WBUR Podcasts, Boston. Have you ever jumped to conclusions? We've all done it, made a judgment about something or someone before we learn or consider all the facts. In today's tale, a flock of feathered friends jumped to conclusions at a big feast. And as a result, all they wind up eating is humble pie. I'm Rebecca Shear and welcome to Circle Round, where story time happens all the time. Today our story is called Chicken Scratches. It's inspired by tales from the American South. Some really great people came together to bring you our version of this folktale, including Rishikesh Hereway. You grown-ups may know Rishikesh from his podcasts, The West Wing Weekly, Home Cooking, and Song Exploder, which has been made into a Netflix original series. Rishikesh is also a singer-songwriter whose latest album in The Last Hour of Light is out now. So Circle Round everyone, for Chicken Scratches. One fine summer day. The animals in the barnyard were invited to a party at the farm up the road. When the invitation arrived, cow let out an exuberant moo. Moo! I can hardly wait for the music. Horse let out a joyful neigh. I can hardly wait for the dancing. Pig let out an elated oink. And I can hardly wait for the eating. But rooster let out an irritated grunt. Ugh, I'm sorry, but have you seen the farm up the road? It's nowhere near as nice as ours. The barn is leaky and crumbling. The fence is rotten and broken down. There's no way this party could be any good. Cow, horse, and pig exchanged a glance. They knew how judgmental rooster could be, always looking down his nose or beak at everyone else. Come now, rooster. We've never been to a party up the road before. Surely you can agree that we should give our neighbors a chance. No, I don't. And neither do the chickens. Isn't that right, ladies? The chickens' bright red combs flapped and wobbled as they bobbed their heads up and down. It's absolutely right, rooster. The party up the road is destined to be dull. A total snooze fest. Cow, horse, and pig tried to hide their exasperation. I'm in no mood to argue. But rooster, chickens, your assumptions aren't very fair. Yeah, I say we give our neighbors a chance. After all, you know the old saying, you can't judge a book by its cover. In other words, you shouldn't judge someone or something just from what you see on the outside. There was a long, pointed pause. And then? Fine, we'll go to the party. But don't blame us if it's a butter. We gave you fair warning. So if it's an absolute bust, it's all on you. When the barnyard animals arrived at the farm up the road, they saw that rooster was right. The fence was rotten and broken down, but now it was covered with festive streamers. And the barn was leaky and crumbling, but the ceiling was strung with twinkling lights and the walls were adorned with colorful quilts. A band of squirrels and rabbits had come in from the fields to entertain the guests with music. Cow, horse, and pig immediately got on the dance floor to boogie down. Woo hoo! Oh yeah! Let's cut a rug! Rooster and the chickens remained on the sidelines. Their beaks in the air, their wings crossed over their chests. Some time later, the dinner bell rang. Once the party's hosts bustled out of the barn to fetch the meal, rooster and the chickens traded a smirk. Let's hope the food isn't terrible. Seriously? If only they could bring us mashed potatoes with gravy drizzled on top. And canned each sweet potatoes with buttered corn and green beans and okra. And a fresh big slice of pecan pie. But like you said, rooster, this farm is nowhere near as nice as ours. When the hosts returned, each one carried a gigantic platter. And heaped high atop each platter was something none of the guests expected, in more ways than one. What do you think the guests are being served? We'll learn more about their mystery meal after a quick break. The Brains On Universe is always expanding with shows about science, history and debate. The shows are fun for kids and their adults. Brains On features kids' questions about the world answered through the lens of science. What happens when you dream? Can we live on Mars? Do plants sleep? The skits interview songs in explanations will have everyone laughing and learning. Forever ago explores the history of everything. From bubble gum and surfing to the national anthem in Pride Flags, Forever ago helps you explore the before. On Smash Boom Best, you get to judge which is cooler on topics like chocolate versus cheese, Spider-Man or Batman, books or movies. Long opinions and stronger arguments are encouraged and rewarded. Find Brains On, Forever ago and Smash Boom Best wherever you get podcasts. Or head to BrainsOn.org to learn more. Welcome back to Circle Round, I'm Rebecca Shear. Today our story is called Chicken Scratches. Before the break, the barnyard animals were attending a party at the farm up the road. Cow, horse and pig were excited to celebrate with their neighbors, but rooster and the chickens predicted that the bash would be a bust. After much music and dancing, the parties hosts bustled into the barn with giant platters. And piled high atop those platters was fluffy, golden brown, cornbread. Cow, horse and pig licked their chops. Mmm, that cornbread looks delicious. You said it, cow. It looks downright scrumptious. I can hardly wait to dig in. Rooster and the chickens rolled their eyes. They were invited over for a feast. And all we're being served is cornbread? This is insulting. What kind of hosts serve nothing but cornbread? Fine birds like us deserve better hospitality than this. Yes, we do. Chickens, let's get out of here and go home. Rooster spun on his spur and strutted out of the barn. The chickens followed. Cow, horse and pig watched them go, then turned to their cornbread and began to dig in. But after a few bites, they gasped. Because what should they discover hidden underneath the cornbread but a cornucopia of other foods? Mew, look at these mashed potatoes with gravy drizzled on top. And these candy sweet potatoes and buttered corn and green beans and okra. There's even a fresh baked slice of pecan pie. Rooster and the chickens had reached the road by now. But when they heard the commotion inside the barn, they stopped in their tracks. What's going on in there? Perhaps our fellow barnyard animals are grumbling about how we ditched them. That doesn't sound like grumbling to me. It sounds like the opposite. Yeah, they sound happy as clams. Should we go back in, Rooster? I have no desire to return to the party. But perhaps it wouldn't hurt if we took a little peek. Rooster scurried back to the barn and peered through a hole in the leaky, crumbling wall. You ladies aren't going to believe this. But there's all sorts of food hidden under the cornbread. The chickens waddled over and gazed inside. I see mashed potatoes with gravy drizzled on top. And candy sweet potatoes with buttered corn and green beans and okra. And pecan pie freshly baked. Rooster and the chickens grew quiet. Very quiet. They would never say it out loud, but they sure felt foolish for jumping to so many conclusions. Trouble is, they also felt proud. Too proud to go back to the party and apologize for their behavior. So instead, they went back home with humbled hearts and empty bellies. And to this day, whenever roosters and chickens see food in front of them, they'll keep pecking and scratching at it over and over and over, even after it appears to be gone. That way, they won't miss any hidden morsels buried underneath. Because now they know the hard and hungry consequences a hasty judgment can bring. Now it's your turn. Next time you're tempted to jump to conclusions, try using the pad method. P is for pause. Before you do anything, stop and take a breath. A is for ask. Pose the following questions to yourself. Where is my judgment coming from? Do I have evidence to support it? What are some other ways I can view the situation? D is for decide. Decide what judgment you'll make, now that you've separated proof from guesses and facts from assumptions. This week's episode, Chicken Scratches, was adapted by me, Rebecca Scheer. It was edited by Dean Russell. Your original music and sound design is by Eric Shimolones, whose featured instrument this week is the mandolin. You can learn more about this eight-stringed instrument in the Lute family and see a photo of Eric playing one on our website, WBUR.org slash circle round. Circle round's artist is Sabina Hahn. Sabina has created a black and white coloring page for all of our circle round stories, and you can color them in. Grownups download our 300 plus coloring pages at WBUR.org slash circle round. Special thanks to this week's actors, Kieran Kumar, Don Ursula, Matt Zambrano, and Rishi Keish Heerway. As a singer-songwriter, Rishi Keish Heerway recently released his latest album in The Last Hour of Light. As a podcast host and creator, his podcasts include The West Wing Weekly, Home Cooking, and Song Exploder. If you've been listening to this podcast for a while, you may recognize Rishi Keish from a bunch of circle round episodes, including The Head and the Heart, Misery Loves Company, and The Whole Cart. Circle round is a production of WBUR, Boston's NPR. I'm Rebecca Shearer. Thanks for circling round with us. Now that you've made it to the end of this circle round episode, we want to know, what's your favorite circle round story? Thousands of fans just like you have been telling us about the circle round stories they like best. Take a listen. Maybe one of their favorites is one of yours too. My name is Selle and I'm from Britain. My favorite story is the Dilly Gopal Oaks. My favorite part is when the fairies grab the wish of the talent. My name is Rai from Kandia, New Hampshire. My favorite story is Granny Stove Story. My favorite part is when the girls sees Granny Stove Story. I'm Jagger. I'm from Bend, Oregon. My favorite circle round story is the rice cakes in the Oni. I like the bit where the rice cake falls down the hill into the Oni's Cave. My name is Sylvie and I live in Ellison, Illinois. My favorite circle round story is the Acorn Wobbly. I like the part when the eagle says that the fog and the adult animal have to stop doing it. My name is Isla. I'm from Peddleton, California. My favorite circle round story is the sunlight freebies. I like the part where all the trees lift up and the sunlight just goes back to Selma and Sveya and it puts the roots down into the earth. My name is Trini. I live in Denver, Colorado. My favorite circle round story is the salmon family. My favorite part is when Coyote says, coo. My name is Whitney and I'm from Salt Lake City. My favorite circle round episode is every single episode because they all teach you a very important lesson. Did someone mention a story you've missed? Not to worry. Grownups, you can find all of our circle round stories, plus links to the circle round club, textbooks, coloring pages, and oh so much more on our website, wbor.org slash circle round.
