WVU our podcasts Boston Hi Rebecca shear here this week the circle round team is gearing up for our first live show in New York City so we're bringing you a special encore edition of circle round a really fun episode you may have missed the first time around we're planning a bunch of live shows in Boston Massachusetts
for the next year and you can be first in line for tickets by joining the circle round club as a member you'll get early ticket access bonus bedtime stories ad free episodes and more memberships make great holiday gifts so sign up today at wbur .org slash circle round club and now on with the story have you
ever felt jealous maybe you looked around and thought oh if only I could have that kids cool shoes or I wish I could do math problems as fast as my friend does it's natural to feel jealous sometimes but we're about to meet a character who feels so jealous she cooks up a harebrained scheme to get what she
wants I'm Rebecca shear and welcome to circle round where story time happens all the time today our story is called the most fabulous fur of all it was inspired by tales told among the Cherokee indigenous peoples from the southeastern United States some really great people came together to bring you
our story including Koryanka Kilcher whom you grown -ups might recognize from Yellowstone and you kids might recognize from Dora and the lost city of gold so circle round everyone for the most fabulous fur of all in times long past when the world was new the great spirit created the birds and the animals
the great spirit gave all the birds different feathers and all the animals different fur but it wasn't long before the animals began to bicker about which one of them had the best fur of all among those quarreling critters was bear my fur is so glossy so shiny you can practically see your reflection in it
and mink well my fur is softer than snow or a cloud or a snow cloud and skunk what's black and white and gorgeous all over me that's what and Rabbit my body is velvety my ears are certainly and look at my tail it's fluffy as a cloud long as a summer's day too indeed unlike the rabbits you see nowadays
with those little puffballs on their backside back when the world was new rabbit's tail was long and fleecy it's obvious folks the one with the most fabulous fur the most pleasing pelt the most calmly coat is undoubtedly intuitively unmistakably me the animals kept quibbling and squabbling until one
day bear made an announcement listen up folks I've just heard that the great spirit has created a whole new animal and word has it that his coat is more majestic than anything we've ever seen what's this new animal's name bear his name is otter and where does he live he lives way on top of the tallest
mountain okay I know what you may be thinking otters don't live way up on mountain tops they live in streams and rivers lakes and ponds seas and oceans and it's true these days otters dwell in the water but back when our story takes place otter made his home on land high atop a mountain and rumor had
it that his coat was fabulous from what I've heard folks otters coat is the thickest and the softest the thickest and the softest mink and skunk were instantly impressed rabbit was instantly envious though she tried not to show it okay so yeah otters coat sounds unbelievable so unbelievable that I won't
believe it until I see it for myself I say we bring otter down from the top of the mountain and we hold a contest yeah a contest a grand competition to see who has the most fabulous fur so we can settle this matter once and for all the other animals pondered rabbits proposal and then a contest is a fine
idea rabbit yes the birds can be the judges after all they have feathers not fur terrific that settles it then we'll hold a contest in the clearing in the middle of the forest I will personally go to the top of the mountain to fetch otter with these swift nimble legs of mine I can make it up there in a matter
of days I'll be back by the end of the week before we go on something you should know about rabbit it wasn't just her legs that were swift and nimble her mind was too and she loved using that swift and nimble mind to play tricks and get exactly what she wanted so as the cunning creature set off to find
otter she had already cooked up a plan for how she would win the contest it's simple all I have to do is steal otters coat yep you heard that right steal otters coat because back when our story takes place the animals could remove their fur just like you and I would take off a jacket or a sweater or yes
a coat all I have to do is find otter trick him into taking off his coat then I'll run away with it and wear it to the contest if otters coat is anything like they say it is I'm destined to win so rabbit bounded off to otters mountain once she got there she scuttled up treacherous trails she crept along
craggy cliffs she bounded across broad bluffs and when she finally reached the top welcome she heard a friendly voice I never get visitors at the top of this mountain I'm so happy to see you rabbits eyes fell upon a stocky creature with short legs and long whiskers his dark brown fur dazzled in the Sun
is that you the stocky critter smiled that's right I am order at your service and who might you be me rabbit felt a stab of envy as she eyed Otter's spectacular coat I'm rabbit I'm like a total legend around these parts on account of my long fluffy tail well it's nice to meet you rabbit and look otter
stuck out his backside I have a tail too of course it's much longer than yours and much furrier but honestly it isn't like we're in a contest or anything actually rabbit smiled her sweetest smile we are in a contest or at least we will be the other animals and I are trying to decide who has the most
fabulous fur of all and that's why I'm here we'd be honored for you to participate otters face lit up wow I appreciate the invitation rabbit truth be told I don't really see the need for a contest but I'd sure love to make some new friends it gets awfully lonely on top of this mountain count me in so otter
began following rabbit down the mountainside little did he know but he was also following her directly into a trap what do you think well rabbits scheme workout we'll find out after a quick break support for the circle round podcast comes from indeed are you hiring with indeed your search is over indeed
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like it because we get a stuffed lion and a reusable bag which we use all the time for library books I also enjoy the birthday message from Rebecca shear grown -ups sign up your superfan today at wbur .org slash circle round club I'm Rebecca shear welcome back to circle round today our story is called
the most fabulous fur of all before the break the animals were planning a contest to decide who had the most fabulous fur of all rabbit went up the mountain to fetch otter so that he could participate too little did otter know but clever crafty rabbit was cooking up a scheme to steal his thick soft
coat and wear it to the contest as otter followed rabbit down the mountain he noticed that she began loading pieces of wood and bark onto her back um rabbit may I ask why you're collecting all that wooden bark for kindling otter to build a campfire the sun's going down so we'll have to spend the night
on the mountainside wherever we set up camp will want to fire to keep us warm and cozy right well actually rabbit my fur is so thick that I never get cold but a fire would be nice for providing some light and I've always been a bit scared of the dark I'll help you gather kindling rabbits heart burned
with jealousy of course otter never got cold in his magnificent coat but no matter if everything went according to plan that magnificent coat would soon be hers rabbit and otter kept walking until they reached a river tiny silver fish swam about in the swift current Wow rabbit living way on top of the mountain I've
never seen anything like this what do you call this long winding body of water it's a river otter and I'm glad we found it because all this water sure could come in handy tonight you mean for drinking well yes but also for keeping us safe keeping us safe what do you mean rabbits smiled to herself if otter
fell for the story she was about to tell she would be home free this part of the mountain is a magical place if you spend the night here legend has it that good luck will come your way but danger may come your way to danger yes danger legend has it that in this very spot fire sometimes falls from the sky
just like rain otter began to tremble the fire falls like rain how do we protect ourselves from this fiery rain well for starters you should take off that magnificent fur coat of yours hide it somewhere safe you wouldn't want the falling fire to burn a hole through it oh of course will you take your
coat off too with these swift nimble legs of mine I can hop right to safety but rabbits are faster than otters so how about tucking your coat beneath that big rock over there okay otter wiggled out of his coat and tucked it beneath the rock there all safe now we'll build a campfire then we'll get some
rest we have a lot of traveling to do before the big contest so rabbit and otter made a fire then huddled up together on the river bank otter immediately drifted off rabbit on the other hand stayed wide awake she gazed at the campfire as the flames leaped and danced eventually they died down leaving
behind a glowing burning pile of red hot embers as otter continued to snooze away rabbit tiptoed to a nearby tree she broke off a branch then carried it over to the fire okay here goes nothing rabbit stuck one end of the branch into the embers until it began to burn like a torch then she hoisted the torch
up toward the sky and started waving it around and flinging red hot sparks every which way otter wake up otter it's happening fire's falling from the sky fire's falling from the sky otter snapped open his eyes and leapt to his feet oh no rabbit you were right it's raining fire everywhere oh i'm so scared
what do we do there's no time to waste run to the river and dive in the water will keep us safe i've never swum before but here goes nothing without missing a beat otter dashed to the river and plunged into the water as he quickly swam away rabbit scampered over to the big rock where otter had hidden
his fur coat she snatched up the thick soft pelt then took off down the mountainside when rabbit reached the bottom she pulled down her long silky ears and tied them in a knot under her chin then she slipped on otter's coat once it was wrapped around her body she hurried to the clearing in the middle
of the forest where the animals and birds were waiting for the contest to begin hello everybody i'm otter i heard you were holding a contest to decide who has the most fabulous fur of all much to rabbit's delight otter the others totally fell for her disguise so pleased to meet you my friend i am bear
and i'm mink and i'm skunk and we are honored to have you join us today i gotta say your fur is amazing it sure is but where's rabbit rabbit uh she made a pit stop at her burrow to brush her fur she should be here any minute we might as well get started so they did with the birds judging from the tree
toads the animals took turns parading around the clearing showing off their fur when it was otter's turn rabbit who remember was disguised as otter didn't just parade around the clearing she was so excited to show off her glorious coat that she began leaping whoa and hopping check me out and bouncing
from tree to tree have you ever seen a coat so glorious rabbit began to move faster and faster soon she was moving so fast that the knot holding her ears beneath her chin began to loosen it got looser and looser until it came completely undone and rabbit's long silky ears sprang up above her head uh
oh the animals and birds gasped rabbit is that you what happened to otter rabbit knew the jig was up well here i uh there we go and with that she pulled off otter's coat flung it to the ground then took off like a shot the other animals followed in hot pursuit bear managed to get close enough to thrust
out a burly paw and yank rabbit's long curly tail clear off her body oh no my tail with nothing but a fluffy little puff ball left on her back side rabbit dashed away and disappeared into her burrow once rabbit was gone the other animals decided to abandon the chase instead they picked up otter's stolen
coat and carried it up the mountainside where they found otter swimming in the river you must be otter we brought you your fur coat since that rascally rabbit stole it when otter caught sight of his thick soft coat he hurried back to the shore and slipped it on with a smile i thought i'd never see my
coat again thank you friends no otter thank you because with your help now we finally know which one of us truly has the most fabulous fur of all and wouldn't you know it otter has had that fabulous fur ever since he's also lived in the water ever since because even though rabbit tricked otter into
taking his very first swim he discovered he loved paddling and playing in the water so to this day all otters make their homes in streams and rivers lakes and ponds seas and oceans and all rabbits have nothing more than a puff ball of a tail it's a constant reminder of their wily ancestor who tried
to pull the wool or fur over everyone's eyes now it's your turn rabbit had a difficult time being honest and yes it can be tough sometimes to tell the truth can you think of a time when you told the truth even if it was hard to do think about that time then find someone you have fun with a friend or family
member and tell them your story then ask them to tell you about a time they told the truth even when it was difficult or scary honesty isn't always easy but it can make you braver and make the world better this week's story the most fabulous fur of all was adapted by me rebecca shear it was edited by nora sax
our original music and sound design is by eric schmellonis our artist is sabina han sabina has created a black and white coloring page for every single circle round story grown -ups you can find all 180 plus coloring pages and print them out on our website wbur .org circle round special thanks to this week's
actors ryan de lusung jefferson a russell alexia trainer astrid ws and corianca kilcher an indigenous actress of ketchup uwachi descent whom you grown -ups might know from yellowstone and you kids might recognize from dora and the lost city of gold corianca co -wrote produced and stars in the feature
film yesteryear coming out in 2023 this week's featured instrument was the tenor banjo you can learn more about this plucked four strained instrument and see a photo of eric schmellonis playing one on our website once more that's wbur .org circle round grown -ups if you enjoy what you hear on circle round
please write us a five star review on apple podcasts or whatever podcast app you use it makes us feel like a million bucks and it helps other listeners find the show circle round is a production of wbur boston's npr news station i'm rebecca shear thanks for circling around 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 of the sky a lot of how old in new zealand my
favorite single round story is the round clumps and swats my favorite part is when the dad goes ah my name is nico in charleston virginia and my favorite episode is the rightful heir my favorite part is when the boy's bicker over my name is navy and i live in chicago illinois and my favorite circle
round story is the crystal story box my favorite part is when anance lets the stories free my name is malon i live in buffalo new york my favorite circle round is beans and bunnies i like the part when pajero teaches the bankroll lesson hi my name is cairo i'm from buffalo new york my favorite circle
round is the basket list there i like the part when the basket list turns to style hi my name is joshua i'm from hana lulu hawaii my favorite circle round story is the basket list stair and my favorite part is when the sister's younger brother got frozen i'm molten i live in hoolander wooden my favorite
circle round story is king of will and joey too i like the part when warm bat turns himself into the spirit my name is griffin i'm from so -called california and my favorite circle round stories the crystal story box my favorite part is where a nazi battles python my name is opal i live in so -called
california and my favorite circle round story is the friendship 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 circle round
