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In your part of the world, what is spring like? Do the flowers and trees burst into bloom?
Can you hear the twittering of birds and the buzzing of bees? In some places, spring time is when
certain animals emerge from the long winter's nap known as hibernation, including most bears.
In today's story, we'll learn how the bears winter time snooze came to be.
I'm Rebecca Scher and welcome to Circle Around, where story time happens all the time.
Today our story is called the Snow Eater. It's based on tales from the Blackfoot,
Indigenous peoples who traditionally lived in present-day Alberta, Canada, and the US state of Montana.
Some really great people came together to bring you our adaptation of this legend,
including Cree Summer, whose linter voice to such animated movies and TV shows as the Patrick
Starshow, the Loud House, Rugrats, Muppet Babies, DC Superhero Girls, Atlantis, the Lost Empire,
Clifford The Big Red Dog, and Good Times, which she also voiced directed.
You grown-ups can check out Cree this season on the ABC comedy, Abbott Elementary.
So Circle Around everyone for the Snow Eater.
Long ago, a young woman named Apani lived with her grandmother.
One year in the middle of a cold, bleak winter,
grandmother fell ill, and as the old woman lay in bed, her body growing weaker and her breath
growing fainter, she called her granddaughter to her side.
As you know, dear granddaughter, my days on this earth are drawing short.
Soon I will enter the spirit world of our ancestors. But before I go,
I wish to give you something.
The old woman unfurled her fingers and handed Apani a pipe. It's long, thin,
stem adorned with paint, beads, feathers, and fur. It's beautiful.
It's also powerful. This pipe is a medicine pipe.
It was given to our people many ages ago by the thunder chief,
and it has the power to do great things. What kinds of things, grandmother?
You shall see when the time is right. When the time is right.
Soon after that, grandmother breathed her last breath and was gone.
Now that Apani was on her own, the bleak, bitter winter seemed to drag on and on.
But then, as she was trudging through the snow and wind one bitingly brisk day,
she suddenly realized why? The shanook hasn't come. The snow eater hasn't come.
The shanook, or snow eater, is a warm, dry wind you'll find in the Rocky Mountain region of North America.
It's called the snow eater because when it sweeps down a snowy mountain side,
it makes the air so warm and dry that the snow can instantly evaporate.
It can disappear into thin air before it even has a chance to melt.
The shanook should have blown in by now, eating up the snow and brought the spring.
If it doesn't come blowing in soon, I'm going to freeze unless I starve first.
Apani was right. Food and firewood were getting harder and harder to come by.
But one morning, as she was hopelessly scouring the forest for both, she suddenly heard,
Listen up, folks! A voice! I got news to share! Big news!
In Trees, Apani followed the voice to the edge of a snowy clearing.
She hid behind a frozen tree, as the chatty, blackened white bird, known as Magpie,
addressed a group of animals. There was fluffy, wide-eyed owl. What's the new ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-
There was stolen by bear. Bear stole the Chinook. Where did that burly, bully take it? Word has it. He brought the Chinook to a secret den somewhere so he could hoard the warmth for himself. After all, he's sick and tired of shivering all winter long just like we are. True, ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho
Yeah, we'll all grow colder and hungrier than the Chinook will stay with bear forever. I wouldn't be sure about that. The animals jumped and with their heads around as a pony stepped into view. I'm sorry to startle you, but I come as a friend. A friend whose every bit is cold and hungry as you are, and every bit is eager to welcome the spring. My name is a pony.
And I don't believe the Chinook has to stay with bear forever. The animals exchanged us skeptical look.
But bear is bigger than all of us.
Not to mention earlier and bossier. We could never get that bully to set the snow eater free.
You know what? You're probably right. A pony smiled. That's why we're gonna take it.
Take it! Absolutely. By working together. Magpie. Thanks to your long tail and rounded wings, you're a whiz at swooping and diving, right?
Right.
And Owl. You have incredible hearing and eyesight. You can hear and see stuff from miles away. True?
True. And weasel. Not only are you lightning fast, but you can flatten your body and slither through the tiniest of cracks, yes?
Yes. And coyote. You've got strong muscular legs that can push and kick, correct?
That is correct. But what does any of this have to do with taking the Chinook?
It has everything to do with taking the Chinook. If we band together and use our special strengths, I believe we can track down the snow eater and rescue it from bears clutches.
Are you with me?
Magpie Owl, Whizel and coyote were quiet for a moment. Then, one by one, they nodded their feathery and furry heads.
Where with you, Apani? We'll work together. We will rescue the Chinook. We will set the snow eater free.
That's the spirit. I just have to make one quick stop at home. Then we can get started.
And listen, friends, with a little courage and a lot of teamwork. I promise spring will finally be sprung.
How will Apani and her new friends work as a team to rescue the snow eater? We'll find out what happens after a quick break.
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I'm Rebecca Sheer. Welcome back to Circle Round. Today our story is called The Snow Eater.
Before the break, Apani and her new friends Magpie, Owl, Weasel and Coyote were determined to free the warm, Shunook Wind or Snow Eater from Bears, Secret Den.
Apani stopped home to fetch the medicine pipe. Her dearly departed grandmother had given her. Then she and the animals ventured into the winter wilderness.
Owl acted as scout, flying ahead and surveying the landscape below. As the group passed through an ice sculpted valley beneath a towering mountain, Owl let out a hoot.
Oh, I hear bears grumbles and growls coming from the top of that mountain. And I see a big pile of rocks. It looks like the entrance to a secret den.
Well done, Owl. Bear must be up there. Which means the Shunook must be up there too. Come on everybody, we're going up!
Slowly but surely, Apani and the animals made their way up the snow-covered slope. When they reached the pile of rocks, Apani turned to Weasel.
Weasel? I want you to slide beneath these rocks and scurry inside. Take a look around the den, then come back out and tell us what you saw.
You've got it! Quick as a wink, Weasel flattened his slender body and slithered under the rocks. When he wriggled out a moment later, his dark eyes were shining.
I saw the Shunook. It's in the very back of the den and it's tied up inside a great big bag. Bear is standing over it and watching it like a hawk.
Nice job, Weasel, and thanks for the heads up. Apani turns to Coyote and Magpie.
Coyote? Magpie? You're next. Coyote? I want you to use those strong legs of yours to move some of these rocks so that Magpie and I can enter the den.
And once we're in, Magpie, I want you to swoop and dive like your life depends on it. Got it? Got it!
Coyote took a breath, then shoved the rocks aside with a kick. But just as Apani and Magpie were squeezing through the opening, they heard a deep growl.
And saw the big hulking form of Bear, skulking their way.
I thought I heard intruders trying to enter my secret den. How dare you barge your way in here and...
But before Bear could utter another word. Magpie was flapping her rounded wings, flicking her long tail and swooping all over him.
Bear squirmed, wriggled and rived as he tried fighting off the dive bombing bird.
Now that Bear was sufficiently distracted, Apani skirted past him, seized the bag with the shinnok inside and hoisted it over her shoulder.
I've got it! Magpie, I've got the shinnok! Go out and join the others. I'll take it from here.
Magpie did as she was told, but the moment she winged her way out of the den, Bear made an unexpectedly quick recovery.
He let out a roar, then scrambled to his feet and came lumbering toward Apani.
You are trying to steal my shinnok. Are you?
Your shinnok. Well, last time I checked, the snow eater belongs to everyone.
Not anymore. It's mine now. And guess what? So are you.
Apani didn't have a second to lose, as Bear lunged at her with another roar.
She reached into her pocket and pulled out the medicine pipe.
Grandmother said to use this pipe when the time was right. And this time seems as right as any.
Quick as a wink, she put the pipe to her lips, puffed out her cheeks, and blew.
A cloud of smoke came bursting out, enveloping Bear in a gauzy haze.
At first, he froze, standing still as a stone.
Then slowly, his head rolled backward, his jaws opened wide, and he let out a yawn.
So powerful, Apani could feel his hot breath on her face.
Gosh, is it that time already? I'm so drowsy all of a sudden.
Bear staggered backwards, swaying and tottering.
I don't know why, but I can hardly keep my eyes open.
Maybe if I just lay down and took a little nap.
And with that, he crumpled to the ground, curled into a big burly ball, and dropped off to sleep.
As Bear snored away, Apani hurried out of the den and back to her friends.
Okay, everybody, I have the shanook, but I need your help getting this bag open.
Bear's knots are super tight.
The animal set to work undoing the knots. Magpie used her long black beak.
Owl used her thick sharp talons.
Whew, whew, whew, whew. Weasel used his pointy little teeth.
Kiyote used his powerful jaws. And then, at long last, the bag burst open and out flew the shanook.
After sweeping across the mountain top, the warm dry snow eater rushed down to the world below.
In an instant, the blanket of snow vanished. We did it, friends. We freed the shanook.
We freed the snow eater. But we better get out of here. Bear could wake up any minute.
Apani magpie Owl, Weasel and Kiyote scurried down the slope. And just in time too.
Because who should come roaring out of his den?
Whew, whew, whew. But a very angry bear.
They're gone. Those steves are gone. And so is my shanook.
Now I'll have to endure the icy cold winters again. Unless...
A gleam came into his eye. Unless I sleep through the winters.
That nap did feel good. Every year when winter comes I can just quench out.
And wouldn't you know it?
That's exactly what he's done ever since. Bear spends all winter hibernating.
Snoozing and dreaming in his den. And then, when the shanook comes blowing in,
and its warm, dry breeze eats up the snow, the world springs back to life. And bear does too.
Now it's your turn. Think about a time you were part of a team. Perhaps you and your family
baked a cake together. Or you built a fort with friends. Maybe your class put on a play.
Or you played on a sports team with your fellow athletes.
Find some paper and something to draw with and make a picture of you and your team working together.
Share your picture with a grown-up in your life, then ask them to tell you about a time they use to
teamwork to achieve a goal. No matter our age, learning to be part of a team can help us practice
patience, respect, and cooperation. It can also help us develop trust in other people,
and confidence in ourselves.
This week's episode, The Snow Eater, was adapted by me, Rebecca Scheer. It was edited by
Sophie Kodner. Our original music and sound design is by Eric Shamelonis. Her artist is Sabina Han.
Want a color while you listen? Sabina has created a black and white coloring page for all of our
circle-round stories, and you can print them out and color them in. Grown-ups visit our website,
www.ubr.org slash circle-round, and click on coloring pages. Special thanks to this week's actors,
Amy Brantano, Kevin Corbett, Ryan Dallasong, Sean Richards, Todd Scofield, Don Ursula,
and Cree Summer, who first stole my heart as Penny on the animated series Inspector Gadget,
and Winifred Freddie Brooks on the NBC sitcom A Different World. Since then, she has starred in a
ton of animated movies and TV shows, including Good Times on Netflix. Grown-ups watch for Cree
this season on the ABC comedy, Abbott Elementary. Our featured instrument this week was the Native
American Drones flute. You can learn more about this double-tubed wind instrument, and see a photo
of Eric Shamelonis playing it on our website. Once more, that's www.ubr.org slash circle-round.
And while you're at www.ubr.org slash circle-round, you can check out our upcoming live events,
get your hands on our Circle-round picture books, and you can become the newest member of the Circle
Round Club. When you join the Circle Round Club, not only will you support the public radio
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Hi, Rebecca Sheer. 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.
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My favorite part is when they are and says that she found a treasure map.
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And my favorite part is the end when strong mind wakes up in the house that they used to live in.
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