I Am Tomioka Tessai is an episode of Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum.
Synopsis
Yadina isn't sure if she should take her old family quilt in for show and tell; she loves it and all, but it's old and has a lot of holes - what if she feels embarrassed to show people? To the Secret Museum! Our heroes go back in time to meet someone who was deeply connected to the stories of his ancestry: Tomioka Tessai. They find the young artist as he's trying to decide what he should paint to share with his art class. While thinking it over, Tomioka takes our trio on a tour of his family's garden, and proudly tells the story of the cherry tree he planted there with his father and grandfather, helping both Tomioka and Yadina realize they should each present their class with something that's special to their family, because sharing stories about their family makes them feel proud.
Characters
- Xavier Riddle
- Yadina Riddle
- Brad Scott
- Dr. Zoom
- Berby
- Tomioka Tessai
- Brad's dad
- Brad's granddad
- Brad's great-grandad
- Xavier's mom / Yadina's mom
- Xavier's grandma
- Tomioka's Father
- Yadina's dad
- Yadina's great grandma
Curriculum
Sharing stories about their family makes you feel proud.
Broadcast
I Am Tomioka Tessai, along with its sister episode, I Am Catherine the Great, was released on the PBS Kids website and video app on November 11, 2019. Both episodes aired 9 days later on PBS at 9:00 AM EST.
Trivia
- This episode reveals that Brad is Jewish, as he owns a dreidel, and his grandfather is shown wearing a kippah when he was a kid.
- Xavier and Yadina may be Hispanic, as Yadina mentions that her great-grandmother made mushroom empanadas.