Encore: The Mountain Guardian

Summary

Circle Round Podcast Summary
Episode: Encore: The Mountain Guardian
Release Date: July 16, 2025
Host: Rebecca Shear
Produced by: WBUR

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Introduction

In this special encore edition of Circle Round, hosted by Rebecca Shear, listeners are transported into the enchanting world of Tibetan folklore with the captivating tale, "The Mountain Guardian." Aimed at children ages 3-103, this episode weaves together themes of kindness, respect for nature, and the timeless struggle between needs and wants. Featuring stellar performances by Alonzo Bowden and Audrey Shea, the story not only entertains but also imparts valuable life lessons.

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Story Overview

Setting the Scene

The story unfolds in a tranquil valley beneath a majestic, tree-covered mountain. Here resides a young shepherdess and her elderly grandmother in a modest, ramshackle hut. Their peaceful life takes a dramatic turn during a particularly harsh winter when all of the shepherdess's sheep vanish amidst the deep snowdrifts.

Seeking Help

Distraught by the loss of her flock, the shepherdess contemplates seeking assistance from her wealthy uncle in the capital city. [03:18]
Shepherdess: "I can't believe this. All my beloved sheep gone. And with them, my livelihood. How Will I ever get by now and provide for Grandmother?"

Upon reaching her uncle's opulent mansion, she is met with indifference and lack of empathy. [04:00]
Uncle: "What does any of this have to do with me? Was it my fault it snowed so hard this winter? There's nothing I can do for you, kid."

A Lesson in Respect

Heartbroken, the shepherdess returns to her valley and gazes upon the fallen branches scattered by the winter storms. Inspired by her grandmother's teachings about the sacred mountain guardian, she devises a plan to collect dead wood instead of harming living trees. [05:18]
Shepherdess: "My child, you must remember, in this land, each and every mountain has a guardian, a powerful spirit, a protector."

Encounter with the Mountain Guardian

Her respectful harvesting attracts the attention of the Mountain Guardian, manifested as a stone lion perched atop the mountain. [06:36]
Mountain Guardian: "I am the guardian of the mountain. I look after everything that lives here."

The shepherdess explains her plight and her conscientious method of collecting only fallen wood. Impressed by her integrity, the guardian rewards her with gold coins, provided she continues to honor and protect the mountain. [08:37]
Mountain Guardian: "Your answer pleases me... I will fill your basket with gold coins. But take heed. The moment the basket is full, you must tell me not one piece of gold can land on the ground."

Uncle's Greed and Consequences

News of the shepherdess's newfound prosperity reaches her uncle, who becomes envious and desperate to obtain similar riches. Ignoring the sacred teachings, he authorizes the chopping of live trees to present to the Mountain Guardian, hoping for the same reward. [15:03]
Uncle: "A big stone lion gave you gold coins just for collecting firewood?"

However, his deceitful actions lead to dire consequences. The guardian transforms his gold into stone, trapping his hand and rendering him powerless. Eventually, overcome with remorse, the uncle is released but left to grapple with his greed. [19:11]
Uncle: "What am I gonna do? I've got this big, beautiful basket of gold coins and now that I'm stuck..."

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Shepherdess ([03:18]): "I can't believe this. All my beloved sheep gone. And with them, my livelihood."
• Uncle ([04:00]): "What does any of this have to do with me?"
• Mountain Guardian ([05:23]): "Each and every mountain has a guardian, a powerful spirit, a protector."
• Shepherdess ([08:29]): "He must have cut down half a dozen trees just like that."
• Mountain Guardian ([09:06]): "You will continue taking care of my mountain, respecting my trees and my land."

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Themes and Insights

1. Respect for Nature: The shepherdess embodies sustainable living by taking only what nature has already provided, honoring the mountain guardian's domain.

2. Integrity vs. Greed: Contrasting the shepherdess's honesty with her uncle's greed highlights the moral that true prosperity comes from respect and ethical behavior, not deceit and exploitation.

3. Intergenerational Wisdom: The grandmother's teachings serve as a vital guide, illustrating the importance of ancestral knowledge in making wise decisions.

4. Consequences of Actions: The uncle's downfall serves as a cautionary tale about the repercussions of greed and dishonesty.

5. Needs vs. Wants: The episode concludes by encouraging listeners to differentiate between essential needs and non-essential wants, fostering thoughtful decision-making in children.

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Conclusion and Activity

The episode wraps up with a reflective activity encouraging children and their guardians to create a chart distinguishing between needs and wants. This interactive component reinforces the story's lessons, promoting deeper conversations about resourcefulness and ethical choices.

Activity Instructions:

• Materials Needed: Paper and drawing tools.
• Steps:
  1. Draw a table with two columns labeled "Needs" and "Wants."
  2. Discuss with a grown-up items in your home and categorize them accordingly.
  3. Write or draw these items in the appropriate columns.
  4. Optionally, create new charts or expand upon the initial one.

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Credits and Acknowledgments

• Adapted by: Rebecca Shear
• Edited by: Amari Sivertson, Supervising Producer
• Music and Sound Design: Eric Shyamalonis
• Illustrations: Sabina Hahn
• Voice Actors: Theodore Chin, Faith Saley, Alonzo Bowden, Audrey Shea

Special mentions include Alonzo Bowden's appearances on NBC's Last Comic Standing, NPR's Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me, and the podcast Who's Paying Attention. Audrey Shea stars in the feature film Here Today alongside Billy Crystal and Tiffany Haddish.

Featured Instrument:

• Drawn Yen: A six-stringed Tibetan lute, adding authentic cultural tones to the storytelling.

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Listener Feedback

Listeners shared their favorite Circle Round stories, expressing fondness for tales like "Masha and the Shark," "Granny Snowstorm," and "The Sorcerer's Offer," among others. Their testimonials underscore the podcast's impact and beloved status among its audience.

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Additional Resources

For more engaging content, parents and children can visit WBUR.org/CircleRound to access coloring pages, soundtracks, and the latest coloring book. Additionally, transcripts of each tale are available for deeper exploration.

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Circle Round continues to enchant listeners with its rich tapestry of global folktales, fostering imagination and valuable life lessons for the entire family.

Transcript

[Rebecca Shear]

Hi, Rebecca Shear here. Before we get to our story, a humble invitation. Circle Round is a public media podcast. As public media faces serious federal funding cuts, I invite you to help keep us going strong by joining the Circle Round Club. As thanks for your donation, you'll get ad free episodes, bonus bedtime stories, exclusive swag, early access to Circle Round, live tickets and more. Sign [e-mail] CircleRoundClub thanks for circling Round with us and thanks for your support. WBUR Podcasts Boston hi, Rebecca Scheer here. We're taking some time off this summer as we gear up for Circle Round's ninth season of our WBUR podcast, featuring dozens of folktales from around the world and an exciting lineup of live episode recordings across the United States. In the meantime, this week, please enjoy a special encore edition of Circle Round, a really fun story you may have missed the first time around. Here we go. Close your eyes and picture a buffet, a long table piled high with all your favorite foods. Now picture yourself taking a big heaping scoop of everything and digging in. You eat and eat, but soon you fell up. There's still plenty of food on your plate, but no room in your belly because as many of us do from time to time, you took what you wanted and not what you needed. In today's tale, we'll meet one character who takes only what she needs and another character who does. Rebecca. I'm Rebecca Scheer, and welcome to Circle Round, where storytime happens all the time. Today, our story is called the Mountain Guardian. Versions of this tale come from the Tibetan people of East Asia. Some really great people came together to bring you our telling of this tale, including Alonzo Bowden and Audrey Shea. Grown ups. You may recognize Alonzo Bowden from NBC's Last Comic Stage, npr's Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me, as well as the podcast who's paying attention. And you can see Audrey Shea in the new feature film Here Today starring Billy Crystal and Tiffany Haddish. So circle around everyone for the Mountain guardian. Out in the valley, beneath a towering mountain covered with trees, there lived a young shepherdess. The shepherdess shared a ramshackle hut with her grandmother, a frail old woman who had raised the shepherdess from the time she was a baby. One winter, the temperatures dropped especially low and the snow fell especially fast. By spring, the shepherdess had lost every sheep in her flock. The poor creatures all had vanished in the deep and frosty snowdrifts.

[Shepherdess]

I can't believe this. All my beloved sheep gone. And with them, my livelihood. How Will I ever get by now and provide for Grandmother? I suppose I could ask my uncle for help. His business in the capital city is always booming.

[Rebecca Shear]

So the shepherdess set off for the capital city to see her uncle, a well to do businessman who resided in a magnificent mansion. His sizable yard was brimming with orchards and gardens, and his spacious house was bustling with butlers and maids. But when the shepherdess reached the palatial mansion and began explaining her woes, uncle didn't even let her finish her sentence.

[Uncle]

Okay, niece, I'm just gonna stop you right there. Look, I'm really sorry you lost your sheep, but honestly, what does any of this have to do with me? Was it my fault it snowed so hard this winter? Was I the one who told you and your grandmother to live out in the boonies? There's nothing I can do for you, kid.

[Rebecca Shear]

The shepherdess face was pinched with sorrow as she trudged back to the valley. Standing outside her hut and gazing at the mountain, she noticed how the harsh winter winds had knocked many branches from the trees that grew up and down the slope. As a result, the ground was littered with sturdy boughs of all sizes. And that's when the shepherdess had an idea.

[Shepherdess]

I know what I'll do. I'll collect some of those fallen branches from the mountainside and sell them at the market as firewood. That should bring in enough money for me and grandmother to get by. For a little while longer, anyway.

[Rebecca Shear]

Now, you may be wondering, why wouldn't the shepherdess chop down an entire tree and sell that? After all, wasn't the towering mountain covered with strong, leafy trees? Well, you see, ever since the shepherdess was a little girl, her grandmother had told her countless stories about the mountain guardian.

[Shepherdess]

My child, you must remember, in this.

[Rebecca Shear]

Land, each and every mountain has a guardian, a powerful spirit, a protector. So everything on the mountain is sacred because it belongs to the guardian. The plants, the animals, the trees, everything. So, with Grandmother's words etched into her memory, the shepherdess found a big basket and started up the mountainside to collect branches. Before long, she had gathered a nice bundle, which she sold at the market the following morning.

[Shepherdess]

This is terrific. I've made enough money for Grandmother and me to get by for at least one more month. Thank you, Mountain Guardian.

[Rebecca Shear]

The next month, the shepherdess climbed higher up the mountain and found even more fallen wood, which again, she promptly sold at the market.

[Shepherdess]

Thank you, Mountain Guardian.

[Rebecca Shear]

The next month, she climbed even higher.

[Shepherdess]

Thank you, Mountain Guardian.

[Rebecca Shear]

The next month, she climbed even higher.

[Shepherdess]

Thank you, Mountain Guardian.

[Rebecca Shear]

And then, one fine summer day, she found herself at the very. Wow.

[Shepherdess]

Check out this view. From this lofty summit, I can see for miles and miles.

[Mountain Guardian]

And who are you?

[Rebecca Shear]

The shepherdess gasped and spun around. Sitting before her was a lion. A large, fierce lion carved from smooth gray stone like a statue. And yet, before the shepherdess's very eyes, the stone lion opened its mouth and proceeded to speak.

[Mountain Guardian]

All right, if you won't introduce yourself, I'll get the ball rolling. I am the guardian of the mountain. I look after everything that lives here. The plants, the animals, the trees. So I ask again, who are you?

[Rebecca Shear]

It took a moment for the shepherdess to find her voice.

[Shepherdess]

Me? Well, I'm just a humble shepherdess who lost her flock. I lost everything. So now I'm gathering wood from the mountainside. From your mountainside. So I may sell it at the market and buy some food and clothing for me and my grandmother.

[Mountain Guardian]

I see.

[Rebecca Shear]

The lion's stone eyes seemed to glitter.

[Mountain Guardian]

But what are you doing way up here where so few dare to tread? There are plenty of hale and healthy trees much farther down the mountain. And chop just one of those beauties down, and its wood will bring you a pretty penny.

[Shepherdess]

I know that, mountain Guardian. But those hale and healthy trees of which you speak, they aren't mine to chop down. They belong to you and you alone. So I only gather dead wood, branches and boughs that have been brought down by wind and storms. And for that dead wood, I thank you, Mountain Guardian, from the bottom of my heart.

[Rebecca Shear]

The lion was silent for a moment. Then his stone mouth curled into a grin.

[Mountain Guardian]

Your answer pleases me, shepherdess, and I would like to reward you for your care and compassion. Come, empty your basket. Place it below my mouth, and I will fill it with gold coins. But take heed. The moment the basket is full, you must tell me not one piece of gold can land on the ground. Do you understand?

[Shepherdess]

I understand.

[Rebecca Shear]

The shepherdess did as she was told and held her empty basket below the lion's mouth. A moment later, the lion opened its jaws wide and let out a mighty roar. Roar. And as he did, a cascade of gold coins came tumbling out, each one glinting in the sunlight and landing in the shepherdess basket with a clink. The shepherdess kept her eyes glued to the waterfall of coins. Once the basket was nearly full, she held up a hand and cried, stop. And just like that, the stream of coins ceased, like someone had turned off a spigot.

[Mountain Guardian]

Very good, shepherdess. Now take your newfound riches and use them wisely. But promise me one thing. You will continue taking care of my mountain, respecting my trees and my land.

[Shepherdess]

Of course, mountain Guardian. I promise.

[Rebecca Shear]

The shepherdess got to her knees and bowed to the ground. When she stood back up, she saw the lion head frozen up again like a statue. You would never know he had spoken at all. But the shepherdess had a basket of gold to prove it. And the shepherdess used that gold wisely, buying seeds to grow crops, tools to fix up her hut, and a whole new flock of glossy woolly sheep. Before long, the shepherdess was prospering. And when word of her good fortune reached her uncle in the city, the businessman was perplexed.

[Uncle]

How is my niece suddenly living so high on the hog? A new farm, a new flock of sheep. Last I saw her, she was down to her last penny and her final crust of bread. I must discover the secret of her riches and use it for.

[Rebecca Shear]

What do you think uncle will do next? We'll find out what happens after a quick break. Support for Circle Round comes from Indeed. You just realized that your business needed to hire someone yesterday. How can you find amazing candidates? Easy. Just use Indeed. There's no need to wait. You can speed up your hiring with Indeed and Circle Round listeners will get a $75 sponsored job credit. To get your jobs more [e-mail] circleround just go to indeed.com circleround right now and support the show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast. Indeed.comCircleround terms and conditions apply. Hiring Indeed is all you need. The reviews are in and super fans like you are loving the Circle Round Club. An exciting opportunity to support public radio and get cool stuff including ad free episodes and a personalized birthday message from me.

[Shepherdess]

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

[Rebecca Shear]

Grown ups support public radio and sign up [e-mail] CircleRoundClub welcome back to Circle Round. I'm Rebecca Scheer. Today our story is called the Mountain Guardian. Before the break, a good hearted shepherdess was collecting dead branches for firewood when she met the guardian of the mountain. In exchange for sparing the trees that grew on the hillside, the talking stone lion gifted the shepherdess with gold coins. When the shepherdess rich uncle learned of his niece's prosperity, he was overcome with jealousy. Determined to learn the shepherdesses secret, he mounted his horse and galloped from his mansion in the city to his niece's house in the countryside.

[Shepherdess]

Well hello there Uncle. I'm surprised to see you traveling around these parts. You did say that Grandmother and I live out in the boonies after all.

[Uncle]

Oh, did I say that?

[Rebecca Shear]

Uncle batted his eyelashes.

[Uncle]

I don't know what I was talking about. I mean, look how beautiful it is out here. This rolling valley, this tree covered mountain. Not to mention this fancy new farm of yours and those magnificent sheep. Tell me, niece, how is it you're faring so well?

[Rebecca Shear]

So the shepherdess told uncle the story of the guardian of the mountain. She told him how she had collected fallen branches and boughs for firewood, and how pleased the mountain guardian had been.

[Shepherdess]

So he offered me a reward. He told me if I placed my basket below his mouth, he would fill it with gold coins. And when the basket was nearly full, all I had to do was tell him. Gah.

[Uncle]

Gold coins, you say?

[Rebecca Shear]

Uncle rubbed his hands together.

[Uncle]

A big stone lion gave you gold coins just for collecting firewood?

[Shepherdess]

Well, not just any firewood, Uncle. He was rewarding me because the trees are like his children. And instead of chopping them down, I.

[Uncle]

Yes, yes, yes, whatever. And all you had to do was put a basket underneath his mouth.

[Shepherdess]

Well, like I was trying to tell you, Uncle, I had to tell him. When the basket was nearly.

[Rebecca Shear]

But that's all uncle heard. He had already hopped back on his horse and galloped off toward the city. The next morning, uncle rummaged through his gardener's shed for a great big basket and sturdy axe. He loaded these items onto his horse and trotted to the mountain where the shepherdess had collected her wood.

[Uncle]

Okay. With all these hardy trees growing on the hillside, I should have no trouble chopping enough firewood for the mountain guardian. Better get to work.

[Rebecca Shear]

As uncle made his way up the mountain, he chopped down one tree, then another, and before he knew it, his basket was filled with flowers. Firewood. Firewood from living trees. Now remember, the shepherdess had tried telling uncle what Grandmother had told her. How sacred the trees were. How they were like the mountain guardian's children. But he hadn't listened, had he? So now he took his enormous basket full of wood and lugged it to the mountaintop where the large, fierce looking stone lion was waiting.

[Uncle]

Hmm. My niece told me this was a talking lion, but it looks just like a statue to me.

[Rebecca Shear]

Uncle made a fist and knocked on the lion's side.

[Uncle]

Um. Hello, lion. Wake up. Wake up.

[Rebecca Shear]

To Uncle's delight, the lion sprang to life, its massive stone jaw opening and closing.

[Mountain Guardian]

Who are you? And what are you doing way up here where so few dare to tread.

[Rebecca Shear]

With visions of gold coins dancing in his head, uncle flashed the lion a grin.

[Uncle]

Why, I am none other than the beloved uncle of the young shepherdess who visited you a few months ago. The one you rewarded with all those gold coins. I've brought you this great big basket of firewood. I chopped it all myself, you know.

[Rebecca Shear]

The lion narrowed his eyes.

[Mountain Guardian]

Oh, did you now?

[Uncle]

I did. Just a few hacks of my trusty ax. And I must have cut down half a dozen trees just like that. It was like timber, timber, Timber.

[Mountain Guardian]

Yes, yes, I see. Half a dozen trees.

[Rebecca Shear]

The lion clenched his jaw.

[Mountain Guardian]

And now I assume you're expecting the same reward I gave your niece. Very well, then. Come. Empty your basket, place it below my mouth, and I will fill it with gold coins. But take heed. The moment the basket is full, you must tell me. Not one piece of gold.

[Uncle]

Look, can we just get started here? I haven't got all day.

[Rebecca Shear]

Uncle turned his basket over and dumped out all the wood. And he held the empty basket below the lion's mouth. The lion paused, fixed uncle with its round stone eyes, then let out that mighty roar. And just like that, a stream of gold coins began tumbling into the basket.

[Uncle]

Oh, my gosh, it's true. I'll be rich. Or richer, anyway.

[Rebecca Shear]

The coins plinked, clinked and plunked, filling the basket higher and higher. But when they finally reached the top, do you know what uncle did? Or what he didn't do, rather. You guessed it. He didn't say stop. Instead, the pile of coins grew so high that at last, a glistening piece of gold teetered off the top of the heap and went plummeting to the ground. Immediately, the lion's cascade of coins came to a halt.

[Uncle]

Um, lion, what's going on? Why'd you stop? I want my coins.

[Rebecca Shear]

The lion shook its head and let out a little cough.

[Mountain Guardian]

I'm sorry. It's just the rest of your coins must be stuck in my throat. Please put your hand in my mouth and help me pull them out.

[Rebecca Shear]

Uncle did as he was told. He dropped the basket of coins and thrust his hand deep into the lion's mouth. But the second his fingers were inside, do you know what happened? The lion's mighty jaws clamped together and trapped Uncle's hand in their unyielding grip.

[Uncle]

Hey, what'd you do that for? Now I'm stuck. Let go, Lion. Please let go.

[Rebecca Shear]

But the lion would not let go. He couldn't. The creature had become a motionless statue again, staring straight ahead with round, vacant eyes of stone. Uncle wiggled and wriggled his arm trying to set it free.

[Uncle]

Oh, man, what am I gonna do? I've got this big, beautiful basket of gold coins and now that I'm stuck, there's no way I could take it back to the city and. Oh no.

[Rebecca Shear]

Uncle's face fell as he stared at the basket he had dropped on the ground a few seconds ago. It had been brimming with coins, but to his dismay, he saw it was now brimming with something else entirely.

[Uncle]

Stones.

[Rebecca Shear]

It was true. Each and every glittering piece of money had transformed into a nugget of rock as smooth and gray as the lion himself. Uncle clenched his teeth as he jostled and jiggled his arm in hopes of prying it loose.

[Uncle]

Come on.

[Rebecca Shear]

He jostled and jiggled all morning.

[Uncle]

Almost got it. No, no.

[Rebecca Shear]

He jostled and jiggled all afternoon.

[Uncle]

Gotta get free. Gotta get free.

[Rebecca Shear]

And by nighttime, he was downright exhausted. He was also ashamed. Slumping against the lion's smooth, cool body, uncle lowered his head and let out a sob.

[Uncle]

Oh, what a fool I've been. I never should have tried to deceive you, Mountain Guardian. You gave my good hearted niece exactly what she deserved. And now I suppose you're giving me what I deserve too. I am sorry, Mountain Guardian. So, so sorry.

[Rebecca Shear]

The moment uncle uttered his heartfelt apology, can you guess what happened? Just like that, the lion's jaws sprang open. Then the stone creature threw back its head and began to laugh. It laughed and it laughed, its deep cackling rumble echoing all the way across the valley. Uncle didn't waste a minute. Now that his hand was free from the lion's mouth. He sprinted down the mountainside as fast as his legs could carry him and vowed never again to let his greed get the better of him. Once uncle was gone, the lion quieted down again. It closed its mighty mouth, straightened its majestic head, then froze, its body turning back into smooth, cool stone, Its eyes fixed on the mountain it would do anything to protect. Now it's your turn. Have you ever thought about the difference between a need and a want? A need is something we must have to survive, like food, water and shelter. A want is something that's fun to have, but we can live without. Like a. A chocolate bar or a new scooter. Find a piece of paper and draw a chart with two columns. Label 1 of the columns needs and the other one wants. Talk with a grown up about things you have in your home and whether they would count as needs or wants. Then either write those items in the columns on your chart or draw a picture. And once you've filled out your entire chart, you can make a new one if you want. This week's story, the Mountain Guardian was adapted by me, Rebecca Shear. It was edited by Circle Round's supervising producer, Amari 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 every single Circle Round story 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 a link to the latest Circle Round coloring book, the Circle Round soundtrack, and a transcript for each and every Circle Round tale. Special thanks to this week's actors, Theodore Chin, Faith Saley, Alonzo Bowden and Audrey Shea. Look for Audrey Shea and the new comedy here today as well as Netflix's upcoming music driven film Mixtape. And listen for Alonzo Bowden on the podcast who's Paying Attention and the NPR quiz show. Wait, wait, don't tell me. Grown Ups. You can see Alonzo's fourth stand up comedy special, Alonzo Heavy Lightweight on Amazon Prime Video. Our featured instrument this week was the Drawn Yen. You can learn more about this six stringed tone Tibetan Loot and see a photo on our website. Again, that's WBUR.org CircleRound want to keep the Circle Round experience going all week long? Join our communities on Facebook and Instagram. Our handle is CircleRound Podcast. Circle Round is a production of WBUR, Boston's NPR news station. I'm Rebecca Shear. 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.

[Shepherdess]

Hello, I'm Guillermo and I live in Motherland. My favorite song Circle Round is Masha and the Shark. I like the part when Shark says see. Oh, I wanna be. Hello, my name is Lily and I live in Chesapeake, Virginia. And my favorite Circle Round story is Granny Snowstorm and I like the part where the brother is shaking the mattress and he keeps saying ugh. My name is Hazy and I live in Chesapeake, Virginia. And my favorite Socarron story is the Salmon Famine and my favorite part is when Coyote dives in the bottle and says wee. My name is Peyton. I live in Lawrence, Kansas. My favorite Sakura stories are all of them, but my most My most favorite one is the Three Legged Pot. I like it because the three legged pot takes Felix to the North Pole. My name is Gus. My favorite Circle Round story is the Sorcerer's Offer. I like the part when she says she loves how you hoot. My name is Henry, I live in Mountain View, California and my favorite is the Wild Goose Tailor, the long piece of golden Thread. Hi, I'm Cassia and I live in Terre Haute, Indiana. I don't have a favorite story. I love them all. The end.

[Rebecca Shear]

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 Oculus. So much more on our website WBUR.org CircleRound.