Between The Lions: Oh, Yes, It Can! - VoiceTube: Learn English through videos!

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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! ♪
There! If that doesn't bring the customers in
I don't know what will.
( crowd chattering )
( grunting )
Hey, Dad, how's it going?
Huh? What? Aces.
What do you say we go inside?
It's just about storytelling time.
Oh, right, inside.
Okey-doke.
Right.
Inside is that way.
Welcome, yes, come in.
We have a special storyteller today.
Special storyteller.
Hiya, Mom!
Lionel, at least put
your baseball things away
and get ready for story time, okay?
CLEO: Here you go.
Don't miss our special storyteller.
Storytelling day today at the library, lady.
That means a special storyteller is coming
to tell us stories.
Yes, I know.
You do?
Oh, hello, Karen.
Welcome to our library.
Huh?
Leona, dear
this is the storyteller.
Oh... hi!
Ms. Kandel, please
come right on in, won't you?
Thank you for inviting me.
Oh, thank you for coming.
We have a full house today.
Follow me-- I'll show you
where the auditorium is.
THEO: Great story, I loved that.
Now, this last story comes to us
from a people called the Ashanti.
THEO: Ashanti!
The Ashanti people live here
on the west coast of Africa.
Ashanti chiefs used to sit on stools a lot like this one.
Some of them weave beautiful fabric, like this.
CLEO: Oh, isn't that lovely!
Some of them catch fish with traps, like this.
( audience murmurs )
LEONA: That's for fish!
And some of them are countrymen.
They grow food for the Ashanti people to eat
such as the big root vegetables called yams.
This is a yam.
Now, our word "yam" is actually an African word.
It means something like "yummy."
THEO: Yummy!
Whoo! I know that word.
Well, once an Ashanti countryman went out to gather some yams.
And as he was digging...
( imitates countryman grunting )
...he heard a voice:
"Hey, man, you never looked after me.
"You never weeded me.
"Now you think you can come to dig me up?
Leave me alone."
The man looked around.
"Who's doing that yapping," he asked.
"I am," said his yam.
( gasps )
Oh, spooky.
The man gasped.
( gasping )
"This can't be happening!"
But the yam said, "It can, it can!
Oh, yes, it can!"
The man dropped the yam and ran away...
( panting )
...as fast as his legs could carry him.
( panting )
He ran until he met a fisherman
who was standing on the path with a fish trap on his head.
"Now, are you, uh, running after an antelope?"
the fisherman asked.
"No!" said the countryman.
"My yam commanded me to leave him alone!"
( imitates fisherman laughing )
The fisherman laughed.
"That can't happen!"
( continues laughing )
But then a voice said, "It can...
"it can!
Oh, yes, it can!"
( audience gasps )
"Uh, who's doing that, uh, chattering?"
the fisherman asked.
"I am," said his fish trap.
The fisherman gasped.
( gasping )
"This can't be happening!"
But his fish trap said...
ALL:
The man dropped the fish trap
and both he and the countryman ran away...
( panting )
...as fast as their legs could carry them.
They ran until they met a weaver
who was holding a basket of fabric.
"Are you two running after a gazelle?" the weaver asked.
"No," said the countryman.
"My yam commanded me to leave him alone!"
"And, uh, my, uh, fish trap said
uh, he should have paid attention to his yam"
added the fisherman.
( imitating weaver chuckling )
The weaver laughed.
"That can't happen."
But then a voice said...
ALL:
"Who's doing that, uh, blabbering?" the weaver asked.
"I am!" said her fabric.
( gasps )
The weaver gasped.
( gasping )
"This can't be happening," said the weaver.
But her fabric said...
ALL:
The weaver dropped the fabric and the three of them ran away.
( imitating weaver, fisherman, and countryman panting )
They ran away as fast as their legs could carry them
until they arrived at the headman's house.
The headman was grasping his staff and sitting on his stool.
"Tell me what's happening here," he demanded.
"My yam commanded me to leave him alone!"
said the countryman.
"And, uh, my fish trap said
he should have paid attention to his yam," said the fisherman.
"And my fabric said it was glad."
At that, the headman got very angry.
"You people are imagining things.
"Yams can't talk, fish traps can't talk, fabric can't talk.
Now, go back to your work before I clap you in jail."
( gasps ) Uh-oh!
So the three of them went sadly away.
( audience sighs )
"That's absurd, fantastic," said the headman to himself.
"Uh... uh, I agree," said a voice.
"Imagine that."
"Who's that yammering?" he asked.
"I am," said his stool.
( gasps )
"This can't be happening!" he said.
But his stool said...
AUDIENCE:
( applause )
That was such a good story.
Thank you.
Listen, do you have time
to take a short tour of our library?
I'd like that very much.
Great-- I was hoping she'd say that.
Leona?
Yeah, yeah?
Will you keep an eye on all of my things?
Me? Oh, sure, sure, sure, I will.
We have quite a large collection of folk tales
right this way.
We're especially proud of our African section.
Hey, Leona, what's cooking?
Oh, Lionel, Lionel, guess what?
What?
I'm going to take care of her things.
Whoa, that's a big responsibility.
Hey, I'm going to play baseball.
See you later.
Oh, okay, see you later.
Wow! That was such a great story.
Hey, I wonder what that yam would say
if it could really talk.
Okay, little yammy.
( yam hits floor )
Oh, oh, oh, I dropped it!
Hey, next time be more careful.
Oh, I'm sorry.
( yells )
YAM: Ow!
( sighs )
What are you doing?
We're making a Buster sand... uh...
...wich.
Yeah, sandwich.
What planet is this?
( imitating short "a" sound in "can" )
( lively rock music playing )
Hey, it's standing room only
for Martha Reader and the Vowelles
singing that fabulous short "a," "a" sound in the word "pan."
( repeating "a" sound )
( repeating "a" sound )
( repeating "a" sound )
( repeating "a" sound )
( sequence continues )
ALL: Pan!
( monkeys hooting )
SOLDIERS: ♪ A-E-I-O-U, sometimes Y's a vowel, too. ♪
♪ Sound off, A-E ♪
♪ Sound off, I-O-U ♪
♪ Sound off, A-E-I-O-U ♪
♪ Y, too! ♪
All right, letter-heads
move it, move it, move it, move it, move it.
This isn't Camp Nappy-packy-wacky Lake.
This is vowel boot camp.
Now, sound off.
A.
E.
I.
O.
U.
( whiny ): Y.
On the double, A, and I'm not talking batteries.
State your long and short sounds!
"Ay" is my long sound and "a" is my short sound, sir.
Exactly.
But what if you're flanked suddenly
by an "M" and an "N"?
Sound?
"Ah."
Word!
"Man!"
Well done, soldier.
But what if an "I" slips through the lines
and stands next to you?
What's the general rule, soldiers?
SOLDIERS:
Right, so what's your sound now
vowel A?
"Ay."
Word!
"Main"!
Correct.
You are my main man.
Well, squad, let's go make some words.
Forward march!
( murmuring )
Don't step on the sergeant!
( sighs ): That was a vowel thing to do.
SOLDIERS: ♪ A-E-I-O-U, sometimes Y's a vowel, too. ♪
♪ Sound off, A-E ♪
♪ Sound off, I-O-U ♪
♪ Sound off, A-E-I-O-U ♪
♪ Y, too! ♪
( rock music playing )
MAN: ♪ If you can read A-T, "at" ♪
♪ Then you can read "cat" and "chat" ♪
♪ And you can read "bat" and "brat" ♪
♪ And you can read "drat." ♪
CHORUS: ♪ See, I got you reading with me. ♪
♪ All you need is a little A-T. ♪
♪ If you can read A-T, "at" ♪
♪ Then you can read "fat" and "flat" ♪
♪ And you can read "sat" and "scat" ♪
♪ And you can read "splat."
♪ See, I got you learning with words. ♪
♪ Don't you love every "at" that you've heard? ♪
♪ If you can read A-T, "at" ♪
♪ Then you can read "pat" and "hat " ♪
♪ And you can read "rat" ♪
♪ And you can read "bat"
♪ 'Cause you can read "at." ♪
( children cheering )
CLEO ( reading ):
( children giggling )
( children cheering )
( 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 Scr...
And Sir Atch!
( horse whinnies )
Blend on, dudes!
BOTH: Scratch!
( cheering )
Scratch!
Excellent!
That's Gawain's word for today.
And this is Gawain saying, I'll catch you later, dude.
See you next time on...
Have you seen my glove?
( squawks )
Touchy.
Hey, Click, you see my baseball glove anywhere?
Sorry, Lionel.
I could use my search function
to locate your misplaced sports equipment
but I would rather you learn
to take responsibility for your own possessions.
Halo for mouse.
Lionel, Lionel, Lionel!
The yam-- i-i-it talked!
I know, I know.
I know, Leona.
I heard the story, too.
Listen, have you seen my baseball glove?
You got to help me find it.
No, no, Lionel.
To me, to me.
It talked to me!
I don't think so, Leona.
Yams can't talk.
Hey, there you are!
GLOVE: I thought you'd never find me.
Who said that?
Why, I did.
( Lionel and Leona screaming )
CLEO: Oh, look, Theo!
Isn't it beautiful?
Mmm.
Oh, Karen, thank you so much for donating
this beautiful African mask to our library.
You're very welcome, Cleo.
Let's see.
How do you think it would look right...
oh, I don't know...
right about here, huh?
Yes, I think that's a perfect place.
Yeah.
Well, I guess I should be going.
Oh, no, no, no, not yet.
You've only seen the inside of the library.
Let me show you the outside, huh?
Okay.
( chuckles )
I would love to see the outside.
Great, great.
Oh, there's a beautiful view of the terrace.
I'll see you before you go.
( Lionel and Leona screaming )
Mom, Mom!
Mom, Mom!
Cubs, cubs, take it easy!
What is it?
The glove-- the glove talked.
Oh, that's just silly.
Now, come on, listen.
You cubs know that gloves and yams can't talk.
( stammering )
LIONEL and LEONA:
Oh, you guys really enjoyed that story now, didn't you?
Here we go.
Oh! Ow!
You made me hit my hand.
HAMMER: I did not.
You should be more careful.
The hammer talked!
Huh?
( all screaming )
Theo!
I've often thought
that if these old walls could talk
what stories they'd tell, hmm?
Yes, indeed-- if they could talk.
Yeah.
Well, I've got to go get my things
and I'll say good-bye before I go.
( chuckles )
Okay.
CUBS: Dad! Dad!
CLEO: Theo!
The yam talked to me, Dad.
Yam?!
Yeah, my glove talked to me.
And my hammer to me!
Whoa, take it easy!
Now, look, you all know very well
that yams and gloves and hammers can't talk.
LIONEL, CLEO and LEONA:
They can?!
LIBRARY: They can, they can.
Oh, yes, they can!
Who said that?!
LIBRARY: I did.
And my roof could use a few repairs.
( all screaming )
♪ Hey! ♪
♪ Oh, yeah! ♪
♪ Listen up, you guys and gals ♪
♪ Go and round up all your pals ♪
♪ Gonna teach you a brand new dance ♪
♪ You can do it with your mother ♪
♪ You can do it with your brother ♪
♪ Your uncles or your aunts ♪
♪ It's very, very spunky ♪
♪ You can do it with a monkey ♪
♪ Or an anthill full of ants ♪
♪ Doesn't matter if you're clunky ♪
♪ You'll be hip and you'll be funky ♪
♪ When you dance in smarty pants ♪
♪ Watch me now, hey! ♪
Again!
♪ Dance in smarty pants. ♪
Oh, thank you, girls!
♪ Well, snakes may wiggle and hyenas may giggle ♪
♪ And horses like to trot and prance ♪
♪ But no creature anywhere can quite compare ♪
♪ To a dancer in smarty pants... ♪
♪ Yes! ♪
♪ It really doesn't matter if you're skinny or you're fat ♪
♪ Or you practice in advance ♪
♪ Just put on a smarty record ♪
♪ And some trousers that are checkered ♪
♪ And dance in smarty pants. ♪
Just do it!
♪ Dance in smarty pants! ♪
Take it home now!
♪ Dance in smarty pants. ♪
Is it over yet?
Whoo!
( imitating rhythm section )
Oh!
C... c...
L... l...
A... a...
M...
C... l... a... m.
Clam.
Clam.
Clam.
( clears throat )
Clam! Clam!
Wha...!
( whispering ): Clam.
ANNOUNCER ( quietly ): Here we are, back at the final "t" of the Word Cup Masters.
Word-writing ace Tiger Words is approaching the "t"
where he must write the word "paint."
Could be challenging.
There's the "p" sound at the beginning
followed by the "ai" sound
then the "n" sound, then that final "t."
P... ai... nt...
Paint.
If he makes it, he will win a train trip to Spain.
Tiger is selecting his writing tool.
He's playing it safe on this one.
It's a number-two pencil.
He gets in position
and, oh, look at that stroke--
a perfect letter P.
So far so good.
The letter P makes the sound "p"--
the first sound in the word "paint."
Let's see what Tiger does next.
He places his pencil and... there it is-- the letter A
which is the second letter in the word "paint."
Now watch.
Tiger is writing the letter N.
That makes the word "pant."
Oh, no!
He's putting his pencil away.
He seems to think he's finished.
What a disappointment!
But wait.
He's noticed his mistake.
Out comes a paintbrush.
( crowd applauds )
With that signature Tiger style
he slips the letter I right in there next to the A
making the "A-I" sound of "ai."
He's written the word "paint," ladies and gentlemen.
Congratulations, Tiger
and enjoy that train trip to Spain.
( train whistle blows )
( cheering )
( man singing in doo-wop style )
Karen, there you are!
Listen!
( lions all talking excitedly )
Not all at once!
( taking deep breaths )
( exhaling slowly )
Now, what seems to be the problem?
Well, um...
Let's put it this way.
A-one and a two...
( rapping ): ♪ You wonder what's the matter ♪
♪ When your mitt begins to chatter... ♪
♪ And a yam is going yackety-yack. ♪
♪ First that yam began to yammer ♪
♪ Now my hammer's using grammar ♪
♪ When I babble now, the building babbles back! ♪
LIONS:
KAREN:
LIONS:
KAREN:
♪ Can a jacket make a racket? ♪
♪ Can a candle spread a scandal? ♪
♪ Or can a fancy cabbage chew the fat? ♪
♪ Can you have a talking carrot for a pet just like a parrot? ♪
♪ Can you hold a conversation with your hat? ♪
LIONS:
KAREN:
LIONS:
KAREN:
LIONS:
KAREN:
All the things you heard talk--
the yam, the glove, the hammer, even the library--
could be reminding you all to be more careful
and pay better attention.
Just like the yam and the country man in the story.
LIONS: Nah!
Then again, it's probably a matter
of imaginations running wild.
Yeah, that's it!
Power of suggestion and all that.
Oh, right.
Karen, listen, thanks so much again for coming.
Thank you.
It was wonderful to have you.
Daiei!
Take care, bye-bye.
Okay, bye-bye.
Get home safe now.
Bye.
Bye.
( sighs )
( sighs )
CLEO and THEO: Just our imaginations.
( all talking excitedly )
A day in the library can be quite exciting, can't it?
STOOL:
BARNABY: Can the marble statue of Barnaby B. Busterfield III
speak, talk, yammer, yap, palaver, say good-bye?
All together now:
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.
Wow, thank you!
You ready?
Yeah.
All right-- "It was a dark and stormy night..."
Ooh!
"Not fit out for man nor beast..."
Hmm?
♪ ♪ ♪
[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...