Circle Round
Channel Details
Circle Round
Created and produced by parents of young children, 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 epis...
Recent Episodes
432 episodes
The Bolt of Silk
Samantha Béart (Baldur's Gate 3, Star Wars: The Old Republic) plays a sorceress with a knack for brewing up trouble in this tale with Sudanese, Egypti...
The Beech-Wood Box
Krassimira Belev (The Therapy) and acclaimed violinist Christian Hebel star in a Romani tale about how the very first violin came to be.
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Stealing Summer
Bestselling children's author Meena Harris (Maya's Big Question, Kamala and Maya's Big Idea) plays an ambitious coyote in this Shoshone, Shasta and Hu...
Down the Garden Path
Recorded live at Symphony Hall with Boston Symphony Orchestra players and a star-studded cast, this Buddhist story from Tibet and India proves we can...
The Masked Bandit
Recorded live at Symphony Hall with Boston Symphony Orchestra players and a star-studded cast, this Sioux legend follows a rascally raccoon on a gutsy...
The Noise Next Door
Recorded live in Glendale, CA, this Haitian tale about two blacksmiths whose banging, clanging, clinking and clanking cause a presidential uproar.
Goodnight Sun
Recorded live in Glendale, CA, this story with roots in India and Vietnam follows a trio of birds on an illuminating adventure to bring back to the su...
Over the Sea | Ep. 311
Tatyana Ali (Abbott Elementary, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air) stars as a savvy starfish who outwits a wily whale in this tale from Aboriginal Australia...
The Fourth Post | Ep. 310
Jeff Meacham (Black-ish, Vampirina) plays a hapless hero whose life turns upside-down in this humorous tale from Great Britain, Italy, Russia and the...
Encore: The Fairy Fort
Taylor Richardson (The Gilded Age) and Alison Wright (The Americans, Snowpiercer) co-star in this Irish tale about mischievous fairies and the power o...
Encore: The Patched-Up Coat
NPR's Peter Sagal (Wait, Wait... Don't Tell Me!) stars in this Russian story about how fantastically priceless a little generosity can be.
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Encore: Finding the Light
Kennedy Kanagawa (Into The Woods) plays a young man who brings light to a dark world in this tale with roots in Alaska Native and First Nations legend...
Python’s Drum | Ep. 309
Gabe Kunda (Marvel Rivals, Apex Legends) and Natasha Rothwell (The White Lotus, Insecure) co-star in a Ugandan legend about friendship, rivalry, and m...
Birbal's Barrels | Ep. 309
Ravi V. Patel (Animal Control, LEGO Masters Jr.) headlines this Indian tale about distinguishing need from greed with help from grain, gold, and a bar...
The Underestimated Beetle | Ep. 307
Recorded live in Charlotte, NC, this Brazilian tale pits a round-rumped, fleet-footed critter against a teeny-tiny insect in a surprisingly high-flyin...
A Sticky Situation | Ep. 306
Recorded live in Charlotte, NC, this Japanese legend about a rhyming pine tree puts a (literally) sappy new spin on "poetic justice."
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How the Turkey Got Its Gobble | Ep. 305 (A Podcast Turducken with Terrestrials and Wow in the World)
Fellow kidcasts Terrestrials and Wow in the World join us for a story-stuffed special about smart chickens, mysterious duck quacks, and how the turkey...
Little Peacock’s Plumage | Ep. 304
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.
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Whatever You Like | Ep. 303
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...
The Sunlight Tree | Ep. 302
Recorded live at Symphony Hall with Boston Symphony Orchestra members and a star-studded cast, this Swedish tale sheds magical light on kindness, cari...
The Tree of Love | Ep. 301
Real-life couple Paige Davis (Trading Spaces, Pen Pals) and Patrick Page (The Gilded Age, Archduke) headline a Greek legend about two people whose lov...
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!
The Palace of Cats
Recorded live in Parker, CO, this magical Palestinian tale introduces you to wisecracking elders, wayward felines, and the unexpected rewards generosi...
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 surpri...
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.<...
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!
Si...
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 yo...
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 d...
Princess Persistence
Aparna Brielle (FUBAR, A.P. Bio) stars as a legendary Indian princess whose love, devotion and courage face the ultimate test.
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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 h...
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...
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 chat...
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 sto...
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 t...
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 famil...
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...
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...
Encore: Hungry Hippo
Scott Lawrence (Star Wars Resistance, Vader Immortal) stars in this African legend about how the hippopotamus came to be the decidedly distinctive cre...
Encore: Strong Mind and Kind Heart
Christopher Sean (Star Wars Resistance, Gotham Knights) stars in this Vietnamese tale about two friends, one dream, and the infinite value of a true h...
Encore: Counting Crocodiles
In this playful tale from Indonesia, Japan and Malaysia, Tiya Sircar (Star Wars Rebels, The Good Place) plays a cunning mouse deer who teaches a canta...