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.
Produced by the iLab at WBUR, Boston. When's the last time you tried really hard to do something?
The last time you put in a whole lot of effort to achieve a goal.
Working hard can be exhausting and rewarding.
But in today's bonus edition of Circle Round, we'll meet a character who just wants the rewards... without the hard work.
¶¶ I'm Rebecca Sheer, and welcome to Circle Round, where storytime happens all the time.
Today our story is called The Money Tree.
Versions of this tale originally come from China.
These days, we're all spending more time at home.
So if you're looking for extra fun while you listen, Ask a grown-up to print out the coloring page for our story.
They can find it on our website. at wbur.org slash circleround.
Stick around at the end of the episode for a special activity inspired by our tale.
We'll learn how to make an I-did-it jar.
And now, circle around, everyone, for The Money Tree.
Big Brother and Little Brother lived with their mother on a large farm in the country.
Every day little brother woke at the crack of dawn, laced up his work boots, and helped mother feed the pigs, collect eggs from the chickens, and tend the fields of wheat, potatoes, and corn.
Big Brother, on the other hand, preferred to sleep in and let his hard-working family keep the farm running.
As Mother grew older, she asked her sons to promise that once she was gone, they would divide the farm equally between the two of them.
But when the time came to split the farm, Big Brother had other ideas.
Look, little brother, I know what Mother said before she passed away.
But as the eldest son, it's obvious that I deserve a bigger share of the farm.
So I will take the house, the fields, and all the animals.
You can have that piece of land up and over the hill.
The one mother always said was too rocky and stony for farming.
Little Brother smiled and shrugged his shoulders.
Whatever you say, Big Brother. Then he packed up his belongings and moved them to the piece of land up and over the hill.
He built a cozy hut and spent long days hoisting rocks and stones off the ground and... carting them away in a wheelbarrow.
Soon the land was nice and clear. Little Brother plowed the earth, then planted wheat, potatoes, and corn.
Come harvest time, he kept some of the crops to eat and sold the rest at the market.
He used the money he made to buy some pigs and chickens.
He also started a fruit orchard with rows of peach, plum, and apricot trees.
Thanks to his hard work, little brother was living more comfortably by the day.
Big Brother, meanwhile, was living less comfortably...
After a lifetime of lounging around, he had no idea how to do any of the jobs required to keep the farm running.
So now his fields were turning barren, and his animals were hungry.
Well, this isn't fair. I live in this fine house on this fine land.
Yet my farm is falling apart. Little brother lives in a rickety shack on a hilly, rocky piece of earth.
Yet, I hear he's doing great, prospering even.
Could it be that Mother secretly left him something that she didn't leave me?
I must find out. So Big Brother made the journey up and over the hill.
His eyes widened when he saw little brother's flourishing crops, healthy animals, and leafy orchard.
Little brother, all I gave you was a forgotten sliver of land covered with rocks.
How do you have all these things? Tell me the truth.
Did Mother leave you something special? Some sort of treasure that I don't know about?
If so, I want my share of it. Now. Little Brother watched his older sibling enviously eye the wheat, potatoes, and corn. the pigs and chickens, the rows of fruit trees.
Suddenly... He got an idea. You ask whether Mother left me something special.
Some sort of treasure. The truth is, uh, she did.
I knew it! Tell me, little brother, what is it?
What is this wonderful treasure you inherited?
Well, you may not believe this, but she left me.
A money tree. A money tree? Big Brother's selfish heart skipped a beat.
Oh, and what does this money tree look like?
Well, it has a sturdy trunk with two strong and healthy limbs.
Sticking out of each limb are five branches.
And as long as I take care of this money tree, I'll have everything I need.
My fortune is made. As you can imagine, Big Brother liked the sound of the word fortune.
Alright. So, um, tell me, little brother.
Where, by chance, do you keep this money tree?
You're not hiding it, are you? Oh, no. In fact, you can see it right now.
Big Brother's greedy eyes swept the rows of peach, plum, and apricot trees in Little Brother's orchard.
I can see the money tree right now? Really?
Really, my money tree is in plain sight, big brother.
Right before your very eyes. Big Brother burned with jealousy.
He had to get his hands on that money tree.
So he went back up and over the hill to his fine house and spent the rest of the day plotting and planning.
And that night, under a full yellow moon, he crept back to Little Brother's orchard.
Little Brother was sound asleep in his hut, so he didn't see his older sibling tiptoeing among the peach plants.
Plum and apricot trees. Little Brother said that his money tree has two limbs with five branches each.
Now let's see which of these trees fits that description.
No, not that one. Not that one. Wait a minute.
Big Brother's gaze fell on a hardy apricot tree. its trunk, limbs and branches bathed in moonlight.
Let's see. Two limbs? Check. Five branches each?
Check! Oh, this must be it! This must be the money tree!
Big Brother fell to his knees and dug the tree out of the ground.
Then he dragged the tree back to his farm and planted it right next to his house.
Over the weeks that followed, Big Brother watered the tree every morning and every evening.
He checked the tree's branches for signs of money.
Where is that money? If this truly is a money tree, Surely it will start sprouting money any time now.
But the tree did not sprout any money. Just plump orange apricots.
So Big Brother stomped back across the farm and up and over the hill.
When he reached Little Brother's orchard, Big Brother's face was flushed and his jaw was clenched.
Hello, big brother. Uh, what's wrong? I'll tell you what's wrong.
It's that money tree of yours. Surely you've noticed it's missing.
Little Brother shook his head. Uh, actually, no, I didn't.
Well... The last time we saw each other, I snuck back to your orchard in the middle of the night and I found a tree whose sturdy trunk had two strong and healthy limbs.
Sticking out of each limb were five branches.
Then I dug the tree up, took it home, and planted it by my house.
But even though I've watered that tree every single day since, it hasn't sprouted any money.
Not even a coin. You said mother left you a money tree, little brother.
Were you telling me the truth? Little brother smiled.
I was telling you the truth. Mother did leave me a money tree.
But there's no way you stole it, big brother.
There's no way anyone can steal it. You see?
My money tree is none other than... He gestured from his head to his toes.
Me. Big Brother furrowed his brow. I... I don't understand.
Well, big brother, I told you that the money tree had a sturdy trunk with two strong and healthy limbs.
Right? Right. And I also told you that...
Each limb of the tree had five branches.
Right? Right. Don't you see? The sturdy trunk. is my body.
The two strong and healthy limbs are my arms.
And the five branches on each of those limbs are my five fingers, my hands.
I use my body, arms, and hands to plant trees and tend crops. and take care of animals.
And as a result, I have everything I need.
My fortune is made! Big Brother was too bewildered to say a word.
Little Brother reached out and gave his older sibling's shoulder a gentle pat.
Listen, big brother. The good news is, I'm not the only one who has a money tree.
You have a money tree too. I do? Yes, you always have.
Look at you. You have a fit, able body. You have strong arms and hands.
All you have to do is put them to use. And wouldn't you know it, For the first time in Big Brother's entire life, That's exactly what he did.
But he didn't do it alone. Instead, he finally followed mother's wish and equally shared the farm with little brother.
And as the siblings worked side by side, their money trees brought them everything they needed.
And together, their fortune was made. .
. . Now it's your turn. Working hard and accomplishing something can feel amazing.
A fun way to keep track of your own efforts and achievements and celebrate them. is making an I did it jar.
First, find a large jar. If you don't have a jar, you can use a bowl or pitcher, anything that's big enough to fit your hand in.
Next, have a grown up help you make slips of paper that ask the following questions.
What's one thing I accomplished today? How do I feel about it?
Leave the slips of paper next to your empty jar along with something to write with.
Then, at least once a day, fill out a slip of paper and drop it in your I Did It jar.
And remember, the accomplishments you write about can be as simple as I cleaned my room all by myself.
Or I told someone I loved them. At the end of the week, take your slips of paper out of your jar, then read what they say.
A grownup can help with this, of course.
And as you read each one, take a moment to celebrate everything you've done and learned.
When the week is up, you can start a new I Did It jar.
But save your accomplishments from the previous week.
Reflecting on all the things we've experienced and achieved reminds us how much we've grown.
Today's story, The Money Tree, was adapted by me, Rebecca Shear.
It was edited by Circle Round's executive producer, Catherine Brewer.
Circle Round's original music and sound design is by Eric Shimalonis.
Our artist is Sabina Han. Special thanks to this week's actors, Mike DelGaudio and Eric Shimilonis.
Circle Around is a production of WBUR, Boston's NPR news station.
I'm Rebecca Shear. Please stay safe, stay healthy, and as always...
Thanks for circling around with us. One of the best things about creating Circle Round is hearing from listeners like you.
Circle Round fans have been telling us about their favorite Circle Round stories. and we're excited to share some of their voices with you.
My name is Jason. I live in San Jose, California.
And my favourite trickle-down story is the Lion Biscuit.
I like the part when the brother and sister start fighting.
My name is Brody. I live in Idaho. And my favorite podcast is The Princess in the Mirror.
Because I like the brothers buy stuff for the princess.
Did someone mention an episode you missed?
No problem. You can find every single Circle Round story on our website.
That's WBUR.org slash Circle Round, or wherever you and your grown-ups get your podcasts.
