This Indian tale starring Summer Bishil (The Magicians, Four Samosas) and Michael Maliakel (Aladdin on Broadway) tells how the first chess game came to be, while teaching a powerful lesson about the ripple effects of our actions.

The Scholar’s Reward feat. Summer Bishil & Michael Maliakel

Created and produced by parents of young children, WBUR's Circle Round adapts carefully-selected folktales from around the world into sound- and music-rich radio plays for kids ages 3-103. Each 15 to 25-minute episode explores important issues like kindness, persistence and generosity. And each episode ends with an activity that inspires a deeper conversation between children and grown-ups.

Kids & Family

Stories for Kids

Cree Summer (Good Times, Abbott Elementary) headlines a Blackfoot legend about fast friends, warm winds, and why bears hibernate during the winter.

The Snow Eater

Kenny Curtis (Greeking Out) stars in a legend from Aboriginal Australia about dark days, light humor, and a little bird with a big laugh.

The Laughing Bird

Oliver Stark (9-1-1, Into the Badlands) plays a clever king who concocts the perfect plan for telling a good egg from a bad seed.

The Rightful Heir

NPR veterans Linda Wertheimer and Susan Stamberg co-star in a Kazakh folktale about lifelong friends whose bond is tested by an unexpected discovery.

Encore: The Friendship Orchard

Erika Ishii (Worlds Beyond Number, Apex Legends) headlines this Vietnamese tale about getting a bee in your bonnet, buzzing off, and feeling the sting.

The Scholar’s Reward feat. Summer Bishil & Michael Maliakel

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