Hey CircleRound fans!
We've added stops to our 2025-2026 CircleRound Live Tour, and you're invited!
Join us for live episode recordings in Los Angeles on January 18th, Boston on February 7th and Cleveland on March 14th.
We can't wait to CircleRound with you live!
Get your tickets at wbur.org slash CircleRound.
Hi, Rebecca Shear here.
The new year is nearly upon us and we can hardly wait to circle around with you at our live recordings in Los Angeles on January 18th, Boston on February 7th and Cleveland on March 14th.
Visit wbur.org slash circle round to get your tickets today.
For now, enjoy this encore edition of Circle Round, a super fun folktale.
You may have missed the first time around.
We'll be back with a new story soon.
Has there ever been a time when a friend or family member wouldn't share with you?
Maybe they wouldn't let you play with a new toy, or they wouldn't give you a turn during a game.
Think about how it made you feel.
Not so good, right?
Well, we're about to meet a character who feels exactly like you did, until he takes matters into his own hands.
Whistling I'm Rebecca Sheer, and welcome to Circle Round, where story time happens all the time.
Today, our story is called The Patched-Up Coat.
Versions of this tale come from Russia, the largest country in the world.
Some really great people came together to bring you our adaptation of this folktale, including Peter Sagal, host of NPR's weekly news quiz.
Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me.
So, Circle Round, everyone. for the patched-up coat.
At the edge of a small town, at the top of a steep hill, there lived a man and woman.
The man and woman on the hill weren't especially rich, and they weren't especially poor.
They weren't especially tall and they weren't especially short.
What they were, however, was especially selfish.
If a neighbor was baking a cake and came up the hill to borrow a cup of sugar, the man and woman might respond like this
Oh, you can borrow a cup of sugar, all right.
Provided you give us the cake when it's done.
If a farmer's wagon broke down on the way to market and he asked the man and woman for a ride in their cart, they might respond like this
Oh, we can give you a ride in our cart, all right.
Provided you pay us ten silver coins for the trouble.
So one brisk winter evening, when a weary traveler trudged up the hill to ask the man and woman for a bite of supper and a place to spend the night, they responded like this
Oh.
You can have some supper and spend the night all right.
Provided you chop some firewood and feed the horses.
The weary traveler was a soldier making his long journey home after fighting battles in faraway lands.
His feet were tired, his stomach was empty and the coat he wore was threadbare and covered with patches.
I appreciate the offer, folks.
Thank you.
So, what's for supper?
The man and woman exchanged a look.
Well, my wife and I are having a hearty chicken soup.
Mmm, it's been simmering on the stove all day.
But you'll be eating cold porridge.
There isn't enough soup for three.
The soldier cast his eyes toward the stove where an enormous iron pot was boiling and bubbling away.
The pot seemed to hold more than enough steaming, fragrant soup for three people, but the soldier just smiled and sat down at the table.
While the soldier choked down his cold lumpy porridge, the man and woman slurped up their hot chicken soup with gusto.
Oh, this soup is scrumptious.
Delectable!
I'm going to have seconds.
I'm going to have thirds.
As the man and woman refilled their bowls again and again, it began to dawn on the soldier just how selfish this pair truly was.
But he kept quiet and continued eating until his bowl was empty.
Once the man and woman gobbled up the entire pot of chicken soup, they brought out dessert a fresh-baked apple pie.
The soldier's mouth watered as he waited to be served a slice.
But instead, the man and woman carved out two massive pieces for themselves.
This pie is just marvelous.
Incredible.
Oh, so flaky.
So light.
As the couple gulped down bite after scrumptious bite, the soldier sheepishly piped up Uh, excuse me folks, I was wondering, may I please have some pie?
The man and woman stopped chewing and fixed their guest with an irritated stare.
Have some pie, you say?
Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
You have work to do, soldier.
Didn't you promise that you'd chop firewood and feed the horses?
So the soldier got up from the table and headed outside.
The night air was bone-achingly bitter.
The soldier's hands trembled so hard he could barely hold the axe as he split logs.
By the time he loaded the stable with hay...
His arms and hands, legs and feet had all gone numb.
The old coat he wore was so scruffy and ratty, it did nothing to protect him from the cold.
After his chores, the soldier staggered back to the house where the man and woman were licking pie crumbs off their fingers and sipping big mugs of piping hot tea.
Oh, look!
There he is.
Took you long enough out there, soldier.
We're about to turn in for the night.
Glancing around the house, the soldier spied a plush sofa in the living room.
It was covered with thick woolen blankets.
Hitting the hay is fine by me, folks.
I have been traveling all day and I am beat.
May I sleep on your sofa, then?
The couple shook their heads.
Oh, no, no, no, soldier.
Our house cat, Fluffy, sleeps on the sofa.
She just loves snuggling up with all those cozy blankets.
You'll be sleeping on the floor.
The soldier felt his heart clench.
Were there truly no limits to this man and woman's stinginess?
That's fine.
Just fine.
But the sofa's right next to the fireplace, and it seems the fire's gone out.
Would you mind if I started it back up again?
Even as the soldier asked this question, he suspected he already knew the answer.
And he was right.
Start the fire again, you say?
And waste all of our precious firewood?
No way, soldier.
Just use that ratty coat of yours as a blanket.
Then the man and woman breezed into their snug, cozy bedroom and slammed the door.
The soldier lay down on the living room floor, beside the unlit fireplace.
As a chill whooshed down the chimney, he curled himself into a ball, pulling his patched-up coat even tighter around his quivering body.
Naturally, the shabby old frock didn't do a lick of good. believe these people.
They have plenty of supper to share, yet they don't.
They've plenty of dessert to share, yet they don't.
They have a whole extra sofa to sleep on, but do they share that?
Of course not.
To say nothing of parting with their precious firewood.
Somebody really ought to teach these selfish scoundrels a lesson.
And I know just the one to do it.
What will the soldier do next?
What would you do if you were the soldier?
We'll find out what happens after a quick break.
© transcript Emily Beynon.
The reviews are in and superfans like you are loving the Circle Round Club.
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Welcome back to Circle Round.
I'm Rebecca Shear.
Today, our story is called The Patched-Up Coat.
Before the break, a man and a woman allowed a poor traveling soldier to spend the night in their home.
But the selfish couple made him sleep on the floor with nothing but his shabby patched-up coat to keep him warm.
The winter's night grew darker and colder, and before long the soldier's entire body felt frozen.
But his brain was on fire as he cooked up a plan to teach the greedy pair a lesson.
Right around midnight, he leaped to his feet and raced to the kitchen.
He plunged his hand into a big jar of butter and smeared the thick, greasy stuff all over his face.
Then he put on his coat and knocked at the man and woman's bedroom door.
What is it, soldier?
How dare you wake us up in the middle of the night?
I am so sorry to disturb you, but it is so hot and stuffy in the living room.
Would you mind opening a window?
The man and woman gaped at the soldier's drippy, sticky face.
The living room was the draftiest part of the house, especially when the fireplace wasn't lit.
And yet this soldier with his tattered, ragged coat was sweating so much he needed to open a window.
The couple was confused, but they agreed to their guest's request.
And when a burst of wind swept through the living room, they scurried back to their snug, cozy bedroom and slammed the door.
But then, an hour later, the soldier came knocking again.
What is it now, soldier?
We're trying to get some sleep.
I know, and I apologize, but even with the window open, I'm so hot I could pass out.
Would you mind opening the front door?
The man and woman's jaws dropped.
With the window open, the living room felt frosty as an icebox.
Yet the soldier wanted to open the door?
Are you out of your mind, soldier?
With the door open, the house will freeze.
The soldier shrugged.
Well, I guess I'll just take off my coat then.
Perhaps I'll be more comfortable without it.
The man and woman watched as the soldier removed his scruffy, worn-out coat and laid it on the floor.
Ah, there.
That is so much better.
So, sorry to bother you folks.
I'll see you in the morning.
For the rest of the night, the man and woman couldn't sleep a wink.
The soldier had them positively flummoxed.
How could the fellow possibly stay so warm?
Was it really that shabby, patched-up coat of his?
Could it be magic?
When morning came, the man and woman found the soldier in the living room lacing up his boots and getting ready to go.
Good morning, you two.
I trust you slept well.
As for me, I slept like a baby.
Once I took off my coat, that is.
The man and woman flashed the soldier a smile.
Yes.
About that coat.
We were wondering... Could we trade you for it?
This was the moment the soldier had been waiting for.
He stifled a giggle and feigned surprise.
My coat, you say?
You want to trade for my coat?
Indeed we do.
We want to trade it for this lovely goose-down jacket here.
It's too bulky to wear while chopping wood or feeding the horses or driving to market.
But your coat would be perfect.
It's so nice and light.
Yet so nice and warm.
The soldier gazed at the goose-down jacket.
It truly was beautiful, but he pretended to hesitate.
I don't know, folks.
This coat has been with me a long time.
I'm not sure I'm ready to part with it.
To the soldier's delight, the man and woman took the bait.
Oh, we understand.
Completely.
That's why we'll sweeten the deal.
We'll give you one of our finest horses.
Plus an entire bag of silver coins.
What do you say?
The soldier acted like he was thinking it over.
The man and woman waited and waited until, at last, the soldier's face broke into a grin.
I say, you've got yourself a deal, folks.
Thank you.
So the soldier traded his ragged, tattered coat for the man and woman's goose-down jacket.
Then he mounted his fine new horse, slung his bag of silver coins over his shoulder and rode down the hill warm, snuggly and laughing all the way.
Once he was gone, the woman pulled on the patched-up coat and went out to the stable to tend the horses.
It was a nippy snowy morning and by the time she was done brushing and feeding the animals, her cheeks were bright red, her lips were pale blue and she was shaking like jelly.
Husband, the soldier's magic coat doesn't seem to be working for me.
Perhaps you should give it a try.
All right, I'll wear it to market.
So the man put on the soldier's coat, harnessed a horse to the cart, then set off down the hill.
The snow was falling in great clumps now, and each biting, cutting gust of wind felt like the sting of a bee.
The man's teeth chattered.
He could barely move his mouth.
And when he lost all feeling in his fingers and toes, he turned right back around and headed home.
But he didn't go alone.
He was so freezing cold that he picked up some travelers along the way, just so he could huddle up next to a warm body or two.
It was the first free ride the selfish man had ever given.
And you know what?
It wouldn't be his last.
When the shivering man returned to his home on the hill, he told the woman how the soldier had tricked them.
And from that day forward, the couple vowed to change their ways and never give anyone the cold shoulder.
The End When we help others, we help make the world a warmer, sunnier place.
This week's story, The Patched-Up Coat, was adapted by me, Rebecca Shear.
It was edited by Circle Round's supervising producer, Amory Sebertson.
Circle Round's original music and sound design is by Eric Shimalonis.
Our artist is Sabina Han.
Sabina has created a black-and-white illustration for every single Circle Round story and you can print them out and color them in.
Ask a grown-up to visit wbur.org slash circleround, then click on Soundtrack and Coloring Pages.
And while you're at WBURorg, slash CircleRound.
You can find a link to the CircleRound coloring book and t-shirt, the CircleRound soundtrack and a transcript for each and every CircleRound tale.
Special thanks to this week's actors, Theodore Chin, Jessica Rau, and Peter Sagal.
Peter is the host of Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me, the NPR News Quiz.
He's also the author of The Book of Vice Naughty Things and How to Do Them, and The Incomplete Book of Running, a memoir about the 2013 Boston Marathon, bombing and other adventures while running long distances.
Our featured instrument this week was the Goosley.
You can read more about this stringed instrument and see a picture on our website.
Once more, that's WBUR.org slash CircleRound.
Never want to miss an episode of CircleRound?
Follow us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
Circle Round is a production of WBUR, Boston's NPR news station.
I'm Rebecca Shear.
Thanks for circling round 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.
My name is Lola.
I live in Anchorage, Alaska.
My favorite Zip-A-Round story is Princess and the Bee.
I like the part where the bee surprises the princess because the bee can actually help her.
My name is Lachlan and I live in Salt Lake City and my favorite Zip-A-Round is Visit a Bastard.
My favorite part is when the tiger gives her the basket.
My name is Hazel and I live in Idaho and my favorite story is the Basilisk Stare.
I like the part where Natalia saves Conrad.
Hi, my name is Sierra and I live in Beacon, New York, and my favorite Circle Round episode is the sea and the sky, and my favorite part is when the kite tricks the sea and the sky into making land.
My name is Georgia.
I live in Kansas City and my favorite Circle Round story is the Salmon Famine and my favorite part is when and the coyote teaches the giants their lesson.
Hi, my name is Aurelia and I live in Washington, and my favorite Circle Round story is the horse for a hire.
I like when he is mad and he's yelling.
My name is Freya.
I live in Washington and my favorite story was the peanut one.
I like when he found The golden stuff was not golden.
Did someone mention a story you've missed?
Not to worry.
Grown-ups.
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 wburorg slash circleround.
