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chapter 2

MR. WANNA BE BIG

An African American tale, this story points out how when we spend too much time focusing on what we are not or things we can’t do, we miss out seeing and celebrating all that we are and what we can do.

This is a delightful story that carries an important message. Everyone will be singing “I want to be me” by the end of the story and on into the days that follow.

THEMES

 happiness with self

 acceptance of one’s shortcomings

 determination

BEFORE THE STORY

Today’s story is based on an African American folktale about a very small man. The artwork is by ________________.

THE STORY

There was once a little, little man. He was so small he had to look up to see the bottom of a chair. He was little—little, little. Even so he could still do lots and lots of things. He could run really fast. He could climb and jump. He was a great joke teller and he loved to sing. The only trouble with the singing was that he only sang one song and it went like this:

	I want to be big, I want to be big
	I just wanna wanna wanna be bigI want to be big, I want to be bigI just wanna wanna wanna be big.

And he sang it in the morning; he sang it in the afternoon and he sang it in the evening. You might be taking a shower, you listen out your window, what do you hear?

The little man walking down the street singing his song:

	I want to be big, I want to be big
	I just wanna wanna wanna be bigI want to be big, I want to be bigI just wanna wanna wanna be big.

In the afternoon, kids are playing baseball and what do they hear?

	I want to be big, I want to be big
	I just wanna wanna wanna be bigI want to be big, I want to be bigI just wanna wanna wanna be big.

He sang that song so much that people forgot his name, Bill, and started calling him Mr. Wannabe Big.

Well one day Mr. Wannabe Big woke up and said to himself, “I’m always singing about wanting to be big; it’s about time I did something about it. I know! I’ll take a walk and I’ll find some big animals. Then I can ask them what they do to get big and I can do it too.”

Mr. Wannabe Big smiled. He liked this idea and he was ready to try it out. So he set out walking and as he walked he sang:

	I want to be big, I want to be big
	I just wanna wanna wanna be bigI want to be big, I want to be bigI just wanna wanna wanna be big.

And he walked and he walked and he walked until he came to a field. And in that field he saw a horse, a great big horse. He said to the horse, “Hey horse, how did you get so big?” The horse thought about it for a minute and then it said, “I eat two buckets of oats every day and then I run around this field twenty-five times; that’s what I do.”

Mr. Wannabe Big thought about that and sang out,

	If you can do it I can do it too
	If you can do it I can do it too

And he did! He ate two buckets of oats, oooo they were dry. Then he drank a lot of water. Then he started running. He ran and ran and ran around that field twenty-five times. When he was finished he looked at it himself, he cried, “Oh no I’m no bigger; I’m just tired.” So he lay down beside the field and slept all night. He woke up the next morning and said, “I’d better keep trying” and so he set out again. And as he walked he sang his song:

	I want to be big, I want to be big
	I just wanna wanna wanna be bigI want to be big, I want to be bigI just wanna wanna wanna be big.