Circle Round

WBUR

WBUR's Circle Round adapts carefully selected folktales from around the world into sound- and music-rich radio plays for kids ages 3-103. Each 15 to 25-minute episode explores important issues like kindness, persistence and generosity. And each episode ends with an activity that inspires a deeper conversation between children and grown-ups.

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456 episodes
Updated Tuesday

Episodes456

Newest first

Nov 11, 2025 · 22 min
Little Peacock’s Plumage
Alfred Hsing (Train Dreams, The Book of Boba Fett) stars in a Chinese legend about a kind bird, a mystical fairy, and the magic of giving.
Nov 4, 2025 · 26 min
Whatever You Like
Recorded live at Symphony Hall with Boston Symphony Orchestra members and a star-studded cast, this story with roots in Jewish and Indian lore proves that when you weigh your words, they can be worth their weight in gold!
Oct 28, 2025 · 27 min
The Sunlight Tree
Recorded live at Symphony Hall with Boston Symphony Orchestra members and a star-studded cast, this Swedish tale sheds magical light on kindness, caring, and letting roots run deep.
Oct 21, 2025 · 25 min
The Tree of Love
Real-life couple Paige Davis (Trading Spaces, Pen Pals) and Patrick Page (The Gilded Age, Archduke) headline a Greek legend about two people whose love is so strong, they find a divine way to stay together forever.
Oct 14, 2025 · 25 min
The Stone Horse
Recorded live in Parker, CO, this Chinese adventure story shows how kindness and hard work can breathe new life into anything... including stone!
Oct 7, 2025 · 27 min
The Palace of Cats
Recorded live in Parker, CO, this magical Palestinian tale introduces you to wisecracking elders, wayward felines, and the unexpected rewards generosity can bring.
Sep 30, 2025 · 25 min
Encore: The Scholar's Reward
Summer Bishil (The Magicians, Four Samosas) and Michael Maliakel (Aladdin on Broadway) star in an India tale about the first chess game and the surprising ripple effects of our actions.
Sep 23, 2025 · 22 min
The Right Apple
Academy Award nominee June Squibb (Thelma, Eleanor the Great) headlines a Jewish Turkish story about taking a wrong turn and finding the right prize.
Sep 16, 2025 · 21 min
Sundown on Sunday
Charlet Takahashi Chung (Wylde Pak, Rugrats) stars in a Japanese folktale about a clever farmer who gives herself a helping hand... and foot!
Sep 9, 2025 · 24 min
The Round Mossy Stone
Béchir Sylvain (Jurassic World Rebirth) stars as trickster Anansi in a West African tale about a magic stone, a major trick, and getting a taste of your own medicine.
Sep 2, 2025 · 27 min
The First Councilor
Danielle Panabaker (The Flash) and James Wolk (Mad Men, Happy Face) headline a Swedish tale about an uncertain king, a magic fairy, and a monumental decision.
Aug 26, 2025 · 24 min
Princess Persistence
Aparna Brielle (FUBAR, A.P. Bio) stars in an Indian legend about a princess whose love, devotion and courage face the ultimate test.
Aug 19, 2025 · 22 min
True Colors
Heather Burns (Bored to Death, Manchester by the Sea) and Ajay Naidu (Office Space, Blindspot) headline a Bantu, Zulu and Tumbuka tale about why the hyena's coat is spotted and scraggly.
Aug 12, 2025 · 28 min
Milk from a Bull
Recorded live at Tanglewood with Boston Symphony Orchestra musicians and a star-studded cast, this tale with roots in India, Mongolia, Siberia and the Philippines is all about thinking outside the box... and inside the jar.
Aug 5, 2025 · 28 min
The Seamstress and the Deev
Recorded live at Tanglewood with Boston Symphony Orchestra musicians and a star-studded cast, this Afghan tale follows a savvy seamstress and her chatty kitty on a royally epic adventure.
Jul 29, 2025 · 24 min
Encore: The Unselfish Shellfish
Eric Bauza (Bugs Bunny Builders, Woody Woodpecker) and Harry Shum Jr. (Everything Everywhere All At Once, Crazy Rich Asians) star in an Indonesian story about a bad egg who winds up in a real pickle when he tries having his cake and eating it too.
Jul 22, 2025 · 20 min
Encore: The Missing Mountainside
Karen Huie (Welcome to Flatch, Abominable and the Invisible City), stars in a Taiwanese tale about the bad taste it can leave when you bite off more than you can chew!
Jul 16, 2025 · 25 min
Encore: The Mountain Guardian
Audrey Hsieh (Here Today, Mixtape) and Alonzo Bodden (Wait, Wait... Don't Tell Me!, Who's Paying Attention) headline this Tibetan tale about two family members who are rewarded appropriately by a stone lion, one for her generosity and one for his greed.
Jul 8, 2025 · 25 min
Encore: Of Beans and Bunnies
Efren Ramirez (Napoleon Dynamite, Lightyear) portrays a beloved trickster who lives by his wits, and uses them to outwit others, in this folktale from the Spanish-speaking world.
Jul 1, 2025 · 19 min
Encore: Mangoes in the Middle
Utkarsh Ambudkar (Ghosts, We Are Freestyle Love Supreme) stars in an Indian tale about an ingenious royal advisor who cunningly proves the true owner of a fruitful treasure.

Circle Round

Little Peacock’s Plumage

Whatever You Like

The Sunlight Tree

The Tree of Love

The Stone Horse

The Palace of Cats

Encore: The Scholar's Reward

The Right Apple

Sundown on Sunday

The Round Mossy Stone

The First Councilor

Princess Persistence

True Colors

Milk from a Bull

The Seamstress and the Deev

Encore: The Unselfish Shellfish

Encore: The Missing Mountainside

Encore: The Mountain Guardian

Encore: Of Beans and Bunnies

Encore: Mangoes in the Middle