Showing results by narrator "Carl Sommer" in All Categories

While grownups understand the magnitude of guarding sheep, children may lack an ability to see the bigger picture. Nicholas finds tending his family's sheep to be mind-numbingly boring, which is why he ultimately makes the impulsive decision to cry "Wolf!" To his delight, his alert prompts the townspeople to drop everything and rush to his aid, but when the people discover they have been duped they are livid.

Everyone enjoys a spirited competition, but when the challenger is a big-headed braggart, it's easy to cheer for the underdog - or in this case - the under-tortoise. The colorful characters in this retelling of Aesop's beloved fable will tickle the fancy of any child. The forest animals are beyond tired of Harry Hare's boasting. So what if he is the fastest animal in the forest?

Excessive fondness for elaborate and expensive clothing allows a pair of dodgy tailors to hoodwink the emperor. Weaving a grandiose tale instead of actual clothing, the tailors tell the emperor that their exquisite garments, woven with the finest of materials, are invisible to less worthy individuals. Reluctant to admit possible imperfections, no one in the town is willing to be honest, with the exception of one small boy.

Proud Rooster, always ignoring everyone's advice, gets into all sorts of trouble. Filling his tummy with green strawberries, falling off a tree while showing off, and skating on thin ice after being warned, nearly do him in. But his hard lessons change him forever. Proud Rooster is glad to learn that it is not too late to obey. In this exciting tale, Carl Sommer reveals the importance of humility, obedience to parents, and self-discipline.

When Jane, the farmer's wife, complains to her husband, Sam, about the crooked rows he has plowed, they decide to switch jobs for a day. Both Sam and Jane expect to have lots of free time after each finishes the other's "easy" job. But they encounter one calamity after another doing each other's chores. After having the hardest day of their lives, they meet each other and end up laughing at their misconceptions.

In a village full of selfish inhabitants, the idea that making stone soup would bring them all together might be hard to swallow...literally! With a few stones as the initial ingredients, three famished soldiers cleverly convince the villagers to contribute all of the items needed for a delicious pot of soup. In this spirited adaptation of the beloved folktale, preparing a simple pot of soup teaches the villagers that sharing brings happiness and celebration.

About to be devoured by the fearsome King of the Forest, Bitsy the Mouse manages to convince Leo the Lion to let her go in exchange for future assistance. While Leo cannot conceive of any way that a tiny mouse could help him, he does admire Bitsy's pluck and releases her. What he later discovers is that big help can indeed come in small packages. Through Bitsy, Leo also realizes the importance of keeping your word.

Missing his city cousin, Country Mouse invites him for a visit. However, from the moment he arrives, the flamboyant and arrogant City Mouse shows contempt for his less-privileged cousin by incessantly bragging about his home and good fortune. In fact, he won't even consider spending the night and convinces Country Mouse to return with him for a visit in the city. His cousin cheerfully accepts, but what follows illustrates the significance of a simpler, safer life.

Believing in a foolish superstition, Chicken Little is convinced that the sky is falling. In her distress, she convinces a number of other animal friends that this is indeed the case. One after another, the animals join Chicken Little, soon forming a frantic pack. Fortunately, Chippy Chipmunk steps in with wise intervention. What follows confirms the importance of critical thinking and the possible dangers of gullibility.

"Why fit in when you were born to stand out?" When a storm separates a young eagle from his family, he takes up residence with a group of chickens. Poking fun at his crooked beak, the way he flaps his wings, and his white feathered head, the eagle is ashamed and embarrassed. Soon, he discovers even more differences. Unlike the frightened chickens, he does not fear the sly fox. While the chickens are happy to live on the ground, he yearns to fly.

Speckles the spider and Crumbs the cricket think Katy the caterpillar is much too ugly to be their friend. But Annie the ant doesn't agree, and she and Katy become best friends. As Katy the caterpillar begins her strange transformation into a beautiful butterfly, her friend Annie is shocked and amazed. Speckles and Crumbs finally learn the true meaning of beauty and friendship - and caterpillars.

While a little fun is essential for a happy life, wise individuals know that prosperity begins with hard work. Gary and the other grasshoppers want to play all day, and they cannot understand why the ants work so hard and miss all the fun. Alex and the ants know they must work during the spring to have food for the winter. Sure enough, when winter arrives early, the lazy grasshoppers have nothing to eat. Passage of a new law that requires the ants to share their food with the grasshoppers transforms the whole community into a fun-loving crowd.

Marcus and Marcella hate the noisy forest animals and the hard work in searching for food every day. Their eyes light up when a chipmunk tells them that the farm has no noise and lots of food. In spite of being warned by Mama Beaver, they immediately move to the farm. Their dreams come true. But their dreams are shattered when the farmer and his wife come home. The chase is on. After barely escaping, they quickly return to their forest home. They discover that even with all the noise and hard work, the forest is a wonderful place to live.

Teased by their friends that "No one will ever know", Johnny and Janie ignore their parents' warnings about the big, bad wolf. Wanting big, delicious acorns, they lie to their parents and sneak out one night to Mr. Smith's farm. Their delightful meal suddenly ends by being chased by a very hungry wolf.

Mama and Papa have always told their chicks never to have anything to do with strangers. But the sly fox disguises himself as a little lamb and tries to trick the chicks into going with him. His early attempts fail because Clucky listens to Papa and Mama. The fox finally succeeds by promising delicious corn to lure some of the chicks. After a horrifying experience, Clucky's sister Wendy escapes and realizes the importance of always listening to her parents and never talking to strangers.

When Dozy, Pokey, and Hardy went out into the world, Papa and Mama warned them to build strong houses because of the big bad wolf. Dozey and Pokey ignored their parents' advice and built flimsy houses. But Hardy listened to his parents by working hard and building a strong house. After the big, bad wolf blew down the houses of Dozey and Pokey, they narrowly escaped to Hardy's house, and learned a valuable lesson about doing their best. In the rewriting of this classic tale, Carl Sommer teaches the importance of diligence, respect for labor, and self-discipline.

Ants have to work hard during the summer to build their homes and gather food for the winter, but the Dilly Dally family has a different tradition: they always play first. If they have any time, then they work a little. The Family Work Play ants, however, first build their house and gather their food and then they relax and have fun. So they built a strong house and had lots of food for the coming winter. When the long, cold winter came, the Dilly Dally family had a tough time getting food and keeping warm. However, they learned an important lesson.

Life couldn't have been better for Buzzie Bee, until she overhears some disturbing news. Buzzie became furious and started a revolt among the younger bees. The angry bees left the hive to start their own. In the new hive, the young bees argue and fight over who should do the work. They finally discover that working together with a leader is the only way to have a happy hive. They return and follow the queen bee.

Randy was a poor young boy. Everything he had was old. His rich neighbor Mike had a new bike and new toys, and he constantly teased Randy. Randy wished he was rich so he could buy everything new. He was warned by those around him that riches alone don't bring happiness, but Randy never listened. To Randy's great delight, his wish came true! Everything he touched turned into gold - even his beloved dog. As he held his lifeless gold dog, he realized he was now the most miserable kid in the whole world. Remembering he had one more wish, he used it to have things return as before.

Sometimes there is danger in being too friendly; as is the case with kind-hearted Little Red Riding Hood in this loveable rendition of a Brothers Grimm classic. Distracted by the Big Bad Wolf with a bouquet of lovely flowers, the kind-hearted little girl forgets her mother's instructions and strays from the path on the way to Grandmother's house. Little does she know, the crafty wolf has devised a wicked plan to arrive at her house first. Will Grandmother meet an unfortunate end?