D (1:59)

What have you got so far?

C (2:01)

Once upon a time. That's it.

E (2:05)

All I've got is my name at the top of the page.

D (2:07)

My problem is, I have so many story ideas, and each one is better than the next.

C (2:11)

Like what, Francine?

D (2:13)

One is about a princess who has to give her baby to a troll if she can't guess the troll's name.

C (2:17)

Isn't that a story already?

D (2:19)

Not that I'm aware of.

E (2:21)

Is the troll's name Rumpelstiltskin?

D (2:23)

No, her name is Big Wilma. But that's just one idea. I've got lots.

E (2:27)

What comes after your once upon a time, Arthur?

C (2:30)

I was thinking about telling the story of how I got my dog pal. So maybe once upon a time, a boy named Arthur wanted a dog.

D (2:42)

That's not a story. That's just a thing that happened.

C (2:45)

So I started Arthur's pet business to prove I was responsible.

A (2:55)

Hi, Mrs. Wood. Guess what? Arthur lost her dog.

C (2:59)

No, not my poor, helpless little perky Poo. I didn't lose perky poo, Mrs. Wood. Well, I did, but only for a minute. She's right here having puppies. Thank you, Arthur. Would you like to keep one? You mean keep a puppy? Yes. I'll name him Pal. So that is the story of how I got my dog. The end. I finished. What do you think?

D (3:37)

Frankly, it's kind of short and boring.

C (3:40)

That's not a nice thing to say.

D (3:41)

Good writers can take honest criticism.

C (3:44)

What do you think, Buster?

E (3:46)

I'd give it a two.

C (3:48)

Two out of five?

E (3:49)

Two out of ten?

C (3:52)

Forget it. I am not giving Mr. Ratburn a boring story.

D (3:57)

Write about how you got a baby elephant. That would be interesting. Oops.

C (4:03)

Time to go. Me too.

E (4:05)

See you tomorrow, Arthur.

B (4:07)

By.

C (4:10)

Hmm. How I Got a baby elephant.

A (4:17)

Hi, Mrs. Wood. Guess what, Arthur? Lost your pet?

B (4:22)

No.

C (4:24)

Not my poor little, helpless Perky Poo. I didn't lose perky poo, Mrs. Wood. She had some babies. Elephant babies. The elephant story was so good, podcast listeners. At least I thought so, until I showed it to Buster at school the next day.

E (4:53)

So that's the story of how I got a baby elephant. I named him Pal and will love him forever. The end.

C (5:00)

What do you think?

E (5:03)

I guess it's okay.

C (5:04)

Just okay? I want everyone to really like my story.

E (5:09)

All the best stories are set in outer space. That's where mine takes place.

C (5:15)

Outer space.

E (5:17)

Also, you need more action. Those elephants should do something.

A (5:28)

Five, four, six, seven, one. Touchdown. We made it to planet trim. Flap. One giant step for me. One tiny step for Earth.

C (5:45)

I can't believe we discovered a brand new planet. Look at all the purple rocks and stuff. Is that Mrs. Wood bouncing over the rocks? What's she doing here?

A (6:00)

Hi, Mrs. Wood. Guess what? Arthur lost her dog. No.

C (6:06)

Not my poor, helpless little Perky Boo. I didn't lose perky boo, Mrs. Wood. She had some babies. Elephant babies. And they're dancing.

A (6:18)

Stop dancing, babies. You'll break the spacecraft. We'll be stuck in spillies.

C (6:28)

As soon as I finished my new story, I wanted somebody new to read it. So I took it to Brain. What do you think a story about dancing baby elephants on planet Tram Flats isn't boring? Right. It's not boring, but it is scientifically inaccurate.

F (6:47)

How?

C (6:48)

Where elephants weigh less in space, they'd float, not dance. You don't like it? What would make you like it? Well, a good story requires gripping subject matter and solid research. What's your story called? Amphibians versus Dinosaurs. Mesozoic Smackdown. Dinosaurs are always popular. So I should put a dinosaur in My story. I don't know much about them. You can find everything you need at the library. I went straight from Brain's house to the library. Podcast listeners. Ms. Turner the librarian gave me, like, 18 books about dinosaurs.

E (7:29)

What's with all the books?

C (7:31)

Brain said I should add a dinosaur to my story, which means I need to do research. Okay, let's see. Baby T. Rexes. The offspring of these toothy Cretaceous.

D (7:48)

Forget the dinosaur, Arthur.

C (7:50)

You can't even pronounce it.

E (7:52)

Plus, you don't like dinosaurs.

C (7:54)

Then I don't know what to write. What is something that everyone will like?

D (7:59)

Just make something up. Something fun.

C (8:02)

Gee, thanks, Francine. I never thought about making it fun.

D (8:06)

You're welcome.

C (8:07)

I was being sarcastic.

E (8:08)

You know what would make it fun? If you wrote it as a song. Sue Ellen's writing a country song for her story. Bet she gets an A.

C (8:19)

Everybody's story is gonna be better than mine.

D (8:21)

That's probably not true. Though it could be true. Oh, hey, dad, I'll meet you outside. Don't forget about the love interest.

C (8:31)

The love interest?

D (8:33)

Every good story has a part where two characters fall in love.

C (8:37)

Bye. Okay. A song in outer space with two elephants in love. I started all over Podcast listeners and came up with a new, new, new new story. The next day, I had to sing it in class.

F (9:02)

Our next reader is Arthur Reid.

C (9:06)

I didn't actually write a story. It's more of a song.

F (9:10)

We look forward to hearing it.

C (9:13)

Well, my name is Arthur, and I wanted a pet, so I started a business to show I could get clients and stuff and take care of animals. So that's what I did. Yeah, that's what I did. Here we go. Arthur's pet business went into space to a planet named Tramplat, the mostly purple place. I thought I lost Perky, which was so Dad.

D (9:33)

I.

C (9:33)

Especially when Mrs. Wood got really mad. But Perky was in the closet having baby elephants. They danced on their toes. EDA did a few flips. DW worried they'd break our spaceship. Mrs. Wood gave me a puppy to keep. And that was pretty neat. So that's the end of my story. Well, I hope it wasn't, well, too boring. Thank you. Bye. The end.

F (10:02)

A good effort, Arthur. Was any of that meaningful to you?

C (10:07)

Just the part where I wanted a pet. That's where the story started, Mr. Ratburn.

F (10:12)

Ah. And then it somehow turned into a song about dancing baby elephants in outer space.

C (10:19)

Well, Buster said it should take place in outer space and be a song, and Francine thought it should be about an Elephant, not a dog. I suggested adding a dinosaur, but Arthur didn't listen.

D (10:30)

I told him it needed a love interest, but he didn't listen to that either.

F (10:33)

Interesting feedback, but you know what, Arthur? I'd like to hear your original story.

C (10:39)

But everyone said it was boring.

F (10:41)

Don't worry about what people think or what you think they want to hear. Just tell your story the way it means the most to you.

C (10:48)

Uh, right now, you mean.

F (10:50)

Ready when you are.

C (10:53)

Uh, okay. Here goes. I always wanted a dog, but my parents said I needed a show. I could be responsible. So I started Arthur's pet business. And pretty soon, I had too many pets to take care of. That's true. Dogs and cats and birds and frogs and ducks. Of course, the dogs chase the cats and the cats chase the birds. The worst pet of all was Mrs. Wood's dog, Perky. Perky wasn't Perky. She was mean. I could barely get any sleep. Perky was so much work. Like in the middle of the night, I'd have to get up and give her a tummy rub.

D (11:37)

That is weird.

C (11:38)

No kidding. And I had to give her a bath every day and brush her teeth. And she wouldn't eat her dinner unless I put a blueberry exactly on top. Super weird. Then, on the day Perky was supposed to go home, she disappeared. And DW and I looked everywhere and put up signs, but Perky was really, truly lost. I thought everything was ruined. My pet business, my hope of getting a dog. When Mrs. Wood came to pick up Perky, DW said, hi, Mrs. Wood. Guess what, Arthur lost your dog. Mrs. Wood freaked out. No, not my poor, helpless little Perky Poo. Right. While this was happening, I suddenly heard strange moans and thumps coming from the closet. I wasn't sure what could be making the noise. A ghost?

E (12:29)

Maybe an alien from Planet Tramflatst?

C (12:32)

Good guess, but no. It was Perky hiding out in our closet and having puppies. Mrs. Wood was so relieved, she gave me one of the puppies to keep. And that puppy was Pal, my dog. And the best friend forever and ever. Hey, what about me? My best friend besides Buster, forever and ever. The end. Woohoo. Arthur, you liked the story? It wasn't too boring.

F (13:04)

I think we all enjoyed it. In fact, you deserve a sticker for telling it so well. With a beginning, middle and end. Bravo. There you go.

C (13:14)

Wow. Thanks, Mr. Ratburn.

F (13:17)

Of course, if you want full credit, you'll have to write it down. And now, if you will all turn to page 64.

C (13:25)

So that, podcast, listeners, is how I came to write a pretty good story about Pal and even got a sticker from Mr. Ratburn. Not bad, huh?

A (13:35)

It wasn't bad, but it would have been way better with and Three Little Kitties, where we live in a castle and I have a magic wand and turn you into a troll.

E (13:54)

And now it's time for Dear dw. Imani R. Writes, dear dw, if you could get another pet, what would you choose?

A (14:05)

Hmm. A snail.

F (14:08)

What? Why?

A (14:09)

Because they smell better than dogs and you don't have to walk them.

E (14:15)

Okay, here's a question from Franklin B. Dear DW, what's a good rule of thumb for managing your 401k?

A (14:24)

Thumbs don't have rules.

E (14:25)

Mine sure don't.

A (14:27)

But if my thumb had a rule, it would be pick better numbers. 401k. 5 is a way better number. Cause I'm 5. O isn't even a number. It's a letter. And K, that's not a number either. Sheesh. You should go Back to school, Mr. Frankenbeans. That's it for now. Send your questions to me, deardw. See you later, alligator.

E (14:55)

And that's the show Podcast Nation. If you liked it, ask your grown up to subscribe so you don't miss any new episodes. You can listen to all our podcasts.

C (15:06)

Play games, and more@pbskids.org the Arthur Podcast is produced for PBS Kids by GBH Kids in partnership with Hothead Creative Studios and distributed by PBS Kids and prx. Thanks for listening.

A (15:26)

From prx.