You see, for as long as Liang could remember, she dreamed of being… a painter.
and that food was usually nothing more than a small bowl of rice… but Liang was content. Of course, that roof was patched-together and often leaked. NARRATOR: Liang made just enough money to keep a roof over her head and food in her belly. Then she hauled the wood to the marketplace, to sell. To support herself, each morning she walked along the beach and collected pieces of wood that had drifted ashore. Liang lived on her own, in a small village by the sea. So… as you can imagine, it was a hard time for many people… including a young woman named Liang. NARRATOR: That meant that every farmer, every fisher, every single person in all the land had to give more of their earnings to the emperor, whether they could afford to or not. One day, as he lounged on his towering, gold throne encrusted with jade and pearls, he had… an idea.ĮMPEROR: I know! To bring even more money to my coffers, I’ll raise taxes! One-hundred percent! From here on out, taxes will be doubled for every single person in the land… no matter how rich or how poor! NARRATOR: The emperor was always brainstorming ways to get more riches and more power. In fact, can you guess what his favorite word was?ĮMPEROR: More! (beat) I want more! More. You see, the emperor was greedy… very greedy. So… given everything the emperor had, you’d think he was content, right.? Satisfied.? The mighty ruler wore the most luxurious clothing, ate the most sumptuous food, and lived in a grand palace with so many rooms, floors and hallways, that his hundreds of guards and servants often got lost! As time went on, musicians began holding the instrument in a more upright position - as Eric Shimelonis did for this week’s magical Chinese folktale! Originally, to play the pipa you’d hold it horizontally across your body, like a guitar. The wooden, pear-shaped, four-stringed lute known as the pipa is one of the oldest and most popular Chinese musical instruments. If you’d like, have a grown-up share it with us on Instagram! Our Instagram handle is Spotlight: Pipa Then, share that picture with someone you love. If you had Liang’s magic paintbrush, and wanted to use it for good - only good - what would you paint? Find some paper, and draw a picture of what you would create with your enchanted brush. We'd love to see it! To access all the coloring pages for past episodes click HERE. Our resident artist is Sabina Hahn and you can learn more about her HERE.
We’re also keeping an album so share your picture on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest, and tag it with #CircleRound. Circle Round’s executive producer is Katherine Brewer.ĪDULTS! PRINT THIS so everyone can color while listening. Original music and sound design is by Eric Shimelonis. This episode was adapted for Circle Round by Rebecca Sheir. Look for him on stage in select cities in the upcoming one-man show Pamplona, where he portrays legendary author, Ernest Hemingway. Stacy Keach stars in CBS’s Man with a Plan, as well as CNBC’s American Greed. Kids: listen for her in The One and Only Ivan, Disney’s animated film coming out in 2020. Grown-ups: look for Phillipa in the upcoming feature film The Broken Heart Gallery. Phillipa is a Broadway star who originated leading roles in Hamilton, The Parisian Woman, and Amelie. Voices in this episode include Amy Brentano, Laura Gardner, Maurice Emmanuel Parent, Stacy Keach and Phillipa Soo. Our story is called “The Enchanted Paintbrush.” Versions of this folktale come from China. In a moment, we’ll meet a greedy man who always wants more, more, more… until, in the end, he gets way more than he bargained for! Maybe you wanted more books, or more toys, Perhaps you just wanted more time to stay up before bed. When’s the last time you wanted more of something?