I Wanna Stay Five Forever by
Natalie Pliler
with my dad, Dave, Illustrated by my uncle Curt
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A Note From Natalie... In each of my books there will be things listed at the back for parents, grandparents, teachers, or church leaders to talk with you about. I believe it’s important in life to learn and grow, but whenever possible to laugh while doing it. In “I Wanna Stay Five Forever” you will see how important it is to find the magic in your life right now, while still being excited for your future. Thanks for reading! “Natty”
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I wanna stay five forever‌
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...So I can play with my friends at school,
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show everyone my bunny during Sharing Time, 8
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eat lunch with Adelyn and Caroline,
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and never stop riding bikes with training wheels.
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I will eat ice cream with sprinkles on top,
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have Mommy tie my shoes,
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and always play dress up with my little sister, Makenna.
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But most of all, when I stay five forever, my daddy will swing me so high that my feet kick the sky.
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I will wear jammies that feel comfy and warm.
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And my mommy will tuck me cozy in bed, give kisses on my neck, and sing me songs until I fall asleep.
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I wanna stay five forever‌
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‌So I can make paper turkeys at Thanksgiving,
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lose my first tooth over and over,
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and make angels in the snow.
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I will giggle until milk comes out my nose,
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jump on my bed,
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play peek-a-boo with my favorite bear,
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and dress like a princess with my little sister, Makenna.
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But most of all, when I stay five forever, my daddy will swing me so high that my feet kick the sky.
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I will wear jammies that feel comfy and warm.
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And my mommy will tuck me cozy in bed, give kisses on my neck, and sing me songs until I fall asleep.
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I thought I wanted to stay five forever...
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...But today all my friends went to a different room at school, a room where older kids go.
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I was scared, and sad, and lonely, and wanted to go home.
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But then I made new friends who said I was smart because I knew where everything was; where to eat lunch,
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what swing was the best,
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and how to be first in line for snack and recess.
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Being five forever was fun, so I did it over,
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and over,
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and over,
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and over,
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I was going to stay five forever...
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...Until one day I went in a car with my little sister, Makenna, who was now very big.
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I rode in the back while she turned the wheel,
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while holding hands with a boy she said was her friend.
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We walked on the beach.
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She tied my shoes.
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And I laughed as we ate ice cream with sprinkles on top.
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Then we played dress up in pretty white dresses.
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I carried flowers in church while Makenna dressed like a princess,
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and stood next to that boy she said was her friend.
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Then she picked me up and twirled me around and we laughed and laughed,
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while mommy and daddy cried and cried.
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That night as I was being tucked in bed, cozy and warm, I asked where Makenna was?
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Mommy told me she would probably not sleep in her bed next to me anymore.
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My little sister had grown up.
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I was sad until I remembered that‌
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‌I loved staying five forever, because my daddy would swing me so high that my feet kicked the sky.
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I could wear jammies that were comfy and warm.
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My mommy would tuck me cozy in bed, give kisses on my neck, and sing me songs until I fell asleep.
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But then, being five forever got kind of hard...
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...I asked my daddy to swing me so high that my feet kicked the sky,
but daddy said his back hurt and his knees hurt and his head hurt, and that he would just watch me as I played. 108
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So my Daddy and Mommy watched me swing so high that my feet kicked the sky.
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But the more they watched, the sadder they got, until my mommy ran in the house.
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Daddy said she must have something in her eye. 114
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But then my daddy stopped me swinging and looked at me close
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He said that Mommy was crying because she wanted me to grow big like Makenna. 118
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She wanted me to drive a car and to walk on the beach with a boy who’s my friend.
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She wanted me to have my own little girl who would wear jammies that felt comfy and warm.
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Someone I could tuck cozy in bed and give kisses to on her neck while singing soft songs until she fell asleep.
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Then my daddy looked at me and I smiled my best smile and gave him a big hug.
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Then he must have got something in his eye too, because he went in the house like my mom.
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So I thought and thought.
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And thought and thought.
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And thought and thought.
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I thought I wanted to stay five forever... but now‌
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I wish I was six.
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THE END …of being five.
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Notes from Natty I’m so happy you found “Five Forever” and that you’re now reading this part. I’m pretty sure I originally said, “I wanna to stay five forever” because I was having a great day. As I’ve gotten older my dad and I have really wanted it to become a book so I could share some of the things I’ve learned with you. So here we go, lets talk...
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Pages 4 - 47: Gratitude
You might remember early in the book I write about bunnies and bikes, paper turkeys, snow angels, and swinging really high—all things I loved when I was five. What are some things you like or remember, even if you’re an older person reading this? Ice cream with sprinkles? Training wheels? The beach? Or maybe the times you laughed so hard milk came out your nose!
Right now is a great time to talk with those you love about what makes you happy, what you are grateful for, especially important things like people; sisters, brothers, moms and dads, uncles, aunts, grandmas and grandpas, or best friends. Maybe even write these things down or put pictures up, so you can see them from time to time. Being grateful has a way of making sad days better.
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Pages 48-105: Scared and sad and lonely. Fear. Do you ever feel shy, or scared, not ready or uncertain? These are all just different words for fear. Because I love singing, I often perform and sometimes feel scared. It’s even a little scary to write my own book and talk about it. So if you have these same feelings you’re not alone, but it’s good to know that you don’t have to let them stop you from doing what you want. Look again at pages 52-53. This little girl is curled up on the floor; scared, sad, and lonely—she just wants to be home. Now we all feel like this once in a while, but just because she feels this way, do you really think she should leave school and go home?
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Now turn to pages 54-55. There’s a great secret here that’s maybe a little hidden on the page; how did she get over her fear? Think about it. Talk about it. She gets over her fear, sadness, and loneliness by doing something for someone else. She stopped thinking about herself. She thought about other people and how she could help them; where to eat lunch, which swing was the best, where to play at recess. A great way to beat fear is to think of other people and not yourself.
Another way to get over being shy— something that may sound a little strange, is to just pretend you’re not. I know this is hard but by pretending you’re not—the fear won’t last very long. Maybe this will help you pretend: Think about the first day you were in a new class or with a new teacher, or when you first moved to a new city. Was it scary? Probably. Now think about that same classroom or teacher or new neighborhood and how you felt after being there a while—even a week. Even a day! Almost without noticing, your shyness left and everything seemed normal. That means you have grown! And we are the happiest when growing. 145
Pages 106-141: Grow and be happy! In I Wanna Stay Five Forever, the little girl got so comfortable being five and so afraid of moving on, that she decided to stay where she was. Her little sister grew older. Her mom and dad got all gray. Everyone was growing but her. At first, she thinks it’s fun; little sister Makenna driving her in a car, going to the beach, eating ice cream, even playing dress up like they used to. But pretty soon she sees that staying five doesn’t feel right. She starts to see that Makenna has grown up, got married, moved away, and won’t be sleeping next to her in their room anymore.
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Eventually this little girl realizes that staying comfy and warm all tucked in bed isn’t helping her beat her fear, grow, or be happy. Learning and growing is what she’s here for. It’s what we’re all here for. Driving a car, falling in love, having her own children—these and a thousand other things are all wonderful and part of life. So on the very last page she makes a great choice, a hard choice, a happy choice...and decides to be six!
I’ve learned so much since being five, and six, and seven, and seventeen...I know you will too. Keep growing! Natty
Ask your parents, family, or teachers to help you share your story with me on Facebook or Twitter @ nattynell
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Natalie Pliler is a 12th-grader at Lone Peak High School in Alpine, Utah. She is hoping to someday be an Emergency Room nurse, but for now enjoys working on books with her dad and uncle, singing and dancing, surfing YouTube videos and Facebook, and hanging with her younger sisters and friends. The fun thing to know about how this book began was that at the end of a very fun day, way back when Natalie was five, she actually gave her dad a hug and said; “I wanna stay five forever!”
David Pliler is thrilled to be “Natty’s” dad, husband to her mom, and father to her three older brothers and two younger sisters. He is also a screenwriter, author, speaker, humorist, and loves working with Natalie on all the children’s picture book ideas she has.
If you like I Wanna StayFive Forever, Natalie invites you to look for other books she’s working on; My Dad is a Giant, My Brother Thinks He’s Funny, No Empty Swings, My Very Very Fat Fat Cat Cat, and her very next book; Boofer; about a pig who wishes he wasn’t a pig, so tries being different animals, only to discover that being his best pig-self is exactly what will make him the happiest.
Curt Pliler is Natalie’s uncle. He lives in Seattle, Washington with his wife, three children, two dogs and cat. Curt is an architect by training and a Creative Director by occupation. He and his big brother Dave have been goofing around with cartoons and children’s books for over 20 years. Natalie is finally making us get serious about it.
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