In the Willow Tree

Summary

Circle Round Podcast Summary: "In the Willow Tree"

Podcast Information:

• Title: In the Willow Tree
• Host/Author: WBUR's Circle Round
• Release Date: April 1, 2025

Introduction

"In the Willow Tree" is a heartwarming folktale adaptation from Taiwan, brought to life by WBUR's Circle Round. Hosted by Rebecca Scheer and featuring notable voices Stephanie Koenig and Patrick Lewis, the episode delves into themes of kindness, perseverance, and the importance of not underestimating others based on their size or appearance.

Story Overview

The narrative unfolds in a serene forest where a graceful willow tree stands beside a sparkling stream. Beneath this tree, inside a decaying log, resides a humble ant named Ant. Despite her small stature, Ant is industrious, frequently climbing the willow's trunk to enjoy the sweet honeydew—a sticky liquid produced by aphids feeding on the tree's sap.

Key Events and Discussions

1. Ant’s Daily Life and a Sudden Storm (00:01 - 02:14)

   • Rebecca Scheer sets the scene, introducing Ant’s love for honeydew:

     "In the willow tree, in the middle of a forest... there lived a humble ant." [00:01]

   • Stephanie Koenig adds a playful touch to Ant’s delight in honeydew:

     "Yummy, yummy, yummy." [01:54]

   • The tranquil morning is disrupted when a strong gust of wind sweeps Ant from the tree into the stream.

2. Woodpigeon’s Heroic Rescue (02:14 - 05:09)

   • As Ant struggles in the water, her tiny cries for help go mostly unheard until Woodpigeon, a large gray bird with exceptional hearing, responds:

     "Help me." [03:28]

   • Patrick Lewis voices Woodpigeon’s concern:

     "Yikes." [02:36]

   • Woodpigeon devises a plan, tossing a twig to Ant, facilitating her rescue:

     "See that twig, little one? Climb onto it. With any luck, it'll float you back to dry land." [04:16]

   • Upon saving Ant, she promises to return the favor, but Woodpigeon doubts her ability due to her size:

     "I'm big, you're small. You could never save my life, so don't go making promises you can't keep." [05:25]

3. Conflict and Redemption (05:09 - 12:18)

   • Days later, Woodpigeon becomes prey to Hawk, a formidable bird of prey.
   • As Hawk targets Woodpigeon, Ant realizes her chance to honor her promise. Despite her fear and small size, she courageously intervenes:

     "This is very bad." [02:50] "Ow. Something just bit me." [10:39]

   • Ant's bravery shatters Woodpigeon's misconceptions about her capabilities. Her persistent efforts and fearless actions force Hawk to retreat.
   • Woodpigeon acknowledges his mistake and extends an apology:

     "Look, Ant, it turns out I misjudged you and it wasn't fair." [12:02]

4. Themes and Insights

   • Kindness and Reciprocity: The story emphasizes the importance of returning favors and acts of kindness.
   • Perception vs. Reality: Woodpigeon’s initial underestimation of Ant highlights the theme of not judging others by their size or appearance.
   • Courage and Resourcefulness: Ant’s determination to save Woodpigeon showcases that even the smallest beings can make a significant impact.

Notable Quotes

• Ant's Promise:

  "Maybe. But listen, Woodpigeon, I promise you someday I'm gonna return the favor and save your life." [04:40]

• Woodpigeon’s Skepticism:

  "I'm big, you're small. You could never save my life, so don't go making promises you can't keep." [05:25]

• Ant’s Bravery:

  "Ow. Yow." [10:37]

• Woodpigeon's Realization and Apology:

  "Look, Ant, it turns out I misjudged you and it wasn't fair." [12:02]

Conclusion

"In the Willow Tree" beautifully illustrates that true strength lies not in size but in heart and determination. Through Ant’s journey, listeners are reminded that everyone has unique abilities to offer, and kindness can bridge even the most unlikely friendships.

Post-Story Activities

To reinforce the episode's themes, Circle Round encourages listeners to engage in a "Kindness Bingo" activity. This interactive exercise involves creating a bingo board with acts of kindness, fostering deeper conversations and actions between children and adults.

Listener Engagement

The episode concludes with heartfelt testimonials from listeners who share their favorite Circle Round stories, further emphasizing the podcast's impact on its audience.

Credits

• Adaptation and Hosting: Rebecca Scheer
• Voice Actors: Stephanie Koenig and Patrick Lewis
• Music and Sound Design: Eric Shimalonis, featuring the Urhu
• Artistic Contribution: Sabina Hahn, providing black and white coloring pages for each story

Join the Circle Round Community

Listeners are invited to support the podcast by joining the Circle Round Club, offering perks like ad-free episodes, bonus stories, and exclusive merchandise. Additionally, feedback is encouraged to help the community grow and reach more hearts with each story.

Final Thoughts

"In the Willow Tree" serves as a poignant reminder that every act of kindness, no matter how small, can have a profound effect. Circle Round continues to inspire and educate through timeless folktales, nurturing values that resonate across generations.

Transcript

[Rebecca Scheer]

WBUR Podcasts, Boston. Think about a time you returned a favor. A time when someone did something kind for you, so you turned around and did something kind for them. In today's tale, when a tiny critter has the chance to return a favor, she finds a colossal way to give back. I'm Rebecca Scheer, and welcome to Circle Round, where storytime happens all the time. Today, our story is called in the Willow Tree. Versions of this tale come from the East Asian country of Taiwan. Some really great people came together to bring you our adaptation of this folktale, including Stephanie Koenig and Patrick Lewis. Grown ups. You may know Stephanie Koenig from the English Teacher on FX and the Apple TV miniseries Lessons in Chemistry. And Patrick Lewis stars as Axel in Cobra Kai, the Karate Kid sequel series on Netflix. So circle around, everyone. For in the willow tree, in the middle of a forest, beside a swift, sparkling stream, there grew a graceful willow tree on the forest floor. Beneath the tree, inside a rotting log that had been moldering for years, there lived a humble ant. Though ant lived below the willow tree, she spent a lot of time scurrying up and down its trunk so she could feast on the honeydew. Mmm.

[Stephanie Koenig]

Yummy, yummy, yummy.

[Rebecca Scheer]

Now, you may know honeydew as a juicy melon, but a tree's honeydew is different. It's actually the sticky liquid left behind after itty bitty insects called aphids feast on the tree's SAP. And ant couldn't get enough of the stuff.

[Stephanie Koenig]

Oh, boy. This honeydew is so scrumptious, I could eat it up all day.

[Rebecca Scheer]

One morning, as ant was guzzling down some particularly luscious honeydew, the wind suddenly picked up and a great gust of air swept Ant right off the tree.

[Patrick Lewis]

Yikes.

[Rebecca Scheer]

Next thing she knew, she was tumbling downward.

[Patrick Lewis]

Whoa.

[Rebecca Scheer]

And heading straight for the sparkling stream. Oh, this is bad.

[Stephanie Koenig]

This is very bad.

[Patrick Lewis]

I can't swim.

[Rebecca Scheer]

Once ant hit the water, she floundered around, trying to make her way to shore.

[Stephanie Koenig]

Can somebody help me, please? I. I don't think I can make it.

[Rebecca Scheer]

Now, remember, ant was a teeny, tiny thing, no bigger than the nail on your pinky finger. So, as you can imagine, since her body was so teeny tiny, her voice was too. And though she was calling out with all the energy she could muster.

[Patrick Lewis]

Help me.

[Rebecca Scheer]

No one in the forest could hear her. Well, maybe not no one.

[Woodpigeon]

Huh? Who is that crying for help?

[Rebecca Scheer]

Woodpigeon was a big gray bird, about the size of a bowling pin. Like all other Pigeons. Woodpigeon had an extraordinary sense of hearing. So even though he made his nest in the willow tree's upper branches, he could hear Ants desperate cries. Without missing a beat, he opened his wings and swooped down to the water where Ant was still flailing around.

[Stephanie Koenig]

Woodpigeon, can you help me?

[Rebecca Scheer]

Please? Woodpigeon thought. Fast. He grabbed a twig with his beak, then tossed the twig into the water.

[Woodpigeon]

See that twig, little one? Climb onto it. With any luck, it'll float you back to dry land.

[Rebecca Scheer]

After some scrabbling and scrambling, Ant managed to pull herself out of the current and on to the twig.

[Stephanie Koenig]

Phew.

[Rebecca Scheer]

To her delight, the twig eventually drifted to the edge of the stream, and within moments, Ant was back on dry land.

[Stephanie Koenig]

My goodness, that was a close one. Thanks for saving my life, Woodpigeon.

[Woodpigeon]

Oh, don't mention it. It's what any self respecting animal would do.

[Stephanie Koenig]

Maybe. But listen, Woodpigeon, I promise you someday I'm gonna return the favor and save your life.

[Rebecca Scheer]

Woodpigeon fixed Ant with a stare. Then he tossed back his head, stretched open his beak and laughed.

[Woodpigeon]

Ah, that's a good one, Ant. How could a creature so small possibly save the life of a creature so big? I mean, what did the narrator say before? I'm the size of a bowling pin while you're the size of a fingernail.

[Stephanie Koenig]

A pinky fingernail, to be precise.

[Woodpigeon]

And that proves my point. I'm big, you're small. You could never save my life, so don't go making promises you can't keep.

[Rebecca Scheer]

And with that, Woodpigeon turned around, spread his wings and flew away. A few days later, Woodpigeon was napping in his nest when a dark shadow fell over the willow tree. The shadow belonged to Hawk, a fierce bird of prey even larger than Woodpigeon, with broad wings, razor sharp talons, and a beak to match. Hawk had excellent vision. And when she caught sight of Woodpigeon snoozing away, she began circling over the tree. She circled lower and lower before settling on a branch above Woodpigeon's nest and happened to be crawling around the willow's trunk eating honeydew. And when she spied Hawk feasting her hungry eyes on the sleeping Woodpigeon, the insect shuddered from her antennae to her abdomen. Oh, no.

[Stephanie Koenig]

It looks like Hawk is set on making Woodpigeon her next meal. I did promise Woodpigeon I would save his life one day, and now it's my chance to make good on that promise. The only question is how?

[Rebecca Scheer]

How do you think Ant will protect Woodpigeon from Hawk's hungry clutches? What would you do if you were the teeny tiny insect? We'll find out what happens after a quick break.

[Indeed Sponsor]

Support for Circle Round comes from Indeed. You just realized that your business needed to hire someone yesterday. How can you find amazing candidates fast? 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 job's more visibility at Indeed.com 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.

[Rebecca Scheer]

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.

[Patrick Lewis]

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

[Rebecca Scheer]

Grown ups support public radio and sign up [e-mail] CircleRound Club. Welcome back to Circle Round. I'm Rebecca Scheer. Today our story is called in the Willow Tree. Before the break, Woodpigeon saved Ant from drowning. When Ant promised that someday she would return the favor, Woodpigeon dismissed the eensy weensy insect with a laugh. Sometime later, Woodpigeon was napping in his nest in the willow tree when who should come winging over, eager to make the sleeping bird her next meal? But Hawk. Ant was feasting on the tree's honeydew at the time and the moment she spotted the ferocious bird of prey, she knew she had to do something.

[Stephanie Koenig]

My voice is too quiet to scare Hawk away and I'm too weak to fight her off, but I must find a way to save Woodpigeon.

[Rebecca Scheer]

I must. She swallowed one last gulp of honeydew, then scuttled up to the branch where Hawk was perching. She edged closer and closer to the fierce predator. When she was just inches away, she took a running leap, then sprang into the air, landing smack dab in the middle of Hawk's belly. Ant quickly got to work burrowing through the thick layer of belly feathers, and once she was touching Hawk's, do you know what she did? She opened her tiny jaws as wide as she could and bit down. Hawk's eyes bulged as she cried out in pain Ow. Something just bit me. The great bird began writhing around, trying to shake off her invisible attacker. But Ant held on tight. Then she opened her jaws and took another bite. Ouch. Then another. Ouch. Then she began crawling all over Hawk's body, taking sharp, tiny bites as she scuttered around. Ouch. Eek.

[Patrick Lewis]

Ow. Yow.

[Rebecca Scheer]

All the yelping and yowling roused Woodpigeon from his sleep. The moment he laid eyes on Hawk, he urgently beat his wings and rocketed into the sky. Once he was a safe distance away, Ant took one final chomp. Ow. Then leaped off of Hawk's body and onto the branch. Hawk let out one more cry, then took to the air, flying away faster than you can say honeydew, I am outta here. The next morning, Ant was hanging out in her rotting log beneath the willow tree when she heard a familiar voice.

[Woodpigeon]

Ant, are you in there?

[Rebecca Scheer]

Ant crept out into the open air. And there was Woodpigeon, his round eyes shining bright.

[Woodpigeon]

All the forest animals are talking about how you saved me from Hawk. Is that true? Are you the one who scared him away?

[Rebecca Scheer]

Ant drew herself up to her full height and smiled.

[Stephanie Koenig]

Indeed, I am the one who scared Hawk away. Though that's probably pretty tough to believe, given that I'm no bigger than a fingernail.

[Woodpigeon]

Don't you mean a pinky fingernail?

[Rebecca Scheer]

A sheepish grin flickered across Woodpigeon's face.

[Woodpigeon]

Look, Ant, it turns out I misjudged you and it wasn't fair. So that's why I came over here today. I wanted to say thank you and sorry, and I'll never underestimate you again.

[Rebecca Scheer]

Well, I'm happy to say that Woodpigeon stayed true to his word. What's more, he and Ant wound up becoming the closest of friends. And even though one was as large as a bowling pin and the other was as small as your pinky nail, the two pals always found a way to see I to I. Now it's your turn. A fun way to keep track of the kindness we show others is by playing kindness Bingo. Find a big piece of blank paper or poster board and draw a big square. Then divide that square into nine little squares. So three rows of three in each square. Write down or draw one kind thing you can do for others. It could be as simple as greeting a neighbor with a smile or a wave. Taking turns with friends, or offering someone some encouraging words or a hug or a high five. Once your nine squares are ready, hang your kindness bingo on the wall or fridge. And each time you complete an act of kindness. Put a check mark or sticker on that square. Your goal is to have all the squares filled in. Once your Kindness Bingo board is complete. We would love to see it. Ask a grown up to snap a photo of you and your creation and email it to circleroundbur.org with your permission, we may feature you in the Lion's Roar, the monthly newsletter of the Circle Round Club. More on this super fun club for superfans like you in just a moment. But first, this week's episode in the Willow Tree was adapted by me, Rebecca Scheer. It was edited by Dean Russell. Our original music and sound design is by Eric Shimalonis. Eric's featured instrument this week was the Urhu. You can learn more about this ancient fiddle from Asia and see a photo of Eric playing one on our website, WBUR.org CircleRound. Circle Round's artist is Sabina Hahn. 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 WBUR.org circle circle round and click on coloring pages. Special thanks to this week's actors, Stephanie Koenig and Patrick Lewis. Patrick Lewis stars as Axel in Cobra Kai, the Karate Kid sequel series on Netflix. Stephanie Koenig stars in the English Teacher on FX and the Apple TV miniseries Lessons in Chemistry. Want to circle around with us in even more ways while also supporting public radio? Join the Circle Round Club and we'll send you ad free episodes, bonus bedtime stories, music, education videos, newsletters and updates, plus early access to our live events. You can also add on perks like our snuggly Circle Round lion, our handy dandy tote bag, and a personalized birthday message from me. Sign up today and support the public Radio podcast you [e-mail] Circleround Grown Ups. If you have a sec, please leave us a 5 star rating or review on whatever podcast app you're using right now. It helps other listeners find the show so we can make the Circle Round circle even bigger. 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.

[Patrick Lewis]

Hi, my name is Martha. I live from New Zealand and my favorite circle round is the laughing bird and I like the part when the bird laughs. My name is Eleanor, I live in Cleveland, Ohio. My favorite circle round story is a song for the spirits. I like to part where he picks the flute and the next day when he goes fishing he gets a shark. My name is JJ I live in Cleveland, Ohio. My favorite spot circle round story is the patched up coat. I like the part where the soldier spreads butter on his face and says it's very hot in here. My name Noelle, I live in Cleveland, Ohio. My favorite circle round is co a town. I like a foster guitar car town. My name is Remy and my favorite circle round story is the three little Critters. I like the part in here where they take the rooster. My name is Makai and I live in Easthampton, Massachusetts. My favorite story is the only in the Rice because I like the part where the ogres laugh so hard that all the water spills. My name's Clementine and I live in Portland, Oregon. My favorite story is Katya the quirk cause they have a horse named Clementine and my name's Clementine. We love you back a shear.

[Rebecca Scheer]

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 much more on our website, WBUR.org CircleRound.