♪ HEY, WOW... ♪

♪ HERE'S HOW ♪

♪ COME AND READ ♪

♪ BETWEEN THE LIONS ♪

Chorus: ♪ COME ON ♪

♪ COME IN ♪

♪ BEGIN ♪

♪ THE WORLD AWAITS ♪

Woman: ♪ BETWEEN THE LIONS ♪

♪ BETWEEN THE COVERS OF A BOOK ♪

♪ IT'S TIME TO LOOK BETWEEN THE LIONS ♪

♪ BEHOLD THE TALES BEYOND THE TAILS ♪

Chorus: ♪ BEHIND THE DOOR ♪

♪ BECOME, EXPLORE ♪

♪ COME IN BETWEEN THE LIONS ♪

♪ BEGIN BETWEEN THE LIONS ♪

♪ BE HERE BETWEEN THE LIONS! ♪

Lionel: ♪ GONNA READ A STORY BEFORE BED ♪

♪ DUP, BA-DUP, BUP, BUP, BUP ♪

♪ GONNA READ A STORY BEFORE BED ♪

♪ DOO, DOO, DOO... ♪

HOWDY, PARTNERS.

HOWDY, SON.

HOWDY, LIONEL.

( squeals )

HERE'S YOUR BOOK, LEONA.

THANK YOU, LIONEL.

ENJOY.

OH, SWEET NURSERY RHYMES FOR SLEEPY CUBS.

SOUNDS NICE, DOESN'T IT, LEONA?

YEAH, YEAH.

AND THIS ONE'S FOR ME.

Theo: HOW PECOS BILL CLEANED UP THE WEST.

YEP.

WOW, CAN I LISTEN

TO THAT STORY INSTEAD, MOMMY?

OH, WELL...

LEONA, THIS STORY IS DEFINITELY NOT

FOR CUBS YOUR AGE.

IT'S NOT AGE-APPROPRIATE.

WHY NOT?

OH, LIONEL, I DON'T THINK

THAT JUST LISTENING TO THE STORY

WILL DO YOUR SISTER ANY LASTING HARM.

Leona: YIPPEE!

Cleo: I AGREE.

OKAY...

COMFY?

HOW PECOS BILL CLEANED UP THE WEST

A TALL TALE, WRITTEN BY BETH WESTERN.

...HOMBRE TO WEAR A WELL-PRESSED VEST OF BUCKSKIN

ON HIS MANLY CHEST.

( plays guitar )

PECOS BILL WAS THE BEST

THE BEST IN THE WEST.

( western music begins playing )

( singing )

( wind howling )

♪ BILL SAID TO TESS, "I MUST CONFESS ♪

♪ IF THERE'S ONE THING I DETEST, IT'S A MESS" ♪

♪ TESS KNEW THAT MEANT BILL WOULDN'T REST ♪

♪ TILL HE'D PUT THAT TWISTER UNDER ARREST ♪

♪ OR TAMED THAT BLUSTERY GUSTY PEST ♪

♪ THAT WAS MESSING UP THE PRISTINE WEST. ♪

( singing chorus )

( wind howling )

♪ TESS SPRANG WITH THE SPRINGIEST SPRING ♪

♪ THAT WAS EVER SPRUNG ♪

♪ BILL FLUNG HIS LASSO ♪

♪ WITH THE FLINGIEST FLING THAT WAS EVER FLUNG ♪

♪ AND BILL WHOOPED, "WHOA!" TO THAT WHIRLING WIND UNTIL... ♪

♪ IT STOPPED LIKE A BULLDOGGED STEER, STOCK STILL. ♪

( singing chorus )

I'VE GOT YOU NOW!

♪ WELL, BUCKAROOS, YOU CAN GUESS THE REST OF IT ♪

♪ THAT TWISTER KNEW BILL HAD GOT THE BEST OF IT ♪

♪ AND SO AT PECOS BILL'S REQUEST... ♪

AND EASY AS YOU PLEASE

THAT TAME TWISTER STARTED DUMPING

EVERY LAST LITTLE BIT OF LITTER INTO TRASH CANS

NOT FORGETTING TO SEPARATE OUT ALL THE RECYCLABLES.

Theo and Cleo: AND NOW IT'S TIME TO TAKE A REST.

I'M TIRED.

YEAH, I KNOW, SWEETHEART.

Cleo: GOOD NIGHT, LITTLE CUB.

Announcer: AND NOW, LOVERS OF THE VOWELS "A," "E," "I," "O," "U"

AND SOMETIMES "Y"

GIVE IT UP FOR MARTHA READER AND THE VOWELLES

SINGING THE SHORT "E" SOUND

FROM THEIR FESTIVE HIT WORD, "BEST."

( singing repeated short "e" sound to soul tune )

( song ends; cheering and applause )

OH!

( sounds out short "e" )

( sounds out "l" )

ELL... ELL.

( makes "b" sound )

BELL... BELL...

BELL.

( bell ringing )

BELL.

( ship's horn blows )

( crowd cheering )

Gawain: EXCELLENT!

GAWAIN HERE ONCE AGAIN AT BLENDING FIELDS

WHERE TWO BRAVE KNIGHTS IN ARMOR

WILL CHARGE TOGETHER AT HIGH SPEED AND MAKE A WORD.

COMPETING TODAY, WE HAVE SIR "W"...

AND ON YOUR RIGHT, SIR "ET."

BLEND ON, DUDES.

( crowd cheering )

"WET"! EXCELLENT!

THAT'S GAWAIN'S WORD FOR TODAY

AND THIS IS GAWAIN SAYING, "YOU BET."

I'LL SEE YOU NEXT TIME ON...

AND NOW ARTY SMARTYPANTS WILL READ FOUR WORDS

WITHOUT ANY ASSISTANCE WHATSOEVER!

THANK YOU.

MAY I HAVE A "BUILD THE EXCITEMENT" DRUM ROLL PLEASE?

( drum roll, applause )

THANK YOU.

"NEST"...

"REST"...

"RESTING"...

"RESTAURANT."

"NEST," "REST," "RESTING," "RESTAURANT."

THANK YOU.

( thud )

Audience: OOH!

OH... OH, BOY, MY SMARTYPANTS

SURE ARE GOING TO SMART IN THE MORNING.

OH, BOY.

FLYING OFF THE SHELF ONCE AGAIN

IT'S THE CONTINUING

DARING AND DANGLING ADVENTURES OF CLIFF HANGER!

TODAY'S EPISODE-- "CLIFF HANGER AND THE BED."

Chorus ( singing ):

WE FIND CLIFF HANGER WHERE WE LEFT HIM LAST

HANGING FROM A CLIFF.

( branch breaking )

SUDDENLY BELOW HIM

CLIFF SEES TWO MOVERS CARRYING A LARGE "ED."

DEFTLY, CLIFF DELVES INTO HIS BACKPACK

AND EXTRACTS HIS TRUSTY SURVIVAL MANUAL.

USING HIS EXPERT DECODING SKILLS

CLIFF BEGINS TO READ.

"EARACHE," "EASEL"...

HERE IT IS: "ED."

"WHEN YOU SEE AN 'ED,' FIND THE LETTER 'B.'

THEN DROP IT."

"ED"... "BED."

HAS INTREPID CLIFF HANGER MADE HIS ESCAPE AT LAST?

( boing )

UH-OH!

Chorus: ♪ AND THAT'S WHY HE'S CALLED CLIFF HANGER! ♪

Both: ♪ PECOS BILL WAS THE BEST ♪

♪ THE BEST IN THE WEST. ♪

( hawks, spits )

( spittoon clangs )

EWW!

PARTNER, LOOK AT THAT TWISTER OVER THERE.

( whispers ): IT'S REALLY A COMPUTER.

YOU BETTER LASSO IT.

WELL, OKAY, PARTNER.

YOU BETTER STAND BACK THERE, MISSY.

OH, OKAY.

( squeals )

YOU MISSED.

THANKS.

SORRY.

YOUR LASSO, LIONEL.

NO, PECOS BILL WOULD NEVER HAVE MISSED.

NOPE, HE NEVER DID MISS--

NEVER, NEVER.

LEONA, PECOS BILL NEVER MISSES BECAUSE HE ISN'T REAL.

HE'S IMAGINARY.

SO?

SO PECOS BILL'S A FICTIONAL CHARACTER.

THE STORY'S MADE UP-- YOU KNOW

JUST FOR FUN.

IT'S NOT TRUE, NEVER HAPPENED, NEVER COULD HAPPEN.

TALL TALE, HELLO?

HE IS SO REAL!

LOOK, HE'S EVEN IN THIS BOOK.

YEAH, YEAH, AND IF HE WERE HERE

IF HE WERE HERE

HE'D SHOW YOU HE WAS REALLY REAL.

HA! WOULD NOT.

WOULD SO.

WOULD NOT, AND I'LL PROVE IT.

CLICK, WOULD YOU PLEASE GET PECOS BILL FOR ME?

EXECUTING COMMAND.

( electronic beeping )

( loud rumbling )

( tornado roaring, patrons yelling )

Pecos Bill: WHOA! WHOA!

( roaring and yelling continue )

UH-OH.

All: WHOA!

Pecos Bill: YEE-HA!

( grunts )

Pecos Bill: HOWDY, PARTNERS!

HOWDY, BILL.

HOWDY, BILL.

HMM, LOOKS LIKE YOU GOT

A WHOLE MESS OF TROUBLE HERE.

YEP, A REAL MESS.

YOU MIGHT SAY A WHOLE MESS OF MESS.

I SURE WISH I COULD HELP.

Man: LOOK OUT!

IT'S COMING BACK!

( tornado roaring )

( patrons screaming )

Knight: A HORSE! A HORSE! MY KINGDOM FOR A HORSE!

( wind whooshing )

Theo: LIONEL! LEONA!

I EXPECT AN EXPLANATION.

UH... ASK LIONEL.

HE DID IT.

OH, DON'T ASK ME.

IT WAS CLICK'S FAULT.

CORRECTION: I EXECUTED A GIVEN COMMAND.

CHECK MY OPERATING MANUAL!

EVERYONE, EVERYONE, PLEASE, PLEASE STAY CALM, STAY CALM.

WE'RE HAVING A LITTLE TECHNICAL PROBLEM, A SLIGHT TORNADO.

NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT-- PERFECTLY HARMLESS.

Pecos Bill: YEE-HA!

( chuckles )

MR. PECOS BILL?

THAT'S MY NAME.

MR. BILL...

WE NEED A HERO.

COULDN'T YOU JUMP ON THAT TWISTER'S BACK AND JUST TAME IT?

OH, SORRY, SEÑORITA, NO CAN DO.

YOU SEE, I'M IMAGINARY.

I'M JUST A FICTIONAL CHARACTER.

MY STORY'S MADE UP, JUST FOR FUN.

WHOA! GOTCHA!

NOPE, STORY'S NOT TRUE.

NEVER HAPPENED, NEVER COULD HAPPEN.

IT'S A TALL TALE.

I'M JUST A PAPER HERO.

I CAN'T DO THAT IN THE REAL WORLD.

WHOA!

Lionel: WHOA... I TOLD YOU SO.

WHOA...

WHOA...

OH, JUST THE COWBOY WE NEEDED TO TALK TO.

THERE.

MR. PECOS BILL, COULDN'T YOU TAME THIS TORNADO RIGHT NOW

IF WE WRITE YOU A NEW STORY?

WELL, YES, MA'AM.

I CAN DO ANYTHING... IN A TALL TALE.

WELL, HOW ABOUT A TALL TALE

CALLED HOW PECOS BILL CLEANED UP THE LIBRARY MESS...

HMM?

Pecos Bill: IT'S SO CRAZY, IT JUST MIGHT WORK.

BRILLIANT, CLEO, AS USUAL.

OH, LIONEL, FETCH DOWN MY OLD GUITAR.

Lionel: OKAY, DAD.

I DON'T BELIEVE THIS.

( singing )

I AM NOT A COWBOY.

I AM BARNABY B. "DON'T CALL ME BUSTER" BUSTERFIELD III

FOUNDER OF THIS LIBRARY.

GET THIS HAT OFF MY HEAD THIS INSTANT!

( tornado rumbling )

OH, MY.

WHOA!

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU AND THANK YOU.

I'M FINALLY RID OF THOSE PESTS.

WHOA.

HEY, GET THIS OFF ME.

UH... IT'S A GOOD THING I CAN READ UP CLOSE.

AND NOW, LOVERS OF THE VOWELS "A," "E," "I," "O," "U"

AND SOMETIMES "Y"

THE VOWELLES SING THE SHORT "E" SOUND

FROM THEIR ZESTY HIT WORD, "MESS."

( singing repeated short "e" sound to soul tune )

( song ends; cheering and applause )

AND NOW THE WORD DOCTOR WITH DR. RUTH WORDHEIMER.

HELLO.

HERE'S DR. RUTH.

( creature shrieking )

IT MUST BE TIME FOR ANOTHER "LONG WORD FREAK-OUT."

( yelling )

DR. RUTH!

YOU GOT TO HELP ME!

I WAS READING A BOOK

AND EVERYTHING WAS GOING FINE, AND THEN I CAME TO THIS WORD.

LOOK!

LOOK HOW LONG IT IS!

I CAN'T READ IT.

I CAN'T!

( sobbing )

YES, YOU CAN.

NOW, TAKE A DEEP BREATH.