain, and you can choose whoever you want to play the parts in the book. Thank you for watching Storyline Online. Make sure to check out all of our stories. And keep watching and keep reading.