Red Shoes
by Karen English
illustrated by Ebony Glenn
illustrated by Ebony Glenn
Category
📚
LearningTranscript
00:00red shoes by Karen English illustrated by Ebony Glenn red shoes dazzling perched
00:18on a pedestal in the shop window as if on a throne I want those Nana Malika says
00:25to her grandmother as they pass the shop we'll see Nona says with a wink looks
00:32like you could use a new pair surprise red shoes nestled in a show box under
00:39tissue paper on the kitchen table Nona smiles her secret smile Malika laughs
00:46and slips them on quick quick red shoes walking click clack click across the
00:53floor on Malika's feet swish swish swish around the living room click click
00:59clack down the hall then out the door and around the block Malika goes to show
01:05off her new red shoes carefully carefully on the first day of school
01:10Malika walks in big galoshes that hide her shoes from the rain she wants to
01:16keep them dry when she jumps in puddles red shoes dancing on daddy's feet when
01:21they go to auntie's wedding in the fall red shoes kicking cousin Jamal under
01:27the table at Nona's Christmas dinner as he tries to switch Malika's buttery
01:31biscuit red shoes stomping home when Malika and her best friend Keisha have a
01:37fight Malika is mad and sticks to it red shoes jumping double-ditch at Keisha's
01:44birthday party after they make up then oh no red shoes pinching when Malika
01:51squeezes them on to wear to Nona's birthday dinner at a restaurant my shoes
01:56are too small Malika says sadly and all through dinner her red shoes don't let
02:03her forgot that her feet have grown red shoes in the window at the resale shop
02:08where Nona and Malika have taken them to be resold so somebody she can enjoy them
02:14softly softly Malika says goodbye to her wonderful red shoes they were her
02:20favorite shoes ever Inaziya spies the red shoes dazzling in the shop window
02:26she knows just the little girl who will love them now they are squeezed into her
02:32luggage board for Ghana red shoes under Inaziya's bench in the marketplace where
02:37she sells her clay pots they are waiting for Amina the girl who fasted half the
02:43north of Ramadan the girl who deserves a special gift and here she comes at
02:51last holding her mother's hand Inaziya smiles down at Amina I promised you a
02:57gift and here it is red shoes are passed to Amina's waiting hands thank you auntie
03:05she says they are so beautiful then later red shoes riding on the trotro
03:13Amina's lap back at home Amina's little sister Halima rushes to see the gift for
03:19the girl who fasted half the north of Ramadan because someday she hopes to do
03:24the same Amina lets her try them on but just for a little while Halima will have
03:31then soon enough when Amina's feet grow too big and Halima's feet grow big
03:37enough now the red shoes are tucked safely under the bed waiting to be worn
03:42on very special days meanwhile back on the other side of the ocean Malika
03:48wonders whatever happened to my beautiful red shoes
04:06answering the phone is just part of the job Rodney it's no big deal
04:11I wonder if someone is wearing them right now for Khadija, for Gabby, for example
04:29special thanks to Karina Ray associate professor of African and African
04:34American Studies Brandeis University for her thoughtful reading and sensitive
04:39comments Karen English makes annual visits with her
04:44husband to his family's home in West Africa this was the inspiration for the
04:49characters and setting in the second part of this story her more than 22
04:55books for young readers include the Nikki and Deja books and the Carver
04:59Chronicles series Miss English is a Coretta Scott King Award Honor author as
05:04well as a winner of the Jaina Dams Children's Book Award she is a former
05:09elementary school teacher a mother of four and a grandmother of four she lives
05:15in Los Angeles California with her husband Ebony Glenn loves bringing
05:20stories to life with her vibrant emotive and whimsical characters she has a
05:26passion for the arts and great storytelling and her hope is to create
05:31illustrations that will foster in children a love of reading as well as a
05:35curiosity about other cultures while researching red shoes her own interest
05:41in Africa was peaked and she now cannot wait to visit Miss Glenn lives in
05:46Atlanta Georgia with her family the end
06:05you