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.

Listen in podnod RSS feed Show website

456 episodes
Updated Tuesday

Episodes456

Newest first

Sep 17, 2024 · 21 min
Encore: Chameleon’s Contest
Jonica Booth (Rap Stuff, Bad Girls Club) and Jay Pharoah (Out of Office, Saturday Night Live) co-star in this West African tale about a clothing-obsessed goddess and a crafty, colorful chameleon.
Sep 10, 2024 · 24 min
A Horse for Hire
Recorded live at Tanglewood, members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and a star-studded cast bring to life this Haitian and Creole tale about hefty horses and broken deals.
Sep 3, 2024 · 24 min
The Price Master
Recorded live at Tanglewood with members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and a star-studded cast, this Indian tale shows what happens when the price is right... and the price is wrong!
Aug 27, 2024 · 23 min
The Farmer and the Cow
Recorded live at Tanglewood with members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and a star-studded cast, this Icelandic tale features a magical bovine who's able to moooooove mountains!
Aug 20, 2024 · 26 min
Laughing and Crying
Recorded live at The Athenaeum Center in Chicago, IL, this tale with East Asian and Egyptian roots pits a proud king against a sharp-witted schoolteacher who proves she's nobody's fool.
Aug 9, 2024 · 27 min
Giant Steps
Recorded live at The Athenaeum Center in Chicago, IL, this tale from the Iraqi Jewish tradition gives a whole new meaning to "putting your best foot forward."
Aug 6, 2024 · 29 min
The Spotted Goat
Recorded live at Town Hall Seattle, this tale with Palestinian and Lebanese roots suggests that when somebody gets your goat, don't be shy about putting them on the spot!
Jul 30, 2024 · 27 min
Granny Snowstorm
Recorded live at Town Hall Seattle, this Ukrainian tale follows a sister and brother as they meet the supernatural spirit who brings winter.
Jul 23, 2024 · 22 min
The Doggies in the Window
Recorded live at The Aladdin Theater in Portland, OR, this Japanese tale about fragile statues and tough shopkeepers proves that every dog can have its day.
Jul 16, 2024 · 19 min
The Sea and the Sky
Recorded live at The Aladdin Theater in Portland, OR, this high-flying tale explains how the islands of the Philippines came to be.
Jul 9, 2024 · 23 min
The Buffalo’s Shadow
Recorded live at The Parkway Theater in Minneapolis, MN, this Cambodian folktale shows what happens when you find clever solutions to shady problems.
Jul 2, 2024 · 24 min
Home Sweet Home
Recorded live at The Parkway Theater in Minneapolis, MN, this East African tale about unlikely roommates proves that sometimes the smallest can be the strongest of all.
Jun 25, 2024 · 19 min
Encore: Misery Loves Company
Samin Nosrat (Salt Fat Acid Heat, Home Cooking), Hrishikesh Hirway (Home Cooking, Song Exploder) and Josh Malina (The West Wing, Chutzpod) star in this Ukrainian and Polish tale about what happens when misery loves company so much, it actually comes to life!
Jun 18, 2024 · 22 min
Encore: The Friend Ship
Carra Patterson (Turner & Hooch, Jitney) stars in a tale from Japan about a woman with enough generosity to last a lifetime, and a man with enough greed to sink a ship.
Jun 11, 2024 · 28 min
Encore: The Little Blue Pebble
In this magical story with worldwide roots, Broadway performers Bret Shuford and Stephen Hanna (Broadway Husbands) play farmers who receive a little magic that leads to big transformations!
Jun 4, 2024 · 25 min
Encore: The Bright Yellow Hat
Jona Xiao (Raya and the Last Dragon, Hightown) plays a flower peddler who makes gardens and goodness grow in this story with Chinese, Tibetan, Japanese, Moroccan, French, Canadian and Peruvian roots.
May 28, 2024 · 24 min
The Crystal Story Box
Bashir Salahuddin (Top Gun: Maverick, South Side) plays legendary trickster Anansi in this West African tale about how stories first came to the world.
May 21, 2024 · 23 min
Encore: The Troupe of Ten
Malia Baker (The Baby-Sitters Club), Kelly Jenrette (All-American: Homecoming) and Kenny Leu (Midway) headline a story about a troupe of actors who bring down the house until they're nearly brought down themselves.
May 14, 2024 · 20 min
The Long Crimson Thread
Jessika Van (Seoul Searching, Awkward) and Mark Pellegrino (American Rust, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley) co-star in a Welsh tale about a girl, a drought, and a mouse with a life-saving secret.
May 7, 2024 · 22 min
The Snow Eater
Cree Summer (Good Times, Abbott Elementary) headlines a Blackfoot legend about fast friends, warm winds, and why bears hibernate during the winter.

Circle Round

Encore: Chameleon’s Contest

A Horse for Hire

The Price Master

The Farmer and the Cow

Laughing and Crying

Giant Steps

The Spotted Goat

Granny Snowstorm

The Doggies in the Window

The Sea and the Sky

The Buffalo’s Shadow

Home Sweet Home

Encore: Misery Loves Company

Encore: The Friend Ship

Encore: The Little Blue Pebble

Encore: The Bright Yellow Hat

The Crystal Story Box

Encore: The Troupe of Ten

The Long Crimson Thread

The Snow Eater