Little Craig: The Yellow Bike Page

[AUDIO LOGO] Vooks! [MUSIC PLAYING] [LAUGHING] The Yellow Bike, a Little Craig book, a book about rising above. [MUSIC PLAYING] This is a story about little Craig Robinson. [SLURPING] In his town, kids came in all different shapes and sizes and colors. [KIDS CHATTERING] [MUSIC PLAYING] But even though they were different-- Wow! --every kid in Craig's town-- Cool! --wanted the same exact bike. Ooh! It was shiny. Yeah! It was a 10-speed. Cool! Wow! And it was as yellow as a lemon popsicle! Wow! [MUSIC PLAYING] Craig had wanted it ever since he saw it in the window display at the local department store. [VACUUM CLEANER RUMBLING] Please? [GROANING] After lots of asking, lots of chores-- Now-- --and lots of homework-- Phew, this is hard work. --Mom finally said, "Let's go buy that bike." Zoom! Whee! All the kids in Chicago were off! Woo-hoo-hoo! "Race you to Rainbow Beach!" Craig hollered. [CHATTER] He soared past the kite flyers and swimmers. Craig was so proud of his new bike. Race you [INAUDIBLE] He rode all the way to the ice cream stand, where he was first in line. "One double scoop, chocolate brownie ice cream, please!" he coolly asked the ice cream man. But before he got his ice cream, a tall police officer stepped right in front of Craig. His shirt was a brilliant shade of blue. (CLEARS THROAT) "Not so fast," the policeman said. "I'm going to have to take that bike." But-- but, sir-- Craig looked at his new bike shining in the Rainbow Beach, sun. "Wh-- why are you taking my bike?" Craig asked in a panic. "Because this Bike was reported stolen," the officer replied gruffly. "Oh, I didn't steal it. My mom just bought it for me." Craig told the truth. [GRUNTING] The policeman was already packing his bike into the trunk of the car. "I know you stole it, kid." Huh? No. "I'll drive you home and we can talk to your mom. Get in." [MUSIC PLAYING] [CAR DOOR SLAMS] [SIGHS] Oh, man. Craig's little heart sank as he climbed into the back of the police car. [SOBBING] [SIREN BLARING] Wee-oow, wee-oow! [POLICE RADIO CHATTER] [SIGHING] When they finally pulled up, Craig ran to find Mom. She would know what to do. [CRYING] What is going on here? He-- he thinks I stole my new bike. Huh? Her face turned a bright shade of red. Oh! He had never seen Mom look quite like that before. [GROANING] Go on inside, Craig. [GROANING ANGRILY] Craig watched from his bedroom window as Mom spoke to the policeman. She waved her finger. She shook her head. She put her hands on her hips. Finally, he lifted Craig's bike out of the trunk, placed it on the lawn, and drove away. [CAR ENGINE WHIRRING] Mom called for Craig to come out and get his bike. He leaped out the front door. Why-- why did he think I stole my own bike, Mom? How about I tell you over ice cream? [BIRDS CHIRPING] One double scoop, chocolate brownie ice cream! Actually, better made that two. [MUSIC PLAYING] Mom and Craig sat in the park. The tasty ice cream made Craig feel better. "What do you see out there?" Mom asked. "Some kids playing together," Craig answered. That's right, Craig. But some people would only see the differences between those kids. They are different shapes and sizes. The color of their skin is different too. Because of your skin color, people aren't always going to be nice to you. They may call you names or treat you differently. They may even think they're better than you. That's called racism, and it's why the policeman thought you stole your bike. But the policeman had the same color skin as I do. Why would he treat me different? Hmm, prejudice can take all shapes and sizes, Craig. Even people who look like you may still treat you unfairly. Suddenly, Craig's ice cream didn't taste as sweet. "But remember, Craig," mom reassured him, "no one can make you feel bad if you feel good about yourself." "So, if I feel good about me," Craig wondered, "then it doesn't matter what other people think of me?" "That's right!" Mom beamed. "You know who you are, Craig." And you sure look good riding that bike. Yeah, I'm pretty fast too. [MUSIC PLAYING] Mom drove home. Craig saw his bike waiting for him on the front lawn, right where he'd left it. One more ride, Mom? Please! [CHUCKLES] All right. One more. Zoom! Wee! A note from Craig Robinson-- what you just read is a true story that happened to me when I was a young boy growing up in Chicago. At that age, I was just learning how to deal with adversity. When kids were judgmental or mean, my parents would encourage me to put myself in their shoes and try to understand them. Sometimes people acted me because they felt insecure. My mom would comfort me by saying, "No one can make you feel bad if you feel good about yourself." But the incident with the police officer felt different. When the officer wouldn't believe me and accused me of stealing my own bike, I was heartbroken and confused. When Mom saw me crawling out of that police car, she could have assumed the worst and wondered what I did to get myself into trouble. Instead, she instantly came to my side and was there to help. She believed in me and stood up for me. After the incident, Mom even went down to the police station, got the police officer to come back to our house, and he apologized to me for what he had done, it was an amazing display of standing up for what is right and actually affecting change. In difficult situations, it can sometimes be hard to find silver linings. Mom always helped me see that even the hardest situation can be a chance to learn and grow. [MUSIC PLAYING] Wee! [MUSIC PLAYING]