Hi, Rebecca Shear here. Before we get to our story, exciting news.
Circle Round is going back on tour. with live recordings across the united states our first stop Sunday, October 5th in Parker, Colorado at the Pace Center.
And Circle Round Club members are invited to a special post-show meet and greet with me and composer Eric Shimalonis.
Get your tickets at wbur.org slash circle around and click on events.
We're announcing more tour stops soon, so stay tuned.
We look forward to circling around with you live.
Think about a time you heard a good story.
A gripping tale that kept you riveted from start to finish.
Maybe it was a bedtime story a grown-up told you.
Maybe it was a folktale you heard here on Circle Round.
Stories have the power to capture our attention and our imagination.
And we're about to hear not one... but many stories, each of them created by Circle Round listeners like you. whistling Welcome to Circle Out.
I'm your host, Connor Mill. Andrew Berrygold.
Evan Park. Johanna Zapp. And I'm Rebecca Shear.
And those are just a few of my guest hosts on today's special fan edition of Circle Round.
At the start of the summer, we asked you to tell your own story in the Circle Round style, then send it to us.
Well, a bunch of you heeded the call. And today you'll hear some of the stories we received from near and far.
Just like the folktales you hear on Circle Round, these stories take place at a certain time.
Once upon a time One day Long ago Once upon a time Once upon a time in a certain location, There was a village far, far away in a cozy house.
And their subject matter runs the gamut, from termites to talking hamburgers, dragons to droughts, crabs to kings.
Some of the stories have been edited for time, and many fascinating. feature special added-on music by Circle Round's composer, Eric Shimalonis.
But our first story came with music all its own.
Here's Sonia with her original tale, The Kitties and the Cobblers.
Once there was a cobbler who met a kitty.
And then it shared a loaf of bread and some cheese in the morning.
It was so funny. The cats laughed. Did you know cats could laugh?
They can. Well, this cat can, and this bear can talk.
Doesn't your bears can talk? If they're a magic bear, of course they can.
And if they're a magic cat. They can cough.
Oh, the cobbler, meanwhile, has a pleasant life.
Because he was in a grand house. With a kitty nearby who's licking at the window right now.
And have a great life. And the end. Bye.
Our next story is about a drought and includes a word you may not know.
That's a bunch of rocks under the ground that allow water to pass through them.
Now, here's Julian with Jansen and the Village.
Once upon a time there was a village and they got their fresh water from the local pond because there were no grocery stores in that village.
But there had been a drought and that dried up the local pond.
In a hilly area near the village there is a cave and in that cave lived a dragon named Janton.
Johnson saw that the pond was dried up, so he came to help, but all he did was scare all of the villagers away.
But there was a little girl named Samantha that lived in the village who thought that dancing was nice.
So she came to help Jansen help the villagers.
It was a long journey, but eventually she made it. said, who are you?
And she replied, I'm Samantha. And Jonathan said, have you heard that the local pond is dried up?
And Samantha said, yes. And Jonathan said, should we go help? them get their fresh water back?
And Amanda said, yes, but how? And Jansen said, We can dig to the aquifer.
And Samantha said, Yeah, so they set off for the village, and when they got to the village, Samantha introduced and dancing to the villagers and they started to dig until they finally got to the aquifer, and in the end, the villagers became friends with Janton. some fans sent videos of their stories.
This next fan handwritten text and hand-drawn artwork, which you can see on our website wbur.org slash circle round.
Here's Arav. with Dragon's First Day of School.
It was Dragon's first day of school. Dragon was worried, so he went to Kitty.
He said, have you been to school, Kitty?
Yes, said Kitty. Can you tell me about it?
Okay, but... I go to kiddie school and you go to dragon school.
Okay, said dragon. When he got home, His mother said, I know how dragon school is.
Really? I struggled guessing, Mama. Okay, I'll give it a go.
Okay, son, go get some sleep. You can go to school.
Tomorrow, the next day, Dragon went to school.
It was lots of fun. The end. This next tale involves some things you've heard in past Circle Round episodes.
Fairies. Bells. Silver, gold, but our storyteller scout puts them together in a whole new way.
One day, Marlow the fairy was looking for a place to stay.
She found a big gold bell. She went inside and the clapper tapped her head.
Hard. Ouch! She climbed out. That was not the perfect bell.
Then she found a big silver bell. She went inside, And the bell rang so loud, Marlo clasped her hands to her ears.
Owie! She climbed out. That was not the perfect bell.
She found a big brass bell. She went inside and it was perfect.
Wow, she stayed inside. This is the perfect bell.
The end. Mountains are something we love writing about on Circle Round.
Think about the mountain spring or the towering peaks Maz weaving sails over in the magic cloth.
Mount Helen was recorded by Henry. with a little help from his mom Miranda.
And listen for the special sound effects they include toward the end.
Once upon a time, in the middle of nowhere, There was a puddle of jelly in a pot in the palace of a king.
And the tailor was there eating lunch with the king.
Fabulous food. Oh, what a beautiful day to be a king!
Oh, King, you are very stinky. I must bring you some new clothes.
But as the tailor got up, he accidentally threw the pot of jelly flying onto the king's crown. and it turned it all blue and pink.
Oh, Taylor, I'm so mad at you. Never do that again.
Please be more careful. Then he made his servants wash his crown, While at that time his palace was on a creaky mountain, Mount Helen, almost about to collapse.
And in the middle of it, There was a lava dragon that spit lava all over the cave.
That's why it was going to collapse. I'm going to collapse the whole map team.
And one of those days, the mountain did collapse with the king in the palace.
Ahhhh! My mountain collapsed, but I'm as clean as can be.
That's great, one little bit. Why? Maybe the dragon is down there.
He might burn me to a crisp. But the king lost his fear and went to see the dragon.
But when he got down to the dragon's lair, What did he find but the dragon's fossil and all his red skin chipped off?
The lesson is always be brave. On Circle Round, you'll often meet characters who surprise everybody.
Because they talk. Think about the pot in the three-legged pot. or the bowl in the magic bowl, or the shovel, axe, and hazelnut in curious boots.
In this next story, sent to us by Akash, the talking character is something completely different.
A hamburger? Once upon a time, there were two classmates called Bill and Floyd.
One day, Bill and Floyd saw a delicious, juicy hamburger sitting on the sharing table in the cafeteria. they both want to devour the hamburger suddenly They heard a voice talking from the hamburger, which was really a magical talking hamburger.
It said, the one who listens to directions shall get the treat.
The one who ignores them will get beat. Bill and Floyd stared at the hamburger in awe.
The hamburger said gingerly, please don't eat me.
Floyd said, okay, I won't eat you. And he ate his yummy bologna sandwich instead. but Bill said, I'm gonna eat you anyway.
Just as he was about to take a bite of the hamburger, his nose turned into a pickle.
Bill screamed and ran away and never ate another hamburger again.
The hamburger rewarded Floyd with a lifetime supply of hoverboards which was his favorite toy.
The moral of this story is follow directions, don't ignore them.
A character you'll meet in many folktales is the dragon.
We've included a few dragons here on Circle Round, like in Stella and the Dragon and the Noblest Tale.
Andrew wrote his own story about a dragon, played by his mother, Andrea, who also serves as narrator.
Long ago on a tall mountain lived a sad dragon.
Below the tall mountain there was a village.
The people didn't know why the dragon was sad.
Why are you sad? I'm sad because I lost my ball.
I'll help you find your ball. Where do you remember seeing it last?
I remember I took it to the park. So the man and the dragon went to the park to look for the lost ball.
Let's split up and look around the park for your ball.
The man and the dragon looked for hours, but didn't find the ball.
Where did you go after the park? I went home to take a nap.
Then the boat is probably at your house.
Let's go look. The man and the dragon went back to the top of the tall mountain to look for the ball at the dragon's house.
After hours of looking, I found it. It was in the nightstand by your bed.
Oh, I remember. I put it there before my nap. so it wouldn't get lost.
Thank you so much. From then on, the man and the dragon were best friends.
The end. And now, another dragon tale. This one created by Iris, with help from her dad, Derek.
There was once a dragon lived all alone in a cave.
His name was Myro. Hello. Myra loved to bake.
There was once a little girl who lived with her parents.
Her name was Alice. Hello. Alice loved to draw.
One day, Myra decided to bake a cake. But then he realized that he was all out of ginger, and the only place that had some more ginger was the town.
Oh no! All of a sudden, he heard a knock.
When he opened the door, there was a little girl.
A little one? Would you help me find some ginger in the town?
Sure. Said the girl, my name is Alice. And my name is Myro.
I would go look if I found any ginger in the town.
Thank you. said Myro. The little girl looked everywhere, but she couldn't find any changer.
Alice was about to give up when she saw some ginger in the street.
She delivered the ginger and both of them were happy.
If you've been listening to Circle Round, then you know we can't resist a good rabbit story.
You've heard rabbits wish, sweet corn and clever rabbit share and share alike.
Rabbit shows up as a trickster character in many cultures.
And he shows up in the next tale we'll hear. sent to us by Brooklyn, with help from parents Marisa and Paul. long ago in a desert not so far away, lived two unlikely friends.
Rabbit and Crab One day, Rabbit, who was known far and wide as a trickster... shared an idea with his friend.
Yes, my friend. I sure would like to eat some juicy carrots.
Wouldn't you? Of course I would. It just so happens that I know where we can get some carrot seeds.
Will you help me to plant and raise the carrots?
That's a great idea. I have a piece of land we can use.
Let's start today. Together, rabbit and crab tended to the carrots.
They prepared the land, planted the seeds, watered the sprouts, And finally, they harvested the carrots together one afternoon.
The friends worked to make two piles, separating out the leafy green carrot tops. with the juicy orange carrot bottoms.
Secretly. Rabbit wanted to keep all of the carrot bottoms to himself.
Tell you what. I can see how hard you worked with me, Krabs.
I want you to have the larger of the two piles.
Crab looked at the two piles and realized that the larger pile was the pile of leafy green carrot tops.
Dear friend, I insist you have the larger pile.
Oh, no. I insist you have earned the larger pile.
Crab, who was also clever, had an idea. What if I make two piles and you choose which one you want?
Or you make the two piles and I choose which one I want.
That would be the fair way. I have a better idea.
Why don't we have a race back here from that cactus over there and whoever wins the race gets the pile of carrot bottoms and the loser gets the tops.
Sure, my friend. That could work. Let's walk over the cactus.
As a jester of Goodwill Crab, I want you to have both piles if you win, and...
Since you have short legs and move a little bit slower than I, I will even give you a head start of, say, 10 paces.
Oh no, Rabbit, you are too kind. I would like to give you a head start of ten pieces.
Rabbit thought for a moment. As a trickster himself, he couldn't work out what the trick was.
So he readily agreed as they reached the cactus where they would start their race.
Why don't you say ready, set, go? Okay, good idea.
Ready, set, go. Krabs scurried up behind him, reached out his claw, and grabbed onto Rabbit's tail.
In the excitement of starting the race, Rabbit didn't notice a thing.
Rabbit raced toward the piles of carrots, kicking up clouds of dust.
Just before arriving at the carrots, he turned around to see how far back Crab was behind him.
But all he could see was the clouds of dust he had kicked up.
At the same time, Crab let go of Rabbit's tail.
And swung on top of the pile of carrot bottoms Crab?
I can't see you I'm right here behind you.
Rabbit whipped around to see his friend Crab wearing a triumphant grin on his face. sitting on top of the pile of carrot bottoms.
Rabbit was incredulous. How did you beat me?
I won fair and square. Now, about those carrots.
Our next tale comes from a fan who's been listening to Circle Round since we first launched back in 2017.
She also sent us a picture to accompany her story, which you can see on our website wbur.org slash circle round.
Now, here's Johanna. with where the termites work.
Down in the savannah, the termites work.
The termite's mom lays her eggs. One egg hatch.
Her name is Hollyester. She goes by Holly.
She started her life. She started her journey and she started to work.
She started to work on her termite mound, which is her house.
She worked and worked. And worked. And worked.
Finally, it was complete. her tall tournament round was done.
As she was going in, she had to run in. because a lion was going to knock it down.
She didn't want to come out because she didn't want the lion to step on her.
Though she's in. And then it cracked. And she worked some more. she had to run in again because the same lion was going to knock it down again.
So she built some more. Then she built a trap.
A trap for the lion. Just as planned, when the lion came, it got stuck in the trap.
The lion couldn't get out because it was stuck.
Holly Esther became a termite mom. She laid an egg.
Its name was... That's for you to fill in.
Up next is a preschooler named Aria. Like many of you, Aria had to finish the school year at home because of the pandemic.
So do you know what she did? She started recording stories and sending them to folks can't see in person right now like her family, her teachers.
She even sent one to us. It's about a girl who yearns to fly high in an airplane.
Once there was a little girl and she lived in a cozy house.
But the only thing she wanted most was a plain wine.
So, the planes were all the way at the airport and they were far from home.
So one day, she took a bus to the airport.
But it could not get there. So she asked someone else to drive her. but the whole thing was the same.
So she went back home and told her mother that she could not go on a plane ride.
Since she told her mother that, she got a time out.
While she was in her room, an airplane stumbled into the house.
He tried to jump on for a while, but it was too quick. so she built a new house.
But still, Things are the same. The airplane crashed in.
And she jumped on for a ride. Her mother was upset.
Because she wanted her daughter to allow her, but she wasn't there.
The end. On Circle Round, we love a good food story.
And so does Ronan, who sent us this tale about a magical way to cook up a feast.
Once upon a time, there was... A village.
And in this village, there was a humble... house with a humble old man.
One time, this old man was in a forest. And in the forest he saw a stick.
This old man loved sticks. So he picked it up.
When he thought about what he wanted to eat, it grew what he wanted to eat.
And it did that every time he thought about what he wanted to eat.
And the old man never had to pay for anything again.
This next story brings us deep into the forest.
It was written by Connor, who finds a creative way to encourage all of us to share.
Once upon a time, there were two groups of animals.
They were having a fight. Who would have the force?
The force was important. habitat for both groups of animals.
The first group was led by the Komodo dragon.
The second group was led by King Cobra. One day they found a battlefield at the edge of the forest.
The king cobra said, we will battle here.
Yes, let's battle here, the Komodo dragon replied.
The battle began. The Komodo Dragon attacked the King Cobra The king cobra was hurt.
And the king cobra said, I give up. The commode dragon felt bad.
The commode dragon said, we can share the force with the battle over two groups All of the animals decide to have a party to celebrate the new forest kingdom.
The end. Evelyn sent us this next story, along with a beautiful drawing of a bright, vivid rainbow. which you can see on our website, wbur.org slash circle round.
Evelyn's tale is called The Rainbow Kingdom.
Once in a land far, far away, There was a magical wonder's place known as the Rainbow Kingdom.
Someone named Lou visited this very kingdom.
She took the path to the tomb of kings. Lou pushed at the wooden door.
She said, I need a way to get out of here.
She heard a voice answer her, Who's there?
Come to the end of the hall. The one who answered Lou was one of the kings.
Haven't you seen my kingdom? It's all gray.
Yes, I have, Lu said. You shall go to the dragon. the king said.
So Lu went to the dragon. She told the dragon about the great kingdom.
But the dragon did not give back the colors.
The dragon called a fight. Lou brought everyone in the kingdom to fight the dragon.
Boys and girls, dogs and cats all came to fight the dragon.
Three, two, one, fight! Lou said. Everyone started.
The kingdom won. The dragon lost. The color came back.
Everyone was happy. Well, except the you-know-who.
The end. Next, we'll hear from a listener who acted out his story on video. with help from some props and some natural sound effects.
Take it away, Casey. Hi, I'm Bunny E. Hi, I'm Elephant E. Do you want to be friends?
Okay. Boing, boing, boing, boing. boing boing boing boing sorry that was on purpose I'm tired.
Me too. Bye. Bye. Our last story today comes from Ellie, who collaborated with her parents Mike and Jill to work in original music and sound design.
Once there was a gray and white cat named Fire Kitty. and a little penguin named Muffy.
And they were best friends. One day, Muffy and Fire Kitty went to the beach.
Muffy said, Do you want to build a sand castle?
Fire Kitty says. That sounds great. They find the purple seashell and they think it's empty.
But they find a hermit crab in it. The hermit crab says, Rub my shell and make a wish.
Your wish will go to the bottom of the ocean. where it will turn into a beautiful seashell.
They make a wish and the big wave washes Fire Kitty and Muffy. out to sea.
They see two seashells. One was purple And the other one was yellow.
They grabbed them. take them home and they show them to their friends.
Fire Kitty wrist for a purple seashell. Muffy wrist for a yellow seashell.
The wishes came true. The end. Now that you've heard some of your fellow Circle Round fans tell their stories, It's your turn.
We'll invite you to gather your loved ones in person or remotely. and create a story all together after a quick break.
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Hiring? Indeed is all you need. feed. I'm Rebecca Shear.
Welcome back to Circle Round. Before the break, we heard original tales sent in by listeners like you.
Thank you. And now it's your turn. You know all about circle round stories.
But have you ever heard of a circle story?
Circle stories are a great way to include more than one person of telling a story.
Here's how it works. First, decide who will help you tell your circle story.
Gather everyone up, either in person or over the phone or computer.
Then choose a setting for your tale. Next, decide the order of storytellers.
The first person's job is to begin the tale with just one sentence.
When the next person takes over, they should pick up from the last word they heard and continue the story again with Just one sentence.
Then the next person goes, then the next, then the next. going around and around and around in a circle.
Everyone in your story circle should get several turns to add to the story.
As for when your story ends, well, let's just say this activity is great for when you have a limited amount of time.
As soon as dinner's ready, or the car ride is through, or the rain stops, your circle story is done.
This week's special fan edition of Circle Round was brought to you by listeners Arav, Akash, Andrew, Aria Brooklyn, Casey, Connor, Ellie, Evelyn, Henry, Iris, Johanna, Julian, Ronan, Scout, and Sonia.
Circle Round's executive producer is Catherine Brewer.
Our original music and sound design is by Eric Shimalonis.
Our artist is Sabina Han. Sabina has drawn a black and white illustration for every Circle Round story, and you can print them out and color them in while you listen. or anytime.
Ask a grown-up to visit our website, wbur.org slash circleround. and click on Soundtrack and Coloring Pages.
Never want to miss an episode of Circle Round?
Ask a grown-up to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or wherever they get their podcasts.
Circle Round is a production of WBUR, Boston's NPR station.
I'm Rebecca Shear. Thanks for circling around with us.
