Video
San Francisco Maritime Storytime for Junior Rangers
Transcript
Hi! Welcome to San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park Story Hour for Junior Ranger Day. My name is Gina Bardi, and I’m a reference librarian at the park and this is my friend, Sherman. I’m going to read a story today called The Sailor Dog. Sherman, you want me to read this story to you?
The Sailor Dog by Margaret Wise Brown. Pictures by Garth Williams.
Ready?
Born at sea in the teeth of a gale, the sailor was a dog. His name? Scuppers was his name.
Sherman, who does that look like? Does that look like you?
After that, he lived on a farm, but Scuppers was born at sea, and he was a sailor, and when he grew up he wanted to go to sea. So, he went to look for something to go in. He found a little submarine. “All aboard!” they called. It was going down under the sea, but Scuppers did not want to go under the sea.
See? Look, there he is, Sherman. And there’s his little submarine.
He found a little car. “All aboard!” they called. It was going over the land, but Scuppers didn’t want to go over the land.
You see? There he is in the car.
Scuppers was a sailor and he wanted to go to sea. So, Scuppers went over the hills and far away until he came to the sea. Over the hills and far away was the ocean and the ocean was a ship. The ship was about to go over the sea. It blew all of it’s whistles. “All aboard!” they called. “All aboard! All ashore that are going ashore! All aboard!”
Sherman, do you see this little boat he’s going to go on? Would you guys want to go on a little boat like that? See his friends waving goodbye?
“All aboard!” So Scuppers went to sea. The ship began to move slowly along. The wind blew it. In his ship Scuppers had a little room. In his room, Scuppers had a hook for his hat, and a hook for this rope, and a hook for his handkerchief, and a hook for his pants, and a hook for a spy glass, and a place for his shoes, and a bunk for bed to put himself in.
That sounds like good stuff to go to sea in. Oh, here he is! Look at that. Dropping anchor.
At night, Scuppers threw the anchor into the sea and he went down to his little room.
Okay, y’all, this next page is one of my favorite pages in the book.
He put his hat on the hook for his hat. He put his rope on the hook for his rope and his pants on the hook for his pants and his spyglass on the hook for the spyglass, and he put his shoes under the bed, and then he got into his bed, which was a bunk, and he went to sleep.
Isn’t this just the cutest? Don’t you just want to boop, boop that nose? Sherman, don’t you just want to boop that nose? Boop! Boop!
Next morning, he was shipwrecked! What! Too big a storm blew out of the sky. The anchor dragged and the ship crashed into the rocks. There was a big hole in it. Scuppers himself was washed overboard and hurled by a huge wave onto the shore.
There he is, guys. Sherman can you even stand all this excitement?
He was washed up onto the beach. It was foggy and rainy. There were no houses. And Scuppers needed a house. But on the beach was lots and lots of driftwood and he found an old rusty box stuck in the sand. Maybe it was treasure?
Who here thinks it’s a treasure? Raise your hand if you think it’s a treasure. I think it’s a treasure. Sherman, are you going to raise your hand? Sherman thinks it’s a treasure too.
It was treasure! To Scuppers, that is. It was an old-fashioned toolbox with hammers and nails and an axe and a saw. Everything he needed to build himself a house. So Scuppers started to build a house all by himself out of driftwood. He built a door and a window and a roof and a porch and a floor. All out of driftwood! And he found some red bricks and built a big red chimney. And then he lit a fire and then the smoke went up the chimney.
So, here we have his house, you see, he’s sawing away there, and there’s his red chimney, and there’s his little house right on the beach. I don’t know guys, what do you think? It looks like a nice little house on the beach. I think. It might be nice to hang out there and read, perhaps? This is my second favorite page in the whole book.
Then the stars came out and he was sleepy, so he built a bed of pine branches and he jumped into his deep green bed and went to sleep. As he slept, he dreamed that if he could build a house, he could mend the hole in his ship.
Don’t you just want to scratch that belly right there? Sherman, you want to scratch that belly? Do you want a belly scratch. Oh, boy.
On the next day at low tide, he took his tool and box and waded out and hammered planks across the hole in his ship. At last, the ship was fixed! So he sailed away until he came to a seaport in a foreign land. And by now, his clothes were all worn and ripped and torn and blown to pieces. His coat was torn. His hat was blown away. And his shoes were all worn out. And his handkerchief was ripped. Only his pants were still good.
That’s good!
So, he went ashore to buy some new clothes at the army navy store and some fresh oranges. He bought a coat. He found a red one that was too small. He found a blue one that was just right and had brass buttons on it. Then, he went to find a hat. He found a purple on that was too silly. And he found a white one that was just right. He needed some new shoes. He found some yellow ones that were too small. He found some red ones that were too fancy. Then, he found some white ones that were just right.
And here he is with his new hat on, his new shoes, and his new coat on and his shiny brass buttons. He has a can of polish and some cloth to keep them good.
And he has a new clean handkerchief and a new rope and a bushel of oranges. Now, Scuppers wants to go back to his ship.
So, he goes there. What do you think, Sherman? Do you like oranges? You think that’d be a good snack, some oranges. I know you like some vitamin C. Just kidding- he mostly likes chicken strips.
And at night, when the stars came out, he took one last look through his spy glass and went down below to his little room. He hung his new hat on the hook for his new hat and he hung his spyglass on the hook for a spyglass and he hung his new coat on the hook for his new coat and his new handkerchief on the hook for his handkerchief and his pants on the hook for his pants and his new rope on the hook for his new rope and his new shoes he put under the bunk and he put himself in bed. And here is where he wants to be. A sailor sailing on a deep green sea.
This story is not over yet. There’s a special treat. We have a song! Sherman, are you ready to sing this song? Now you guys can sing this song anyway you want in any tune you want and you can sing it out loud or you can sing it really quiet or you can just sing it in your head if you want. It’s up to you. But I’m going to sing it. And here’s how I’m going to sing it.
I am Scuppers the Sailor Dog
I am Scuppers the Sailor Dog
I can sail in a gale
Right over a whale
Under full sail in a fog
I am Scuppers the Sailor Dog
I am Scuppers the Sailor Dog
With a shake and a snort
I can sail out of port
Under full sail
In a fog
Alright! Yay! Give yourself a hand! Sherman. What did you think of that story? Do you think you might want to go to sea one day? I think he does! Bye!
Description
San Francisco Maritime NHP's Reference Librarian Gina Bardi reads "The Sailor Dog."
Duration
7 minutes, 52 seconds
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