0:13

Hello and welcome to

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Super Great Kids Stories.

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Wise tales from storytellers around

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the world which will make

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you laugh and sometimes cry.

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Recommended for ages 5 to 105, I'm

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Kim and I love stories. Hello

0:36

Super Great Kids and how

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are you? I'm very

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happy because today we have

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another tale about that mischievous

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spider Anansi, told

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by storyteller Emily Hennessy.

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The story comes from West

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Africa. It would be

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a good drawing if you're feeling like doing

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some colouring while you listen. Now

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just before we join Emily, why

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don't you have a think about

1:05

how many facts you know about

1:07

spiders? Well we have a quick

1:09

word with the grown ups. How

1:12

about if you start with how many

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legs they've got? Hello

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Super Great Kids, I'm back. I

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wonder how many spider facts you remembered?

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Here's just a few. Spiders

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have eight legs. They make

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silk webs to catch insects. The

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largest spiders are tarantulas.

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Spinsilk from a liquid made

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by their glands. And

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many spiders make poison. Most

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spider poison is not harmful to

1:51

people but some, like the

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Black Widow spider, can give

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humans a nasty bite. How

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many spider facts do you remember? did you know? And

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now it's time for our

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story. Which we're

2:06

pleased to tell you is

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sponsored by the Christopher family

2:10

of Oakland, California, including

2:13

Cora, who is eight, Thomas,

2:16

who is five, and

2:18

baby Josephine, who is one. The

2:21

Christopher family are long time listeners

2:24

to the podcast and just love

2:26

hearing stories from around the

2:28

world. They're pleased to

2:30

be sponsoring today's podcast. Are

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you ready to hear this week's story from

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West Africa? Are you

2:38

sitting comfortably? Am I sitting

2:40

comfortably? Then let's

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give a warm welcome

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to Emily Hennessy. Hello,

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my name's Emily and I would like

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to tell you a trickster

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story. It

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was a beautiful day. The

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sun was hot, the bees

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buzzed, and the palm leaves

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swayed in the gentle breeze.

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And Nancy, the spider, was

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feeling lazy. He

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left the forest behind and

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walked out onto the grassy

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plains. He found a lovely

3:19

soft tussock to rest his

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head on, lay himself

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down and was soon fast

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asleep. Elephant

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was feeling lazy on that

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day too. He

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walked slowly across the

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grassy plains and

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then stopped and

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slowly lowered his

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mighty grey backside

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down until a

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nice relaxing sit

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down on

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top of a Nancy.

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Elephant heard something, a

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tiny far away voice. He

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shifted himself over, and Anansi

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was set free. You

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should look before you sit down, you

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great big clumsy ox. Who

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are you calling an ox? I'm

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an elephant, and

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you're such a tiny little

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pipsqueak, I didn't even see

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you there. Who are you

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calling a pipsqueak? You think you're so

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big and strong, said Anansi. Well, I

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might be small, but I'm

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the strongest creature of all.

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You strong? The

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elephant thought this ridiculous idea

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was hilarious. I'll

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prove it to you, said Anansi. I

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challenge you to a tug of war. I'll

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tie a rope around your tail,

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and when you feel the rope pulling,

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the game has begun. The

5:10

elephant just laughed, then lay down

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to sleep. Anansi

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scurried into the forest. He

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grabbed two thin, strong

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vines from a tree, and

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knotted the end together. And

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then he added another vine, and

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another vine, and another, and

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another, and another, until he'd

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made a very long, strong

5:35

rope. On

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the grassy plains, Elephant was

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snoring away. Anansi

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tied one end of the rope

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around his tail, and

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then, back through the forest, he took the

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other end of the rope down to the

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sandy beach, and stood where

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the waves gently lapped the shore.

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Here, Anansi whistled. The old

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thrill and loud and clear

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out across the ocean. He

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didn't stop whistling until a

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huge.shadow came surging through the

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see towards him, making the

6:12

waves crash against the sand

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and only. Other. Stance

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and. The opposite direction. And

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a mighty. Whale

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Rose. Out of the

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water, shining in the sun,

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flicking her enormous tail behind

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her. Hulu

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or none. See

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you. Oh. Why

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You. Didn't you for

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coming so quickly? I need

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to know something. Something Really.

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Important. Tell. Me: Do

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you think that you are

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strong? Have

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course I am. I'm.

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Sorely the strongest creature

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in the world. Well,

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I happen to think that

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I am, in fact, stronger.

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Then. You. Sue.

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Or Nancy but you

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tie in a. While.

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I might be small but also you

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that I am strong I challenge you

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to with tug of war. Do.

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You accept. This.

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Is ridiculous. Obviously

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I will win.

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But I accept to the chain. And.

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Nancy took the end of the rope

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and swam out to the whale. He.

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Climbed on the have been on a

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cold covered back and carefully tied the

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room. When

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you fail me pulling on the ropes

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the game has begun. And.

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Unseat passed back into the forest.

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He was hot and tired from

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all his hard work so far,

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but the next bit would be

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nice and easy. He had

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that long stretch of rope in front of

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him. Oh.

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The ramp one way. Or

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the other way. And. Then

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he label to be

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Max. The.

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Elephant wound up to what

8:15

did he? Had his tail

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and remember the nancy's silly

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little game. He lost

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and was just about to go back

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to sleep. When out

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in the ocean. The. Whale

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felt the tug on how thin.

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She turned around to face

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the wide open waters. She

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slipped her tail and propelled

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herself through the west's. The

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rope. Heightened all the way

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through the funniest out. To the

8:45

grassy plains out to elephant tail.

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Elephant was given the shock of

8:50

his life as he was certainly

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dragged backwards across the grass, his

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legs spread wide and his head

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but I'm paying them something. Over

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the rocks the fast at the

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whale swam at a fast that

9:03

the elephant was dragged until he

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finally managed. To as a

9:08

treat his trunk correct tight

9:10

around the truth. Out.

9:12

In, the see whale was suddenly

9:15

yanked to a standstill. Seats.

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Seized. But couldn't pull the

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rope. Any further. A

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Nancy is stronger than I'd

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expected to the world. Are

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not Say is stronger than I'd imagined

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thought the elephant. But.

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Now that elephant had found his

9:34

footing, it was his turn to

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took head down and straining hard

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as he move forwards. the rope

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tight around his tail. And.

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Now the whale was slowly

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old black sea splash didn't

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he was until she was

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nearly back at the shore.

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And then she summoned all her

9:54

strength and shot back out through

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the waves, dragging Allison to include

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once. Again, In.

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The middle of the forest. Me

10:04

some. Pool in the

10:06

shade and Nancy watch the

10:09

rope. pool this way. Than

10:12

the that way and this

10:14

way that way and be

10:17

good for them good fools

10:19

until. Finally, elephant

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and. While we're both

10:23

a source said. Maybe.

10:26

That could poll any more

10:28

and the rope went salac.

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And Nancy hi Shelley one that

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down to the beach where the

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whale was bobbing on the ways

10:39

near the shore catching her breath.

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While now would help me off

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their our little game of tug

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of war. Is

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the strongest of o. O

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one none see. you

10:56

might be small, but

10:59

you certainly the strongest

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groaned the whale. And

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and seats untied the broke from

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Wales sin and wondered back to

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the. Elephant. Collapsed on

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the planes. And

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tough police after our

11:16

little game of tug

11:18

of war is this?

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To run best. Oh,

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and I'm safe. You

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might be small, but

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you off without doubt

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the strongest over all.

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The. Elephant and the Whale never did

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find out who it really was

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they were competing against that day.

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And Nancy became

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known as though

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when the strongest of

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all the animals.

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Well. We know that's. Not

11:53

quite true that way. I

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nancy might not be big, he

11:58

might not be the strong. But

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he is certainly. The.

12:03

Cleverest didn't you were going.

12:17

Nuts to Emily at that

12:19

story and to the Christopher

12:21

family in Oakland, California sponsoring

12:23

the story If you'd like

12:25

to. Sponsor a story. And

12:27

have your name read out to get in touch

12:30

with us by our our. Website: Super

12:32

great kid stories.com.

12:36

What a trickster that announcement is.

12:38

I liked it when the elephant

12:40

was sitting on him and he

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spoke in a muffled little voice.

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Emerging having an elephant six on?

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Yeah! And here's my question. would

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you want to Nancy is your

12:51

friend or would you be to

12:53

the for us and find it

12:55

a bit hard to trust. Him

12:57

because he's always tricking everyone.

13:01

It's time to say hello to

13:03

some new. And thank you for

13:05

waiting patiently some your turn to

13:07

be mentioned. Let's

13:10

begin in Temple New Hampshire

13:12

in the Us and Hoot

13:14

Hulu and so who is

13:17

full and know that is

13:19

to ends as favorite story

13:22

is cool baja a fairy

13:24

tale from Iran and know

13:26

that favorite. Is the

13:29

ghost of the bloody

13:31

finger flu. And

13:33

hello to Pilot who lives

13:35

in Edmunds in Washington. Pilot

13:37

is set and and has

13:40

been listening since. She. Was. Her

13:43

favorite story. Is that princess

13:45

and the since from Belgium?

13:49

Up to Brooklinen New York

13:51

next to say hello to

13:53

six year old Lille who

13:55

especially love scary. Stories like.

13:57

Baba Yaga and. That things.

14:00

of the bloody finger. Now

14:02

over to Princeton in New Jersey

14:04

to say hello to Millie

14:07

who has just turned six.

14:09

I hope you had a happy day Millie.

14:12

And to Leela who is seven

14:15

who likes the super great scary

14:17

story The Cake Tree from Sri

14:19

Lanka. Let's head up

14:22

now to Ontario in Canada to

14:24

say hello to new Owlets Theo

14:26

who is eight and

14:28

Matilda who is four. They

14:31

listen every bedtime and Theo

14:34

loves the scary stories like

14:36

the ghost of the bloody

14:38

finger and Matilda like Peach

14:41

Boy from Japan. Welcome

14:43

to the nest and

14:45

let's fly a long long

14:47

way south now to sunny

14:49

Cape Town in South Africa

14:52

to say hello to Ayla

14:54

Rose who is eight. Her

14:57

favourite stories are the scary

14:59

stories especially the monster in

15:02

the maze and the luck

15:04

child. Ayla Rose

15:06

listens to more stories at

15:08

least three times. That's

15:10

very good for your vocabulary Leela. You'll

15:13

be a storyteller before you know

15:15

it. And

15:17

hello to three sisters from

15:19

Hudson, Ohio in the US.

15:22

Coco who is eight. Tipper

15:25

who has just turned seven and

15:28

Ferdy who is five. They

15:30

love listening in the car and

15:32

before bed. Coco's favourite

15:34

story is Coyote and the Giant.

15:38

Peppers is a Nancy and a

15:40

hot pepper soup and

15:42

Ferdy's is Jack and the

15:45

two-headed Giant. And

15:47

off now to the US

15:49

to Denver in Colorado to

15:51

meet super fans Evie and

15:53

Liam. Evie loves

15:55

the spooky stories and her

15:58

favourite is Zalrapi. Island

16:00

fairies. Down

16:03

to Buzz Drop in Texas next

16:05

to meet Owlet's Layla who is

16:07

five and Omaya who is

16:09

two. They listen to stories

16:12

with their baby brother Asha. Their

16:14

favorites are the Baba Yaga ones.

16:18

Very brave listening to stories about the

16:20

scariest witch in the world. Across

16:23

the pond now to beautiful St.

16:26

Ives in Cornwall in the

16:28

UK to say hello to

16:30

three Owlets Anya, Owen

16:33

and Jake and welcome

16:37

to the nest. And

16:39

over to Ireland now to

16:41

Port Manuk in Dublin to

16:43

say hello to Tara who

16:45

is six. Tara

16:47

loves listening to the stories

16:49

on long car journeys and

16:52

especially likes the story from

16:54

Japan Snotty Boy.

16:56

And last but not least

16:59

we flip-flap-fly to San

17:01

Francisco in California in the

17:03

US to say hello to

17:06

James who is six and a half.

17:09

His favorite story is

17:11

The Three Wishes and

17:13

he particularly enjoys thinking about

17:15

what he might wish for. Very

17:18

good James. And a

17:21

pick of the week picture goes to Sam

17:23

who is four and a half. Sam

17:26

centres a very stylish drawing of

17:28

the story How the Phoenix Got

17:30

Its Feathers. I especially

17:33

like the birds you've drawn with their

17:35

big orange beaks and long necks

17:37

and legs. Wonderful. Thanks

17:39

very much for sharing your drawing.

17:42

If you'd like to see

17:44

all the super great pictures

17:46

sent in this week go

17:49

to facebook.com/super great kids stories.

17:51

More Owlet welcomes next week. Thank

17:54

you for being patient and thanks to

17:56

all of you who are subscribing to

17:59

our podcast. If you'd

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like to support our podcast on

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Apple Podcasts or on Patreon, we'll

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say hello to you on the

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podcast. You can hear our stories

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advert free and you'll get over

18:12

38 bonus stories and

18:15

at least 20 super

18:17

great scary stories. There

18:19

are more fun facts about Anansi

18:21

the spider in our outlet letter

18:24

this week. Tune

18:26

in for another lively story next

18:28

week. Happy Listening! This

18:31

podcast was produced at

18:33

Wardoor Studios in fabulous

18:36

Fitzrovia in London. Thanks

19:01

for watching!