Countless fans. Private planes. Fortune. Fame. While all this is well and good, you aren’t a real celebrity until you’ve stopped by the world’s most famous address, Sesame Street. Everyone from Janelle Monáe to Ice Cube to Erykah Badu to Kofi Annan has chilled on the stoop with Grover, Elmo, Big Bird, Cookie Monster and the rest of the crew to chop it up about their A-B-Cs, 1-2-3s and even learning a few life lessons. Recently, Pharrell Williams paid the famous children’s show a visit to teach Elmo and Cookie about the power of reading in the song “B Is For Book.”
The clip shows Pharrell on the stoop reading to Elmo. They are soon joined by Cookie Monster, who is befuddled by the prospect that reading a book can take you anywhere and let you be anything. Obviously, Cookie Monster has never watched that other children’s program, Reading Rainbow. From there, Pharrell and company break into song and dance with short illustrations showing how, “You can go anywhere without leaving your chair / By reading a book.” You can even find answers to some of life’s most pressing questions, “Hang out with Miss Muffett / And ask her / Um… what is a tuffet?” Elmo even hits a dab or two.
Sesame Street continues to make learning fun and relatable to kids (and some adults) by incorporating elements from the world outside their window. “B Is For Book” is no different, as the song is a great tool for teaching kids without alienating their mommy, daddy, auntie or babysitter, for whom Blues Clues might be a bit too slow. You’re free to press play and watch the adorable clip with no shame.
