♪ 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! ♪

You're not trying, you're not trying!

Get down, Lionel!

( both grunting )

CLEO: I want to bring my sheepskin nightie.

Uh-huh... hmm...

Oh, and I don't want to forget

my meat-flavored fluoride toothpaste and my toothbrush.

Don't forget the cubs' books.

Always travel with your favorite books, I say.

( sighs )

What's wrong?

Theo, don't sneak up on me like that.

Oh, sorry.

I didn't mean to, I...

Hey! I can't sneak up on you even when I try to!

So how could I sneak up on you

when I'm not even sneaking?

BOTH: That's strange.

Must be because I'm so excited

about taking the cubs to my pride's reunion

to meet my family

that I'm not paying attention.

Mm-hmm.

Oh, it won't be the same without you there.

Aw...

I'll miss you, too, my sweet carnivore.

( sighs )

But someone has to stay behind

and take care of the library.

Aw, you'll be having too much fun

to even notice I'm not there.

Well, look.

it's all here in your pride's newsletter, Proud Pride.

"Come to the big reunion at Club Veldt."

Hmm.

Ooh!

( reading )

Oh! Look at all these great activities for you and the cubs!

There's the Sneaking- Through-the-Bushes-

without-Being-Seen Competition.

How you doing?

( monkeys scream )

( monkeys panting )

Oh, yes, excellent sneaking, yes.

Excellent!

Bully!

( panting ): Breathtaking-- literally!

The judges gave that sneak very high scores!

Nine out of ten, nine out of ten...

How you doing?

( monkeys screaming )

Oh, you're good.

Whoa!

( chuckling ): You should win that.

You're very sneaky.

Thank you, love.

( chuckling )

Ooh, and look at this!

It's the Long-Distance Team Smell Competition.

Right?

Sure...

This is for the Long-Distance Team Smell Championships.

The smellers are right beside me

and the smellee is one-half mile away.

Hi!

It's time to uncover the smellee.

Ready... set... smell!

( sniffing )

( sniffing )

( timer dings )

Smells like a peanut, dude.

Yeah, definitely.

Like, that is a peanut.

You...

are absolutely right!

( lions cheering )

Three seconds-- unbelievable!

( chuckling )

Oh, you're sure to win that, too.

Nobody smells like you do.

Oh, flattery!

Oh, just the truth now.

Ah...

Ooh, and there's

the Neatly-Swat-a-Fly- with-Your-Tail Competition.

Rocky, you got to remember

to keep your eye on the tail!

But, coach, the sun was in my eyes!

Aah...

Oh! Sucker punch!

You'll definitely win the gold on that one!

Oh.

"Please join us in honoring our dear teacher, Jean Creaky."

Oh, Teacher Creaky was a really terrific teacher.

That's what it says here: "A really terrific teacher."

Everything I know about hunting and reading and being a lioness

I learned from Teacher Creaky.

"She's in a league of her own," it says here.

Boy, it really does sound

like a real treat that can't be beat.

Hmm...

Oh, I'm eager to see Teacher Creaky.

Yeah?

Oh, yeah.

She means a lot to me.

When I was a little cub

I wrote down everything she ever taught me in my journal

so I'd always have it.

( cubs shout )

Pounce on Mommy!

Pounce on Mommy!

( cubs laughing )

Oh, Mommy, we can't wait to get on the airplane

and go visit your pride!

We are...

THEO: Eager...

eager...

to...

to...

leave.

leave.

Hey, hey, wait a minute!

Ow! Ow! Ow... ow.

Hey, that's the first time

we were ever able to pounce on Mom!

Oh, she let us.

She's just playing, right?

No, no, I'm not, Leona.

I couldn't hear or smell or tell you were sneaking up on me.

( phone rings )

I'll get it.

Get what?

Didn't you hear the phone, Mama?

No... uh-oh!

( sneezes )

( both groan )

Oh, no.

I must have the I-can't-hear-or-smell-

or-tell-if-someone's- sneaking-up-on-me flu.

I'll call you back.

Oh, Theo!

I'm not going to be able to go on this trip!

Oh.

( both groan )

( sneezes )

( both moan )

Excuse me.

Oh, oh, Theo!

Actually, it's velvet.

Oh! And now Martha Reader and the Vowelles heat it up

with the "e" sound

made by the letters E-A in "meat."

( Martha singing repeated long "e" sound to pop tune )

( Vowelles respond rhythmically with long "e" sound )

MONKEYS: Meat!

( applause and cheering )

And now Clay Pigeon describes what's inside a clean peach.

Uh, uh...

peach meat!

Yeah!

It's not meat!

It's fruit!

Fruit is not made of meat!

Yeah, but fruit doesn't have the... uh, uh, uh...

"E" sound in it?

Yeah!

Oh, please!

( music begins playing )

( yawning )

MAN: ♪ Way up north, a young seal had a dream ♪

♪ As he swam down his little ice stream ♪

♪ "If I take the S-T and replace it with C ♪

♪ I could turn all this ice to ice cream." ♪

( slurps )

( barking )

( imitating percussion )

Ea... t.

Ea... t.

Eat.

Eat.

And now some names with the letters E-A

that sound like "e".

What a treat.

( rapping ): ♪ Meet Jean, Jean's teacher, Mrs. Beacon ♪

♪ Dean and Dean's twin brother, Deacon ♪

♪ Reade and Peaches, Treat and Keaton ♪

♪ Wheatley, Chesapeake and Eaton ♪

♪ Bea and Weaver, Fleas, Bea's beagle ♪

♪ Beaky, Beaky's Weaver's eagle ♪

♪ Beavis, Heath and Neal and Deavon ♪

♪ Deana, Deary, Teal and Cleavon. ♪

♪ Yeah, yeah, yeah, what's your name? ♪

♪ What's your name? What's your name? ♪

♪ What's your name? ♪

♪ Enjoy your little moment of fame! ♪

♪ Here's Peabody and Deack O'Neal ♪

♪ Squeaky, he's Peabody's seal ♪

♪ In all these names you've heard today ♪

♪ You'll find the "e" sound of E-A. ♪

Eat.

Eat.

Eat.

Mmm!

Eat.

( Cleo coughing )

( groaning )

( blows nose loudly )

Oh... oh...

( sniffs loudly )

Nothing!

( blues tune begins playing )

♪ I'll tell you why I've been feelin' so weary... ♪

( sneezes )

♪ Can't clear my ears, and my eyes are real bleary ♪

♪ What shall I do? ♪

♪ I fear it's true ♪

♪ I got the I-can't-hear- or-smell-or-tell-

♪ If-someone's-sneakin'-up-on-me flu. ♪

( sneezes )

Excuse me.

♪ Yeah, bein' sick sure ain't easy... ♪

( honks )

♪ Life's pretty ick when you're queasy. ♪

( coughs )

♪ Feel pretty low ♪

♪ Just a shadow of old Cleo ♪

♪ Must be the I-can't-hear- or-smell-or-tell- ♪

♪ If-someone's-sneakin'-up... ♪

♪ It's clear it's the I-can't- hear-or-smell-or-tell- ♪

♪ If-someone's-sneakin'-up... ♪

♪ Oh, dear, it's the I-can't-hear-or-smell-or-tell- ♪

♪ If-someone's-sneakin'-up-on-me flu! ♪

( coughing )

( Cleo blowing nose )

Whoa, Mom!

If your pride has a Nose Blowing League

they're really going to need you!

Oh, yeah, Mom, you just got to go!

( speaking indistinctly )

Ah, what did she say?

I don't know.

Here, I'll read the print on screen.

Oh, yeah, good idea.

( reading )

Oh, thanks a lot, Lionel!

LIONEL: It's all right.

( moaning )

Oh, Mom, this is really, really bad.

Isn't there something

we can do for you, Mom?

No, Leona.

The last time I had this flu, I wasn't much older than you.

My teacher, Teacher Jean Creaky, cured me.

If only I could remember how she did it.

Yeah.

That's it!

Oh! I don't have to remember how she did it because I...

Oh, oh, get up off the ground, cubs.

You're getting all dirty.

Oh, because I wrote everything down

that she taught me in my journal!

Theo!

( cries out )

Oh, Theo, don't sneak up on me like that!

Oh, I didn't; I was coming from over here.

Oh, never mind.

Listen, the cure for this flu

is in my old childhood journal.

Hey, that's great!

All we have to do is read it!

Oh, cubs, get off the ground.

You're getting all dirty.

Well, tell Mom to stop knocking us over.

Let's see, where did I put that journal?

Oh, no problem, I'll just sniff it out.

( sniffling )

Sniff it, Mom.

Honey, maybe I should