21x02 - I Lost My Tooth in Africa

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♪ Take a look, it's in a book ♪

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♪ I can go anywhere ♪

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♪ Take a look, it's in a book ♪

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Captioning made possible by
u.s. Department of education

Hey! I'm glad you're here,

Because today I'm performing
an age old ritual

That's a part of the tradition
of growing up.

I'm taking the training wheels
off of my nephew's bicycle.

He's 7, and he's
finally ready to learn
how to ride without them.

You know, it's amazing
how much he's grown.

But then again, that's what
happens to all of us, isn't it?

I mean, we start out as babies,

And then we go through
lots of changes,

And we end up as adults.

And as we grow,
we outgrow a lot of things

That helped us along the way.

There we go.

One of the things we outgrow
besides training wheels

And our shoes and clothes

Is our first set of teeth.

It happens to every
kid around the world

And pretty much
at about the same age.

And for most kids,
it's a pretty big deal.

One by one, our teeth get loose,
and finally they just fall out.

Well, the loose tooth
in this book

Travels thousands of
miles before it reaches
its final destination.

But when it pops out,
this little girl

Can make a pretty
unusual claim in america--

"I lost my tooth in africa."

Girl: hi. My name is amina.
I live in portland, oregon.

Today, we're flying to africa

To visit my father's family
in bamako, mali.

It takes two days, 3 planes,

And 3 different continents
to get there.

Right before landing in mali,

I discover I have
a wiggly tooth.

My dad says if you lose
a tooth in africa

And put it under a gourd,
you'll get a chicken

From the african tooth fairy.

I really want to lose
my tooth in africa.

So I tried tricks with my tongue
to help it come out faster,

But nothing happens.

When we arrive, my aunts,
uncles, and cousins

Are here to greet us.

They all live together
in one compound

With n'na, my grandma.

Outside our compound,
there are donkeys, goats,
and lots of chickens.

The rooster never stops crowing.

[Rooster crows]

I wiggle and wiggle my tooth.

I can't wait to have
my own chicken.

[Rooster crows]

Aunt kadja has made
my favorite dinner.

It's rice and onion sauce

With african eggplant
and tiny noodles.

We all eat together
around one big bowl.

Sometimes, if you're lucky,
you get a piece of meat.

When I eat, I can feel
my tooth moving,

But it refuses to come out.

By evening, the world
begins to quiet down.

Friends sit in groups
in the courtyard,

Playing games, telling stories,
and braiding hair.

Sometimes, grandma sings songs.

[Woman singing
in native language]

As the sky darkens,
I climb into my bamboo bed.

I hope my tooth doesn't
fall out at night.

[Rooster crows]

With the first
golden rays of sun,

The noisy rooster
begins to crow.

"Ke-ke-re-ke"!

It's time to get up.

The first thing we do
every morning in africa is

Greet grandma and receive
blessings from her.

"May you rise high
with strength and knowledge."

[Rooster crowing]

After breakfast, I run outside
to brush my teeth

At the papaya tree.

That way, I can water
the tree as I brush.

Suddenly, there's a funny
feeling in my mouth.

My tongue instantly finds a gap
where a tooth has been.

I hope I haven't swallowed it.

Where is my tooth?

I look down.

It's on the ground.

My mom is surprised.

My dad helps me place it
under a calabash gourd

Behind the bedroom window.

I'm so proud.
I lost my tooth in africa,

A shiny white tooth.

Soon, I will have a chicken
of my very own.

All morning, I play
tegere tillon,

With my cousins waiting
for the chicken to come.

But nothing happens.

We eat lunch and take
a short nap.

Still no chicken.

We take a walk by a little creek
to check the gardens.

We huddle together to watch
a busy weaver bird

Building its hanging nest
in a palm tree.

The day is almost finished,
but no chicken has come.

Finally, I go to take back
my tooth.

I feel sad.

Maybe the african tooth fairy
has forgotten.

But right as I turn over
the calabash,

Two chickens pop out--
one rooster and one hen.

I'm so happy,
I call my mom and dad.

They are very excited.

Dad says the rooster is
more black than white.

Mom says the hen
is more white than black.

Right away, I take care
of my chickens.

I feed them and give them water.

My mom and dad help me build
a little house for them

Under the stairway that leads
to grandma n'na's roof.

Early one morning,
I open my chicken coop.

There! I see them.

White oval eggs in the nest on
the dirt floor.

I shout...

"Sheki li, sheki li!"

Eggs! Eggs!

Uncle modibo says that means
the chicks will hatch

In 21 days.

I wonder if I will see them
before I leave.

When I help aunt sali
with the meals,

The chickens always cluster
around my feet.

I sneak them a handful
of millet and rice.

[Chickens clucking]

One evening,
the hen is squawking.

I run outside.

The pheasant is trying
to steal her eggs!

I shoo it away.

Shoo! Shoo! Shoo!

That pheasant is very crafty

And very fast.

I'll have
to watch her carefully.

When I go to sleep at night,

I dream about
little chicks hatching.

I'm getting excited to see
what they'll look like.

Finally one morning,
my dad tells me it's
our last day in africa.

We have to go back to america.

I slowly say good-bye to
all the things I will miss.

"K'an ben" I say
to the mango tree.

"K'an ben"
I say to the little creek.

"K'an ben" I say to africa.

Slowly, I walk
to the chicken coop

To say good-bye
to my chickens.

Then I see it.

An egg is hatching!

A tiny wet chick peeks out
from a white egg.

"She den, she den," I shout.

"Chicks, chicks!"

Everyone comes to see.

They all congratulate me.

I'm very happy,
but I'm very sad, too.

I don't want to leave
my chickens behind.

"Don't worry, amina,"
says uncle madou.

"I'll take good care of them.

When you come back,
your chicks will be old
enough to lay eggs for you."

I smile so big,
you can see the empty space
where my tooth is missing.

[Airplane]

And right away,
I begin to count the days

Until we come back to africa.

[Rooster crows]

So now you know what to do
if you lose a tooth in africa.

Here in america, we
leave it under the pillow
for the tooth fairy.

But what if it happens
somewhere else?

Well, not to worry,

Because every country
in the world has
a special tradition

For celebrating losing a tooth.

For example, in egypt
you wrap your tooth up

And you throw it at the sun.

And in korea, you throw
your tooth on the roof.

No matter
what country you're from,

We all get new teeth
when our baby teeth fall out.

And learning
how to take care of them

Is an important
part of growing up.

And so is a trip to the dentist.

This is dr. Jed best.

He's a dentist just for kids.

Jed best:
if you don't spend a lot of time
keeping your teeth really clean,

It's real likely
that you may get a cavity,

Which is kind of
like a hole in your tooth.

And if the hole gets big enough,

Then it can hurt
when you're eating something.

If you do have a cavity,
I'm the one that's going to
have to fix it for you.

So our job is to help you
not get those holes.

And the truth is, I'm
really good at making it easy.

I'm troi, and I'm 4.

And today is
the first time I'm
going to a dentist.

Best: when you come
to the dentist's office,

Either the dentist
or a hygienist,
who's a lady or a man

Who cleans your teeth.

I'm going to suggest you
come and sit in the chair,

And we're going to talk to
you about your teeth first.

Ok, so you know what
we're going to do?

We're going to find out
how many teeth you have.

And then we're going
to tickle them and make
them shiny and clean, ok?

Best: anything
that's new is scary.

Our job is to introduce you
to all of that stuff

So that you
understand what it is

So it's not scary at all.

Ready? So I need you
to open real big for me,
like a giant,

And I'm going to start
on this side.

We go 1, 2, 3, 4, 5...

Troi: I had 20 teeth.

And on the bottom,
I had 10 teeth.

And on the top,
I still had 10 teeth, too.

Right now, we're going to go
with my little tooth cleaner.

Best: we have a tooth counter,
which kind of looks sharp,

But in reality, it's kind of
a little bit dull.

And what we use it for
is to go over the hills
and valleys of your teeth

And make sure nothing funny
is getting stuck on them.

Boy, someone's doing
a great job at home,
keeping them nice...

Troi: it didn't
make me nervous.

I was ok. I was ok.
I was ok.

Troi, what flavor
toothpaste would you like?

We have bubblegum,
fruit, cotton candy...

Best: we've got this toothpaste
that's a little bit stronger,

Sort of like muscle juice.

...chocolate
or mint?

Mint.

It's able to take
the stain off your teeth

A lot better than the toothpaste
that you use at home.

Ok, so now what I'm going
to do is I'm going to get
my polisher ready.

It's called a tickle brush.
You know why?

Because it tickles
your teeth.

He also makes
a funny noise, though.

He sounds like
a bumble bee.
All right? Ready?

[Mechanical buzz]

So we're going to put
a little bit of mint
toothpaste in there.

Troi: and they put
clean toothpaste in me.

And when she put it
between my teeth,
it was cool.

It's sticky, ticklish.

A little bit of water.

This will give
your little teeth
a moment to shower.

Give it a kiss.

And one more.
Great job.

So you get to pick out
two toothbrushes.

What I'm going to do is
I'm going to have dr. Best
come and check you.

Best: hi, troi.

I don't mean to interrupt.
Go and tell daddy about
your toothbrushes.

So which one is
going to be the
one you pick?

The race car.

And then
the bell is

Going to be
the nighttime?

You ready? I'm going
to go look

With my mirror
and my counter.
It's real soft.

Can you lift your chin up
just a little bit?

Thank you.

If you have some sticks
on your baby teeth

Or your grown-up teeth,

It may mean you're starting
to get a little cavity.

If we use an x-ray, which
is sort of like a picture

That you
take in your camera

But this one's of your teeth,

We can catch those cavities
when they're real tiny

And fix them when it's
real easy to do.

Next, we're going to take
a picture of your teeth
that goes around...

Troi, voice-over:
today I had an x-ray.

And I had to bite something.

This way. Great.
And close your teeth
together, please.

Excellent. All right.
Very good job, troi...

And I had to stay still.

Do not move.

Best: when we take
an x-ray of you,

It doesn't hurt at all.

You can let it go, troi.
Excellent!

Was it easy? Yes!

Troi: I saw my teeth
on a tv screen.

Best: super. You know what?
Your teeth look very nice.

You have no cavities.
Your gums look good.

And the way your teeth
mesh together
looks terrific.

So keep it up, ok?

Troi: thank you. Yeah.

The more you get used to things,
the less scary they become.

The older you become,
the less scary they become.

And that's kind of cool.

Does your teeth
feel cleaner now?
Yeah.

Did lily show you
how to brush?

Yeah? So now you can do
it at home, right?

Can you tie shoelaces?
No.

Ok. So you know that until
you can tie shoelaces,

Dad or mom has
to help you. Ok?

You can go first,
but then mom and dad
has to check you.

Ok.

But once you can tie
shoelaces--

And velcro doesn't count;
it has to be
shoe laces, ok?--

Then you can
brush by yourself.

Then all mom and dad
has to do is
just check you.

Ok.

Fair? Ok. Thank you.

Troi, voice-over:
don't worry,

Because they just
have to make sure
your teeth are clean

And just make
your teeth healthy.

You were a superstar.
You were very brave.

You should be very proud
of yourself today.

You know, growing up
is like a journey

Made up of all the little steps
you take along the way.

But one of
the most exciting steps is

That last big leap from
childhood into adulthood.

Now, this step is so important

That most religions
and cultures have

Traditions
that celebrate it.

And one of the most colorful is

The latin american quinceanera.

It's a 15th birthday
that's an event to remember.

[Speaking spanish]

Levar burton:
sandy is 14 years old,

But not for long.

She lives in queens, new york,
with her mom zeida.

I'm a latina,
because my mom is ecuadorian,

And my father's dominican.

Now, I'm turning 15,
and I'm celebrating it

By having a quinceanera.

Mm! I love you, mami.

[Zeida speaking spanish]

Sandy: a quinceanera is
like her giving me trust.

Like a change, like I will
have more responsibilities.

It's always like
that I'm getting the trust.

A quinceanera is having
a big party

With all your family and friends
just celebrating

Your coming of age.

My mom's a single mom.

My dad doesn't
live with us anymore,

But even though
we don't live together,

There's a relationship there.

When my mom was growing up,

Her family couldn't
afford to give her
a 15--a quinceanera.

[Zeida speaking spanish]

Girl: she wanted
to give you the happiness
that she never had.

The relationship I have
with my mom is a very
strong relationship.

[Speaking spanish]

Yeah!

We talk.
We communicate a lot,

Because I think
it's important
for her to know

Why I'm sad or why I'm so happy.

There's rules because
she's my mom,

But also, you know,
we hang out together.

She's also, like, my friend.

[Music playing]

Turning 15 is a different
kind of birthday.

It's very different.

[Speaking
spanish]

Sandy, voice-over: I have
to be more responsible.

I can't depend on my mom
all the time,

Because I have to start
doing things for myself.

I'm maturing
into a young lady.

[Speaking spanish]

We'll let the food
boil there.

Mm-hmm...

[Speaking spanish]

Sandy, voice-over:
I have younger sisters,

And they look up to me.

So I have to make sure
I give them a good example.

Girls: 7, 8, 9, 10...

Preparing a quince
is a lot of work.

It's so much. Like, I say I have
responsibilities, decisions.

We had rehearsals every week.

One of the hardest parts for me
was organizing all the people

Who are my age to try
to get here on time,

Try to even
just get here at all.

All I'm asking you
is be here on time.
That's all.

Yeah, you got
to be here on
time, at 5:00.

I would appreciate it
if you'd be here on time,

And that's all, ok?
Call me later or something.

I had to make
a lot of decisions.

All right!
Listen, listen...

Luckily, I had
my friend julissa.

She helped me out a lot.

Tomorrow's the party.
This is the last practice.

So we got
to get this right.
All right, listen.

[Music playing]

Julissa: you guys
have to smile, because
you guys look dead.

And don't look
at the floor,

Because you guys are,
like, looking at the floor,
walking like this.

And then
over here...

And look like you're
enjoying it and you're
not suffering.

Don't open
your eyes.

[Chuckling]

'Cause I'm funny.

I'm 13.

Look.

All right. 1, 2...

It's so beautiful.

You're gonna be
my little princess.

It's so different.

I want to cry.
I want to cry.

You like my dress,
julissa?

Yes! I love it.

You're the only
one who has seen it.

I feel special.
Ha ha!

The night before my party,

Everybody was just hanging out,
having fun,

Joking around.

[Laughter]

But me in my head,
it wasn't that at all.

I was wondering what was going
to happen the next day.

And I was going crazy.

The day of the party,
I was very scared,

Because, you know,
the day was finally here.

The damas are the girls who
are in my court of honor.

All of my girls that I picked
out are close friends

Who I care for
and I know care for me.

It was crazy trying
to get everything good,

Like if they had
their earrings on,
their necklaces,

If they had the right shoes on.

It was very hectic for me.

Looks good!
Thank you.

Sandy, voice-over: the guys
were putting their tuxedos on.

Oh, wow. Look at him.

Whoo!
Whoo!

[People clapping]

They looked hot.

My quince began at church.

Ok. Welcome.

Oh, beautiful.
Nice.

We're going to
go right into
the church.

It's important because
I'm being blessed

Before the eyes of god
that I'm becoming a young lady.

Priest: ...the son,
and of the holy spirit.

Amen.
Amen.

Sandy: the best part
of the evening was

Getting to the party.

Finally I was there.

And when I
walked out to see all
of my friends in there,

Like, their faces to see me,
I don't know. I was happy.

It was very important
for me to have all
my family and friends here

So they could experience
it with me

So they could see that I'm
becoming a young lady already,

That I'm no longer
a--little baby.

There's this ritual in
the quinceanera of the shoe.

In this ritual, my father takes
off my slippers

And puts on my high heel shoes.

I saw it in him
that he was happy.

I was very excited.

Like it was special for me.

It was very emotional, too.

When I danced with
my father, I kind of like
teared a couple of times.

I don't know. It's just like
I'm dancing with my father.

I'm growing up, you know,
and then he's saying
that he loves me,

That I'm growing up, that things
can change from now on,

But no matter what that he's
always going to love me.

I was happy, but also sad.

Even though I had
this big party--

It was amazing.
I had so much fun--

It doesn't, like, change
anything right away.

It's not, like, magic.

Eventually,
I will become a woman,

But it won't happen right away.

My quince's like a doorway.

On one side, it's sandy,
the little girl,

And then on the other side,
it's sandy, the young lady,

Like walking through.

[Ring]

[Laughs]

There we go.
The training wheels are off,

And all of the new
grown-up stuff is on.

It's time for my nephew
to learn how to ride.

Usually for the first few tries,

You need someone there
to give you a push-off.

So I'll be there to do that.

And because tackling something
new is a challenge,

It always helps to know
that you're not alone.

It also helps to know

That other kids
are going through
changes like you.

So here are 3 books
about growing up
that are worth the ride,

But you don't have to take
my word for it.

I'm reading a book
called "madlenka."

It's by peter sis.

And it's about a girl,
and her tooth is loose.

And she goes and tells
all her friends,

And they're all from different
parts of the world.

One person is from france.
One person is from italy.

One person is from germany,

And one person is from egypt.

One person is
from latin america.

Madlenka says, "hello, eduardo."

Eduardo says, "hola, madlenka."

They all understand, because
everybody has lost a tooth.

You see, that's the same
for every culture.

"Madlenka, where have you been?"

"Well, I went around the world.

And I lost a tooth."

I'm hudson, and this book
is very interesting.

This book is called
"coming of age."

It's about growing up
and changing from
a kid into an adult.

I learned about kids
all around the world.

One of my favorites was
the native american story

Called "the sunrise ceremony."

It was about a girl who had
to dance for 6 hours

In the summer to show
how strong she was.

It really impressed me because
she had to do it for 6 hours

Each day of the summer to
show how strong she was.

And at the end, she figured

She learned that she was

A really strong girl,

And that impressed me.

Another one of my favorites
was "the holy communion
and the confirmation."

I'm fatou, and if you want
to learn about cultures,

This is the book for you.

I'm jack, and this is
the book I read...

It's about a girl with
a wobbly tooth who never
lost a tooth before.

And she doesn't want
the wobbly tooth to go out.

Then her friend tells her,
when you lose a tooth,

If you put it under the pillow,

The tooth fairy comes at night

And then she takes your tooth
and replaces it with a coin.

And then she decides she wants
her tooth to fall out.

So she wobbles it,
and it doesn't work.

She tried to eat beans.
It doesn't work.

Then she tries an apple. Ouch!

It got stuck in the apple.

The tooth fairy comes
and then takes the tooth
and replaces it with a coin.

She's so happy.

She says, "ooh, look,
I got a coin! I got a coin!"

When I lost my first tooth,
I was happy

Because I got $5.

If you never lost a tooth
and you had a wobbly tooth,

This is the book for you.

All right, here we go.

Pushing off there.
Now, that's it.

You got your other foot
on that pedal.

Excellent! Carlos,
now, carlos,
all you have to do

Is keep pedaling, man.
Just keep pedaling.

Carlos, you're
doing it, man!
You're doing it!

Yes, carlos!

[Chuckles]

Wow! What a great feeling
watching someone you love

Take a big step forward in life.

And that's exactly why people
all over the world celebrate

The accomplishments
of growing up.

We all want to know
that our family and friends
are there for us,

Applauding our efforts
and standing by us
every step of the way

Until we're ready to take off
on our own.

I'll see you next time.

Carlos!

♪ Take a look, it's in a book ♪

♪ Reading rainbow ♪

♪ I can go anywhere ♪

♪ Friends to know
and ways to grow ♪

♪ Reading rainbow ♪

♪ Reading rainbow ♪

Burton: today's
"reading rainbow" books are

"I lost my tooth in africa"
by penda diakite.

Illustrated
by baba wague diakite.

Published by scholastic books;

"Madlenka," written
and illustrated by peter sis.

Published by

Frances foster books;

"My wobbly tooth must not ever,
never fall out,"

Written and illustrated
by lauren child.

Published by grosset & dunlap;

"Rites of passage--
coming of age"

By mandy ross.

Published by heinemann library.

Hi. I'm levar burton.

In uncertain times,

There's no more effective
way to make your kids
feel good and safe

Than to spend time with them.

We at "reading rainbow" suggest
sharing a book with your family.

Read for fun, read for family,
read for our future.