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

Apr 30, 2024 · 20 min
The Laughing Bird
Kenny Curtis (Greeking Out) stars in a legend from Aboriginal Australia about dark days, light humor, and a little bird with a big laugh.
Apr 23, 2024 · 22 min
The Rightful Heir
Oliver Stark (9-1-1, Into the Badlands) plays a clever king who concocts the perfect plan for telling a good egg from a bad seed.
Apr 16, 2024 · 16 min
Encore: The Friendship Orchard
NPR veterans Linda Wertheimer and Susan Stamberg co-star in a Kazakh folktale about lifelong friends whose bond is tested by an unexpected discovery.
Apr 9, 2024 · 23 min
A Bee in the Bush
Erika Ishii (Worlds Beyond Number, Apex Legends) deadlines this Vietnamese tale about getting a bee in your bonnet, buzzing off, and feeling the sting.
Apr 2, 2024 · 25 min
The Cleverest Person in the Room
Vanessa Aspillaga (Dora Saves the Snow Princess, Leave the World Behind) stars in this Puerto Rican and Chilean tale about baby basil, cuddly kittens, and how two heads can be better than one.
Mar 26, 2024 · 21 min
The Whole Cart
Julia Chan (Bojack Horseman, Extinct) and Hrishikesh Hirway (Song Exploder, The West Wing Weekly) co-star in a story from India about matching wits, mincing words, and getting the upper hand.
Mar 19, 2024 · 25 min
The Young Healer
Jonigan Booth (The Underdoggs, This Is Us) headlines this Angolan tale about flowing with your heart, and the healing power of dreams.
Mar 12, 2024 · 28 min
The Polka-Dotted Pigeon
Adam Goldberg (The Equalizer) stars in this Portuguese tale about ambitions, imposters, and making the feathers fly!
Mar 5, 2024 · 29 min
The Uncommon Commoner
Recorded live at The Cowell Theater in San Francisco, this story with roots in Europe and Asia proves that wisdom can be found in unexpected places.
Feb 27, 2024 · 23 min
Grime and Punishment
Recorded live at The Cowell Theater in San Francisco, this Chinese tale shows why a good neighbor is priceless, and why a bad neighbor pays the price.
Feb 20, 2024 · 20 min
Encore: The Basilisk’s Stare
In this tale inspired by a Polish legend, Nabiyah Be (Black Panther, Daisy Jones & The Six) and Evan Whitten (The Resident, Ahsoka) face off against a fantastical creature whose gaze turns people to stone.
Feb 13, 2024 · 17 min
The Weeping Witness
Brittany Ishibashi (Runaways, Hawaii Five-O) stars in a Japanese and Persian tale about facing the music and changing your tune.
Feb 6, 2024 · 20 min
The Lone Dragon
Ellen Wong (Beacon 23, GLOW) headlines a Chinese legend about how the dragon came to be a powerful symbol of prosperity and luck.
Jan 30, 2024 · 22 min
Something Fishy
Writer, director and actor Jorma Taccone (The Lonely Island, Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse) stars in a tale from Hawaii about a fisherman whose magical gift leads to a fishy situation.
Jan 23, 2024 · 26 min
The Seal of Fate
Ahmed Mawas (Human Resources, Rescuing Christmas) plays a king with a knack for finding the truth and sealing the deal in this tale from Persia.
Jan 16, 2024 · 24 min
The Sharpest Tack
Comedian Negin Farsad (Fake the Nation, Wait, Wait... Don't Tell Me!) and NPR's Stacey Vanek Smith (Planet Money, The Indicator) face off in an escalating battle of wits in this tale with roots in North America, China, and the Middle East.
Jan 9, 2024 · 26 min
Rhyming Rhino
Kel Mitchell (Good Burger 2, Kenan and Kel) plays a hungry rhino with a gift for trickery and poetry in this African tale from the savanna.
Jan 2, 2024 · 20 min
Encore: The Nine Sticks
Maulik Pancholy (Phineas and Ferb; Mira, Royal Detective) and Nikesh Patel (Four Weddings and a Funeral, The Devil’s Hour) headline this Indian story that asks what's more precious: glittering jewels, or good friends?
Dec 26, 2023 · 26 min
The Forest Folk
Recorded live at WBUR CitySpace, this German tale about unconditional love explains the enchanting -- and enchanted -- origins of a classic holiday tradition.
Dec 19, 2023 · 26 min
Encore: The Horse of a Different Color
Christina Anthony (Mixed-ish, Key & Peele) and Tony winner Lindsay Mendez (Carousel, Merrily We Roll Along) play a one-of-a-kind horse and rider in this enchanted tale from across the Spanish-speaking world and beyond.

Circle Round

The Laughing Bird

The Rightful Heir

Encore: The Friendship Orchard

A Bee in the Bush

The Cleverest Person in the Room

The Whole Cart

The Young Healer

The Polka-Dotted Pigeon

The Uncommon Commoner

Grime and Punishment

Encore: The Basilisk’s Stare

The Weeping Witness

The Lone Dragon

Something Fishy

The Seal of Fate

The Sharpest Tack

Rhyming Rhino

Encore: The Nine Sticks

The Forest Folk

Encore: The Horse of a Different Color