Over the Sea

Summary

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Circle Round - "Over the Sea" (Ep. 311)

Host: Rebecca Scheer
Guests/Voices: Tatiana Ali (plus other featured voice actors)
Release Date: January 20, 2026

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Episode Theme & Purpose

"Over the Sea" adapts an Aboriginal Australian folktale, brought to life as a vibrant, sound- and music-rich radio play. The story centers around a group of Australian animals seeking a new home and explores themes of problem-solving, teamwork, resourcefulness, the pitfalls of selfishness, and the rewards of helping others. The playful narrative is designed to spark thoughtful conversations between kids and grown-ups about kindness and cooperation.

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Key Discussion Points & Narrative Highlights

1. The Problem: Finding a New Home

• Opening (00:01-02:46):
  • Rebecca Scheer invites listeners to imagine their idea of home, then introduces the plight of a group of animals (Koala, Kangaroo, Platypus, Starfish, and others), living in a barren, unwelcoming land.
  • Eagle brings news of a lush, beautiful land across the sea:

    "I found us a new home. And it's amazing." (Eagle, 02:13)

  • Excitement turns to uncertainty when the animals realize the journey across the sea is daunting.

2. The Solution: Whale’s Canoe

• Starfish's Suggestion (03:07-03:39):
  • Starfish proposes using Right Whale's famous bark canoe, known for being large enough for all, but…

    "They all knew about Whale's legendary canoe. They also knew about Whale's legendary selfishness." (Narration, 03:39)

• Seeking Permission (04:32-05:49):
  • Starfish bravely asks Whale to borrow the canoe; Whale's answer is emphatic:

    "Not a chad, Starfish. Nuh. No way." (Whale, 04:49)

3. A Trickster Plan

• Plan B (06:39-08:07):
  • Starfish, undeterred, devises a plan:

    "That's why you are going to take it." (Starfish, 07:55)

  • The group expresses doubt about outfoxing Whale, but Starfish promises a distraction.

4. The Distraction: Grooming the Whale

• The Lice Ruse (09:37-10:43):
  • Starfish tells Whale he’s infested with lice (technically, small crustaceans) and offers help by picking them off with her arms.
  • Starfish encourages Whale to nap during the process:

    "Long enough that you might just want to close your eyes. Take a nap. It'll make the time go faster." (Starfish, 11:14)

5. The Escape

• The Animals Take the Canoe (11:53-12:29):
  • With Whale asleep, the animals take the opportunity to untie and launch the canoe.
  • Whale wakes and begins to suspect:

    "Did I just hear paddles in the water? Is somebody riding my canoe?" (Whale, 12:29)

6. Discovery and Consequence

• Caught! (13:47-15:50):
  • Whale realizes he’s been tricked, becomes furious, and in his rage, Starfish—clutching his head—punctures his skin, creating the first blowhole.

    "Left behind was a gaping hole. And all of a sudden, what should come blowing out of that hole but a spurt of water?" (Narration, 15:17)

  • Starfish is flung into the air and lands hard, irrevocably changing the shape of her arms.

7. The Origin Stories

• Starfish’s Curly Arms and Whale’s Blowhole (15:50-16:55):
  • Starfish's arms, once smooth, become curved and bumpy as they are today.
  • Whale now has a blowhole atop his head.
• Koala’s Muscles (16:55-17:39):
  • Koala, previously with skinny arms, paddles so fiercely that her arms become strong and muscular:

    "Koala worked the paddle with so much force that her skinny, scrawny arms grew strong and muscular, just like they are today." (Narration, 17:28)

8. Resolution

• The animals reach the beautiful land (Australia), while Starfish chooses to remain at the bottom of the sea, forever hiding from Whale.
• Whale is said to still swim the Australian coast, searching for Starfish.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Character/Speaker | Quote or Description | |-----------|-------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------| | 02:13 | Eagle | "I found us a new home. And it's amazing." | | 04:49 | Whale | "Not a chad, Starfish. Nuh. No way." | | 06:07 | Starfish | "Well, that was a Whale of a rejection." | | 07:55 | Starfish | "That's why you are going to take it." | | 10:32 | Starfish | "I'll use my arms to pluck off all your lice." | | 12:29 | Whale | "Did I just hear paddles in the water? Is somebody riding my canoe?" | | 15:17 | Narration | "...what should come blowing out of that hole but a spurt of water?" | | 17:28 | Narration | "...her skinny, scrawny arms grew strong and muscular, just like they are today." | | 18:15 | Narration | "We all can be helpers, no matter how big or small we happen to be." |

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Timestamps for Major Story Beats

• Introduction & Home Problem: 00:01 - 03:01
• Discovering the New Land: 02:00 - 03:01
• Whale’s Canoe Dilemma: 03:07 - 04:46
• Starfish’s Proposal and Whale’s Refusal: 04:32 - 05:49
• Starfish’s Plan B and Rallying the Group: 06:39 - 08:07
• The Distraction Begins: 09:37 - 11:35
• The Heist (Taking the Canoe): 11:53 - 12:29
• Whale’s Realization & Blowhole Creation: 13:47 - 15:50
• Starfish’s Transformation: 15:53 - 16:55
• Koala’s Transformation: 16:55 - 17:28
• Resolution & Return to Australia: 17:39 - 18:30

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Tone & Style

• Playful and warm, age-adjusted for children but universally accessible
• Light humor and animal wordplay (e.g., "Whale of a rejection"; "crikey")
• Reflective and gentle moral lessons

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Activity & Reflection Prompt

At the episode’s conclusion, Rebecca encourages listeners to draw a picture of a time they helped someone, echoing the story's central message:

"Helping and being helped can feel amazing. And as Starfish showed us, we all can be helpers, no matter how big or small we happen to be." (Narration, 18:15)

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Additional Notes

• Featured Instrument: The didgeridoo, a traditional Aboriginal Australian wind instrument, is highlighted in the episode’s sound design.
• Star Guest: Tatiana Ali is a voice actor in this episode and is acknowledged for her children's book and philanthropic work.
• Community Engagement: The episode ends with young listeners sharing their favorite "Circle Round" stories, enhancing the sense of global community.

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Summary

"Over the Sea" is a lighthearted, musical retelling of an Aboriginal Australian origin story. Clever Starfish orchestrates a daring, if sneaky, plan to help her friends reach a new home. Along the way, the story "explains" the physical features of Australian animals—Whale’s blowhole, Starfish’s curly arms, Koala’s muscles—while reinforcing that collaborative problem-solving and compassion can lead to brighter futures for all. The episode’s signature inclusivity reminds listeners that “we all can be helpers, no matter how big or small."

Transcript

[Rebecca Scheer]

Wbur podcasts boston. Think about the place you call home. What does your home look like? What does it feel like? Is it comfy and cozy, welcoming and warm? We're about to meet some animals whose home is none of those things. So they decide to settle someplace new. Little do they know, but they'll have a whale of a time getting there. I'm Rebecca Scheer, and welcome to Circle Round, where storytime happens all the time. Today our story is called over the Sea. It comes from the aboriginal peoples of Australia who have lived on this continent between the Pacific and Indian Oceans for over 50,000 years. Some really great people came together to bring you our version of this folktale, including actress, singer and producer Tatiana Ali from the Fresh Prince of Bel Air and Abbott Elementary. As part of Scholastic's Rising Voices series, she's written a new children's book called Aussie and the Octopus. So circle around everyone, for over the se. Long ago in the world's earliest days, the animals that you'll find in what we now call Australia lived somewhere else entirely. Koala, kangaroo, Platypus and all the rest resided in a distant land across the sea. It was a flat, wind blown place, desolate and barren. Barren. So it wasn't exactly home sweet home. Then one day, Eagle came gliding down from the sky with an announcement.

[Eagle]

Listen up everyone. Today I flew far, far across the sea, farther than I've ever flown before. And guess what? I found us a new home. And it's amazing.

[Rebecca Scheer]

What does it look like?

[Starfish]

Eagle?

[Eagle]

It's beautiful.

[Rebecca Scheer]

Koala.

[Eagle]

It has grassy plains and dazzling beaches, red deserts and lush rainforests. It also has majestic mountains, winding rivers, and the most crystal clear lakes you ever did see. So if we moved to this new.

[Rebecca Scheer]

Land, there would be plenty of food.

[Eagle]

For us to eat gobs of it. Kangaroo. This land is as fertile as can be.

[Kangaroo]

But how do we get there?

[Eagle]

Well, Platypus, that's where we're in a bit of a pickle. This land is very far across the sea. If we all wish to travel together, I have no idea how we'll make the trip.

[Rebecca Scheer]

There was a moment of silence as the animals pondered this dilemma until.

[Starfish]

How about we float?

[Rebecca Scheer]

All eyes turned to Starfish back when our story takes place. The arms radiating from Starfish's body were straight and smooth, not curved and bumpy like they are today. And she wiggled all of them with excitement.

[Starfish]

We could cross the sea in a canoe. And you know who has a big bark canoe that could fit all of us inside it? Right Whale.

[Rebecca Scheer]

The Animals traded an uneasy glance. They all knew about Whale's legendary canoe. They also knew about Whale's legendary selfishness. The big bossy sea mammal never shared anything with anyone.

[Eagle]

Oh, we appreciate the suggestion, Starfish.

[Rebecca Scheer]

But you know how stingy Whale is. He's the most tight fit fisted among us. Not that he technically has fists.

[Kangaroo]

Not once has he ever let that canoe out of his sight. He would never lend it to us.

[Starfish]

But it wouldn't hurt to ask, would it? I'll simply say that all of us animals are moving to a new land across the sea. So could he please lend us his canoe? He may very well be into it.

[Rebecca Scheer]

Unfortunately, when Starfish went and made her proposal.

[Starfish]

Good day, Whale. All of us animals are moving to a new land across the sea. So could you please lend us your canoe?

[Rebecca Scheer]

Whale was not into it.

[Whale]

Not a chad, Starfish. Nuh. No way.

[Rebecca Scheer]

Whale gave his head a shake. Back in those in early days, his head was smooth and flat with no blowhole on top. But it was every bit as gigantic. So when he shook it from side to side, he nearly caused a tidal wave.

[Whale]

My canoe is my treasure. My jewel, My pride and joy. Just look at her.

[Rebecca Scheer]

He motioned toward a sleek vessel tethered to a jagged rock near the shore. The canoe was crafted from a long sheet of bark, folded and tied at the ends with rope.

[Whale]

Isn't she a beaut? I would never let you borrow her, Starfish. Never.

[Starfish]

Never ever.

[Whale]

Never ever, ever.

[Starfish]

Never ever, ever, ever.

[Whale]

Never ever, ever, ever, ever. Now leave me alone before I lose count of evers.

[Rebecca Scheer]

Starfish knew she couldn't win this debate. So she turned and shuffled away. Her many arms slumped in defeat.

[Starfish]

Well, that was a Whale of a rejection. The other animals were right. Whale is too selfish to share with us. But I would give my right arm to use that canoe of his. And my upper right arm. Then my left arm. And my upper left arm. Crikey. I would give all my arms. That's it.

[Rebecca Scheer]

Starfish gave her arms a flex.

[Starfish]

Whale may be up in arms about sharing his canoe, but I have a plan. And if it works, I'll get my hands on that canoe using my arms.

[Rebecca Scheer]

What is Starfish planning? What might you plan if you were Starfish? We'll hear what happens after a quick break. I'm Rebecca Scheer. Welcome back to Circle Round. Today, our story is called over the Sea. Before the Break, the animals were desperate to leave their cold, barren country and move to a new land across the sea. Sea. When Starfish asked Whale if she and her Friends could borrow his canoe for the trip. The super sized and super selfish sea creature said no. So Starfish cooked up a plan B. She gathered eagle, koala, kangaroo and platypus together and laid out her plot.

[Starfish]

You were right, everybody. Asking Whale for his canoe got me nowhere. That's why you are going to take it.

[Rebecca Scheer]

The animal's beaks, jaws and bills dropped open.

[Eagle]

Starfish, how are we supposed to take Whale's canoe when he never lets it out of his sight?

[Rebecca Scheer]

Eagle's right. He's always guarding over it. He sure is, Koala. If he sees us trying to steal it away, we're toast.

[Kangaroo]

Worse than that, Kangaroo. We're burnt toast.

[Starfish]

Look, friends, I can assure you Whale will not see you making off with his canoe. Because I'm going to distract him. Keep him occupied. When I give you the signal, you hop into the boat and start paddling. Okay?

[Rebecca Scheer]

The animals reluctantly agreed. And Starfish, wearing her most winning smile, headed back to the coast as usual. There was Whale, with his big bark canoe moored to its jagged rock.

[Starfish]

Hi there, Whale. I've come to do you a favor.

[Rebecca Scheer]

Whale rolled his grapefruit sized eyes.

[Whale]

A favor, you say? And does this favor have anything to do with my canoe?

[Starfish]

Actually, it has something to do with your lice.

[Whale]

My what?

[Starfish]

Your lice. Those pesky little critters crawling all over your head.

[Rebecca Scheer]

Whale gave his smooth, flat head a twitch.

[Whale]

Now that I think about it, my head is kind of itchy. But I don't see any lice.

[Starfish]

That's because the lice are so tiny. Though technically, they're not really lice. They're small crustaceans known as siamids, who live and feast on the skin of whales and other marine mammals. Ew.

[Rebecca Scheer]

Gross.

[Starfish]

I know. And that's why I'm here. To help you chase those pesky parasites away.

[Whale]

And how might you do that, Starfish?

[Starfish]

Easy with these.

[Rebecca Scheer]

Starfish stuck out her smooth, straight arms.

[Starfish]

I'll use my arms to pluck off all your lice. You'll be much comfier and cleaner when I'm done.

[Rebecca Scheer]

Whale thought for a moment.

[Whale]

All right, fine. But make it quick.

[Rebecca Scheer]

He lowered his smooth head so Starfish could clamber on. Once she was in place, she put her many arms to work plucking off the lice one by one.

[Starfish]

Crikey. There are more of these buggers than I thought. There must be thousands of them. Millions, even. This could take a while.

[Whale]

How long?

[Starfish]

Long enough that you might just want to close your eyes. Take a nap. It'll make the time go faster?

[Rebecca Scheer]

Whale mulls the notion over.

[Whale]

Actually, that's not a bad idea. Promise me you'll wake me up when you're done.

[Starfish]

Of course I will.

[Whale]

Then I'll just nod off then. Good night.

[Rebecca Scheer]

Whale's eyes fluttered shut. He grew very still. The moment Starfish was certain he was out cold, she waved her arms toward the shore.

[Starfish]

Okay, team, time to jump into action.

[Rebecca Scheer]

In a flash, Eagle, koala, Kangaroo and platypus popped out from behind a boulder. They bustled to the jagged rock and began untying the canoe. As they did, they were joined by a bunch of other animals. Wombat and Echidna, Wallaby and Emu. All of them worked together to undo the knots and push Whale's canoe into the sea. But the moment they hopped in and started paddling, do you know what happened? Whale woke up.

[Whale]

What was that? Did I just hear paddles in the water? Is somebody riding my canoe?

[Rebecca Scheer]

Starfish put on her most reassuring face.

[Starfish]

Huh? Your canoe is just fine, Whale. You must be hearing things. After all, your ears are crawling with lice. Don't you worry though. I'll fix that in a jiffy.

[Rebecca Scheer]

She set to work scratching around Whale's ears in hopes of silencing the splash of canoe paddles as the animals floated away.

[Whale]

Ooh, that scratching feels nice. Is it helping, Starfish?

[Starfish]

It sure is, Whale. It's more helpful than you know. Now, why don't you close your eyes again and get some rest?

[Whale]

Nah, I'm feeling all bright eyed and bushy tailed now. And besides, I don't want to miss out on this heavenly scratching. Any chance you can go to my other end and give my tail a scuff?

[Rebecca Scheer]

Whale turned his head and gestured toward his flukes. But the moment he did, his grapefruit sized eyes grew as big as one watermelons.

[Whale]

What on earth? My canoe is gone. Somebody made off with my canoe.

[Rebecca Scheer]

He peered out to the horizon. And that's when he saw it. The vanishing shape of his beloved canoe, chock full of paddling animals.

[Whale]

I've been tricked, conned, sucked in. You were trying to distract me, Starfish, so that your friends could steal my canoe.

[Rebecca Scheer]

Starfish trembled with indignation. Steal?

[Starfish]

It wasn't so much steel as borrow. Like I told you, Whale, we found this incredible new home across the sea. And the only way to get there.

[Whale]

Was to swipe by canoe. Nick it. Pinch it. Well, I'm about to give you a swipe, Nick and pinch. You'll never forget.

[Rebecca Scheer]

Whale gritted his teeth and plunged under the waves. Then he heaved his massive body up and out of the sea, spiraling in mid air before landing again and sending the water churning. Starfish. She dug her arms into Whale's head and held on tight. So tight, in fact, that she actually punctured the skin and broke right through. Left behind was a gaping hole. And all of a sudden, what should come blowing out of that hole but a spurt of water? Whoa.

[Whale]

What in the world was that? What happened to my head?

[Starfish]

It was an accident, Whale. I just, I, I.

[Rebecca Scheer]

But Starfish could say no more, because at that moment, Whale breathed again, leaping out of the water and propelling himself even higher. Starfish tried to maintain her grip, but it was no use. Her little body was tossed way up toward the sky.

[Whale]

Whoa.

[Rebecca Scheer]

She went sailing through the air, soaring in a field before landing on a rock. The same jagged rock where Whale once tied his canoe. Starfish ached all over. When she was finally able to lift an arm, she let out a gasp. Because what was once a straight, smooth appendage was now curved and bumpy. Thanks to her fall, all of her arms were curved and curly and covered in tiny spines, just like they are today. Meanwhile, as Starfish was beholding her accidental makeover, Whale was pursuing the canoe. The steamed up sea mammal streamed through the waves, squirting water through his blowhole. The animals dug their paddles into the sea, straining every muscle to make the canoe go faster. Eagle was at the helm.

[Eagle]

Whale is gaining on his friends. If he catches us, we'll be drowned. We have to pick up the pace.

[Rebecca Scheer]

I'm doing my best, Eagle, but my arms are too short.

[Kangaroo]

I'm with Kangaroo as a platypus, I barely even have arms. Can you help, Koala?

[Rebecca Scheer]

Well, my arms are nice and long. Maybe they can paddle us to safety. What Koala said was true. Her arms were long. But in those early days of the world, they were also skinny and scrawny. But she tightened her grip and began paddling as hard as she could. And guess what? Within moments, the canoe picked up speed. Koala worked the paddle with so much force that her skinny, scrawny arms grew strong and muscular, just like they are today. In no time flat, the animals reached their new home, the beautiful fertile land we now call Australia. They were eventually joined by Starfish, but she didn't choose to live with them on land. Instead, she made her home on the bottom of the sea. That way she could stay hidden from Whale, who to this day swims up and down the Australian coast, searching for the starfish who put the blowhole on his head and pulled the wool over his eyes. Now it's your turn. Think about a time you helped a friend or family member solve a maybe you offered helpful advice or lent a hand when something broke around the house. Draw a picture of how you helped someone get out of a bind. Then draw a picture of how you and they felt afterwards. Helping and being helped can feel amazing. And as Starfish showed us, we all can be helpers, no matter how big or small we happen to be. This week's episode over the Sea was adapted by me, Rebecca Scheer. It was edited by Dean Russell. Original music and sound design is by Eric Shimalonis. Eric's featured instrument this week is the Didgeridoo. You can learn more about this ancient Australian Aboriginal wind instrument 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 300 plus Circle Round stories and you can print them out and color them in grown ups. You can download all of our coloring [e-mail] CircleRound Special thanks to this week's actors Theodore Chin, Susannah Mars, Jessica Rau and Tatiana Ali from the Fresh Prince of Bel Air and Abbott Elementary. As part of Scholastic's Rising Voices series, Tatiana has written a new children's book called Ossi and the Octopus. She also has a line of handmade baby quilts called baby yams. 100% of the proceeds go to black and indigenous midwives and doulas. If you love Circle Round and want to Circle Round with us in even more ways while also supporting public media, join the Circle Round Club. As thanks for your support, we'll send you exclusive swag, an ad free feed, bonus bedtime stories, weekly emails from me, and audio features from Eric about our musical instruments. You can also add on goodies like our Snuggly lion stuffy fun yellow T shirt and a personalized birthday message recorded by me. Sign up for the Circle Round Club and show your love for public [e-mail] CircleRound Grown Ups. If you enjoy Circle Round, please spread the word. And if you can, please leave us a five star rating or review on whatever podcast app you're using right now. It helps other listeners find the show so we can keep Circling Round with you for years to come. Circle Round is a production of WBUR Boston's npr. 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. Take a listen. Maybe one of their favorites is one of yours too.

[Circle Round Listeners]

My name is and I'm from Kigali, Rwanda and my favorite story is the Tree of Love. Like the part where they turn into trees. My name is Dalia and I live in California. And my favorite circle round story is the Nine Sticks. Because I like stories where beer ball sitting. My name is Claire from Indianapolis, Indiana. And my favorite story is the Bright Yellow Hat. My name is Marie and I'm from Indianapolis, Indiana. And my favorite story is the Blizzard Wizard. I like the part when the sun gives her the arrows. My name is Mary Eloise and I'm from Merida, Georgia. And my favorite episode is Diamonds in the Sky. I like the part where the God says what must be done must be done. And the two sisters fly into the air with their diamonds. My name is Louisa and I live in Dallas, Texas. And my favorite circle round story is the Salmon Famine. I like the part where Coyote says coo. My name is August, I live in Chicago, Illinois. My favorite circle round is the Great Ball Game. I like the part where Bear says I might have missed out for breakfast. Hi, my name is Alina. I live in Newcastle, Washington. My favorite circle Round story is Long Hair in the Waterfall. And my favorite part is When Longhair tricks the mountain Spirit.

[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 oh so much more on our website, WBUR.org CircleRound.