♪ 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: Leona, what's wrong?

Are you going to come out, honey?

How long has she been in there, Dad?

Almost an hour, Lionel.

Wow, Theo, she must be extremely upset

agitated, perturbed, distressed, blue.

Yeah, I guess so, Heath.

Hey, Leona, are you extremely upset

or agitated, perturbed, distressed, blue?

Oh, what's this?

Uh... "Yes."

How long are you going to stay under there, Leona?

A whole hour?

The whole day?

Forever?

Oh.

"Yes."

What?

Hey, you can't stay under there forever!

Oh, Dad, we have to find a way to get her out.

Hmm.

I've got it!

( laughs )

Wait right here.

Oh.

Don't you at least want to talk about it, honey?

Huh?

What?

"On."

What on earth could that mean?

Oh!

( laughs )

It says "no."

I had it upside down.

( laughing )

Pardon my intrusion, Theo

but I have an idea.

Why don't you lure, tempt, entice her out

with, say, this lamb chop?

Hmm, a lamb chop, eh?

Yeah, that might just work, Heath.

It would certainly work on me.

( laughs )

Oh, excuse me, sir.

I'm afraid I'm going to have to borrow this here lamb chop

for important library business.

Oh, Leona, my pet, Daddy has a treat for you

and it's looking quite yummy.

It's something delicious, savory

delectable, scrumptious and tasty!

Yeah, come on, Leona, just have one little bite.

( wind blowing )

Huh?

WALTER: Wing Leader One, I have the suspect in sight, uh...

Over?

Yeah, over!

Roger, Wing Leader Two!

Operation Cub Lift is, uh, uh...

A go?

Yeah, a go!

Throw the doll out first

and come out with your hands up!

Aah! No, no.

Lionel, we don't want to scare her out!

What?

Aah!

I said, "We don't want to scare her out!"

Okay, Dad, I'll scare her out!

Yes!

Hold this.

Huh? No, not scare her!

Son, the thing is...

( moans eerily )

I think we need to try a gentler approach, son!

Oh!

Yeah, yeah.

Okay, Dad!

Situation under control, Wing Leader One.

Back to, uh, uh...

Headquarters?

Yeah, headquarters!

Oh!

Silverstein, Spinelli...

Ah! Here it is!

Hmm, that should do nicely.

ALL ( chanting ): Eat the chop! Eat the chop! Eat the chop! Eat the chop!

( Cleo roars loudly )

Oh!

Oh, gee... huh!

How did those get there?

I guess I got a little carried away.

( laughs nervously ): Hi, Mom!

I think that maybe it's time

we tried something else.

Something else?

Mm-hmm.

Sylvester and the Magic Pebble

by William Steig.

Hmm-- now, if I recall, that book is about a...

Oh!

( laughs )

Cleo, my dear, you amaze me!

Now, wait a minute.

If the chop wouldn't work, then how come...

You'll see, son, you'll see.

Go ahead, Cleo dear.

Thank you.

Leona...

I know you don't want to talk right now

but you might want to listen.

Get your ears ready.

CLEO ( reading ): Sylvester and the Magic Pebble.

"Sylvester Duncan lived with his mother and father

at Acorn Road in Oatsdale."

"'I wish it would stop raining,' he said."

"'It's magic!' said Sylvester."

I wish it would rain again.

"'I wish it would rain again,' he said again."

( Sylvester gasps )

"'What a lucky day this is,' thought Sylvester.

'From now on, I can have anything I want.'"

Uh, uh, Mom?

Hmm?

Mom, excuse me.

Excuse me, but, uh, did you say

that lion was "mean"?

Yes, that's what it says here:

"a mean, hungry lion."

Yeah, however

the author could have said

"base," "vile," "uncivilized," "wicked"...

Okay, okay, I get the picture.

You can go on.

Thank you.

"If he hadn't been so frightened

he could have made the lion disappear."

"'I wish I were a rock,' he said."

"'I saw that little donkey as clear as day'

growled the lion."

Maybe I'm going crazy.

Oh! So... so, let me get this straight.

A mean, hungry lion is what made that poor donkey

turn himself into a rock?

That's right.

Oh, Mom!

I don't think this is a good story for Leona.

It's a negative portrayal of lions!

Oh, I think Leona knows

that not all lions are like that.

After all, she has very nice brother.

That's true.

( laughs )

Wait a minute!

Nice!

Nobody move till I get back!

Uh, yeah, but...

Hey! And next, Martha Reader and the Vowelles sing

the zesty short "e"-- "eh"-- sound in the word "web"!

( singing short "e" to rhythm and blues tune )

MONKEYS: "Web"!

( song ends )

( monkeys whooping quietly )

( regal music playing )

MAN: ♪ Sir Fester, a knight on a quest ♪