(upbeat music)
-: Hi everyone, it's a beautiful day today.
I have a story that I'm going to share with you
about how a little girl transformed
her neighborhood using art.
"Maybe Something Beautiful"
"How Art Transformed A Neighborhood"
By Isabel Campoy and Theresa Howell.
Illustrated by Raphael Lopez.
In the heart of a great city,
there lived a girl who loved to
doodle, draw, color, and paint.
Every time she saw a blank piece of paper
Mira thought to herself hmmmm maybe,
and because of this her room was filled with color
and her heart was filled with joy.
On her way to school one day
Mira gave a round apple to Mr. Henry,
the owner of the shop down the street.
She gave a flower to Ms. Lopez,
the lady with the sparkling eyes.
She gave a songbird to Mr. Sax,
and a red heart to the policeman
who walked up and down her streets.
On her way home, Mira taped a glowing
sun onto a wall hiding in the shadows.
Her city was less gray, but not much.
The next day, Mira saw a man with a
pocket full of paintbrushes.
He gazed at the wall, he looked at her sun.
He held his fingers up in a square
and he peered through them.
Hmmm he said thoughfully.
What do you see? Mira asked.
Maybe something beautiful, the man replied.
Just like that, he dipped a brush in the paint.
Bam! Pow! The shadows scurried away.
Sky blue cut through the gloom.
The man's laughter was like a
rainbow spreading across the sky.
Who are you? Mira asked.
I am an artist he said.
A muralist, I paint on walls.
I am an artist too she told him.
And he handed Mira a brush.
Then come on!
Mira dipped it in the loudest color she saw.
Yow-wee! The wall lit up like sunshine.
As the man drew pictures on the bricks,
Mira added color, punch, and pizzazz.
Soon, Mr. Sax joined in, then came others.
Everyone painted to the rhythm.
Salsa, merengue, bebop.
Wow they're so colorful.
Even Mira's mama painted and
danced to the cha cha cha!
The whole neighborhood became a giant block party until
uh-oh the policeman walked up.
Excuse me he said.
The music stopped.
Mira put her brush down.
They were surely in trouble.
The officer cleared his throat, mmm mmmmhmm.
Then paused, may I paint with you? He asked.
So Mira handed him a paintbrush
and the music started again.
Wow, teachers and papas jumped in, babies too!
Mira and the man handed out brush after brush.
Colors spread throughout the streets, so did joy.
Where ever Mira and the man went,
art followed like a string of a kite.
After they colored the walls,
they painted utility boxes and benches.
They decorated sidewalks with poetry and shine.
And everyone danced, together they created
something more beautiful than they had ever imagined.
When their clothes were splattered
with a million colors, everyone sat down to rest,
except the muralist.
His eyes sparkled.
You my friends, are all artists he told them.
The world is your canvas.
He smiled wide and pulled everything
together in big sweeping motions.
His paintbrush was like a magic wand.
When he was finished, Mira added
one more bird way up in the sky.
Maybe, she thought, just maybe...
This is a true story about how a little
girl really did this to her neighborhood.
I'm curious to see if you can spread joy
around your neighborhood by creating
murals or creating nice signs.
I can't wait to see what you do.
Have a beautiful day.
(upbeat music)