Hey, campers.
Erica Henningsen here, camp counselor for Circle Round Summer Camp.
Summertime is usually hot.
And when you're hot, you probably don't think a lot about snow.
Unless maybe you could take a big old bite out of some snow to cool off.
Well, here goes.
Circle Round's episode, The Snow Eater.
WBUR Podcasts, Boston.
In your part of the world, what is spring like?
Do the flowers and trees burst into bloom?
Can you hear the twittering of birds and the buzzing of bees?
Springtime is when certain animals emerge from the long winter's nap known as hibernation, including most bears.
In today's story, we'll learn how the bear's wintertime snooze came to be.
I'm Rebecca Shear, and welcome to Circle Round, where storytime happens all the time.
Today, our story is called The Snow Eater.
It's based on tales from the Blackfoot, indigenous peoples who traditionally lived in present-day Alberta, Canada, and the U.S. state of Montana.
Some really great people came together to bring you our adaptation of this legend, including Cree Summer, who's lent her voice to such animated movies and TV shows as The Patrick Star Show, The Loud House, Rugrats, Muppet Babies, DC Superhero Girls,
Atlantis, The Lost Empire, Clifford the Big Red Dog, and Good Times, which she also voice-directed.
You grown-ups can check out Cree this season on the ABC comedy Abbott Elementary.
So circle around, everyone, for The Snow Eater.
Long ago, a young woman named Apani lived with her grandmother.
One year, in the middle of a cold, bleak winter, grandmother fell ill. And as the old woman lay in bed, her body growing weaker and her breath growing fainter, she called her granddaughter to her side.
As you know, dear granddaughter, my days on this earth are drawing short.
Soon I will enter the spirit world of our ancestors.
But before I go, I wish to give you something.
The old woman unfurled her fingers and handed Apani a pipe, its long, thin stem adorned with paint, beads, feathers, and fur.
It's beautiful.
It's also powerful.
This pipe is a medicine pipe.
It was given to our people many ages ago by the Thunder Chief.
And it has the power to do great things.
What kinds of things, Grandmother?
You shall see when the time is right.
When the time is right.
Soon after that, Grandmother breathed her last breath and was gone.
Now that Apani was on her own, the bleak, bitter winter seemed to drag on and on.
But then, as she was trudging through the snow and wind one bitingly brisk day, she suddenly realized why.
The Chinook!
The snow eater hasn't come!
The Chinook, or snow eater, is a warm, dry wind you'll find in the Rocky Mountain region of North America.
It's called the snow eater because when it sweeps down a snowy mountainside, it makes the air so warm and dry that the snow can instantly evaporate.
It can disappear into thin air before it even has a chance to melt.
The Chinook should have blown in by now, eaten up the snow and brought the spring.
If it doesn't come blowing in soon, I'm gonna freeze.
Unless I starve first.
Apani was right.
Food and firewood were getting harder and harder to come by.
But one morning...
As she was hopelessly scouring the forest for both, she suddenly heard...
Listen up, folks!
A voice.
I've got news to share.
Big news.
Intrigued, Apani followed the voice to the edge of a snowy clearing.
She hid behind a frozen tree as the chatty, black-and-white bird known as Magpie addressed a group of animals.
There was Fluffy, Wide-Eyed Owl.
What's the news, Magpie?
Skinny Little Weasel.
Don't leave us hanging.
And Shaggy Coyote.
Spill the beans already, won't you?
All right, friends.
Brace yourselves.
I know what happened to the Chinook.
You do?
I do.
It was stolen by Bear.
Bear stole the Chinook?
Where did that burly bully take it?
Word has it he brought the Chinook to a secret den somewhere so he could hoard the warmth for himself.
After all, he's sick and tired of shivering all winter long, just like we are.
True, but thanks to Bear's greediness, we might never see spring again.
Yeah, we'll all grow colder and hungrier.
Then the Chinook will stay with Bear forever.
I wouldn't be sure about that.
The animals jumped and whipped their heads around as Apani stepped into view.
I'm sorry to startle you, but I come as a friend.
A friend who's every bit as cold and hungry as you are, and every bit as eager to welcome the spring.
My name is Apani, and I don't believe the Chinook has to stay with Bear forever.
The animals exchanged a skeptical look.
But Bear is bigger than all of us.
Not to mention burlier.
And bossier.
We could never get that bully to set the snow eater free.
You know what?
You're probably right.
The ponies smiled.
That's why we're gonna take it.
Take it?
Absolutely.
By working together.
Magpie, thanks to your long tail and rounded wings, you're a whiz at swooping and diving, right?
Right.
And Owl, you have incredible hearing and eyesight.
You can hear and see stuff from miles away.
True?
True.
And Weasel, not only are you lightning fast, but you can flatten your body and slither through the tiniest of cracks.
Yes?
Yes.
And Coyote, you've got strong muscular legs that can push and kick, correct?
That is correct.
But what does any of this have to do with taking the Chinook?
It has everything to do with taking the Chinook.
If we band together and use our special strengths, I believe we can track down the snow eater and rescue it from bear's clutches.
Are you with me?
Magpie, Owl, Weasel, and Coyote were quiet for a moment.
Then...
One by one, they nodded their feathery and furry heads.
We're with you, Apani.
We'll work together.
We will rescue the Chinook.
We will set the Snow Eater free.
That's the spirit.
I just have to make one quick stop at home, and then we can get started.
And listen, friends, with a little courage and a lot of teamwork, I promise spring will finally be sprung.
How will Apani and her new friends work as a team to rescue the snow eater?
We'll find out what happens after a quick break.
I'm Rebecca Shearer.
Welcome back to Circle Round.
Today, our story is called The Snow Eater.
Before the break, Apani and her new friends Magpie, Owl, Weasel, and Coyote were determined to free the warm Chinook Wind, or Snow Eater, from Bear's secret den.
Apani stopped home to fetch the medicine pipe her dearly departed grandmother had given her.
Then she and the animals ventured into the winter wilderness.
Owl acted as scout, flying ahead and surveying the landscape below.
As the group passed through an ice-sculpted valley beneath a towering mountain, Owl let out a hoot.
I hear bears' grumbles and growls coming from the top of that mountain.
And I see a big pile of rocks.
It looks like the entrance to a secret den.
Well done, Owl.
Bear must be up there, which means the Chinook must be up there, too.
Come on, everybody.
We're going up.
Slowly but surely, Apani and the animals made their way up the snow-covered slope.
When they reached the pile of rocks, Apani turned to Weasel.
Weasel, I want you to slide beneath these rocks and scurry inside.
Take a look around the den, then come back out and tell us what you saw.
You've got it.
Quick as a wink, Weasel flattened his slender body and slithered under the rocks.
When he wriggled out a moment later, his dark eyes were shining.
I saw the Chinook!
It's in the very back of the den, and it's tied up inside a great big bag.
Bear is standing over it and watching it like a hawk.
Nice job, Weasel, and thanks for the heads up.
Apani turned to Coyote and Magpie.
Coyote, Magpie, you're next.
I want you to use those strong legs of yours to move some of these rocks so that magpie and i can enter the den
And once we're in magpie i want you to swoop and dive like your life depends on it
Got it got it
Coyote took a breath, then shoved the rocks aside with a kick.
But just as a pony and magpie were squeezing through the opening, they heard a deep growl and saw the big, hulking form of bear skulking their way.
I thought I heard intruders trying to enter my secret den.
How dare you barge your way in here and...
But before Bear could utter another word, Magpie was flapping her rounded wings, flicking her long tail, and swooping all over him.
Bear squirmed, wriggled and writhed as he tried fighting off the dive-bombing bird.
Now that Bear was sufficiently distracted,
Apani skirted past him, seized the bag with the Chinook inside, and hoisted it over her shoulder.
I've got it!
Magpie, I've got the Chinook!
Go out and join the others.
I'll take it from here.
Magpie did as she was told, but the moment she winged her way out of the den, Bear made an unexpectedly quick recovery.
He let out a roar, then scrambled to his feet and came lumbering toward a punny.
You are trying to steal my Chinook, are you?
Your Chinook?
The last time I checked, the Snow Eater belongs to everyone.
Not anymore.
It's mine now.
And guess what?
So are you.
Pawnee didn't have a second to lose.
As Bear lunged at her with another roar, she reached into her pocket and pulled out the medicine pipe.
Grandmother said to use this pipe when the time was right.
And this time seems as right as any.
Quick as a wink, she put the pipe to her lips, puffed out her cheeks, and blew.
A cloud of smoke came bursting out, enveloping Bear in a gauzy haze.
At first, he froze, standing still as a stone.
Then, slowly, his head lulled backward, his jaws opened wide, and he let out a yawn so powerful a pony could feel his hot breath on her face.
Gosh, it's bedtime already.
I'm so tired.
Drowsy all of a sudden.
Bear staggered backwards, swaying and tottering.
I don't know why, but I can hardly keep my eyes open.
Maybe if I just lay down and took a little nap.
And with that, he crumpled to the ground, curled into a big burly ball, and dropped off to sleep.
As Bear snored away, Apani hurried out of the den and back to her friends.
Okay, everybody, I have the Chinook, but I need your help getting this bag open.
Bear's knots are super tight.
The animal set to work undoing the knots.
Magpie used her long black beak.
Owl used her thick, sharp talons.
Weasel used his pointy little teeth.
Coyote used his powerful jaws.
And then, at long last, the bag burst open and out flew the Chinook.
After sweeping across the mountaintop, the warm, dry snow eater rushed down to the world below.
In an instant, the blanket of snow vanished.
We did it, friends.
We freed the Chinook.
We freed the snow eater.
But we'd better get out of here.
Bear could wake up any minute.
A ponny, magpie, owl, weasel, and coyote scurried down the slope.
And just in time, too.
Because who should come roaring out of his den?
What?
But a very angry bear.
They're gone.
Those steves are gone.
And so is my Chinook.
Now I'll have to endure the icy cold winters again.
Unless... A gleam came into his eye.
Unless I sleep through the winters.
That nap did feel good.
Every year when winter comes, I can just conk out.
And wouldn't you know it?
That's exactly what he's done ever since.
Bear spends all winter hibernating, snoozing and dreaming in his den.
And then, when the Chinook comes blowing in, and its warm, dry breeze eats up the snow, the world springs back to life.
And Bear does, too.
Find some paper and something to draw with and make a picture of you and your team working together.
Share your picture with a grown-up in your life, then ask them to tell you about a time they used teamwork to achieve a goal.
No matter our age, learning to be part of a team can help us practice patience, respect, and cooperation.
It can also help us develop trust in other people and confidence in ourselves.
Woo!
This week's episode, The Snow Eater, was adapted by me, Rebecca Shear.
It was edited by Sophie Codner.
Our original music and sound design is by Eric Shimalonis.
Our artist is Sabina Han.
Want to color while you listen?
Sabina has created a black and white coloring page for all of our Circle Round stories.
And you can print them out and color them in.
Special thanks to this week's actors, Amy Brentano, Kevin Corbett, Ryan Dallasung, Sean Richards, Todd Schofield, Dawn Ursula, and Cree Summer, who first stole my heart as Penny on the animated series Inspector Gadget and Winifred Freddie Brooks on the NBC sitcom A Different World.
We'll be right back.
Once more, that's wbur.org slash Circle Round.
And while you're at wbur.org slash Circle Round, you can check out our upcoming live events, get your hands on our Circle Round picture books,
And you can become the newest member of the Circle Round Club.
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Not only that, but you'll get exclusive access to the Circle Round Club store where you can nab all sorts of extra goodies including our snuggly plush lion and a personalized birthday message from me, Rebecca Shear.
Become a member of the Circle Round Club today at wbur.org slash circle round.
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CircleRound is a production of WBUR, Boston's NPR news station.
I'm Rebecca Shearer.
Thanks for circling round with us.
Now that you've made it to the end of this Circle Round episode, we want to know, what's your favorite Circle Round story?
Thousands of fans just like you have been telling us about the Circle Round stories they like best.
Take a listen.
Maybe one of their favorites is one of yours too.
My name's Amalia.
I'm from Melbourne, Australia.
My favourite second-round story is The Serpent's Day.
And my favourite part is when the serpent goes, cup-de-doodle-doo.
My name is Weston, and I live in Oak Creek, Colorado.
And my favorite story is Mining Rhino, and I like the part when he bonks his head on the hat.
My name is Miles and I live in New Orleans and my favorite episode is The Bassist Stare and my favorite part is when she points the shield at the basses and she saw her brother and then more people came and she's like, what?
My name is Zoe.
I live in Pittsburgh, and my favorite sick-around story is the Blizzard Wizard.
I like the part when the girl rides the deer.
My name is Charlotte.
I live in Dallas, Texas.
My favorite Circle Round story is buried treasure.
My favorite part is when their aunt says that she found a treasure map.
My name is Sam.
I live in Rochester, New York.
My favorite circle around is Strong Mind and Kind Heart.
And my favorite part is the end when Strong Mind wakes up in the house that they used to live in.
My name is Beth.
I live in Wellington, New Zealand.
My favorite Circle Round story is the fisherman's leftovers, and my favorite part is when he goes on to the beach of gold.
My name is Cole, and I live in Portland, Maine.
And my favorite Circle Round is Grime and Punishment.
My favorite part is when the farmer gets dirt.
Did someone mention a story you've missed?
Not to worry.
Grownups, you can find all of our Circle Round stories
Plus links to the Circle Round Club, picture books, coloring pages, and oh so much more on our website, wbur.org slash circleround.
