Episodes

Episode 501: Pigs, Pigs, Pigs! & The Three Little Pigs
It's pigs galore for the Lion family! Pigs run amok in the story Pigs Aplenty, Pigs Galore! then try to escape the wolf in a retelling of a classic folktale.

Key words: pigs, house
Word family: -op
Target sounds: p, h
High-frequency sight words: and, her, house, I, is, big, in, little, no, the, then
New vocabulary: galore, behind, in front of, next to, on top of, under

Episode 502: The Carrot Seed & The Empty Pot
A seed that's planted and watered usually sprouts if you're patient, but what happens when the flower seed you plant for the Emperor doesn't grow?

Key words: seed
Target sounds: s, d
High-frequency sight words: a, and, come, I'm, it, little, up, he, the
New vocabulary: bloom, blossom, flower, plant, seed, soak, soil, sprinkle, sprout, weeds, courage, emperor, palace, seated/unseated, successor, throne

Episode 503: Wings & What's in the Box?
Watch out! The cubs find out what warnings mean, and why it's important to pay attention to them.

Key words: wings, box
Target sounds: w, b
High-frequency sight words: a, can, he, do, not, of, open, out, stop, the
New vocabulary: ancient, backwards, brilliant, fierce, imprisoned, labyrinth, plummeted, warning, wheeze, wiggling, airplane, cure, hiccups, interesting, kite, released

Episode 504: A Shower of Stars & Two Moons and One Lagoon
The Lion family stays up late to watch a beautiful meteor shower, and then reads a story about a queen who wants to touch the moon.

Key words: stars, moon
Word family: -ar, -an, -en
Target sounds: st blend, n
High-frequency sight words: and, in, of, sees, the
New vocabulary: clouds, marvelous, meteor, moon, rain, shedding, sparkling, stars, lagoon, loyal, platoon, swayed

Episode 505: The Golden Meaty Awards
Lionel is master of ceremonies of this first annual music awards show, featuring favorite tunes from Between the Lions and very tasty awards.

Word family: -op, -ing
Target sounds: r, w
High-frequency sight words: said
New vocabulary: accompanied, category, competition, delectable, delicious, kazoo, performance, savory, scrumptious, succulent, tasty, yummy

Episode 506: Click, Clack, Moo & The Little Red Hen
Farm animals have a lot to teach Lionel and Leona about the power of writing, and the value of helping.

Key words: cows, hen
Target sounds: c, h
High-frequency sight words: and, any, big, dear, do, her, I, it, little, myself, no, not, said, the, then, there's, who, will, without
New vocabulary: cape, demand, emergency, exchange, furious, neutral, on strike, sincerely, type, ultimatum, calf, cattle, gasped, grind/ground, piglet, wheat

Episode 507: Sylvester and the Magic Pebble & I Miss You, Stinky Face
It's hard to be away from your family, especially when you've been turned into a rock, or the cheetah taking you home doesn't want to leave the jungle.

Key words: picnic, mama
Target sounds: p, m
High-frequency sight words: an, and, he, if, too, but, I'll, the, to, what, you
New vocabulary: ceased, dawn, frantic, gradually, inquiring, miserable, panicked, pebble, scene, shiver, startled, astronaut, cheetah, cousin, enormous, gangplank, grandpa, member, moose, probably, steer, supersonic, uncle

Episode 508: A Tasty Piece of Cheese & The Lion and the Mouse
A taste for cheese leads a fox to trick a crow, and lands a mouse in the paws of a hungry lion.

Key words: cheese, little
High-frequency sight words: a, going, is, the, to, very, with, are, as, for, he, his, I, love, on, they, was
New vocabulary: beak, beware, continued, flatter, gorgeous, unfortunately, appetite, approaching, broccoli, chop, creatures, lighthouse, moral, scurried, taco

Episode 509: Earl's Too Cool & When I Was Five
Making new friends and keeping old friends is too cool.

Key words: too, five
Target sounds: t, f
High-frequency sight words: and, are, for, friend, he, her, me, I, my, this, was, when
New vocabulary: boars, cool (various meanings), regular, astronaut, beneath, favorite, fidgeting, flee, more, on top of

Episode 510: It's Red! It's Green! & Joseph Had a Little Overcoat
In these folktales, a red hat is really green (or is it red?), and an old overcoat is also a button.

Key words: red, jacket
Target sounds: r, j
High-frequency sight words: friend, is, the, too, a, and, got, had, he, it, little, made, of, out, so
New vocabulary: attractive, companion, disagreement, enormous, gigantic, opinion, rubies, wisdom, hidden, rage, tragic

Episode 601: Mrs. McNosh Hangs Up Her Wash & Knuffle Bunny
The cubs find some unusual items on Mrs. McNosh's clothesline, but they're reluctant to turn over their favorite things for a good washing.

Key words: her, bunny
Word family: -er, -ir, -y ending
Target sounds: r-controlled e, r-controlled i, short a
High-frequency sight words: and, she, the, up, daddy, her, look
New vocabulary: barrel, comfortable, dawn, dusk, removable, wring, apron, bawled, cautionary, errand, fussy, gown, laundromat, laundry, realized, replied, scurry, shirt, stockings, underwear

Episode 602: Sheep on a Ship & Mississippi Skip and His Pirate Ship
Ahoy there, mateys! There's lots of slipping, sliding, swabbing, and colliding when sheep and pirates take to the high seas.

Key words: ship, skip
Target sounds: sh, s blends
High-frequency sight words: a, and, off, on, the, to, he, his, with
New vocabulary: anchor, collide, craft, deck, drift, flap, hail, lap, mast, paddling, port, raft, sagging, slosh, acrobat, marvelous, meteor, sparkling

Episode 603: Yo! Yes? & Very Loud, Very Big, Very Metal
Sometimes, making a new friend is as easy as saying yes. And Leona discovers that making her brother happy is as easy as showing him a music video with big, noisy construction vehicles.

Key words: yes, very
Target sounds: y, v
High-frequency sight words: me, yes, you, and, it's, very, we
New vocabulary: dandelion, finch, pollen, yak, yodel, clang, construction, metal, thump, tilted, vacuum, vehicle, vines, vulture

Episode 604: I'll Fix Anthony & Jamaica Louise James
A big brother and a jack-in-the-box could both use some fixing, and a budding artist draws up a plan for fixing up a dreary subway station.

Key words: fix, draw
Target sounds: x, aw
High-frequency sight words: and, he, him, if, I'll, I'm, me, my, say, we'll, when, will, won't, I, they, we
New vocabulary: checkers, clobber, contest, fix (various meanings), ox, sax, xylophone, awfully, blot, dab, layer, mayor, pad, plaque, saw (various meanings), smear, smidge, squiggle, steep, subway, surprise, token, worry

Episode 605: Pete's a Pizza & Pygmalion
With a little imagination, a father turns his son into a pizza, and some loving hugs bring a statue to life.

Key words: father, hug
Target sounds: th, g (hard)
High-frequency sight words: father, that, the, then, he, him, his
New vocabulary: capture, contractions, dough, kneading, miserable, mood, mustache, thimble, twirled, whirled, ancient, goggles, masterpiece, pity, pretend, sculptor, statue

Episode 606: Here Come the Aliens & Abiyoyo
Strange creatures lurk in outer space, but even stranger creatures dwell right here on earth.

Key words: queen, zoop
Target sounds: qu, z
High-frequency sight words: are, coming, some, the, they, this, boy, father, look, say
New vocabulary: admiral, alien, approach, beware, bizarre, bleak, conquer, crew, fleet, galaxy, manners, retreat, science fiction, zillion, blimp, blizzard, cozy, familiar, magician, ostracized, quiz, slobbery, staggered, ukulele, vanished, wand, zipper

Episode 607: King Midas & The Dirty Smelly King
King Midas gets what he wished for, then wishes he didn't, and King Chuck the Mucky Muck wishes he weren't so smelly.

Key words: king, back
Word family: -ick
Target sounds: k, ck
High-frequency sight words: he, him, his, and, at, in, look, out, see
New vocabulary: dangling, forsake, greedy, kabob, kale, kazoo, keen, kidney, kite, kooky, kumquat, perky, majesty, muck, peck, popular, preferably, prime minister

Episode 608: Cheesybreadville & Stolen Smells
A disaster in the kitchen creates a tasty new treat, and a boy finds himself in trouble for smelling tasty smells without paying for them.

Key words: corn, boy
Target sounds: r-controlled o, oy/oi
High-frequency sight words: he, her, him, his, look, see, she, they, and, the, was
New vocabulary: airborne, anonymous, aware, belching, cornmeal, din, doused, fame, hollered, horrible, orphan, popular, renowned, stumbled, tempting, title, trio, wailed, annoyed, arrested, drifted, genie, greedily, rejoice, rupees, soiled

Episode 609: The Coyote and the Rabbit & The Gingerbread Man
A hungry coyote gets tricked by a clever rabbit who claims she can beat him in a race, and a gingerbread man who thinks he can outrun everybody gets tricked by a fox.

Key words: circles, gingerbread
Target sounds: c (soft), g (soft)
High-frequency sight words: he, she, the, and, as, can, can't, he, I, I'm, in, me, said, they, you
New vocabulary: cannon, celery, clever, coyote, fragrance, morsel, relative, trapeze, contractions, crumble, dipped, gigantic, gingerbread, gymnast, gypsy, lunge, plunge

Episode 610: The Goat in the Coat
Lionel is upset when his copy of a new and extremely rare Cliff Hanger book vanishes from the library, but his friend Gus surprises him with a one-of-a-kind gift. (This special episode introduces a new character, Sierra, a mountain lion who tells some of the story in Spanish.)

Key word: coat
Target sound: oa as long o
High-frequency sight words: a, and, in, the
New vocabulary: autograph, croak, enchanted, groan, moat, plastic, protective, rare, soak, terrible, toast, valuable, vest

Episode 701: The Problem with Chickens & An Egg Is Quiet
What to do about chickens that don't lay eggs and eggs that just sit there quietly and don't hatch? Lionel and Leona have fun finding the answers.

Key word: chickens
Target sound: ch
New vocabulary: chess, chilly, chuckling, exercising

Featured vocabulary: descriptive words (colorful, loud, noisy, quiet); shapes (circle, oval, rectangle, round, square, triangle)
New vocabulary: albumen, camouflage, hatch, shell, tubular, yolk

Episode 702: Spicy Hot Colors & Yesterday I Had the Blues
A colorful piñata holds a meaty surprise for the Lions, who experience a dazzling array of colorful feelings as they read, play, and hope for the rain to end.

Key word: colors
Target sound: hard c
New vocabulary: cactus, castanets, cilantro, gourds, iguanas, piñatas, sarapes, skeletons, sombreros

Featured vocabulary: colors (blue, golden, gray, green, indigo, pink, red, silver, yellow); emotions and feelings (the blues, cry, distraught, happy, laugh, miserable, sad, scared, smile)
New vocabulary: fabulous, fantastic, marvelous, splendid, swell, terrific

Episode 703: Bear Snores On & Night in the Country
Cleo manages to sleep through a noisy party, and the cubs learn about the noises night creatures make while everyone else is sleeping.

Featured vocabulary: asleep, awake, hibernate, slumbers, snore, tired; relational words (second, last, next to last)
New vocabulary: badger, blustery, dank, flutter, fret, gopher, hare, lair, mole, raven, scuttles, wren

Key word: night
Target sound n
New vocabulary: nightingale, nuzzles, patter, swoop

Episode 704: How to Be a Good Dog & Not Afraid of Dogs
A cat tries to teach a dog to behave, and a boy learns that dogs aren't so scary after all.

Key word: good Word family: -ood, -ook
Target sound: oo (as in "good")
New vocabulary: commands, difficult, fabulous, fantastic, fetch, handy, heel, marvelous, practice, strict, splendid, swell, terrific

Featured vocabulary: afraid, brave, braver, bravest, petrified, scared, scary, terrified; locative words (above, below, far, inside, near, outside)
New vocabulary: crinkled, elevator, snuggled, thunderstorm

Episode 705: Dear Mr. Blueberry & I Wanna Iguana
How can notes help solve the mystery of a whale in a swimming pool, get an iguana as a family pet, and deliver the helicopter Lionel has always wanted?

Key word: whale
Target sound: wh
New vocabulary: blow holes, details, information, mammal, migratory, protecting, spurt, whirl, whisk, whistle, whoosh

Featured vocabulary: notes, writing, wrote; pets (cats, dogs, iguana); locative words (closest, next to)
New vocabulary: compassionate, financial, helicopter, mature, reptile, responsible, tarantulas, trial basis, trophies

Episode 706: Violet's Music & What Instrument Does Alvin Play?
Lionel and Leona discover that there are so many wonderful instruments to play, and if you keep playing music, you'll find someone who wants to join your band.

Key word: music
Target sound: m
New vocabulary: band, guitar, guitarist, magnificent, maracas, microphone, moccasins, saxophone, tambourine, wail; locative and directional words (beneath, opposite, sideways)

Featured vocabulary: musical instruments (bassoon, brass, cello, cymbal, drums, flute, percussion, saxophone, string, triangle, trombone, trumpet, tuba, tympani, wind, violin, xylophone)
New vocabulary: baton, chant, concert, croon, drummer, flutists

Episode 707: Moon Rope & Welcome to the Moon
Can you climb up to the moon on a rope? Is there really a fox on the moon? Leona is on a mission to find out.

Key word: rope
Target sound long o (as in "o_e")
Word family: --ope (-ose, -ole, -oke)

New vocabulary: appear, braided, creatures, crescent, fuss, glancing, hitch, mole, telescope, tunnel, twirled, unnoticed, upset

Featured vocabulary: the moon and outer space (craters, crescent moon, dark moon, earth, full moon, half moon, meteor, planet, revolving, spaceship, spacesuits, solar system, telescope); locative words (across, beneath, closest, nearest, next to)
New vocabulary: diary, enormous, giant, humongous

Episode 708: The Three-Legged Pot & When Jabo Jammed
Pepe can't get a pot with three legs to walk, but Leona can make it dance. An ordinary boy named Jabo doesn't dance or sing, but he can really jam.

Key word: pot
Target sound: p
New vocabulary: perfect, platter, poke; locative and relational words (after, around, last, next to last, under)

Key word: jam
Target sound: j
New vocabulary: jamboree, jammed, jamming, jiggle, judge

Episode 709: Charlie's Dinosaur & Here Come the Aliens
There were all kinds of dinosaurs roaming the earth long ago, but could one of their relatives be in the library? And could strange creatures from outer space be lurking there, too?

Featured vocabulary: carnivore, herbivore, extinct, dinosaurs (Apatosaurus, Brontosaurus, Triceratops, Tyrannosaurus, Velociraptor); descriptive words (colossal, enormous, huge, humongous gargantuan, gigantic, jumbo, massive, monumental, tremendous, stupendous, whopping); locative words (behind, first, last, second)
New vocabulary: clustered, discovered, facts, frill, scientists, sculpture

Key word: queen
Target sound: qu
High-frequency sight words: are, coming, some, the, they, this
New vocabulary: admiral, alien, approach, beware, bizarre, bleak, conquer, crew, fleet, galaxy, manners, retreat, science fiction, zillion

Episode 710: Making Bread & Cheesybreadville
After Theo Lion's failed attempt at making bread, a video and a book come to the rescue. Another bread-baking disaster in the kitchen creates a tasty new treat.

Featured vocabulary: foods (bread, butter, cookies, flour, honey, oil, salt, yeast); cooking (bake, bakes, baking, batter, cooked, cooking, oven, knead, raw, rise); descriptive words (burnt, crunchy, long, round, soft, warm, yummy); quantity words (a lot, one, some)
New vocabulary: baguette, fresh, expanded, surprisingly, tastes, tasty, tastier, tastiest
Key word: corn
Target sound: or (r-controlled o)
High-frequency sight words: he, her, him, his, look, she, see, they
New vocabulary: anonymous, airborne, aware, belching, cornmeal, din, doused, fame, hollered, horrible, orphan, popular, renowned, stumbled, tempting, title, trio, wailed

Next: Season 8
Back to Top