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  • WOMAN: ♪ Hey, now... ♪

  • ♪ 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! ♪

  • Leona should love this.

  • Hey there, bud.

  • Hey.

  • LIONEL: Hey, Dad, what's so important?

  • What did you want to see me about?

  • Well, son, I think you're ready

  • to take on more responsibility.

  • And, after all, someday you and your sister

  • will be running this library.

  • Oh, that will be so cool--

  • me, a librarian, yes.

  • So, what do you want me to do first, Dad?

  • Ah, today I am leaving you in charge of...

  • the returns desk.

  • Oh... the returns desk?

  • Me?

  • I'm going to help people return books?

  • Me?!

  • Oh, that's terrific!

  • That's right, son!

  • Well, you did such a good job last week

  • taking care of the file cabinet

  • that I felt that you were ready for

  • more of a challenge.

  • Aw...

  • ( chuckles )

  • Thanks, Dad.

  • Oh, you're welcome, Lionel.

  • Now, Click is here to help you.

  • Yes, Mouse here to assist you

  • as you try to live up to this great responsibility.

  • Congratulations, Lionel.

  • Thanks, Click.

  • Oh...

  • Oh, Lionel, my boy

  • will you be all right?

  • Well, of course I will, Dad.

  • It will be a piece of steak.

  • Excellent!

  • Well, I have an important nap--

  • uh, uh, an important piece of, uh

  • library business to attend to.

  • So, if you need me

  • I'll be at the front desk

  • Okay, Dad.

  • Okay.

  • Oh, I know

  • he'll make me proud.

  • Excuse me, I have some books to return.

  • ( laughs )

  • LEONA: And dirt over here?

  • Oh, I think you need

  • just a little more dirt, Leona.

  • Oh, okay, a little more dirt over here.

  • That looks good.

  • ( gasps )

  • Look, Mommy, look, a butterfly.

  • Oh...

  • The butterflies really like our flowers

  • don't they, Momma?

  • Yes, they do, Leona.

  • You know, this book is about flowers, too.

  • Really?

  • Mm-hmm.

  • It is called The Empty Pot

  • and it's written and illustrated by Demi.

  • Shall we read it?

  • Yeah, yeah!

  • All right.

  • ( Cleo reading )

  • LEONA: "Ping."

  • ( both chuckle )

  • Wow...

  • A cessor to the frone?

  • What's that?

  • ( laughs )

  • "A successor to the throne."

  • "Successor, someone who takes over from someone else"--

  • is next in line, see?

  • Not the kind of line you stand in, of course

  • but in line for a job.

  • Uh, is that clear?

  • Um... uh...

  • not exactly.

  • ( chomping )

  • Oh, not exactly, eh?

  • Uh, let's see...

  • Oh, how about this?

  • The person who will become emperor

  • after this emperor, uh, stops being emperor.

  • Oh!

  • I get it.

  • Thanks, Heath.

  • My pleasure, Leona.

  • ( both chuckling )

  • Whoever can show me their best in a year's time

  • will succeed me to the throne.

  • What kind of flower do you think

  • is going to grow in Ping's pot, Mommy?

  • Hmm, I don't know, Leona.

  • What do you think?

  • Well, I don't know.

  • Could it be a...

  • Well, it could be, um...

  • oh, a daffodil...

  • Yes.

  • Or a tulip...

  • Oh, yes.

  • Or a violet or a hibiscus.

  • And now...

  • ( chewing )

  • BOTH: Seeds!

  • ( chewing resumes )

  • That's it?

  • Where's the joke?

  • There's no joke?!

  • "Seeds."

  • ( making double-e sound )

  • MAN: And I actually lost that role to Bob Denver.

  • Oh, and now, Martha Reader and the Vowelles

  • will sweep you away with the sweet double-e

  • "E" sound in the word "feet."

  • ( repeating double-e sound )

  • ALL: Feet!

  • MAN: ♪ Watch me now. ♪

  • ♪ Hey, ooh, aah, dance in smarty pants ♪

  • ♪ Ooh, aah, dance in smarty pants ♪

  • ♪ Ooh, aah... dance in smarty pants. ♪

  • One more time.

  • ♪ Ooh, aah, dance in smarty pants... ♪

  • "Feet."

  • "Fee."

  • ( making double-e sound )

  • "See."

  • "Seep."

  • ♪ Double-e, double-e, double-e ♪

  • ♪ How I love double-e. ♪

  • ♪ When other letters go walking down the street ♪

  • ♪ Double-e, you always make them green. ♪

  • ♪ Double-e. ♪

  • ♪ 'Cause you're the letters that they all want to meet ♪

  • ♪ For making "bees," "knees" and peachy "keen." ♪

  • ♪ Double-e... ♪

  • ♪ Double-e! ♪

  • ♪ You make a sound so sweet. ♪

  • ♪ Double-e... ♪

  • ♪ E, E ♪

  • ♪ You make the birdies tweet ♪

  • ♪ Ain't a mountain too steep ♪

  • ♪ Or a sea too deep ♪

  • ♪ To keep me from double-e. ♪

  • ♪ See, double-e, it can be nice and meek ♪

  • ♪ and soft fleece or as strong as steel. ♪

  • ♪ Double-e! ♪

  • ♪ Gee, double-e... ♪

  • ♪ E, E ♪

  • ♪ You're just the vowels I seek ♪

  • ♪ You grow my weed ♪

  • ♪ Yeah, you spin my wheel. ♪

  • ♪ Yeah, double-e, you're what I need ♪

  • ♪ Yeah, double-e, you're just my speed. ♪

  • ♪ Yeah, double-e makes me feel like a queen ♪

  • ♪ Have you seen double-e, have you seen... ♪

  • ♪ Double-e... ♪

  • ♪ Double-e ♪

  • ♪ You sweep me off my feet ♪

  • ♪ Double-e... ♪

  • ♪ E, E ♪

  • ♪ You make the birdies tweet ♪

  • ♪ Ain't a mountain too steep ♪

  • ♪ Or a sea too deep ♪

  • ♪ To keep me from double-e. ♪

  • ♪ Double-e! ♪

  • ( shouts double-e sound )

  • ( imitating music )

  • ( whistles )

  • ( makes "b" sound )

  • ( makes double-e sound )

  • ( makes "p" sound )

  • B... ee... p.

  • Beep, beep.

  • ( imitates car horn )

  • ( imitates truck's backup beeping )

  • ( crash )

  • Beep.

  • And now The Word Doctor With Dr. Ruth Wordheimer.

  • Hello.

  • Here's Dr. Ruth.

  • ( knocking and crying )

  • Something tells me

  • it's time for another long-word freak-out.

  • Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh!

  • Dr. Ruth, you got to help me!

  • You see, I was invited to a costume party.

  • That's nice!

  • Yeah, but the invitation

  • said I am supposed to dress up as a...

  • As a what?

  • Oh, this!

  • I can't read it, Dr. Ruth.

  • It's much too long.

  • Yes, it is long, but you can read it.

  • Take a deep breath...

  • ( inhales )

  • Start on the left...

  • Uh-huh.

  • And read one part of the word at a time.

  • Okay, start on the left:

  • Uh, pa... ra... keet.

  • Good! Now put them together.

  • Oh, "parakeet..."

  • ( gasps )

  • "Parakeet!"

  • "Parakeet," you read it-- very good.

  • ( chuckling ): Thanks.

  • Oh, but, uh, what is a parakeet?

  • It's a little bird.

  • A bird?!

  • Oh! I'm going to dress up like a parakeet!

  • Tweet, tweet.

  • Thank you, Dr. Ruth, thank you.

  • You are welcome.

  • Tweet, tweet, tweet.

  • That was very "tweet."

  • ( Theo snoring )

  • MONKEY: So, where do they keep

  • the Monkey Pop-up Theater books anyways?

  • I checked, they're all out.

  • LIONEL: Monkey Pop-up Theater, volume 2038...

  • Loved it!

  • Monkey Pop-up Theater, volume 2039...

  • Monkey Pop-up Theater, volume 2040!

  • Woo, is that it?

  • Yup.

  • I just love Monkey Pop-up Theater books!

  • Thank you for turning your books in on time.

  • Oh, thank you for doing such a good job

  • helping me return them.

  • Bye-bye.

  • Bye-bye.

  • ( music begins playing )

  • ♪ I'm going to be a librarian someday, someday ♪

  • ♪ Lionel the librarian, hooray! hooray! ♪

  • ♪ I'll help you when you bring back or check out a book ♪

  • ♪ Want some information, I will tell you where to look ♪

  • ♪ And when you need some help with reading ♪

  • ♪ I'll be your tutor ♪

  • ♪ Connect you to the Internet, use my computer ♪

  • ♪ I'm going to be a librarian someday, someday ♪

  • ♪ Lionel the librarian, hooray! hooray! ♪

  • Applause icon!

  • Hey, Click!

  • There's some e-mail coming in.

  • "Freebee, freebee."

  • What's a freebee?

  • I believe it is something that is free.

  • Cool!

  • Let's open it.

  • Lionel...

  • That may not be a good idea.

  • Some e-mails can contain viruses

  • that interfere with my central processing unit's operation.

  • Oh, I'm sure it's okay.

  • Request denied.

  • Going into manual.

  • Uh-oh.

  • Big mistake!

  • BEE: Congratulations!

  • You have just received a free bee

  • and you have been stung.

  • ( laughing evilly )

  • Told you so.

  • We've just been stung!

  • Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh...

  • ( laughing evilly )

  • You have opened an e-mail that contained a computer virus

  • and it is making me sick and all the other computers sick.

  • ( laughs echoing over and over )

  • ( static crackling )

  • ( bee buzzing )

  • Get away, get away!

  • Get away from me!

  • Oh, no! What do we do now?

  • Leave them alone, they'll come home...

  • I see a wolf!

  • What?

  • Howdy, partner!

  • ( electricity zapping )

  • Banana...

  • Click, what are you doing?

  • ( buzzing crazily )

  • The name's "Spud."

  • Click!

  • Cli...ck!!

  • Oh, no!

  • ( Click's voice slows to a stop )

  • Oh, man!

  • ( sadly ): ♪ I'm not going to be a librarian ♪

  • ♪ Someday, someday ♪

  • ♪ Lionel, the librarian ♪

  • ♪ No way, no way. ♪

  • ( commotion continues inside )

  • Or maybe Ping's seed will grow up to be

  • a "chrysamthemumumum"

  • or a "delphinum"

  • or a "gerananum"...

  • Well, Leona, Leona...

  • why don't we read the book

  • and see what happens?

  • Yeah, yeah!

  • Wowee, zowee! Good!

  • All right.

  • Ping!

  • You're not really going to the Emperor

  • with an empty pot, are you?

  • Couldn't you grow a great, big flower like mine?

  • I've grown lots of flowers better than yours.

  • It's just this seed that won't grow.

  • You did your best

  • and your best is good enough

  • to present to the Emperor.

  • Oh... poor Ping.

  • He's going to see the Emperor

  • and he has an empty pot.

  • Mmm.

  • I don't think the Emperor's going to like that.

  • ( crowd roaring )

  • 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...

  • ( cheering )

  • and Sir "Eep."

  • ( horse whinnies )

  • Blend on, dudes.

  • ( crash )

  • ( cheering )

  • ( weeping, armor creaking )

  • Weep.

  • Excellent!

  • That's Gawain's word for today

  • and this is Gawain saying, from deep in my armor...

  • I'll see you next time on...

  • ( laughs )

  • And now a little poem in which letters change

  • and make something very interesting happen.

  • MAN: ♪ You've all heard of Little Bo Peep ♪

  • ♪ Who stayed up all night counting sheep ♪

  • ♪ Well, I've good news to tell ♪

  • ♪ She replaced "H" with "L" ♪

  • ♪ Now she's finally getting some sleep. ♪

  • Shh!

  • ♪ Dance in smarty pants, ooh, aah... ♪

  • ♪ Dance in smarty pants ♪

  • ♪ Again! ♪

  • ( patrons talking, laughing, muttering, shouting )

  • ( electronic crackling )

  • LEON: Snap out of it!

  • You've got to help me fix this!

  • CLICK: Load...

  • Load what?

  • An-ti vi-rus soft-ware.

  • Oh... anti-virus software.

  • Yes!

  • A program to knock out that virus.

  • Ah!

  • Oh, this had better work!

  • Come on, load, already!

  • Load!

  • Scanning for virus...

  • Scan! Scan!

  • Virus found!

  • Yes, yes!

  • Ooh, virus deleted.

  • Yeah, yeah!

  • Restoring library database.

  • Restoring personal correspondence files.

  • Restoring New Year's Eve pictures

  • of Theo with a lampshade on his...

  • The... whoa!

  • Come on, come on!

  • Come on, Mommy.

  • Let's read the book

  • and find out what's happening to Ping.

  • All right, Leona.

  • Finally he came to Ping.

  • The Emperor asked him

  • "Why did you bring an empty pot?"

  • Ping started to cry and replied...

  • I planted the seed you gave me and I watered it every day

  • but it didn't sprout.

  • I put it in a better pot with better soil

  • but still it didn't sprout.

  • I tended it all year long, but nothing grew

  • so today I had to bring an empty pot without a flower.

  • It was the best I could do.

  • Then he exclaimed to one and all...

  • I have found the one person worthy of being Emperor.

  • EMPEROR: Where you got your seeds from I do not know

  • for the seeds I gave you had all been cooked

  • so it was impossible for any of them to grow.

  • I admire Ping's great courage

  • to appear before me with the empty truth.

  • And now I reward him

  • and make him Emperor of all the land.

  • So, I guess the moral

  • of that story is

  • it really pays to tell the truth.

  • And that as long as you've done your best

  • you've done enough.

  • Moral-- what you learn from a story.

  • The important lesson you take away.

  • Would you like to hear it again?

  • Good.

  • ( speaking backwards as tape rewinds )

  • So, I guess the moral of that story is

  • it really pays to tell the truth.

  • And that as long as you've done your best

  • you've done enough.

  • You know, I could have sworn I said that before.

  • Hmm...

  • Lionel?

  • Dad!

  • Dad-- hee hee.

  • I mean, hi... hi!

  • So, how'd it go?

  • Any, uh, trouble with any of the returns?

  • Uh, uh... no!

  • No trouble with any of the, uh... returns.

  • Good, good, good.

  • Anything else to tell me?

  • I, uh, uh...

  • Well, yeah, the truth is

  • something did happen.

  • Yes?

  • It all started with this e-mail.

  • I know I probably shouldn't have opened it.

  • Oh, I see, yeah, yeah.

  • That would probably explain this.

  • Oh, great, that's great!

  • Now I'll never be a librarian.

  • ( chuckling )

  • Oh, son, look.

  • You had the courage to tell me the truth.

  • Lionel, I think you'll make a great librarian.

  • Yeah?

  • Absolutely.

  • Uh... so, uh...

  • what exactly happened here?

  • Hmm?

  • ( laughing )

  • I'm glad you asked, Dad.

  • You see, it's a really long story...

  • And now...

  • Hey, Clay, look.

  • We're out of uh, uh...

  • Uh, seeds!

  • Yeah.

  • Hey, let's go

  • and get some...

  • more!

  • Yeah.

  • ( Walter groaning, Clay giggling )

  • That's it?

  • They just leave to get more seeds?

  • Couldn't the writer think of a more clever way

  • to end the show?

  • Apparently not.

  • MAN: ♪ Ooh, aah, dance in smarty pants. ♪

  • Announcer:

  • ♪ Dance in smarty pants, ooh, aah... ♪

  • Is it over yet?

  • CHORUS: ♪ Dance in smarty pants. ♪

  • ♪ Come on, everyone, let's show 'em how it's done ♪

  • Watch me!

  • Mr. Leon Redbone!

  • Ms. Jasmine Guy!

  • ♪ You can do it! ♪

  • There are games and stories at the Between the Lions Web site:

  • pbskids.org, or America Online keyword: PBS Kids.

  • Hi, Mr. Roker.

  • Hi, Leona.

  • Mr. Roker, could you be

  • my designated reader today?

  • I'd be happy to.

  • Oh, wow! Thank you!

  • You ready?

  • Yeah.

  • All right.

  • "It was a dark and stormy night

  • not fit out for man nor beast."

  • ♪ ♪ ♪

  • [Captioned by The Caption Center WGBH Educational Foundation]

  • CHORUS: ♪ Between the lions... ♪

  • ♪ Between the lions... ♪

  • WOMAN: ♪ Come in between the lions ♪

  • ♪ Begin between the lions ♪

  • ♪ Be here between the lions! ♪

  • CLEO: Between the Lions is funded in part by...

WOMAN: ♪ Hey, now... ♪

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