Encore: The Laughing Canoe

Summary

Circle Round Podcast Summary

Episode: Encore: The Laughing Canoe
Host: Rebecca Sheir (WBUR)
Air Date: March 17, 2026
Folktale Origin: Brazil
Featured Voice Actor: George Salazar (Superstore, Be More Chill)
Intended Audience: Families, children ages 3–103

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Episode Overview

This encore edition of Circle Round presents "The Laughing Canoe," a Brazilian-inspired folktale. The episode playfully examines the themes of teamwork, generosity, gratitude, and the dangers of greed—all wrapped in a sound- and pun-rich storytelling style that encourages listener interaction and reflection. The episode invites families to think about collaboration, and ends with a creative activity.

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Key Discussion Points & Story Progression

Introduction: On the Road & Teamwork

• Rebecca Sheir shares a brief update that she and producer Eric Shyamalonis are traveling with the Circle Round books (00:13).
• She prompts listeners to think about using teamwork and introduces the tale of a magical team: a fisherman and his extraordinary canoe (00:52).

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The Fisherman’s Hard Times (01:08–04:24)

• Every morning, the humble fisherman rows his self-carved canoe into the river and fishes for bass and catfish—usually with great success.
• One week, the fish stop biting altogether, leaving him distraught:

  "If I can't catch any fish, I can't sell any fish. And if I can't sell any fish, I can't feed my children. And if I can't feed my children, the poor dears will go hungry." — Fisherman (D) (04:09)

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The Canoe Comes Alive: Laughter & Puns (04:30–07:23)

• The fisherman’s canoe suddenly sprouts a cheery face and begins cracking puns to cheer him up and offer help:

  "What do you call a canoe that's 50% off?... A sailboat." — Canoe (A) (04:46)
  "Oh, hey. Easy there, buddy. I've heard of rocking the boat, but it's supposed to be a figure of speech..." — Canoe (A) (05:22)

• The canoe promises to help and tells the fisherman, "your ship has come in... Just sit back and check this out." (A) (06:51)

Notable Moment:

• The whimsical, pun-loving canoe uses humor to uplift the fisherman, reflecting the importance of joy and optimism during tough times.

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Magical Fishing & Sharing (08:02–10:29)

• The canoe magically summons fish, filling the fisherman’s baskets to the brim (08:13).
• In return, the canoe sucks up one basketful as its share:

  "Even one basket for you, one basket for me. You scratch my bow, I scratch yours. And when you come back tomorrow, we'll do it all over again." — Canoe (A) (10:10)

• The fisherman responds warmly, "This is the beginning of a boatiful friendship." (D) (10:23)

Key Insight:

• Success comes from collaboration and fair sharing.

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Prosperity & Emerging Greed (10:29–11:45)

• The fisherman prospers; with larger and plumper fish, he makes double the money at market.
• His jealous brother, a greedy farmer, takes notice:

  "How is my brother suddenly doing so well? I must uncover his secret." — Farmer (E) (11:36)

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The Greedy Farmer’s Scheme (11:45–14:59)

• The farmer spies on his brother, but only witnesses the spectacular fish-jumping, not the act of sharing with the canoe.
• He takes the canoe and brings massive baskets, far bigger than the fisherman’s, aiming to maximize his own gain (12:17–13:03).
• The canoe continues with its comedic style:

  "Which paddle do you use when you sit in the front of a canoe? Either or." — Canoe (A) (13:13)

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The Consequence of Greed (14:59–15:43)

• The farmer amasses two huge baskets of wriggling fish and, when prompted, refuses to share:

  "I'm not forgetting anything, you hopeless heap of whittled wood. I'm going back to shore and I'm selling these fish. And I'm making a mint." — Farmer (E) (15:25)

• In retaliation, the canoe swallows all the fish—then chases the farmer off:

  "The canoe whipped its head around, its twinkling eyes flashing with fury. Before the farmer knew what was happening... tried swallowing the farmer. The terrified fellow sprung from his seat and dove into the water..." (15:43)

Notable Quote:

• "Uh, fella, we're gonna need a bigger boat." — Canoe (A) (14:42)

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Restoration & Closing (16:00–16:55)

• The fisherman and the laughing canoe resume their joyful, mutually beneficial partnership, filled with "catfish, bass, and bad boat puns."
• Rebecca Sheir leaves listeners with a playful afterthought:

  "I'm kind of tempted to make [a boat pun], but I can't think of any canoe. Get it—canoe? Like 'can you'?" (16:55)

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Listener Engagement & Activity (17:00–17:55)

• Rebecca poses a reflection and creative challenge:

  "What's one thing you wish could come alive and talk? Would it be a toy? A tree? A car?... draw a picture of you with your living, talking friend..." (17:00)

• Listeners are invited to submit drawings via email.

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Notable Quotes & Moments by Timestamp

| Timestamp | Quote/Action | Speaker | |-----------|--------------|---------| | 04:46 | "What do you call a canoe that's 50% off?... A sailboat." | Canoe (A) | | 06:03 | "Life is but a dream. But no friend, I’m totally for real." | Canoe (A) | | 10:23 | "This is the beginning of a boatiful friendship." | Fisherman (D) | | 13:13 | "Which paddle do you use when you sit in the front of a canoe? Either or." | Canoe (A) | | 14:42 | "Uh, fella, we're gonna need a bigger boat." | Canoe (A) | | 15:25 | "I'm not forgetting anything, you hopeless heap of whittled wood..." | Farmer (E) | | 16:55 | "I'm kind of tempted to make one right now, but I can’t think of any canoe. Get it—canoe? Like 'can you'?" | Rebecca Sheir (B) |

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Tone and Style

• The episode is lighthearted, warm, filled with puns, and encourages positivity and generosity.
• The talking canoe’s jokes maintain a fun, kid-friendly atmosphere even during the story’s tense moments.
• There's an ongoing invitation for children and families to reflect, respond, and stay creative.

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Key Takeaways

• True success comes from teamwork, gratitude, and sharing.
• Greed—especially without understanding the work (and sharing!) behind success—can backfire dramatically.
• Laughter, optimism, and collaboration can turn a bad day around.
• The story ends with an invitation for children and families to use their imagination and creativity together.

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Additional Features

• Featured Instrument: The “Churongo”—a stringed instrument from South America, highlighted in the episode’s music.
• Coloring Activity: Printable illustration by Sabina Hahn is available on the show’s website.
• Listener Voices: Young fans share their favorite Circle Round episodes and moments in a closing segment (19:06–20:39), affirming the show’s community spirit.

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Circle Round continues to offer imaginative, global folktales wrapped in humor, heart, and music—inviting children and families to reflect and create together.

Transcript

[A]

Wbur podcasts boston.

[B]

Hi, Rebecca Scheer here. If you're listening to this episode, the week it comes out, then you might know that Eric Shyamalonis and I are on the road as we bring Circle Round and the Circle Round Books to Cleveland, Ohio and Austin, Texas. We'll be back with the first of our live Cleveland episodes next week. In the meantime, enjoy this special encore edition of Circle Round, a fun and funny tale you may have missed the first time around. Think about a time you used teamwork. You did one part of a task, somebody else did the other. And by working together, by collaborating, you shared in your success. We're about to meet a team that works so well together, it's magic. I'm Rebecca Shear and welcome to Circle Round, where storytime happens all the time. Today our story is called the Laughing Canoe. It's inspired by tales told in Brazil, the largest country in South America and Latin America. Some really great people came together to bring you our adaptation of this folktale, including George Salazar from NBC's Superstore and the Broadway production of Be More Chill. So circle around everyone for the Laughing Canoe. There once was a fisherman. Each and every morning, with a fishing pole and two baskets, the fisherman made his way to the wide, winding river where his hand carved wooden canoe waited on the riverbank. The fisherman pushed off from shore, paddled to the middle of the river, then baited his hook and cast his line. After that, he waited. The moment he felt a tug, he rolled his line in, then proudly unhooked a wiggling, wriggling bass or catfish and tossed it into one of his baskets. This he would do again and again until both baskets were brimming with flipping, flopping fish. Then he would paddle the canoe back to shore and take his catch to market where he would sell the bass and catfish for two coppers apiece. But one day the fisherman didn't catch any fish. Not a one. For hours he drifted in his canoe waiting for a tug. But no tug came. So after returning to shore, the empty handed fisherman went home where his two sons greeted him with big smiles.

[C]

Welcome back Daddy. How was today's catch? Did you hook a lot of fish and sell a lot at market?

[B]

The fisherman heaved a sigh.

[D]

I'm afraid not, my loves. The catfish and bass must have been sleeping. They simply refused to bite. But no use getting down, right? I'll try again tomorrow. Surely the fish will be awake by then.

[B]

So the next morning, the fisherman grabbed his fishing pole and baskets and went to work. He paddled his canoe to the middle of the river, then baited his hook, cast his line, and waited and waited and waited. But the fish didn't bite. And for the second day in a row, the fisherman went home empty handed. Much to the fisherman's chagrin, the same thing happened the next day. And the next, and the next. By the seventh day, the fisherman was beside himself. And as he sat in his canoe, drifting on the water and waiting for that elusive tug, he finally broke down and cried.

[D]

What am I going to do? If I can't catch any fish, I can't sell any fish. And if I can't sell any fish, I can't feed my children. And if I can't feed my children, the poor dears will go hungry.

[B]

The poor man wept and wept until. Hey.

[A]

What do you call a canoe that's 50% off?

[B]

The fisherman froze. What?

[D]

Who said that?

[A]

I did. I said, what do you call a canoe that's 50% off?

[D]

Hmm.

[A]

A sailboat.

[D]

Cha Ching.

[E]

Get it?

[A]

Like a sail, a discout. Only it's a sailboat. Sailboat.

[B]

The fisherman looked to his left, then to his right. And then he looked down. And when he did, he saw that the front of his canoe, the bow, had sprouted a face. A cheery looking face with two twinkling eyes and a wide, grinning mouth. The astonished fisherman jumped so high he nearly tipped the canoe over.

[A]

Oh, hey. Oh, easy there, buddy. I've heard it rocking the boat, but it's supposed to be a figure of speech. Although, come to think of it, if your canoe tips over in the water, you can always wear it on your head because it's capsized. Get it? Capsized. Oh, I'm on fire today.

[B]

As the canoe exploded into a peel of laughter, the fisherman rubbed his eyes.

[D]

What is going on here? I was out on the water so long did I fall asleep while I was waiting for a bite. I must be dreaming. I must.

[A]

Well, in the words of the greatest song in the history of music, A bom bom bom, Row, row, row your boat gently down the stream. Oh, merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily. Life is but a dream. But no friend, I'm totally for real. No doubt about it.

[D]

Get it?

[A]

I'm Canadian. The Canadian. But canood a boat. Woo. I crack myself up. Do you find me funny?

[B]

Although he had been crying just a moment ago, the fisherman couldn't help but smile.

[A]

Hey now that's better. I haven't seen your frown turn upside down all day.

[D]

Well, that's because I haven't caught any fish. And if I can't catch any fish. I can't sell any fish. And if I can't.

[A]

And if you can't sell any fish, you can't feed your children. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I heard the whole thing. But I am pleased to report that your ship has come in, my friend. Or your canoe, if you want to be technical about it. Either way, I am here to save the day. No longer will you be up the creek without a paddle. Just sit back and check this out.

[B]

What do you think the canoe does next? We'll find out what happens after a quick break. The reviews are in and super fans like you are loving the Circle Round Club. An exciting opportunity to support radio and get cool stuff, including ad free episodes and a personalized birthday message from me.

[C]

What I like about the Circle Round Club is that Rebecca here sends extra messages and it supports the show and there are no ads.

[B]

Grown ups support public radio and sign up [e-mail] CircleRoundClub. I'm Rebecca Shear. Welcome back to Circle Round. Today our story is called the Laughing Canoe. Before the break, a wise cracking canoe told a struggling fisherman that his days of paddling back to shore empty handed were over. As the fishermen watched in wonder, the water around the canoe began to quiver, then ripple, then gurgle, then bubble and churn. And just like that, a massive silver catfish shot up from the river, arched its sleek, silvery gray body in mid air, then landed in one of the fishermen's baskets. The same thing happened with another catfish, then a bass, then another catfish. And in no time, both baskets were teeming with wiggling, wriggling fish. The biggest and plumpest fish the fisherman had ever seen. Once the baskets were full, the stream of flying fish stopped and the water went quiet.

[D]

This is amazing. Simply amazing. There's no way my children will go hungry now.

[B]

The fisherman gave the canoe a friendly pat.

[D]

Tell me, my friend, how can I repay you? I'm so very grateful, but I don't have much to offer.

[A]

Oh, I wouldn't be so sure. A boat that quick as a wink,

[B]

the canoe whipped its head around until it faced the back of the boat, the stern. And then it opened its wide mouth and sucked all the fish from one of the baskets like a vacuum cleaner.

[A]

There we are. Even one basket for you, one basket for me. You scratch my bow, I scratch yours. And when you come back tomorrow, we'll do it all over again. What do you say?

[D]

I say this is the beginning of a boatiful friendship.

[B]

Oh. After that, every single day, the fishermen would paddle the canoe to the middle of the river. The water would bubble and churn. The fish would fly through the air, the baskets would fill to the brim, and the canoe would snarf down one of the baskets with a great big gulp. No longer did the fisherman worry about putting food on his family's table. The fish he brought to market were so large, so plump, he could sell them for four coppers apiece, instead of just two. And it wasn't long before those coppers added up, and the fisherman was prospering. Now, it just so happens that the fisherman had a brother, a farmer who lived several villages over. And the two siblings were as different as June and January. Whereas the fisherman was humble and caring, the farmer was greedy and jealous. So when the farmer heard about the fisherman's good fortune, he grew green with envy.

[E]

How is my brother suddenly doing so well? I must uncover his secret.

[B]

Early one morning, the farmer snuck out to the river and hid behind a bush. He watched the fisherman glide his canoe into the water, then paddle to the middle of the river. It was a wide river, so the fisherman was pretty far away, and the farmer couldn't see much. But what he did see made his eyes bulge.

[E]

Oh, my goodness. Look at all those big, beautiful fish jumping out of the water and into my brother's boat. It's like magic.

[B]

Again, the canoe was quite distant, so the farmer didn't see what happened next. He didn't see the canoe spin its prow around, and he didn't see it open its gaping mouth. And he didn't see all the fish in one of the baskets suddenly disappear. But what he did see set his greedy mind a whirl. And that night, under a dark, moonless sky, the farmer crept back to the river with two gigantic baskets strapped to his back. They were far bigger than any baskets the humble fisherman ever used. The farmer brought his brother's canoe to the water's edge and placed his jumbo baskets inside. They were so huge, they barely fit. But just as the farmer was about to step inside and push off.

[D]

Hey.

[A]

Which paddle do you use when you sit in the front of a canoe?

[B]

The farmer tensed.

[E]

What? What did you say?

[A]

I said, which paddle do you use when you sit in the front of a canoe? Either or.

[B]

Whoa.

[A]

Get it? Like an oar. Like a paddle. Only it's a either or situation.

[E]

Wow.

[A]

You getting this?

[B]

The farmer's eyes traveled down to the canoe. At first, when he spotted the cheery face with its twinkling eyes and smiling mouth, he was startled. But then he smiled.

[E]

Ah, now I Understand? You're a magic canoe. My brother has a magic canoe. So that's how he's been catching all those big, beautiful fish.

[B]

The farmer leaped into the canoe and began to paddle. When they reached the middle of the river, he looked at the canoe expectantly.

[E]

Okay, here we are. Now get me those fish.

[A]

Boy, oh, boy, aren't you a pain in the stern. But, hey, whatever floats your boat.

[B]

To the farmer's delight, the water began to quiver, ripple, gurgle and churn. Then fish after fish began hurtling through the air and landing in the farmer's enormous baskets. The baskets were so big and could hold so much. Before long, the canoe was weighted down with fish and its sides were barely above the water.

[A]

Uh, fella, we're gonna need a bigger boat.

[E]

Nonsense. I want these baskets filled to the brim.

[B]

Eventually, they were. At which point the fish stopped jumping and the water went still.

[E]

Well, well, well. Look at all these fish. And they're mine. All mine. Now let's get back to shore so I can sell them.

[A]

Not so fast, fella. Aren't you forgetting something?

[B]

Now, remember, the farmer didn't know that his brother always shared his fish with the canoe. The farmer had been too far away to see.

[E]

I'm not forgetting anything, you hopeless heap of whittled wood. I'm going back to shore and I'm selling these fish. And I'm making a mint.

[B]

But just as the farmer lifted his paddle.

[A]

Oh, I wouldn't be so sure about that.

[B]

The canoe whipped its head around, its twinkling eyes flashing with fury. Before the farmer knew what was happening, the canoe opened its gaping mouth wide and swallowed both baskets of fish. Then the canoe stretched its jaws even wider and tried swallowing the farmer. The terrified fellow sprung from his seat and dove into the water, swimming away as fast as his legs and arms could carry him. When he reached the shore, he took off running through the forest. And for all we know, he's running still. As for his brother, the humble fisherman, he and his canoe continued their daily fishing trips, sharing ample amounts of catfish, bass and bad boat puns. You know, I'm kind of tempted to make one right now, but I can't think of any canoe. Get it canoe. Like, can you? Canoe? Yeah, I think I'll stick to storytelling. Now it's your turn. What's one thing you wish could come alive and talk? Would it be a toy? A tree? A car? And once it comes alive, what would you two do together? Find a piece of paper and draw a picture of you with your living, talking friend then if you'd like, share it with us. Have a grown up Email a photo of you and your drawing to circleroundbur.org. This week's story, the Laughing Canoe, was adapted by me, Rebecca Scheer. It was edited by Circle Round's supervising producer, Ann Marie Sivertson. Circle Round's original music and sound design is by Eric Shyamalonis. Our artist is Sabina Hahn. Sabina has created a black and white illustration for all of our Circle Round stories and you can print them out and color them in. Ask a grown up to visit wbur.org circleround then click on Soundtrack and coloring pages. And While you'[e-mail] CircleRound you can find links to the Circle Round soundtrack, T shirt and coloring book as well as a transcript for each and every Circle Round tale. Special thanks to this week's actors Theodore Chin, Ken Jackson, Igor Shimalonis, Sid Shaly and George Salazar, star of the Broadway hit Be More Chill. Our featured instrument this week was the Churongo. You can learn more about this stringed instrument from South America and see a photo of Eric Shyamalonas playing it on our website. Once more, that's WBUR.org CircleRound Never want to miss an episode of Circle Round. Follow us on Apple Podcasts or whatever podcast app you use, and please leave us some stars. Write us a review or just tell your friends about the show. Circle Round is a production of wbur, Boston's NPR News station. 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.

[C]

My name is Elsie and I live in Thornton, Colorado. My favorite episode is Rhyming Rhino and I like that part when the fruits fall on the rhino's head. My name is Mara and I'm from Thornton, Colorado. My favorite story is Princess Purse because I like the part when Savitri tricks Yama into giving her husband's life back. My name is Georgia, I'm from Los Angeles and my favorite Circle Round story is the sharpest tack. I like the part where the Merchant visits Nasser Dean's house. My name is Gemma, I'm from Los Angeles and my free will circle around is Diamonds in the sky and my favorite part is when around we wander into the sun and the Moon. Hi, my name is Sadie. I live in Portland, Oregon in Washougal, Washington. My favorite Circle Round story is Princess Persistence and I like how clever she is and the way she gets her husband back. My name's Ed and I live in Huntsville, Alabama and my favorite story is True Colors and my favorite part is when they paint each animal. Hello, this is Eva and Lily. We live in Seattle and our favorite story is Princess Persistence. Lily's favorite part is when they got married. And we love you.

[B]

Rebecca Sheer did someone mention a spirit 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 CircleRound.