Hi, Rebecca Sheer here with some really fun news!
On February 8th, Circle Round Live is coming to Symphony Hall in Boston, and you're invited!
Join us for a live recording of two new episodes featuring me, composer Eric Schimelonis, plus Boston Symphony Orchestra players and a star -studded cast.
Get your tickets today at wbur .org slash Circle Round.
WBUR Podcasts, Boston.
The winter holidays are here, and the Circle Round team is taking time off to celebrate, and to gear up for our next live recording at Boston's Symphony Hall!
Join us February 8th for a live taping of two new episodes featuring members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
Find tickets at wbur .org slash Circle Round and click on Events.
This week we're sharing a favorite episode from the Archives, a super fun folktale you may have missed the first time around.
We'll be back with a brand new episode soon.
Till then, enjoy the story!
There's nothing like a little recognition, right?
Getting cheers and applause when you score a goal in your soccer game?
Being praised for how hard you worked on a project?
But, as we're about to hear, when our desire for recognition outweighs our ability to achieve it, things can backfire in unexpected ways.
I'm Rebecca Scheer, and welcome to Circle Round, where story time happens all the time.
Today our story is called Getting Skunked.
It was inspired by legends told by the Abenaki, Algonquin -speaking peoples from the northeastern part of North America.
Some really great people came together to bring you our version of this tale, including author and Emmy award -winning actor Terrence Turrell, star of the CBS comedy Be Positive.
His series of children's books includes Blackie, The Shees, The Crowned Kids, and My Little Black Book.
So, circle round, everyone, for getting skunked!
Way, way back in the olden times, the most beautiful of all the animals was skunk.
In modern times, skunk is black, with white stripes on his back and snout, right?
Well, back when our story takes place, skunk's silky fur was pure, snowy white.
Not only that, but skunk didn't spray.
He didn't have those glands under his tail that spritz out chemicals that smell like rotten eggs or rancid garlic.
This is the tale of how skunk came to be the way he is today.
It all started when especially cold winter.
The snow had been falling nonstop for months, and with no sign of spring on the horizon, the people were worried.
Do you see how deep the snow is?
And it's getting deeper by the minute.
Soon it'll be higher than our rooftops.
How will we hunt for food?
How will we plant our crops?
And how will we gather wood for warmth?
Or for cooking? Our children will go hungry.
Our houses will be icy.
I say, we talk to Glooskabay.
Yes! He'll know how to help us.
Glooskabay was the kind heroic giant who took care of the people and watched over them.
So they approached Glooskabay and told him their problem.
I understand your troubles, my people.
First thing tomorrow, I will journey to the top of the tallest mountain and visit Snowbird.
She's the one who controls the snow.
I will talk with her and see what I can do.
But the next morning, just as Glooskabay was about to set off on his travels, who should pipe up?
Um, Glooskabay? But Skunk.
Well, hello there, Skunk.
Your fur is so white, I didn't see you there in the snow.
What's up, little one?
Well, Glooskabay, I was wondering, is there any chance I could come with you to visit Snowbird?
Maybe help you sweet talk her a little?
Before we go on, something you should know about Skunk.
Though he was regarded as the most beautiful and sweet -smelling of all the animals, that was about it.
He wasn't praised for his smarts or his bravery or anything else, really.
But Skunk dreamt of being hailed as a hero, and he figured joining Glooskabay's quest could make his dream come true.
Glooskabay, however, wasn't exactly jazzed by the idea.
Listen, Skunk, I appreciate the offer.
But look at you. You're so small.
And this snow is so deep.
If you join me on this journey, how will you keep up?
I can do it, Glooskabay.
I can't. Please, let me come along.
Please. So Glooskabay gave in, and he and Skunk took off towards Snowbird's Mountain.
As they ventured north, the blanket of snow grew deeper and deeper, and Skunk found himself leaping from one of Glooskabay's footprints to the next.
But the hulking giant had such a long stride that Skunk would occasionally miss a footprint.
Then he'd go plummeting under the snow.
Um, help. And Glooskabay would have to pull him back out.
Phew! Thank you. By the time the duo reached the peak of Snowbird's Mountain, Skunk wasn't feeling very heroic.
Icicles hung from his white fur, and his teeth were chattering so hard he could barely speak.
But when he and Glooskabay arrived at Snowbird's perch, the giant did all the talking.
Snowbird! The massive white bird craned her neck toward Glooskabay.
Tumbling down from her outstretched wings were millions of snowflakes.
Snowbird, you must close your wings and stop making all this snow!
I mean, don't get me wrong.
The world needs your snow.
It keeps the soil warm and moist until it's time for planting crops.
It keeps the lakes and rivers full of water.
But this year, you're making too much!
Look at my little friend here!
Glooskabay lifted Skunk by the scruff of his frozen neck.
It's practically an ice cube!
It's time for spring to come, Snowbird.
It's time for warmth.
Time for things to grow!
So please, will you close your wings?
Snowbird gave Glooskabay a long look.
Then she nodded her head, folded in her wings, and the snow stopped.
Now that their mission was accomplished, Glooskabay and Skunk made their way back down the mountain.
By the time they reached the bottom, the sky was a shimmering blue, and patches of grass were visible through the melting snow.
When the people caught sight of Glooskabay, they clustered around him and cheered.
You did it! You got Snowbird to close up her wings!
And now spring can come!
And we can plant! And we can hunt!
And our children can run around and play!
Hurray! We will always be grateful!
Thank you. While the people sang Glooskabay's praises, Skunk stood off to the side and grumbled.
Oh, so Glooskabay's the big hero, huh?
I'm the one who froze my tail off to reach that kooky bird on top of her mountain, but Glooskabay gets all the glory instead of me!
No respect. No respect at all.
Skunk sighed and gazed up at the sky, the bright blue sky.
And as he did, his mind suddenly clicked.
Wait a minute. I know how to make them respect me.
Cause I'm gonna do something they'll never forget.
What do you think Skunk is planning?
We'll find out what it is after a quick break.
I like it because we get a stuffed lion and a reusable bag, which we use all the time for library books.
I also enjoyed the birthday message from Rebecca Sheer.
Grownups, sign up your Superfan today at wbur .org slash circle round club.
Welcome back to circle round.
I'm Rebecca Sheer. Today our story is called Getting Skunked.
Before the break, Glooskabay trekked to the top of the tallest mountain and convinced Snowbird to close her wings and stop the snow.
Sweet -smelling white furred Skunk insisted on coming along.
But when Skunk and Glooskabay returned from their mission, the grateful people hailed Glooskabay as their hero and ignored Skunk completely.
No respect. No respect at all.
Craving attention and admiration, Skunk began concocting a plan.
He found a big ball of twine and set off toward a mountain nearly as tall as Snowbird's.
At the top of this mountain was Day Eagle.
And if Snowbird brought the snow, what do you think Day Eagle brought?
That's right. The day.
When her great wide wings were open, light came streaming out of them and bathed all of Earth.
When she closed her wings, the light disappeared, and the whole world was dark.
By the time Skunk reached Day Eagle's lofty perch, the enormous bird had tucked in her wings and nodded off for the night.
Squinting through the darkness, Skunk began wrapping his twine around Day Eagle's wings.
This will teach him not to underestimate me.
Skunk worked swiftly and silently, wrapping the twine this way and that, tying it in knot after knot.
Then he scurried back down the mountain.
The next morning, there was no morning.
Day Eagle's wings were bound so tightly, she couldn't open them and shine light upon the Earth.
But the people didn't know that.
The light. Where is the light?
Why hasn't Day Eagle opened her wings?
Will it be dark on Earth forever?
Glooskabay was every bit as worried and puzzled as the people were.
He headed straight to the top of Day Eagle's mountain, where he found her wrapped in twine.
The poor bird was contorting her body as she tried to unknot the string with her beak.
Day Eagle! What has become of you?
Who tied you up like this?
I don't know, Glooskabay.
Someone must have snuck over while I was asleep.
Glooskabay set to work undoing the knots, but there were so many, they were tied so tightly, he could only free one of Day Eagle's wings.
I'm sorry, Day Eagle.
It's the best I can do.
From now on, I'm afraid one half of the world will be light while the other half is dark.
All I ask is that you keep turning around on your mountain top so that both sides of the Earth get their fair share.
Can you do that? I can.
And indeed, ever since, when it's daytime on one side of the Earth, it's nighttime on the other, and vice versa.
As Glooskabay rolled the twine back into a ball, he noticed something.
Stuck to the string were bits of fur.
White, silky fur. Ah -ha.
Skunk! Glooskabay went barreling down the mountain and straight to Skunk's den.
The silky -white critter was curled up next to a crackling bonfire and was snoozing away.
Skunk! What were you thinking?
You nearly threw the world into nighttime forever!
At the sound of Glooskabay's deep voice, Skunk's eyes snapped open.
Glooskabay, what are you doing here?
And why is it so light outside?
I thought that when I tied up Day Eagle, I...
Oops. So you did do it, you little rascal.
All at once, Glooskabay grabbed a handful of ashes from the fire and smeared them across Skunk's face and back.
My fur! My beautiful white fur!
From now on, just one glance at you and everyone will remember your mischief, my friend.
And as for that sweet smell of yours...
Glooskabay breathed in some of the fire's smoke, then blew it all over Skunk's body.
From now on, you will smell of rotten eggs and rancid garlic.
People will see you and run away for fear of getting your stink.
But, Glooskabay... No buts.
However, since you did want to bring on never -ending darkness, from now on you will only come out at night.
No one will see you during the day.
Of course, give me your smell.
I doubt they'll want to see you anyway.
Skunk hung his streaked head.
All he had wanted was to be admired and adored.
Instead, now he had a striped body, a nocturnal sleep cycle, and a smell so strong it would send anyone running.
And so it is to this day.
Now, to be fair, Skunk only sprays his spray when he feels threatened or in danger.
But, word to the wise, unless you're a big fan of rotten eggs or rancid garlic, I wouldn't get too close.
Now it's your turn.
What's one compliment you can give someone today?
Maybe you can compliment a teammate for trying so hard during a game, or compliment a family member or neighbor for baking such delicious brownies.
Think about your compliment and who you'll give it to, then go out and do it.
You'll make someone else feel amazing.
And I bet you'll feel amazing, too.
This week's story, Getting Skunked, was adapted by me, Rebecca Scheer.
It was edited by our supervising producer, Amory Seavardson.
Original music and sound design is by Eric Schimelonis.
Our artist is Sabina Hahn.
Want to color while you listen?
Sabina has drawn a black and white picture for every circle round story.
You Grown Ups can download them from our website, wbur .org slash circle round.
And while you're there, you can find links to the circle round coloring book, sound track and T -shirt.
Special thanks to this week's actors, Tyyse Harris, Shelly Lee, Anthony Palmini, Jessica Rao, Alejandro Ruiz, David Swanson and Terence Chorrell.
Grown Ups watch for Terence on the CBS comedy, Be Positive.
And kids, Terence's book series includes Blackie, The She's, The Crowned Kids and My Little Black Book.
Our featured instrument this week was the slide guitar.
To learn more about it and see a photo of Eric Schimelonis playing one, visit our website.
Again, that's wbur .org slash circle round.
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I'm Rebecca Scheer.
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.
Hi, my name is Abigail, and I'm from Taiwan.
My favorite circle round story is the Hat, the Horn and the Purse because I like how the father trusted his son.
My name is Benjamin.
I am from Stottsdale, Arizona and my favorite circle round story is Townton, Trotterdale because my favorite part is when mouse deer hops from Trotterdale to Trotterdale.
My name is Luna and I'm from Asheville, North Taiwan.
My favorite circle round is Sea and Sky because Skype yields land.
My name is Kavya and I'm from Chicago, Illinois and my favorite circle round story is the Three -Legged Pot and I like the part when the pot says time to skip and skip.
Weee! My name is Dierdas and I am from Pittsburgh and my favorite circle round story is Anansi and the Story Box.
My favorite part is when he flips it open.
My name is Elly and I'm from Brinks Park.
The spirit sounds and I love the ball well and seek dates away to it's dormant.
Hello my name is Vincent and I'm from Austin, Texas and my favorite circle round story is Nine -Six because I just like it.
Thank you Rebecca Shear.
I love your circle round stories.
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