>> Lee Ann Potter: Good morning.
[ Background Noise ]
>> Lee Ann Potter:
Good morning everybody.
Can you hear me pretty well?
Because I hear that some of you
respond really, really well.
If I -- God I didn't
have to do it.
I was just asking my
friends down here what --
how do you get really
quiet in your classroom?
And I learned a really
great clap but I don't have
to use it so thank you guys.
Awesome. We are so happy that
you are here at the Library
of Congress this morning.
And really excited to both
welcome you and introduce you
to a terrific new author that
you might have heard of before.
My name is Lee Ann Potter.
And I direct a new
office of learning
and innovation here
at the library.
And I see we've got one
group coming in still.
I'm going to let them
sort of trickle in.
[ Background Noise ]
>> Lee Ann Potter: First
thing I want to do is I want
to recognize all the
groups that are here
in the audience with us today.
When I say the name of
your school I want you
to get a big smile
on your face, okay?
And then when I've read
all of the school names,
that's when I want
you all to clap okay?
So when I read your school
name you're going to smile.
And when I finish you're
going to clap, okay?
Alright. So today we are very
happy to be welcoming students
and teachers and chaperones from
Ludlow Taylor Elementary School,
from Truesdell Education Campus,
from the Inspired Teaching
Demonstration Public Charter
School, from Dorothy
Height Elementary,
From Tyler Elementary,
from Kimball Elementary,
and from Brent Elementary
School.
Now we can cheer.
[ Cheering ]
>> Lee Ann Potter:
That was perfect.
We also.
[ Crowd Noise ]
>> Lee Ann Potter: Thank you.
Hey I see some of
you doing this.
And that seems to work.
Awesome. Thank you guys.
I'm also excited to let you
know that in addition to all
of the students that are with us
at the library today we also
have, we have people all
over the world watching
this program on YouTube
and on the library's website,
and library's Facebook page
because we're live streaming it.
And that camera right there,
if you guys want to wave to I,
you can wave to people all
over the whole wide world.
[ Crowd Noise ]
>> Lee Ann Potter: Okay.
Alright.
[ Crowd Noise ]
>> Lee Ann Potter: I
think they liked that.
Thank you.
Now on with our show.
So last December
here at the Library
of Congress we had a special
program celebrating a book.
The book we were celebrating
was one published in 1936.
And it was turned
into a movie in 2017.
And some of you may
have heard of it
because you either read the
book, The Story of Ferdinand
or you saw the movie Ferdinand.
Well in the movie.
[ Background Noise ]
>> Lee Ann Potter: In
Ferdinand the movie,
the voice of Ferdinand was
John Cena and he came here
to the library and read the
original book to a large group
of students in this
very auditorium.
Today we are very happy that
he is back with us again.
And once again inspiration
is part of our program.
Last December when we
introduced John we described him
as an actor, and as a
wrestling superstar.
And those descriptions certainly
still apply, but today we get
to add author to
his description.
He has written a new book
entitled Elbow Grease.
It was illustrated
by Howard McWilliam
and published by Random House.
And a copy of this book
is now in the Library
of Congress's collection.
So it is part of the
largest library in the world.
John is here not only to
read Elbow Grease but also
to share another book one
written and illustrated
by Richard Scarry
that inspired him.
After John reads from the two
books he will talk with us a bit
and will answer questions
that I know a few of you have.
So please join me in welcoming
16 time world champion wrestler,
star of blockbuster movies,
record setting Make-A-Wish
granter, reader,
fan of Richard Scarry books
and published author John Cena.
[ Music ]
[ Singing ]
>> John Cena: How is
everybody doing this morning?
Is it okay if I sit?
That's, that's no?
Yes? Sit?
[ Cheering ]
>> John Cena: I can't
-- Yes or no?
Yes or no?
Okay, alright, okay.
That's good.
That's good.
I heard, I heard
everybody singing before,
before I came out here.
You guys have a wonderful voice.
Collectively it sounded
wonderful.
Congratulations on
wonderful songs.
Singing's fun right?
Couldn't quite understand you .
Singing is fun right?
[ Cheering ]
>> John Cena: Singing is great.
And like drawing is great.
And maybe watching
shows are great.
And telling stories is great
because it's all creative.
And all of us, no matter
where we come from,
no matter what we look
like, all of us have inside
of us this wonderful
thing called imagination.
When you get to sing or
you, you watch something
that you stimulates your
imagination it's fun.
And to me what also stimulates
my imagination is books.
Books more than anything else.
Because in the pages
you can kind
of determine what the
characters are like.
Maybe develop a voice
for somebody
or a personality
for a character.
So books certainly are one of my
favorite ways to be imaginative.
And I of course have a
list of favorite books.
But I wanted to ask you
guys some questions.
What makes a book a favorite?
I know for me, but
what about you guys?
What are some of the things
that you look for in a book
that makes it a favorite?
See that's better.
Now we can see each other.
Before they couldn't see
or I couldn't see them.
We have a few answers out there.
This is, this is something
that's very interesting to me.
Because I know all
of our answers are
going to be different.
[ Background Noise ]
>> John Cena: Initial
reports are coming in.
The question, things that
make a book a favorite?
Mystery. Mystery.
A good old fashioned guessing
game of what's really going on.
Mystery is good.
Imagination.
Imagination that's also
one of my favs as well.
Inspiration.
Inspiration a very
good and powerful word.
And hopefully we have some
inspiration here today.
What else we got?
Imaginative, very good.
There seems to be a good amount
of imagination in the room.
Looks like it's going to
be a wonderful morning.
[ Background Noise ]
>> John Cena: Pictures.
Pictures are also a
key part of the book
because it can help
you imagine the world
that the story teller's
trying to create.
These are all great
answers by the way.
Thank you so much.
And so many people
want to contribute.
This is great.
[ Background Noise ]
>> John Cena: It
takes you somewhere.
That's the wonderful
thing about books.
It takes us to someplace
special.
They're very powerful.
Yes they are very powerful.
The stories they tell
are very powerful.
Cool words like Elbow Grease.
[ Laughter ]
>> John Cena: And
having a lot of books.
That's extremely important
because the more books you have,
the more stories you
can be involved in.
Fiction. Fiction is
another great answer.
We have one in the front.
We have one coming
up on the side.
Colorful, that goes along
with amazing pictures
being colorful and vibrant.
And traveling.
Traveling is something
that can take us stories
to wherever we want to be
around the world or beyond.
So those are all -- wait, wait.
Fiction and nonfiction.
The opposite of fiction.
We'll, we'll include everything
which is great because we're,
we're at the Library of Congress
we should give everything
their due.
So those are all great answers.
And I want to thank
you for you sharing
with me what makes
your books favorite.
I wanted to share
with you a book
that was my absolute favorite
when I was a little kid.
I grew up in a small town.
It was nothing like D.C. You
couldn't see fancy building,
and people walking the streets
and tons of cars and trucks.
And things that go.
You had farm land.
And I was lucky to maybe get a
glimpse of a rusted old tractor.
And my next door neighbor
was miles, and miles away.
So when my mom read me
this story, Cars and Trucks
and Things That Go I didn't
really hang on every word
because there's a lot of words
in here for a children's book.
It's a long book.
But what I loved as some
of you guys pointed out,
I loved the pictures because
it brought me away to a world
that I could see
these amazing machines
that I'd only heard about.
Like if you opened the book.
I'll just even flip
to page nine.
There's a pickle truck.
A giant pickle truck.
There's also a dragster and a
crocodile car and a sailboat.
And then there's a tow truck
and what looks like a sports car
and what looks like an antiques
sports car and a milk truck.
And this is only one page.
I saw this as a kid.
I was like man the
pickle truck is there
and then everything else.
It's huge.
If you turn to page --
ooh this is a good one.
So page 15.
I always loved construction.
I love bull dozers
because they could smash.
And I loved cranes because
they could lift things.
And I loved big trucks
because they could carry things
and tow things.
So on one page you have
a crane, a bulldozer,
a real small minivan, which
is which is a mouse van.
You have jack-o-lantern
pump, pumpkin car
and then you have a rainbow bus
and all a bunch of
really cool stuff.
And oh I think this is my
favorite page of the whole book
because I love making
a mess as a little kid.
And I loved big trucks.
And you can see all sorts of
dump trucks, what they carry
and they're all making a mess.
You have trucks that carry
coal, trucks that carry rocks,
trucks that carry dirt,
trucks that carry tomatoes,
trucks that carry oranges,
and trucks that carry sand.
And they're all making a mess.
And as a kid I loved this.
And it's just an example of
your answers to these questions
about what makes a
book your favorite.
If you turn to page even page
35 you again see dump trucks,
but instead of making
a mess this time,
they're building a road.
So they're doing
something productive
and they're making a
road to help make a city.
And then I got to thinking
as a kid who's going
to live in that city?
What's the city going
to look like?
Man it must be a
crazy far-away place.
And on page 45 -- I really
-- if you know this about me,
but I like to drive pretty fast.
Like the speed limit almost,
but I've always liked fast cars.
And this is a whole page
devoted to cars that go fast.
And as a kid I just
couldn't believe
that all this material
was in one book.
And guys this is only five pages
of this massive, massive book.
And once again I loved when my
mom used to read me this story.
But she used to read it and the
words almost felt like music
because I was so
lost in the pictures.
And that's the great thing
about books especially from some
of the answers we heard.
If they're colorful.
If they're vibrant.
If they have a great story.
If they have a little
bit of mystery.
If they have wonderful pictures.
They can allow us to use
that powerful thing called
imagination that allows us
to create fantastic
and wonderful things.
So I want to ask you a few
questions before we get
into this little
guy who I admire.
How many of you like
me, like cars?
Okay there's a few.
How many like trucks?
How many like cars and trucks?
Okay. How many of
you have brothers?
How many of you --
okay, alright, alright.
Energetic subject.
Maybe you've got a big
brother or little brother.
How many of you have sisters?
Oh okay. Okay.
How many of you have
brothers and sisters?
[ Crowd Noise ]
>> John Cena: Raise your hand
if you have a brother,
a sister or a cousin.
[ Crowd Noise ]
>> John Cena: Okay.
[ Background Noise ]
>> John Cena: This one
we did pretty good with.
Now, now that's a very, that's
a very important question
because it has to do with the
story I'm about to read you.
I wanted to ask if you
had a brother, a sister,
or a cousin because you know
what it's like to be close
to someone who is family.
Sometimes you guys get along.
Sometimes maybe you
have a disagreement.
Sometimes you don't get along.
But at the end of the
day because you're family
and you spend a lot of time
with each other you develop love
and bond for one another.
And that's kind of what led me
to want to write Elbow Grease,
because as you'll soon find
out, Elbow Grease lives
in a wonderful world
of imagination.
But he's just a little bit
different then his brothers.
And sometimes his
brothers don't understand
and make fun of him for it.
But Elbow Grease doesn't care
because he's proud of who he is.
So it was because of my
family that I really wanted
to write this story that I'm
going to share with you today.
Would it be okay
right now if I were
to share that story with you?
[ Cheering ]
>> John Cena: I must,
I must apologize.
I'm not as young as I
used to be and they say
that hearing is the
first thing to go.
I just couldn't hear
your answer.
Would it be okay if I shared
this story with you right now.
[ Cheering ]
>> John Cena: I -- was
that, was that a yes or?
I have to ask one more time.
Would it be oaky if I shared?
[ Cheering ]
>> John Cena: Alright.
[ Background Noise ]
>> John Cena: Well, without
further ado the moment we've all
been waiting for, the
wonderful story of Elbow Grease.
[ Background Noise ]
>> John Cena: Here is
our cast of characters.
There is Elbow Grease.
" Hee hee that tickles."
Flash. "Come on both
the stories starting."
Pinball. "Technically
at this point.
The stories already started."
And Tank "What story?"
And of course Crash.
"Last one there's
a hunk of junk."
[ Background Noise ]
>> John Cena: "Elbow
Grease, "Hey hey that's me.
Alright. Elbow grease
was the smallest truck
in the demolition derby but
he never let that bother him.
"Why should I?"
His brother Tank was tougher.
His brother Flash was faster.
His brother Pinball was smarter.
His brother Crash was braver.
Okay we get the point.
But what Elbow Grease
had was gumption.
"You got that right buster."
He always tried his best
and he never gave up.
"Ouch". Laaah.
"Oops. Yow."
At night Melvin the mechanic
plugged in Elbow Grease
to charge while the other
trucks slept outside.
Sometimes his brothers teased
him for being different.
"He's got a plug."
"He's stuck to the wall."
"He has a lithium ion battery
which requires external power
source for daily recharging."
"Huh, huh,huh, he's got a plug."
[ Laughter ]
>> John Cena: "Elbow
Grease didn't get upset.
He was glad to be inside
especially during the
rain storms.
"Yeah, have fun in the
rain you jalopies."
Then one night Mel
brought home a poster
of the Monster Truck Grand Prix
and its reigning
champion Big Wheels McGee.
Elbow Grease said, "Someday
I'm going to be on a poster."
His brothers all laughed.
"You're too slow."
"You're too small."
"Your technique and experience
are insufficient to compete
at a profession level."
"You're aaah."
"Don't hurt yourself Tank."
That made Elbow Grease mad
so mad that he zoomed off
to the Grand Prix by himself
to prove his brothers wrong.
"I'll show those
jalopies what I can do."
But in the morning, Elbow
Grease was exhausted.
You see he'd been driving
all night without a charge.
But when he arrived at the Grand
Prix he felt his circuits surge
with excitement.
And he quietly rolled
onto the track
and snuck behind the monster
trucks at the starting line.
The race was about to begin.
On your mark.
Get set. Go.
The other trucks were bigger.
The other trucks were faster.
The other trucks had more
experience and better technique.
But Elbow Grease wouldn't quite.
"Never give up."
He fell behind.
But he kept on truckin.
Oooff. He got covered in
mud, but he kept on rolling.
"Yuck." He got bashed
and smashed
and even caught fire
a little bit.
But still he kept on going.
"Owie kazowie."
Half way through the race
it started pouring rain.
Thunder rumbled.
Lightning flashed.
And all of a sudden Elbow
Grease's engine shut down.
His battery was completely dead.
"Oh rust buckets."
Elbow Grease was stuck.
And for the first
time he wondered
if his brothers were right.
And he started to cry.
"I'm not, I'm crying, I'm
just cold and tired and kind
of scared of the light."
Cracka lacka boom shaka lacka."
[ Laughter ]
>> John Cena: "The lightening
jolted the battery back to life.
Elbow Grease barely had
enough charge to keep going,
but he didn't give up
and he didn't give in.
No matter what he
would finish this race,
even if he came in last.
Mel and Elbow Grease's
brother arrived just in time
to see him rattle
across the finish line
and collapse in a heap.
And the winner's
celebration was already over.
"Ah." "Look Bo, most
of the trucks couldn't even
make it to the finish line."
And just then the winner
of the race rolled by.
"Well shift my gears and call
me Sally this kids got gumption.
You boys could learn
a lot from him."
Crash was shocked.
"Big?" Flash was stunned.
"Wheels?" Pinball was intrigued.
"McGee." Tank, Tank
was confused.
"Who?" Mel knew that Big
Wheels McGee was right.
If you only stick
with stuff you're good
at you'll never learn anything.
So the next time your problems
seems too big or too hard,
just remember a little Elbow
Grease goes a long, long way."
The End.
[ Applause ]
>> John Cena: Fist things first.
I want to say thank you.
Thank you very much
for allowing me
to share something's that's
part of my imagination with you.
And secondly I hope maybe we
could all use our imagination
today to maybe see the
world of Elbow Grease
and maybe get a wonderful
message at the same time.
But lastly and most
important, I know you guys
and gals have questions.
And I would like to
answer those questions now.
So, so I made a little
bit of extra time
because I saw how many
questions or answers we had
at the beginning and
I want to make sure
if you have a question I'll
do my best to answer it.
So this is the most
important part.
If you have questions,
I have answers.
Let's go.
[ Inaudible ]
>> Lee Ann Potter:
And we're going
to start with those questions.
And if we have additional time,
we'll move on to
some other questions.
So my colleagues who have
the microphones floating
around I think Sasha's
got one back here.
And I think, I think what
we'll have is two microphones
on each side of the room.
And if you have a question that
is on one of the flash cards
if you could hold it
up so that my friends
in the audience can see you,
they're going to walk up to you
and they're going to
ask you to say your name
and then ask your
questions, okay?
Alright. Sasha we'll start
with who you've got there.
>> John Cena: Okay
what's our first question?
>> My name is Demetrius and the
question is what's your second
favorite book?
>> What's, what's -- say again.
>> What's your second
favorite book?
>> John Cena: Second favorite
book besides Elbow Grease,
besides Cars and Trucks
and Things That Go,
I'm a huge fan of Dr. Seuss.
So I would say Green
Eggs and Ham.
Oh maybe also One
Fish, Two Fish.
I'm not sure.
Those, those are good titles.
Good titles.
>> Thank you.
>> John Cena: You're
very welcome.
Great question.
>> Lee Ann Potter: Okay.
Mia do you have someone?
[ Inaudible ]
>> Lee Ann Potter: Okay can.
>> Christine.
>> Hi, my name is Austin.
And I would like to
ask you do you still
like cars and trucks and why?
>> John Cena: Do I still
like cars and trucks?
You know I'm a little bit older
now so yes I absolutely do.
>> Lee Ann Potter: Absolutely?
>> John Cena: I do.
[ Cheering ]
>> John Cena: Because,
because cars
and the way they're designed
is someone's imagination come
to life.
If it's a sports car or if it's
a truck just the way it looks
and the way it drives
is someone's idea.
And I like that.
[ Background Noise ]
>> Lee Ann Potter: I think we
have another question over here.
>> My name is Taylor.
>> Lee Ann Potter: Sasha?
>> My name is Taylor.
>> John Cena: We have a lot of.
>> And my question is, are you
going to write another book?
>> John Cena: Huh?
Am I going to write
another book?
Honestly, that depends
on you folks.
Would you like me to
write another book?
[ Cheering ]
>> John Cena: So.
>> Thank you.
>> John Cena: So you actually
like the story that you heard?
[ Cheering ]
>> John Cena: And if given
the chance, you would want me
to write another book?
[ Cheering ]
>> John Cena: Thank you
very much for saying that.
I think this will not be
the last of the books.
Thank you.
>> Lee Ann Potter:
Great question.
[ Inaudible ]
>> My name is.
[ Crowd Noise ]
>> My name is Jofran [phonetic]
and do you like wrestling?
[ Crowd Noise ]
>> John Cena: There, there
was a question from the front,
from the front right
hand corner.
You're alright.
The question was?
>> Do you like wrestling?
>> John Cena: Do
I like wrestling?
I am proud enough to say
that I have won the world
championship 16 times.
[ Cheering ]
>> John Cena: I see some
people are excited about that.
Yes, I absolutely love WWE.
That is a great question.
Thank you for asking.
[ Crowd Noise ]
>> Lee Ann Potter: Mia or Kelly.
Mia do you have a
question back there?
Mia?
>> My, my name is Ama.
>> John Cena: We have an
important question coming in.
Let's listen up to
the question, please.
>> My name is Amasious
[phonetic]
and my question is how
many books did you read
in second grade?
>> John Cena: You know
how many books did I read
in second grade?
I was fortunate enough to have
a second grade teacher whose
favorite thing was book reports.
And in second grade I didn't
think it was such a good idea.
I used to say ah these
crummy book reports.
I got to write down
all, all my stories
about these books that I read.
But now looking back
I read a lot of books.
So I would say in second grade
at the very least just going to,
just going to ballpark it.
At the very least 10 books
and at the very most probably 15
books but without that teacher,
I probably only would
have read one or two.
So I'm very happy
for my teacher.
>> Lee Ann Potter: Christine?
>> John Cena: Yes we have
a question right here?
>> My names Avery
and my question is how did you
pick the title for Elbow Grease?
>> John Cena: Okay.
Okay. Okay.
Do you folks know what
elbow grease means?
[ Crows Noise ]
>> John Cena: No.
Okay this is the first,
this is the first time.
Usually it's like
an overwhelming yes.
But this is okay.
This is okay.
So there're a lot
of you out there
that don't know what the
word elbow grease means,
which is exactly why I chose it.
Because I want you to be so
entertained by the story,
you ask someone what
does elbow grease mean?
Now you just happened
to ask the right person
because I wrote the book.
Elbow grease means hard work.
And that's why Elbow Grease's
special talent is gumption
and he never gives up.
So today not only did
you hear a good story,
but you also learned something.
You know that elbow
grease means hard work.
>> Lee Ann Potter:
Christine's got one right here.
>> John Cena: We've got
a question right here.
>> Say your name.
>> My name is Carlson.
What's is our food?
[ Background Noise ]
>> How tall are you?
>> Lee Ann Potter:
How strong are you?
>> John Cena: Oh.
Ah. I am strong enough to
keep myself out of trouble.
Yes. That's.
Or, or get myself into trouble.
I think. I don't know.
One or the other.
That is a good question.
We have one way up in the back.
Way up in the back.
>> What is your favorite
thing that says vroom?
>> John Cena: What is my?
>> Thing that says vroom?
Like a car.
>> John Cena: Oh.
Hmm. What is my favorite
thing that says vroom?
Anything that, that
sounds like it goes fast.
Because you've heard
some cars and I --
oh I'm a huge fan of
the electric cars.
But I wish they would come
with like speakers in them
so when you put your foot on
the gas it goes vroom, vroom.
I like that noise that -- just
because I grew up with it.
I grew up with it.
I'm learning to like no noise.
>> Lee Ann Potter: Mia do.
>> John Cena: Do we have more?
>> Lee Ann Potter: Question?
>> John Cena: Of
course we have more.
Where is our next
question coming from>
>> Lee Ann Potter:
Right over here.
>> My names Jabaro [phonetic].
>> John Cena: Oh.
We have one?
>> My names Jabaro [phonetic]
and my question is what
book are you reading now?
My, my question is what
book are you reading now?
>> John Cena: Okay,
that's a great question.
So besides reading Elbow Grease
I'm reading a wonderful story
called The Storied
Life of A.J. Fikry.
It's about a book store
owner and his journey
of life through books.
And it's really,
really good but maybe
for a few years down the road.
Yes, right here.
>> My name is Charlie and
how long did it take you
to write Elbow Grease?
>> John Cena: Oh, so.
Just -- I'll, I'll answer
the question with a question.
How long do you guys think it
took to write Elbow Grease?
[ Crowd Noise ]
>> John Cena: 30 minutes?
[ Cheering ]
>> John Cena: Five minutes?
Ten minutes?
[ Cheering ]
>> John Cena: Six minutes?
Two minutes?
Two minutes.
I see a lot of two's.
[ Cheering ]
>> John Cena: Would
you like to know?
Would you like to
know how long it took?
Okay. Okay.
[ Cheering ]
>> John Cena: It took me
three years three whole years
to write Elbow Grease.
Now it seems pretty
simple, but it's not simple.
It's really hard.
And that's why I really
wanted to tell the story
because even though Elbow Grease
never gives up, there was time
in those three years
I could have been
like man this is too tough.
Or it's never going to work.
But I never gave up.
And I have a wonderful
story to show for it.
And I'm able to sit here
and share it with you.
So it took a long
time and it was tough.
It wasn't easy.
So just remember that.
Sometimes the things you
enjoy they're not easy.
They're tough and they
take a while but keep
at it and never give up.
Do we have another question?
>> My.
>> John Cena: Yes?
>> My name is Julian
and my question is
what is your favorite
and your favorite
ice cream flavor?
>> John Cena: I'll only
allow those two questions
in one question because
they're very good questions.
Favorite color right now is blue
because that's the
color of Elbow Grease.
Favorite ice cream flavor
chocolate cookie dough with M&M.
[ Cheering ]
>> John Cena: Yes.
And I also like hot
fudge and sprinkles.
I'm sure we have more.
I'm sure we have more questions.
We have one right here.
We have one right here.
>> My name is Livie [phonetic]
and what do you eat
for breakfast?
>> John Cena: What do
I eat for breakfast?
I wish, I wish it was chocolate
cookie dough ice cream.
It's not. I usually have a
bowl of cereal and some eggs
and a big glass of water.
And that's it.
[ Crowd Noise ]
>> John Cena: Do we have more?
Do we have more questions?
Do we have more time?
>> Lee Ann Potter:
I think we have
about five more minutes because.
>> John Cena: Yeah, let's
get more question --
there's questions out there.
>> Lee Ann Potter: Alright.
>> What's your name?
>> My name is Dominic.
>> John Cena: Okay
we have a question.
We have a question.
>> Are you still
with Brie Bella?
>> John Cena: Now, now Jonathan.
I, I thank you very
much for your question,
but I think you're a
little bit confused.
You see Brie Bella is
married to Daniel Bryan.
So if I answered your
question yes, that would get me
in a whole lot of trouble.
So the answer is no.
Do we have another question?
>> Lee Ann Potter: That's funny.
[ Crowd Noise ]
>> John Cena: Yes,
we have a question.
We have a question.
We have a question.
>> Lee Ann Potter: Right there.
>> My name is Dominic
and do you still wrestle?
>> John Cena: Do I still ?
Have I - how could, how could
you ask such a question?
I was just in Australia on
October 6th in a WW ring
and he next time, in
case you're wondering,
I'll be in a WW ring
is November 2nd.
In a giant tournament to see
who's the best in the world.
So yes, yes I'm still in WWE.
Next question.
We have one.
We have one.
We have a question.
We have a question.
>> Have you beat
the Rock before?
>> John Cena: Have I
beat the Rock before?
Is there anyone who knows
the answer to that question?
[ Crowd Noise ]
>> John Cena: Have I
beat the Rock before?
[ Cheering ]
>> John Cena: One more time,
have I beat the Rock before?
[ Cheering ]
>> John Cena: I have.
But he's also beat me.
So I've won and I've lost.
>> Lee Ann Potter:
I think we have time
for two more questions.
>> John Cena: You have
a wonderful crowd.
There're a lot, a lot
of questions out there.
A lot of excitement.
Do we have a question?
>> Lee Ann Potter: I think
we have one over here.
>> John Cena: We
have one right here.
We have one right here.
>> My name is Mica
and my question is why
did you become an author?
>> John Cena: Oh,
that's a great question.
>> Lee Ann Potter:
Great question.
>> John Cena: Because I wanted
to encourage young
people to read.
And that's why I didn't
write an adult book.
I wanted to become a children's
author because I know a lot
of children watch WWE
and a lot of children
like to see me perform.
So I wanted to give a chance for
young people to become readers.
>> Lee Ann Potter: And one
more and that will do it.
>> John Cena: One more question.
The final question.
Could be about ice cream.
>> Hi my name is King and
what is your favorite t-shirt?
>> John Cena: What is
my favorite t-shirt?
>> I mean your favorite shirt.
>> John Cena: What's
my favorite shirt?
Well I, I can, I can tell
you that it's what I have
on because I just dressed
my best for you guys
and I wanted to look nice.
Wait a second.
There's a picture
of it right here.
[ Laughter ]
>> John Cena: I made sure.
>> You're so funny.
>> John Cena: That
was my one demand
when we did this whole
giant photo shoot.
I said "You better have my
favorite t-shirt there."
And low and behold my
favorite t-shirt was there.
Standard white, comfortable.
>> Thank you.
>> John Cena: You're
very welcome.
And wait a second,
wait a second.
Before we wrap up the morning,
I wanted to say thank you,
thank all of you because I know
sometimes it's difficult to sit
in a place and listen
to people talk.
You guys have been a
wonderful audience.
I want to thank you.
I want to thank your parents.
I want to thank your teachers.
I hope we had some fun today.
Did you guys have some fun?
[ Cheering ]
>> John Cena: This is probably
the last time today you'll be
able to scream really loud,
so give me all you got.
Did you have some fun today?
[ Cheering ]
>> John Cena: We're
going to [inaudible].
[ Cheering ]
>> John Cena: Pretty good.
Pretty good.
[ Cheering ]
>> John Cena: So the most
important thing I wanted
to say to you guys.
I just wanted to make sure
oh that was very impressive.
I want to thank everybody
for being here today.
I want to thank you for giving
me so much energy to get
through the rest of my day.
I hope you ugys had
a wonderful day
and I hope you enjoyed
the story.
Thank you very much.
>> Lee Ann Potter: And John
the library thanks you too.
Thank you.
>> John Cena: Picture.
The flash card.