Well, hello and welcome to Super Great Kids Stories.
Wise tales from storytellers around the world, which will make you laugh and sometimes cry.
Recommended for ages 5 to 105.
I'm Kim and I love stories.
This week's story is from India and Europe.
It's called Bad Breath Lion.
It's about a lion who's looking for a new best friend and three animals who are brave enough or foolish enough to volunteer.
It's told by tip-top storyteller Nell Phoenix, who is new to Super Great Kids Stories.
She's from London and tells stories all over the world.
How are you, super great kids?
Are you having a happy July?
You'll probably have finished school or you'll be getting very close to finishing.
The long holidays are waiting in the wings.
Yippee!
I'm happy because I went swimming in the sea this weekend, which was deliciously cold, and I watched the sunset while I was swimming.
It's very pleasing to look at places we know well from the sea, where everything looks a bit different.
I wonder if you're enjoying watching the World Cup football.
I love seeing all the fans from different countries getting along together.
People who've travelled very long distances to watch their team play in North America.
The Scottish fans were particularly jolly, even though sadly, their team didn't get through to the next stage.
But that didn't stop them from having fun and making a lot of people happy with their dancing and singing.
Now...
Just before our trickster animal story about a grumpy lion, here's a quick game for you to play while we have a quick word with the grown-ups.
Do you know rhyming ping-pong?
I'll give you a word and then you take turns with your grown-up or your sibling or your pet parrot to see how many words you can each find which rhyme with that word.
Are you ready?
Since the story is about a lion, the king of the big cats, let's begin with the word cat.
Are you ready to find words that rhyme with cat?
Off you go then.
Ping pong.
Hello, super great kids.
I'm back.
How many words did you come up with rhyming with cat?
Here's a few.
Chat, bat, mat, hat, sat, fat, rat, scat.
Flat and brat.
Give yourself a pat on the back if you've got more than four.
Ooh, pat is another one that rhymes with cat.
Now.
Talking about cats, are you ready for this story about a lion?
The story comes from the Panchatantra, an ancient Indian collection of animal fables.
And it travelled with storytellers a long, long time ago through Persia and the Middle East and eventually ended up in Europe, where it was found by Aesop in Greece and he put it into his collection of fables.
So, are you sitting comfortably?
Am I sitting comfortably?
Then let's give a very warm welcome to Nell Phoenix.
Hello, everyone.
My name is Nell Phoenix and I am absolutely delighted to be here today.
And I'm here to share a great story with you, the super great kids.
I love this story.
I hope you like it, too.
We're going to go to a very hot topic. country.
And in this hot country there is a foresty type of place.
And in this great forest there was a huge stone.
And someone in that forest believed this stone was a throne.
And they believed that they were the king.
Who do you think that might be?
Someone with a loud roar.
Someone with sharp teeth and claws.
Someone with a wicked glint in their eye.
Someone who's always got a rumbling belly.
I think you're right.
I think you guessed it.
Lion.
And one day, Lion leapt up onto his big stone throne.
And picking bits of something squishy from between his teeth.
He lifted his chin and he roared out.
I need a new best friend.
I mean, if you didn't quite catch that, he said, I need a new best friend.
Well, Lion's voice was loud and thunderous.
And it echoed from tree to tree, around the forest and all the animals heard.
Oh my goodness, they were so excited.
Oh, to be Lion's new best friend, said the chattering monkeys, it will be me.
Yes, to be lion's new best friend, i think would be a fine thing, said the deer, and they sharpened up their horns against the trees And the zebras who were taking shade in the forest.
They said, I think we could be Lion's new best friend.
And they tried to shine up their fur by rubbing themselves, especially their rumps.
Do you know what a rump is?
That means their bottoms.
They rubbed their bottoms against the trees.
Give themselves a scratch and make their bottoms well shiny.
They thought that would persuade Lion to make them his new best friend.
And when everyone was ready well Actually, they were feeling rather nervous, so they decided they would go together in a line and troop through the forest towards Lion on his Throne.
And so they set off, stepping carefully over the twigs, over the fallen leaves, between the trunks of the trees, getting closer and closer, till the one at the front went.
That's a sharp intake of breath.
Do you want to do it with me?
And they all stopped.
They all twitched.
They all jumped.
They said, what is it?
And the one at the front who was a very large deer with big horns said, look at lion.
And they all peered at Lion through the twigs of the trees, looking up and looking down and looking sideways.
And they all saw that Lion had eyes.
This big, bulging belly.
And one of them said, one of the monkeys said, What happened?
What happened to Lion's last best friend?
Oh!
Oh, no!
Well, what do you think happened to Lion's last best friend?
I know you know.
You're right.
Lion had... eaten them?
I mean really, really.
Have you ever eaten your last best friend?
Of course you haven't.
And the animals were very afraid and they didn't want Lion to see them coming, so they started to tiptoe backwards backwards, backwards.
Some of them bumped into the trees and then they scattered and they fled, running and cantering and galloping away.
But three of the animals, I'll tell you who they were.
Crocodile, bear and little grey fluffy hare.
You know what a hare is.
It's like a big rabbit, really.
So fluffy, grey, rabbit-y hare.
They went forward to Lion and Lion saw them coming and Lion climbed up on his throne and he looked and said Ah, so I'm not alone.
You are the candidates, are you?
Do you know what that means?
That means you're the people who have stepped up to be candidates. chosen.
You are the candidates, are you?
Line yourselves up.
And so crocodile, bear and soft fluffy hair lined up.
And Lion looked at Crocodile and he said in his deep voice, Are you ready to take my test?
Well Crocodile, you know, he's got sharp teeth himself and he's got sharp claws and he's got really thick, scaly skin.
He's never been afraid of anybody, has he?
And he went, yes.
And then Lion took in a deep breath.
And then he breathed out right into Crocodile's face.
And his breath was hot.
And smelly.
And it made Crocodile's eyes water.
It made his head spin.
He could barely stand.
And Lion looked at him. eyeball to eyeball and said, well, what do you think?
Crocodile, he said, your breath is foul.
If you please, I'd rather stuff my nose with bees than smell your breath.
But Lion shook his head and he said, oh dear.
Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear, wrong answer.
Lion opened his jaws wide and three, two, one, snap!
He gobbled up Crocodile in one great gulp.
And then Lion turned to Bear.
And Bear.
He wasn't really feeling very brave right now, having seen Crocodile, you know, eaten as a starter and he didn't really want to be the main course.
Lion looked at him and said, Are you ready to take my hand?
And even though Bear said yes, his head was shaking side to side as if he was saying no.
Lion breathed in a great breath.
Can you do the breath out with me?
It's going to be hot, moist and really smelly.
Can you do that?
Ready and...
He breathed out right into Bear's face.
Bear's eyes were rolling.
His fur stood on end.
His head was spinning round and round.
And Lion looked at him, eyeball to eyeball, and said, Well...
What do you think?
Now, what are you going to do?
You know, it's tricky, isn't it?
Because Crocodile told the truth, didn't he?
And look what happened to him.
And Bear was trying to think fast and to tell you the truth.
Bears don't know how to think fast because bears' brains are quite slow.
So Bear said Oh Lion, your breath it smells like, And he tried to think of things that smell so lovely.
What do you think he could say?
Your breath smells of roses, of perfume and posies.
Your breath smells of sweet things, sugary and light.
Your breath smells like... And you can add some ideas right here.
But Lion was not pleased.
Lion looked at Bear and said, Wrong answer.
And he opened his mouth wide and he swallowed Bear. in one great gulp.
I mean, there's no pleasing some people, is there?
And then who was left in the line?
Little soft, fluffy, grey hair.
Hair was quivering.
Hair's ears were plastered down by the side of Hair's face.
The corners of his mouth drawn down.
Tears sprang into his eyes.
But Lion didn't care.
Lion strode right up to Hare and said, Are you ready to take my test?
And Hare said no.
But Lion wasn't listening.
Took in a breath.
Breathed out his smelly hot breath.
You know what?
Hare's ears blew back so hard they nearly blew right off his head.
His eyes were spinning in their sockets.
His brain was swirling inside his skull.
He staggered from side to side to side and then...
And then Hare had a hare-brained idea.
He twitched his nose and he said, Ha!
Choo!
A lion looked and said, What did you say?
And Hare said, Ha!
Ha!
Ha!
Ha!
Choo!
What is this?
Chew.
Chew what?
Chew.
Chew.
Chew.
And Hare looked up with a twinkle and said, I'm so sorry, lion.
He was speaking like he had a blocked up nose, you see.
I'm so sorry, lion, but I have got a cold in my nose.
A nose full of snot.
And I can't smell anything at all.
And Lion laughed, even though he thought he'd been tricked.
And so Hare and Lion became sort of friends, but, you know, really?
Really?
Do you want to be with someone who eats everyone around?
So Hare was plotting and planning.
And not long after, Hare came boinging through the forest one day and said Oh lion, oh lion, oh lion.
I have just met a bigger lion than you.
What? said Lion.
I have just met a scarier lion than you.
A what? said Lion.
I have just met a more ferocious lion than you.
Where? said Lion.
And so Hare led Lion through the forest.
And just at the edge of the forest there was a well.
Do you know what a well is?
I'm sure you do.
It's when you dig a hole down down, down deep into the ground and there's water down at the bottom.
Down there, said Hare, down there at the bottom of the well, there is the biggest, scariest lion in the land.
And so slowly Lion crept over and Lion looked over the edge and he looked down.
And when he looked down into that water, what did he see looking back?
A big, scary lion.
But you know and I know what he's looking at.
You know and I know that when you look into water, it's like looking into a mirror.
That's right.
And what you're looking at is your own reflection.
And when Lion saw this lion looking back, Lion opened his mouth and he roared.
And of course, the echo of his voice bounced back.
And it seemed like the lion at the bottom of the well roared too.
And then lion flailed his paws in the air, his great claws extended.
And when he looked down...
He saw the lion at the bottom of the well, swung his great claws back at him.
Not having this, said lion.
And then he leapt around. there was a splash at the bottom of the well, and hair hopped away.
And as far as I know, that lion was never seen again.
And Hare and all the other animals in that forest you and I know lived happily ever.
Thanks very much to Nell Phoenix for that story.
Just brilliant.
Did you have a favourite bit?
Quite like the moment when the animals saw the lion's big bulging belly and realised with a sharp intake of breath why lion needed a new best friend and what exactly had happened to the last one.
I was lucky enough once to see a lion when I was travelling in South Africa.
It was sitting on the road right in front of us, so we had to stop until it decided to move.
We were so close that I could see fleas hopping up and down on its head.
Honestly, luckily there was a car door between me and it.
And anyway, it looked rather sleepy rather than hungry.
I remember its eyes were like liquid amber.
Special moment.
And here's my question.
Can you think what you would have said to the lion about his bad breath if you'd been one of the animals waiting to take his test?
That's a tricky one.
Ask your grown-ups what they might have said.
You don't want to offend him.
Maybe you could draw a picture of Lion and fluffy grey hair with the well in the background.
Send it to us via our website supergreatkidsstoriescom, or on Facebook facebookcom forward.
Slash supergreatkidsstories.
And we'll post it for our story fans to enjoy.
And now it's time to flip-flap-fly around the world with StoryOwl, to say hello and thank you to the owlets who recently hopped into our nest and joined our storytelling club.
Let's begin with some listeners in the United States who've been waiting very patiently for me to say hello.
Hello to Nishama, who's seven, and Raphael, who is five.
They live in the little mountain town of Lyons in Colorado.
Nishama's favourite story is Anansi and the Party.
And Raphael is a fan of Nien the Sea Monster and Why Rat is number one.
Their mum, Aviva, loves Anansi and the Hot Pepper Soup.
Good choices.
We'll fly north now across the Canadian border to British Columbia to say hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo to Alina, who's seven, and four-year-old Luna, who are in Coquitlam.
Their favourites are Medio Pollito, Little Half Chick, and Bonita, the Tricky Sheep.
Hello now to some cousins who live on either side of the Atlantic.
Nathaniel, who's seven, lives in Warwick here in the UK.
He and his cousins in Calgary in Canada Milo, Ethan and Louis, listen to the same stories, even though they're thousands of miles apart.
Isn't that lovely?
Nathaniel loves the Anansi stories and Tatterhood is another favourite.
Well, do listen out next week because we've got another story from Sarah Lisa who told Tatterhood.
Let's stay in the UK as we fly towards Northampton to say...
To Owlet Aidan, who has just turned three.
His birthday was in late June.
His favourite story is Maui and the Giant Fish.
Aidan has just returned from a campervan trip to Scotland.
Lucky you!
A short flight across the North Sea now to the Netherlands to greet Owlet Ivy, who is six.
She says she doesn't have a favourite because she enjoys all the stories.
Well, that is lovely to hear, Ivy.
She's also been having fun reading the Super Great Kids Stories book, Yippity-Doo-Dah Day.
A long flight south now, across Europe, the Mediterranean Sea and most of Africa.
All the way to Zambia to say hello to Kerov, who's nine, and Rayan, who's four.
Rayan loves stone soup and the talking watermelon, and Kherav loves all the Anansi stories.
He also really enjoys the Brothers Grimm fairy tales.
Me too, Kherav.
We've got another of those coming next week.
Another long flight now, this time east across the sea to New Zealand to greet Owlets, Sibi who's eight, Plum who's seven and five-year-old Huxley.
They're from Auckland and they listen in the car And at bedtime.
Their favourites are Tatterhood, Lussmore and the Gift from the Fairies, The Mouse Princess and all the Anansi stories.
And let's keep flying east now, all the way across the Pacific to Los Angeles in the US, to say hello to Scarlett, who's six, and Leila, who's three.
Scarlett's favourite stories are Loki the Trickster and A Nancy and the Talking Watermelon.
Scarlett and Leila listen on the way to summer camp and on road trips.
Let's fly inland now to New Mexico to greet Kalia, who's six, and four-year-old Lucas, who live in Santa Fe.
Kalia's favourite is the sassy speckled hen.
Lucas likes most of the scary stories, but his very favourite is the singing bone.
A short hop to the next-door state of Texas.
Now to greet Owlet Johnny, who's been listening for years.
He's a fan of eggshell soup, told by Kate Corkery.
Yes, that's one of my favourites too.
I like the bit where the changeling says, I want whiskey, I want tobacco.
A long flight east across the US now to Rochester in New York to say hello to Roxy, who's four, and Hugo, who's two.
Roxy's favourite is the milk hare.
Hugo's is the wide-mouthed frog.
They say when they eat, they like to say hello.
Who are you and what do you eat?
They've also been enjoying the Super Great Kids Stories book.
And finally, hello again to the Canoop family who live on a houseboat here in the UK.
Jude, who turned five this week.
Hope you had a happy day.
Jude has become an owlet, just like his big brother Ralph.
Jude's favourite stories are The Mouse Princess and Baboon and Tortoise.
Good choices.
And our Picture of the Week goes to five-year-old Mila from Kansas for her drawing of a goblin from the story The Woodcutter and the Goblins.
Mila has called her goblin Spiky.
We love its many legs with claws instead of toes and a face that would terrify anyone.
And such spiky hair.
Yikes, I don't think I'd dance with a goblin like that, would you Mila?
Thanks for your drawing, so imaginative.
If you'd like to see it, go to our website supergreatkidsstoriescom or to our Facebook page, facebookcom.
Forward slash supergreatkidsstories.
And thanks to all Owlets for your super great support.
It's because of you that we can keep finding new stories and storytellers in different countries.
We'll see you next time.
Plus 50 Super Great Scary Stories and, depending on your level of subscription, over 60 bonus stories.
Plus access to our Super Great Kids Stories Express with short introductions, no adverts, purely story.
Great for listening back to back.
Visit our website for more details, supergreatkidsstories.com.
Do support us if you can, even if it's for one month.
Every little helps, or as my mum used to say, every mickle makes a muckle.
If you like these stories, do tell a friend about them.
And if you're a grown-up and like stories, then good news.
Storyteller and musician Nick Hennessy, who told the very popular scary story Molly and the Skeleton, has started a podcast for grown-ups and children over 12.
It's called Our Word In Your Ear Audio Café.
It's all about storytelling.
And, in addition to the stories, there are interviews with storytellers and musicians, all accompanied with beautifully mixed sound music and stories.
Nick is a talented sound artist, so do have a listen on Patreon to A Word In Your Ear Audio Cafe.
Happy listening and telling!
This podcast was produced by Kim Normanton and David Smith at Wardour Studios in fabulous Fitzrovia in London.
