Curriculum Content by Episode
Seasons 1–10
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
Angelina’s Island/
Chinese New Year
#910
The Lions and friends celebrate
their heritage, and an unusual
visitor to the library introduces
them to Chinese New Year.
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
Key word: home
Lin, Grace. Bringing in the New Year
Target sound: h
Miller, Elizabeth I. Just Like Home/Como
en mi tierra
Angelina’s Island
Features the book
Angelina’s Island, by
Jeanette Winter
New vocabulary: building, carnival,
celebrate, city, costumes, dream, hiding,
home, island, Jamaica, party, sun; Jamaican
food (ackee, breadfruit, callaloo, chocho,
green bananas, guavas, johnnycake,
mangos, papaya, salt fish, star apples,
sugarcane); senses (feel, look, sound)
Story
Waters, Kate. Lion Dancer: Ernie Wan’s
Chinese New Year
Winter, Jeanette. Angelina’s Island
Wong, Janet S. This Next New Year
Zephaniah, Benjamin. J Is for Jamaica
Chinese New Year
Features an original video
Nonfiction
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Seasons 1–10
Featured vocabulary: celebration,
centipede, Chinatown, Chinese food,
cymbals, dancing, dumplings, drum, gift,
lion, New Year, parade
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
1
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
Are You a Snail?/
Wonderful Worms
#804
The Information Hen helps some
confused creatures determine
whether they are snails or slugs,
and a missing pet worm leads to
an all-out search in the library.
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
Featured vocabulary: afraid, damp,
dangerous, eat, egg, eyes, foxes, grow,
hardens, hatch, hide, horns, hungry,
poisonous, safe, slide, slimy, slowly, slug,
small, snail, stalks, thrushes
Allen, Judy and Tudor Humphries.
Are You a Snail?
Are You a Snail?
Features the book Are You
a Snail?, by Judy Allen
and Tudor Humphries
Nonfiction
Pfeffer, Wendy. Wiggling Worms at Work
Features the book
Wonderful Worms, by
Linda Glaser
Nonfiction
Can Lionel and Leona make
sense of a mysterious painting?
Glaser, Linda. Wonderful Worms
Llewellyn, Claire. Slugs and Snails
Wonderful Worms
Art Party
#401
Cronin, Doreen. Diary of a Worm
Ryder, Joanne. The Snail’s Spell
Key word: worms
Target sound: w
New vocabulary: burrows, cool, dark,
damp, dig, earthworms, fat, garden, roots,
soil, squeeze, tunnel, wiggly, wiggling, worm
Features three
original stories
Key word: party
Story
Target sound: r-controlled a
Word family: -ar (-ark, -arm, -art)
High-frequency sight words: a, and, in, the
New vocabulary: aardvark, depart, gypsy,
lute, marshmallow, starfish
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Seasons 1–10
Cocca-Leffler, Maryann. Edgar Degas:
Paintings that Dance
Hurd, Thacher. Art Dog
Lionni, Leo. Matthew’s Dream
Mayhew, James. Katie and the Mona Lisa
Micklethwait, Lucy. I Spy: An Alphabet
in Art
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
2
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
Be Bop
#130
When cool, jazzy shoes come
out of a book and dance all
over the library, everybody gets
in the groove.
Bear Snores On/
Night in the Country
#703
Cleo manages to sleep through
a noisy party, and Lionel and
Leona learn about the sounds
night creatures make.
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
Features the book
Charlie Parker Played
Be Bop, by Chris Raschka
Key word: bop
Isadora, Rachel. Ben’s Trumpet
Word family: -op (-ot, -ock)
London, Jonathan. Hip Cat
Target sound: short o
Pinkney, Andrea. Duke Ellington
High-frequency sight words: mom,
pop, stop
Raschka, Chris. Charlie Parker
Played Be Bop
New vocabulary: be bop, doo-wop,
saxophone, xylophone
Schroeder, Alan. Satchmo’s Blues
Featured vocabulary: asleep, awake,
hibernate, slumbers, snore, tired; locative
words (second, last, next to last)
Bancroft, Henrietta. Animals in Winter
Story
Bear Snores On
Features the book
Bear Snores On,
by Karma Wilson
New vocabulary: badger, blustery, dank,
flutter, fret, gopher, hare, lair, mole, raven,
scuttles, wren
Story
Morales, Yuyi. Little Night
Rylant, Cynthia. Night in the Country
Key word: night
Target sound: n
New vocabulary: nightingale, nuzzles,
patter, swoop
Story
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Hartland, Jesse. Night Shift
Wilson, Karma. Bear Snores On
Night in the Country
Features the book
Night in the Country,
by Cynthia Rylant
Crews, Daniel. Night at the Fair
Seasons 1–10
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
3
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
Bein’ with You This Way/
How to Be
#806
The Lions and friends sing about
the ways they look alike and
different, and describe the many
traits that make a person a
person.
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
Key word: you
Brown, Lisa. How to Be
Target sound: y
Carle, Eric. From Head to Toe
New vocabulary: descriptive words (blue,
brown, curly, different, fabulous, furry, great,
large, long, nice, same, shiny, short, small,
straight, terrific, thick, thin); the body (arms,
eyes, hair, hands, fingers, nose, skin, toes)
Fox, Mem. Whoever You Are
Bein’ with You This Way
Features a song version
of the book Bein’ with You
This Way, by W. NicolaLisa and Michael Bryant
Story/Song
Concept Book
Katz, Karen. The Colors of Us
Nicola-Lisa, W. and Michael Bryant.
Bein’ with You This Way
How to Be
Features the book
How to Be, by Lisa Brown
Jenkins, Steven and Robin Page. What Do
You Do with a Tail Like This?
Featured vocabulary: animals (bear, dog,
monkey, person, snake, spider, turtle); traits
(brave, charming, curious, creative, friendly,
patient)
New vocabulary: bask, beg, build, catch,
copy, creep, dance, eat, fetch, growl,
hibernate, hide, move, slither, swing, wait
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Seasons 1–10
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
4
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
A Birthday for Cow!/
Rabbit’s Gift
#1002
The humble turnip stars in
this show about birthday
celebrations, vegetables, and the
gift of giving.
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
Featured vocabulary: birthday cake, bowl,
candles, decorate, eggs, flour, mix, spoon,
sugar, turnip
Diakité, Baba Wagué. The Magic Gourd
A Birthday for Cow!
Features the book A
Birthday for Cow!, by Jan
Thomas
New vocabulary: seasons (fall, spring,
summer, winter); fruits & vegetables (apple,
asparagus, banana, beans, broccoli,
cabbage, carrots, corn, cucumber, eggplant,
lettuce, peas, peppers, squash, turnip,
vegetables, zucchini)
Story
Pearson, Emily. Ordinary Mary’s
Extraordinary Deed
Shannon, George. Rabbit’s Gift
Thomas, Jan. A Birthday for Cow!
Wallace, Nancy Elizabeth. The Kindness
Quilt
Wolff, Ferida. The Story Blanket
Rabbit’s Gift
Bobby the Hopping Robot
#208
Why is Bobby the Hopping Robot
not hopping?
Features the book Rabbit’s
Gift, by George Shannon
Key word: gift
Story
Featured vocabulary: animals (deer,
donkey, goat, rabbit); asleep, cozy,
disappeared, dish, fish, fist, food (carrot,
meal, nibbled, potato, turnip); gift, give,
snow, tracks, wish
Features an original story
Key word: hop
Dewan, Ted. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
Word family: -op (-ot)
Hoffman, Todd. Robots Everywhere
Target sound: short o
Hunter, Ryan Ann. Robots Slither
High-frequency sight words: at, now,
of, the, to
Pinkney, Brian. Cosmo and the Robot
Instructions
Target sound: i (short)
Williams, Karen Lynn. Galimoto
New vocabulary: defective, operate,
propeller, robot
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Seasons 1–10
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
5
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
The Boy Who Cried Wolf
#108
Lionel and Leona show a
shepherd boy from a storybook
how to cry “Wolf!” when
his sheep are threatened,
and then he doesn’t stop!
Bug Beard
#214
A woodcutter and his wife need
the lions’ help with a man who
has bugs, bugs, bugs in his beard.
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
Features Aesop’s fable
“The Boy Who Cried Wolf”
Key word: big
Bader, Barbara. Aesop and Company
Word family: -ig (-iggle, -it, -ick, -in)
Bloom, Becky. Wolf!
Fable
Target sound: short i
Hartman, Bob. The Wolf Who Cried Boy
High-frequency sight words: bad, big, cry,
in, is, it, this
Kasza, Keiko. Wolf’s Chicken Stew
Features a version
of “Papa Bwa,
Greedy Guest,” a
Dominican folktale
Folktale
New vocabulary: intelligent, jig, jiggle
Prokofiev, Sergei. Peter and the Wolf
(many versions)
Key word: bug
Brown, Marc. Perfect Pigs
Word family: -ug (-ud, -un, -up, -unk)
Buehner, Caralyn. It’s a Spoon, Not a Shovel
Target sound: short u
Carle, Eric. The Grouchy Ladybug
High-frequency sight words: he, his, how,
in, to
Kimmel, Eric. Grizz!
Palatini, Margie. Moosetache
New vocabulary: disinfected, infected,
natural, proper
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Seasons 1–10
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
6
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
Bugs/
Beetle Bop
#902
Can Cleo and the cubs cure Theo
of his fear of caterpillars? And,
get ready for the sensational
singing group coming to the
library: The Beetles!
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
Featured vocabulary: bugs/insects
(ant, atlas moth, bee, butterfly, cat flea,
caterpillar, flower mantis, fly, grasshopper,
green bottle fly, leafcutter ant, mosquito,
praying mantis, sphinx moth, spider)
Barner, Bob. Bugs! Bugs! Bugs!
Bugs
Features an original video
about bugs
Nonfiction
New vocabulary: emotions (afraid, scared,
terrified); numbers (one, two, three, four, five,
one hundred); temporal words (first, followed
by, last, over, second, third)
Fleming, Denise. Beetle Bop
Murphy, Stuart J. The Best Bug Parade
Pallotta, Jerry. The Beetle Alphabet Book
Rabe, Tish. On Beyond Bugs!: All About
Insects
Rockwell, Ann. Bugs Are Insects
Beetle Bop
Features the book
Beetle Bop by Denise
Fleming
Concept Book
But, Mama, But...
#219
Cleo is going away for a few
days, and Leona thinks she’s
too big to miss her mother.
Features the book
I Miss You, Stinky Face,
by Lisa McCourt
Key word: beetles
Target sound: ee
New vocabulary: bugs/insects (antenna,
bees, beetle, dung beetle, ladybug, lightning
beetle, tiger beetle, titan beetle); descriptive
words (big, black, blue, brown, chewing,
dotted, glowing, green, growing, humming,
round, small, spotted, square, striped,
swirling); microscope, music, rock band
Key word: but
Word family: -ut (-un, -unk, -ust)
Target sound: short u
Story
High-frequency sight words: and, away,
but, going, if, I’ll, is, the, what, you
New vocabulary: cheetah, gangplank,
perfect, supersonic
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Seasons 1–10
Joosse, Barbara M. Mama, Do You
Love Me?
McCourt, Lisa. I Miss You, Stinky Face
Numeroff, Laura. What Mommies Do Best
Waddell, Martin. Owl Babies
Wilson, Karma. Mama Always
Comes Home
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
7
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
The Carrot Seed/
The Empty Pot
#502
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?
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
Key word: seed
Bunting, Eve. Flower Garden
Target sound: s
Demi. The Empty Pot
High-frequency sight words: a, and,
come, I’m, it, little, up
Demi. The Greatest Power
The Carrot Seed
Features the book
The Carrot Seed,
by Ruth Krauss
Story
New vocabulary: bloom, blossom, flower,
plant, seed, soak, soil, sprinkle, sprout, weeds
Krauss, Ruth. The Carrot Seed
Krauss, Ruth. A Hole Is to Dig
Lin, Grace. The Ugly Vegetables
The Empty Pot
Features the book
The Empty Pot, by Demi
Key word: seed
Story
High-frequency sight words: he, the
Target sound: d
New vocabulary: courage, emperor, palace,
seated/unseated, successor, throne
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Seasons 1–10
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
8
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
Castles, Caves, and
Honeycombs/
My House
#1008
Leona helps a snail find a new
home in the library’s new All
Different Kinds of Homes wing,
and Lionel moves into a new
home too.
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Castles, Caves, and Honeycombs
Features the book Castles,
Caves, and Honeycombs by
Linda Ashman
Concept Book
Featured vocabulary: aerie, beehive, built,
castles, cave, chamber, cliff, cocoon, den,
dune, glen, hole, hollow, home, live, mound,
nest, pit, places, pond, sea, shell, shore, tidal
pool, tree
New vocabulary: animals (animals, bald
eagle, bear, bee, bird, buffalo, eaglets,
fledgling, queen bee, seagulls, snail, spider
crab, termites, turtle); locative words (ahead,
last, next to last, on, second)
My House
Features the original
song, My House
Original Song
The Chap with Caps
#112
The Lion family helps a writer
fix a story about a chap, a cap,
and lots of chattering monkeys.
Recommended Books
Features a version of
“The Peddler and the
Monkeys,” an Indian
folktale, and “Monkeys
and the Little Red Hats,”
an African story
Folktale
Featured vocabulary: adobe, apartment,
brownstone, cabin, clubhouse, dome, home,
house, houseboat, hut, mansion, yurt
Ashman, Linda. Castles, Caves, and
Honeycombs
Buchanan, Ken. This House Is Made of
Mud/Esta casa está hecha de lodo
Carle, Eric. A House for Hermit Crab
Gustafson, Angela. Imagine a House: A
Journey to Fascinating Houses Around the
World
Jenkins, Steve. I See a Kookaburra!:
Discovering Animal Habitats Around the
World
Morris, Ann. Houses and Homes
New vocabulary: bed, blanket, build, chair,
chimney, door, door knob, hammock, pillow,
refrigerator; locative words (above, behind,
below, far, far away from, in front of, inside,
near, next to, on top of, outside, under); roof,
table, wall, windows
Key word: cap
Ahlberg, Allan. Monkey Do!
Word family: -ap (-am, -ash, -ad), -ape
Christelow, Eileen. Five Little Monkeys
Sitting in a Tree
Target sound: short a (long a)
High-frequency sight words: the, with
Diakité, Baba Wagué. The Hatseller and
the Monkey
New vocabulary: cha-cha, chap, collapse,
scrape, snatched, struggle, thunderclap
Rey, H. A. Curious George
Slobodkina, Esphyr. Caps for Sale
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Seasons 1–10
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
9
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
Charlie’s Dinosaur/
Here Come the Aliens
#709
Dinosaurs roamed the earth
long ago, but could one be
in the library? And could
strange creatures from outer
space be lurking there, too?
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
Featured vocabulary: carnivore, herbivore,
extinct, dinosaurs (Apatosaurus, Brontosaurus,
Triceratops, Tyrannosaurus, Velociraptor);
descriptive words (colossal, enormous, extinct,
huge, humongous gargantuan, gigantic,
jumbo, massive, monumental, tremendous,
stupendous, whopping); locative words
(behind, first, last, second)
Aliki. Digging Up Dinosaurs
Charlie’s Dinosaur
Features an original story
Story
New vocabulary: clustered, discovered, facts,
frill, scientists, sculpture
Anderson, Derek. Romeo and Lou Blast Off
McNaughton, Colin. Here Come the
Aliens
Most, Bernard. Four and Twenty Dinosaurs
Whybrow, Ian. Harry and the Dinosaurs
Go to School
Yolen, Jane. How Do Dinosaurs Say
Good Night?
Here Come the Aliens
Features the book
Here Come the Aliens!, by
Colin McNaughton
Science fiction
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
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Seasons 1–10
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
10
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
Cheesybreadville/
Stolen Smells
#608
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.
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
Key word: corn
Aylesworth, Jim. The Burger and
the Hot Dog
Cheesybreadville
Features the poem
“Cheesybreadville,”
by Sonia Manzano
Target sound: r-controlled o
High-frequency sight words: he, her, him,
his, look, see, she, they
Poem
New vocabulary: airborne, anonymous,
aware, belching, cornmeal, din, doused,
fame, hollered, horrible, orphan, popular,
renowned, stumbled, tempting, title, trio,
wailed
Barrett, Judi. Pickles to Pittsburgh
Manzano, Sonia. “Cheesybreadville,”
in Thanks and Giving All Year Long,
by Marlo Thomas and Friends
Park, Linda Sue. Bee-bim Bop!
Rosenthal, Amy. Little Pea
Stolen Smells
Features an original story
Key word: boy
Target sound: oy/oi
Story
High-frequency sight words: and, her,
the, was
New vocabulary: annoyed, arrested, drifted,
genie, greedily, rejoice, rupees, soiled
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Seasons 1–10
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
11
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
The Chess Mess
#224
It’s Alice Day! It’s Alice Day!
Callooh! Callay! Hooray!
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
Features the book
Through the Looking Glass,
by Lewis Carroll
Key word: chess
Carroll, Lewis. Alice Through the Looking
Glass (illus. Helen Oxenbury)
Story
Word family: -ess (-est, -et, -egg, -etch)
Target sound: short e
Carroll, Lewis. Through the Looking
Glass (many versions)
High-frequency sight words: all, day, it,
up, we’re
Castor, Harriet. Starting Chess
New vocabulary: bishop, checkmate,
chessboard, logic, pawn, rematch, rook, zesty
City Mouse and Country
Mouse/
The Happy Hocky Family
Moves to the Country!
City Mouse and Country Mouse
#1003
Fable
Features an original
retelling of the fable City
Mouse and Country Mouse
Click the Mouse trades places
with a real mouse, and the
country comes to the library.
Brett, Jan. Town Mouse, Country Mouse
Target sound: c (soft)
Cummins, Julie. Country Kid, City Kid
New vocabulary: apartment, building,
candy, catch, celebration, city, collaboration,
cosmic, couch, country, house, live, neighbor,
peace, place, quiet, silence, sounds
Davidson, Susanna. The Town Mouse and
the Country Mouse
Features the book The
Happy Hocky Family Moves
to the Country!, by Lane
Key word: country
Smith
New vocabulary: cake, car, city, corn,
country, cow, cowboy, home, house, nature,
rooster, town
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Seasons 1–10
Wong, Janet. Alex and the Wednesday
Chess Club
Key word: city
The Happy Hocky Family Moves to the Country!
Story
Harper, Piers. Checkmate at Chess City
Smith, Lane. The Happy Hocky Family
Moves to the Country!
Stevens Crummel, Susan. City Dog,
Country Dog
Willems, Mo. City Dog, Country Frog
Target sound: c (hard)
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
12
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
Click, Clack, Moo/
The Little Red Hen
#506
Farm animals have a lot to
teach Lionel and Leona about
the power of writing and the
value of helping.
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
Key word: cows
Ada, Alma Flor. With Love, Little Red Hen
Target sound: c
Barton, Byron. Little Red Hen
High-frequency sight words: and, any,
big, dear, do, her, I, it
Cronin, Doreen. Click, Clack, Moo:
Cows That Type
New vocabulary: cape, demand,
emergency, exchange, furious, neutral, on
strike, sincerely, type, ultimatum
Cronin, Doreen. Giggle, Giggle, Quack
Click, Clack, Moo
Features the book Click,
Clack, Moo: Cows That
Type, by Doreen Cronin
Story
Hort, Lenny. The Seals on the Bus
Sturges, Philemon. The Little Red Hen
(Makes a Pizza)
The Little Red Hen
Features a version of
“The Little Red Hen”
Key word: hen
Folktale
High-frequency sight words: little, myself,
no, not, said, the, then, there’s, who, will,
without
Target sound: h
New vocabulary: calf, cattle, gasped, grind/
ground, piglet, wheat
Clickety-clack,
Clickety-clack!
#206
Theo borrows a cow’s typewriter
and doesn’t want to give it back.
Features the book Click,
Clack, Moo: Cows That Type,
by Doreen Cronin
Key word: click
Word family: -ick (-ing, -ix)
Target sound: short i
Story
High-frequency sight words: dear, nothing
New vocabulary: cape, demand, emergency,
exchange, furious, neutral, on strike, pixie,
sincerely, type, typewriter, ultimatum
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Seasons 1–10
Cronin, Doreen. Click, Clack, Moo:
Cows That Type
Cronin, Doreen. Giggle, Giggle, Quack
Duffield, Katy. Farmer McPeepers and His
Missing Milk Cows
Harrison, David. When Cows Come Home
Small, David. George Washington’s Cows
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
13
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
Cliff Hanger, the Pheasant,
and the Phone/
Terrific
#903
The Cliff Hanger fan club enjoys
a long-lost adventure story, and
Leona finds out why “terrific”
doesn’t always mean terrific.
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
Cliff Hanger, the Pheasant, and the Phone
Features an original story
Story
Key word: phone
Agee, John. Terrific
Target sound: ph
Donaldson, Julia. The Snail and the Whale
New vocabulary: homophones, pheasant,
phenomenal, phone, phonebook,
phonograph, photo, photograph
Henkes, Kevin. A Good Day
MacDonald, Alan. Wilfred to the Rescue
Rawson, Katherine. If You Were a Parrot
Steig, William. Amos & Boris
Terrific
Features the book Terrific,
by Jon Agee
Story
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Key word: terrific
Target sound: t
New vocabulary: boat, island, opposite,
parrot, pomegranate, rescued, sail, sarcasm,
sarcastic, ship, storm, stranded, surprised;
synonyms (fabulous, fantastic, good,
marvelous, splendid, swell, terrific)
Seasons 1–10
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
14
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
The Coyote and the
Rabbit/
The Gingerbread Man
#609
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.
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
The Coyote and the Rabbit
Features an original
retelling of “The Coyote
and the Rabbit”
Folktale
Key word: circles
Target sound: c (soft)
Compestine, Ying Chang. The Runaway
Rice Cake
High-frequency sight words: he, she, the
Johnston, Tony. The Tale of Rabbit
and Coyote
New vocabulary: cannon, celery, clever,
coyote, fragrance, morsel, relative, trapeze
Kimmel, Eric. The Gingerbread Man
McDermott, Gerald. Coyote: A Trickster Tale
from the American Southwest
The Gingerbread Man
Taylor, Harriet Peck. Coyote Places the Stars
Features a version of
“The Gingerbread Man”
Key word: gingerbread
Folktale
High-frequency sight words: and, as, can,
can’t, he, I, I’m, in, me, said, the, they, you
Target sound: g (soft)
New vocabulary: contractions, crumble,
dipped, gigantic, gingerbread, gymnast,
gypsy, lunge, plunge
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Seasons 1–10
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
15
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
Dance in Smarty Pants
#405
Features an original story
Key word: pants
Allen, Debbie. Dancing in the Wings
Word family: -ant (-an, -ance, -ack, -at)
Havill, Juanita. Brianna, Jamaica, and
the Dance of Spring
Lionel tries to teach his parents
how to dance in Smarty Pants,
the latest dance craze sweeping
the library!
Story
Target sound: short a
High-frequency sight words: in, no,
the, they
New vocabulary: fantastic, flapjacks,
flashback, paddle, slant, tackled, titanic,
video
Dear Mr. Blueberry/
I Wanna Iguana
#705
Can writing notes help solve
the mystery of a whale in
a swimming pool, get an
iguana as a family pet, and
deliver Lionel’s helicopter?
Lee, Jeanne. Silent Lotus
McKissack, Patricia. Mirandy and
Brother Wind
Winthrop, Elizabeth. Dumpy La Rue
Dear Mr. Blueberry
Features the book Dear Mr.
Blueberry, by Simon James
Key word: whale
Ada, Alma Flor. Dear Peter Rabbit
Target sound: wh
James, Simon. Dear Mr. Blueberry
Letters
New vocabulary: blow holes, details,
information, mammal, migratory,
protecting, spurt, whirl, whisk, whistle,
whoosh
Keats, Ezra Jack. A Letter to Amy
Orioff, Karen Kaufman. I Wanna
Iguana
Pak, Soyung. Dear Juno
Taback, Simms. I Miss You Every Day
I Wanna Iguana
Features the book I
Wanna Iguana, by Karen
Kaufman Orloff
Written notes
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Seasons 1–10
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
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
16
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
Deep in the Swamp/
Trosclair the Alligator
#1009
Lionel tries to frighten Leona
with creepy, crawly swamp
things, and a clever boy tricks a
hungry alligator.
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
Featured vocabulary: counting; numbers
(one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight,
nine, ten, first, second, third, fourth, sixth)
Bateman, Donna M. Deep in the
Swamp
Deep in the Swamp
Features a song version
of the book Deep in the
Swamp, by Donna M.
Bateman
Song/Story
New vocabulary: animals (alligator, blue
heron, chicks, crayfish, damselfly, froglets,
neverwhets, otter, rabbit, rat snake); bask;
descriptive words (creepiest, cute, icky,
lurking, murky, mysterious, nice, peaceful,
scary, yucky); movement words (climb, jump,
scurry, soar, swam); snooze
Trosclair and the Alligator
Features the book Trosclair
and the Alligator, by Peter
Huggins
Can Anthony Asbury help a
chicken looking for a book
about plumbing become a star
in a Shakespeare play?
Features a version of the
play Romeo and Juliet,
by William Shakespeare
Ketteman, Helen. Swamp Song
McKissack, Patricia C. A Million Fish …
More or Less
Weeks, Sara. Catfish Kate the Sweet
Swamp Band
Featured vocabulary: alligator, beehive,
bees, cousins, hive, honey, oak tree, rice,
swamp, uncle
Key word: dream
Aliki. William Shakespeare and the Globe
Word family: -eam (-eat, -eak)
Davidson, Rebecca. All the World’s
a Stage
Target sound: ea as long e
Play
High-frequency sight words: easy,
please, welcome
New vocabulary: chariot, mallard,
plumbing, sneak, visions
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Huggins, Peter. Trosclair and the
Alligator
New vocabulary: bayou, cypress trees,
enormous, gumbo, Louisiana, pirogue,
stung, sweet, teeth, tree, turtle eggs
Story
Dreaming Shakespeare
#220
Gibbons, Gail. Marshes and Swamps
Seasons 1–10
Hoffman, Mary. Amazing Grace
Millman, Isaac. Moses Sees a Play
Shakespeare, William. To Sleep, Perchance
to Dream (illus. James Mayhew)
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
17
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
Earl’s Too Cool/
When I Was Five
#509
Making new friends and
keeping old friends is too cool.
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
Key word: too
Appelt, Kathi. Bubba and Beau, Best
Friends (illus. Arthur Howard)
Earl’s Too Cool
Features the book
Earl’s Too Cool for Me,
by Leah Komaiko
Target sound: t
High-frequency sight words: and, are, for,
friend, he, her, me
Story
New vocabulary: boars, cool (various
meanings), regular
Komaiko, Leah. Annie Bananie
Komaiko, Leah. Earl’s Too Cool for Me
Raschka, Chris. Yo! Yes?
Robbins, Jacqui. The New Girl…and Me
When I Was Five
Features the book
When I Was Five,
by Arthur Howard
Howard, Arthur. When I Was Five
Key word: five
Target sound: f
High-frequency sight words: I, my, this,
was, when
Story
New vocabulary: astronaut, beneath,
favorite, fidgeting, flee, more, on top of
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Seasons 1–10
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
18
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
Elephants Can Paint Too!/
Jamaica Louise James
#808
If elephants can really paint,
can’t Leona’s stuffed animal
Lovey paint too? A young girl’s
paintings brighten up a subway
station, inspiring Leona to
decorate the library with her
paintings.
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
Elephants Can Paint Too!
Features the book
Elephants Can Paint Too!,
by Katya Arnold
Photo Essay
Featured vocabulary: bathe, drink,
elephant, grass, leaves, nose, spray, trunk,
water
New vocabulary: bright, brush, color, dab,
drag, line, paint, painting, paper, picture,
spots, strokes, touch, wiggly lines, yellow
Arnold, Katya. Elephants Can Paint
Too!
dePaola, Tomie. The Art Lesson
Hest, Amy. Jamaica Louise James
Johnson, Angela. Lily Brown’s Paintings
Rodríguez, Rachel. Through Georgia’s Eyes
Jamaica Louise James
Say, Allen. Emma’s Rug
Features the book Jamaica
Louise James, by Amy Hest
Key word: draw
Story
High-frequency sight words: I, me, my,
they, we
Target sound: aw
New vocabulary: awfully, blot, dab, layer,
mayor, pad, plaque, saw (various meanings),
smear, smidge, squiggle, steep, subway,
surprise, token, worry
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Seasons 1–10
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
19
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
The Emperor’s New
Clothes/
The Hungry Coat
#908
Lionel and Leona discover an
emperor running around the
library in his underwear, and
Click the Mouse helps him find
the perfect outfit for a Coat
Party.
Featured Text
Features a retelling of the
folktale “The Emperor’s
New Clothes”
Key word: suit
Agee, John. Nothing
Target sound: long u
Andersen, Hans Christian. The Emperor’s
New Clothes (illus. Virginia Lee Burton)
New vocabulary: beautiful, blue, chanted,
embarrassed, emperor, flute, fool, fortune,
fruit, glue, kingdom, lute, parade, plume,
pretended, tailor, trickster, true, tuba,
ukulele, unusual
Folktale
Demi. The Emperor’s New Clothes:
A Tale Set in China
Demi. The Hungry Coat: A Tale from Turkey
Mills, Lauren A. The Rag Coat
Parton, Dolly. Coat of Many Colors
The Hungry Coat
Key word: villa
Target sound: v
New vocabulary: buttoned, coat, festivities,
invitation, meat, pockets, sad, sleeves,
stained, tattered, vacuum cleaner, vanish,
vegetables, veterinarian, viceroy, village,
violet, violin
Folktale
Lionel won’t let Leona play
a computer game for ages
“seven and up” because she’s
“four and down.”
Recommended Books
The Emperor’s New Clothes
Features a retelling of
the Turkish folktale “The
Hungry Coat”
Farmer Ken’s Puzzle
#104
Words and Sounds
Features a musical
brainteaser
Key word: hen
Havill, Juanita. Jamaica Tag-Along
Word family: -en (-et, -ed, -est)
Henkes, Kevin. Sheila Rae the Brave
Song & CD-ROM
Target sound: short e (long e)
Marshall, James & Edward. Fox and His
Friends
High-frequency sight words: is, it, up,
what, when, you
New vocabulary: clue, enchanting, miracle,
vibrant
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Seasons 1–10
Polacco, Patricia. My Rotten Red-Headed
Older Brother
Steptoe, John. Stevie
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
20
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
Five, Six, and Thistle Sticks
#213
Can Lionel and Lenny still be
best friends if they don’t like
the same things anymore?
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
Features the book
When I Was Five,
by Arthur Howard
Key word: six
Bloom, Suzanne. A Splendid Friend, Indeed
Word family: -ix (-ick, -it, -ing)
Henkes, Kevin. Chester’s Way
Target sound: short i
Howard, Arthur. When I Was Five
High-frequency sight words: best, is, it,
my, this, was, when
Katz, Bobbi. Could We Be Friends?
Story
Polacco, Patricia. Mrs. Katz and Tush
New vocabulary: astronaut, favorite,
hammock, pixie
The Fox and the Crow
#128
Walter and Clay Pigeon want
The Fox and the Crow banned
from the library because
they think the book makes
birds look like birdbrains.
Features Aesop’s fable
“The Fox and the Crow”
Key word: drop
Aesop’s Fables (illus. Jerry Pinkney)
Word family: -op (-ox, -ot, -oppy)
McKissack, Patricia. Flossie and the Fox
Fable
Target sound: short o
Sogabe, Aki. Aesop’s Fox
High-frequency sight words: a, and,
end, in, is, it, of, that, the, to, very, you
(“Ten Small Words” song)
Spirin, Gennady. Martha
Villaseñor, Victor. Little Crow to the Rescue
New vocabulary: crow, flatter, humongous
Fuzzy Wuzzy, Wuzzy?
#109
Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear.
Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair.
Fuzzy Wuzzy wasn’t fuzzy,
was he? Well, was he?
Features the popular
rhyme “Fuzzy Wuzzy
Was a Bear”
Rhyme
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Seasons 1–10
Key word: fuzzy
Carle, Eric. Eric Carle’s Animals, Animals
Word family: -uzz (-ug, -un, -up, -uck)
Guarino, Deborah. Is Your Mama a Llama?
Target sound: short u
Lyon, George Ella. A Day at Damp Camp
High-frequency sight words: a, he, no,
was, wasn’t
Prelutsky, Jack. Read-Aloud Rhymes for the
Very Young
New vocabulary: fuzzy, mutton, unbutton
Rosen, Michael. Poems for the Very Young
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
21
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
Giants and Cubs
#129
Leona thinks scary giants
are coming into the library
to clobber lion cubs.
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
Features an original
newspaper sports column
Key word: cub
Burleigh, Robert. Home Run
Word family: -ub (-ug, -uzz, -up, -uck)
Golenbock, Peter. Teammates
Newspaper article
Target sound: short u (long u)
McCully, Emily. Grandmas at Bat
High-frequency sight words: a, and, in, is,
it, of, that, the, to, up, you
Parish, Peggy. Play Ball, Amelia Bedelia
Welch, Willy. Playing Right Field
New vocabulary: chum, clobber, despise,
grubby
The Goat in the Coat
#610
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 oneof-a-kind gift. (This episode
introduces a new character,
Sierra, a mountain lion who tells
some of the story in Spanish.)
The Golden Meaty Awards
#505
Lionel is master of ceremonies
of this first annual music
awards show, featuring favorite
tunes from Between the Lions
and very tasty awards.
Features an original
series book
Key word: coat
Series book
High-frequency sight words: a, and,
in, the
Target sound: oa as long o
New vocabulary: autograph, croak,
enchanted, groan, moat, plastic, protective,
rare, soak, terrible, toast, valuable, vest
Adler, David A. Young Cam Jansen and
the Library Mystery
Bruss, Deborah. Book! Book! Book!
Conover, Chris. The Lion’s Share
Guy, Ginger Foglesong. Fiesta!
Hopkins, Lee Bennett. Good Books,
Good Times!
Sierra, Judy. Wild About Books
Features songs from the
series in an awards-show
format
Awards show
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Seasons 1–10
Word family: -op, -ing
Aliki. Ah, Music
Target sound: r, w
Boynton, Sandra. Rhinoceros Tap
High-frequency sight words: said
Igus, Toyomi. I See the Rhythm
New vocabulary: accompanied, category,
competition, delectable, delicious, kazoo,
performance, savory, scrumptious, succulent,
tasty, yummy
Katz, Alan. Take Me Out of the Bathtub and
Other Silly Dilly Songs
Moss, Lloyd. Music Is
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
22
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
Good Night, Knight
#223
Orlando Furioso, the brave
knight, will save the fair
Angelica and lift the curse
of Fallerina if he can be
put back together again!
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
Features a version of a
play adapted from Orlando
Furioso, by Ariosto
Key word: knight
Gibbons, Gail. Knights in Shining Armor
Word family: -ight (-ide, -ime)
Mayhew, James. The Knight Who Took
All Day
Target sound: long i
Play
High-frequency sight words: are, as, for,
he, his, I, on, they, was, with (“Ten Little
Words” song)
New vocabulary: audience, curse, delightful,
lair, nightingale, sorceress
The Good Seed
#203
Hee, hee, hee! Click the Mouse
has a computer virus! Hee,
hee, hee!
O’Brien, Patrick. The Making of a Knight
Peet, Bill. Cowardly Clyde
Thomas, Shelly Moore. Good Night, Good
Knight
Features the book
The Empty Pot, by Demi
Key word: seed
Bond, Ruskin. The Cherry Tree
Word family: -eed (-ee, -eep, -eet, -eel)
Carle, Eric. The Tiny Seed
Folktale
Target sound: ee as long e
Demi. The Empty Pot
High-frequency sight words: be, free,
he, his
Havill, Juanita. Jamaica’s Find
Ye, Ting-xing. Weighing the Elephant
New vocabulary: antivirus software,
courage, deleted, e-mail, emperor, librarian,
moral, palace, parakeet, responsibility,
successor, throne, virus, weep
Grow, Mane, Grow!
#402
Lionel is still a growing cub,
but he’ll do anything to grow a
grown-up mane like his dad’s!
Features an infomercial
Advertisement
Key word: mane
Barber, Barbara. Saturday at the New You
Word family: -ane (-ake, -ale, -ase, -ay)
Cisneros, Sandra. Hairs/Pelitos
Target sound: ay (long a)
Freeman, Don. Dandelion
High-frequency sight words: go, is, it,
make, the, to, your
Robinson, Claire. Lions
Tarpley, Natasha. I Love My Hair!
New vocabulary: ashamed, assistant,
disgrace, guaranteed, scientific, system
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Seasons 1–10
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
23
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
Hay Day
#301
Can Lionel, Leona, and Gus
help a girl named Fay turn hay
into gold in just one day?
Help!
#308
The search for a lost book
helps Theo and Cleo teach the
cubs about responsibility.
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
Features the fairy tale
Rumpelstiltskin
Key word: hay
Aylesworth, Jim. My Son John
Word family: -ay (-ade, -ame, -ake)
Fairy tale
Target sound: ay (long a)
Hamilton, Virginia. The Girl Who Spun
Gold
High-frequency sight words: away, day,
don’t, I, if, name, no, say, way, you
Features a version of
“The Little Red Hen”
Folktale
Henkes, Kevin. Chrysanthemum
Martin, Mary Jane. From Anne to Zach
New vocabulary: bales, bracelet, dungeon,
rhino, spun, troll
Zelinsky, Paul O. Rumpelstiltskin
Key word: help
Ada, Alma Flor. With Love, Little Red Hen
Word family: -ell, -elp (-en, -ent, -ess,
-est, -et)
Barton, Byron. Little Red Hen
Target sound: short e
High-frequency sight words: all, and,
any, at, do, give, help, I, it, not, said, the,
then, very
Burningham, John. Mr. Gumpy’s Outing
Falwell, Cathryn. Feast for 10
Sturges, Philemon. The Little Red Hen
(Makes a Pizza)
New vocabulary: herring, impressive, mill,
selfish, smelt, swell, testy, wrench, yelp, zesty
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Seasons 1–10
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
24
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
Here Come the Aliens/
Abiyoyo
#606
Strange creatures lurk in outer
space, but even stranger creatures
dwell right here on earth.
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
Key word: queen
Deacon, Alexis. Beegu
Target sound: qu
Elliott, David. Hazel Nutt, Alien Hunter
High-frequency sight words: are, coming,
some, the, they, this
Keats, Ezra Jack. Regards to the Man
on the Moon
New vocabulary: admiral, alien, approach,
beware, bizarre, bleak, conquer, crew, fleet,
galaxy, manners, retreat, science fiction,
zillion
Leuck, Laura. My Monster Mama Loves
Me So
Here Come the Aliens
Features the book
Here Come the Aliens!,
by Colin McNaughton
Science fiction
McNaughton, Colin. Here Come
the Aliens!
Seeger, Pete. Abiyoyo
Abiyoyo
Features the book Abiyoyo,
by Pete Seeger
Key word: zoop
Folktale
High-frequency sight words: boy, father,
look, say, the
Target sound: z
New vocabulary: blimp, blizzard, cozy,
familiar, magician, ostracized, quiz, slobbery,
staggered, ukulele, vanished, wand, zipper
The Hopping Hen
#106
Everyone in the library goes
crazy after Lionel puts up signs
about new rules.
Features an original story
Signs
Key word: hen
Brown, Marc. Arthur’s Reading Race
Word family: -en (-et, -ell, -ed)
Crews, Donald. Night at the Fair
Target sound: short e
Hill, Mary. Signs on the Road
High-frequency sight words: no, what,
when, where, who, why, yes
Hoban, Tana. I Read Signs
Milch, Zoran. City Signs
New vocabulary: allowed, hen, permitted,
saxophone
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Seasons 1–10
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
25
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
How to Be a Good Dog/
Not Afraid of Dogs
#704
A cat tries to teach a dog to
behave, and a boy learns that
dogs aren’t so scary after all.
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
Key word: good
Allen, Jonathan. “I’m Not Scared!”
Word family: -ood, -ook
Ehlert, Lois. Wag a Tail
Target sound: oo (as in good)
Page, Gail. How to Be a Good Dog
New vocabulary: commands, difficult,
fabulous, fantastic, fetch, handy, heel,
marvelous, practice, strict, splendid,
swell, terrific
Page, Gail. Bobo and the New Neighbor
How to Be a Good Dog
Features the book
How to Be a Good Dog,
by Gail Page
Story
Pitzer, Susanna. Not Afraid of Dogs
Sturges, Philemon. Waggers
Not Afraid of Dogs
Features the book
Not Afraid of Dogs,
by Susanna Pitzer
Story
Huff and Puff
#306
Whatever happened to the three
little pigs? Leona and Lionel
want to know…so they write
their own sequels to the story!
Featured vocabulary: afraid, brave,
braver, bravest, petrified, scared, scary,
terrified; locative words (above, below,
far, near, inside, outside)
New vocabulary: crinkled, elevator,
snuggled, thunderstorm
Features a version of
“The Three Little Pigs”
Key word: puff
Ada, Alma Flor. Dear Peter Rabbit
Word family: -uff (-ug, -uck, -ump)
Galdone, Paul. The Three Little Pigs
Folktale
Target sound: short u
Scieszka, John. The True Story of the Three
Little Pigs
High-frequency sight words: come, I’ll, in,
me, my, no, of, said, the, you, your
New vocabulary: allergies, comma, period,
quotation marks, sequel
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Seasons 1–10
Trivizas, Eugene. The Three Little Wolves
and the Big Bad Pig
Wiesner, David. The Three Pigs
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
26
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
Hug, Hug, Hug!
#118
Leona helps a sculptor who
falls in love with his statue.
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
Features the Greek myth
“Pygmalion”
Key word: hug
Briggs, Raymond. The Snowman
Word family: -ug (-uck, -un, -ut, -ub)
Clements, Andrew. Workshop
Myth
Target sound: short u
Freeman, Don. Corduroy
High-frequency sight words: a, in,
other, words
James, Betsy. The Mud Family
Williams, Margery. The Velveteen Rabbit
New vocabulary: ancient, sculptor, statue
Humph! Humph! Humph!
#202
Lionel’s friend Gus gets
humphy when Leona asks him
to read to her.
Features the story “How
the Camel Got His Hump”
from Just So Stories, by
Rudyard Kipling
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s
Barnaby B. Busterfield III!
Barber, Barbara. Allie’s Basketball Dream
Word family: -ump (-uck, -unk, -ut)
Kipling, Rudyard. Just So Stories
(illus. Barry Moser)
Target sound: short u
High-frequency sight words: all, and, he,
new, says, the, with, won’t
Folktale
Icarus’s Wings
#204
Key word: hump
Mora, Pat. Tomás and the Library Lady
Paul, Ann Whitford. All by Herself
New vocabulary: ashamed, designated,
grumpy, idle, interrupt, practice
Polacco, Patricia. Thank You, Mr. Falker
Features the Greek myth
“Daedalus and Icarus”
Key word: wing
Blake, Robert. Fledgling
Word family: -ing (-ip, -ick, -it)
Brown, Marc. Wings on Things
Myth
Target sound: short i
Myers, Christopher. Wings
High-frequency sight words: a, be, start,
thing, with
Ryan, Pam Muñoz. Amelia and Eleanor
Go for a Ride
New vocabulary: imprisoned, labyrinth,
plummet, propeller, thrilling, UFO
Woodruff, Elvira. The Wing Shop
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Seasons 1–10
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
27
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
I Don’t Want a
Birthday Party/
Knuffle Bunny
#810
Leona can’t understand why
Roodles the Clown doesn’t want
a birthday party, and Theo,
Lionel, and Leona don’t want
to wash their favorite things.
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
I Don’t Want a Birthday Party
Features the original story
I Don’t Want a Birthday
Party
Original Story
Key word: rooster
Target sound: r
New vocabulary: birthday party, clown,
crying, happy, opposite, ran, rattled,
realized, relatives, room, rooster, round,
running, surprised
Knuffle Bunny
Cumpiano, Ina. Quinito, Day and Night/
Quinito, día y noche
Klise, Kate. Why Do You Cry? Not a
Sob Story
Smalls, Irene. Jonathan and His Mommy
Starr, Meg. Alicia’s Happy Day/El día más
feliz de Alicia
Willems, Mo. Knuffle Bunny
Features the book Knuffle
Bunny, by Mo Willems
Key word: bunny
Story
High-frequency sight words: and, she,
the, up
Target sound: -y (ending)
Willems, Mo. Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case
of Mistaken Identity
New vocabulary: barrel, comfortable,
dawn, dusk, removable, wring
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Seasons 1–10
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
28
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
I’ll Fix Anthony/
Jamaica Louise James
#604
A big brother and a jack-inthe-box could both use some
fixing, and a budding artist
draws up a plan for fixing up
a dreary subway station.
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
Features the book I’ll Fix
Anthony, by Judith Viorst
Key word: fix
Cameron, Ann. The Stories Julian Tells
Target sound: x
Hest, Amy. Jamaica Louise James
Story
High-frequency sight words: and, he,
him, if, I’ll, I’m, me, my, say, we’ll, when,
will, won’t
Reynolds, Peter. Ish
I’ll Fix Anthony
New vocabulary: checkers, clobber, contest,
fix (various meanings), ox, sax, xylophone
Say, Allen. Emma’s Rug
Viorst, Judith. Alexander and the
Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
Viorst, Judith. I’ll Fix Anthony
Jamaica Louise James
Features the book Jamaica
Louise James, by Amy Hest
Key word: draw
Story
High-frequency sight words: I, me, my,
they, we
Target sound: aw
New vocabulary: awfully, blot, dab, layer,
mayor, pad, plaque, saw (various meanings),
smear, smidge, squiggle, steep, subway,
surprise, token, worry
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Seasons 1–10
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
29
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
It’s Red! It’s Green!/
Joseph Had a Little
Overcoat
#510
In these folktales, a red hat is
really green (or is it red?), and
an old overcoat is also a button.
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
Key word: red
Howard, Elizabeth Fitzgerald. Aunt
Flossie’s Hats (and Crab Cakes Later)
It’s Red! It’s Green!
Features a version
of “A Quarrel
Between Friends,”
an African folktale
Folktale
Target sound: r
High-frequency sight words: friend, is,
the, too
New vocabulary: attractive, companion,
disagreement, enormous, gigantic, opinion,
rubies, wisdom
Joseph Had a Little Overcoat
Features the book Joseph
Had a Little Overcoat,
by Simms Taback
Peeke, Merle. Mary Wore Her Red Dress
and Henry Wore His Green Sneakers
Serfozo, Mary. Who Said Red?
Taback, Simms. Joseph Had a
Little Overcoat
Taback, Simms. This is the House that
Jack Built
Key word: jacket
Target sound: j
High-frequency sight words: a, and, got,
had, he, it, little, made, of, out, so
Story
New vocabulary: exactly, fasten,
handkerchief, jabber, juggle, necktie, nephew,
overcoat, scarf, sneakers, suspenders, worn
A King and His Hawk
#125
Leona thinks a book Lionel
reads to her is too sad, so she
tries to make sure nobody else
can read it.
Features a legend
about Genghis Khan
Key word: king
Baylor, Byrd. Hawk, I’m Your Brother
Word family: -ing (-ip, -ick, -ig, -it)
Burrowes, Adjoa. Grandma’s Purple Flowers
Folktale
Target sound: short i
Milord, Susan. Tales Alive!
High-frequency sight words: a, and, in,
is, it, of, that, the, to, you (“Ten Small Words”
song)
Thomas, Jane Resh. Saying Goodbye
to Grandma
New vocabulary: hidden, rage, tragic
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Seasons 1–10
Viorst, Judith. The Tenth Good Thing
About Barney
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
30
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
King Midas/
The Dirty Smelly King
#607
King Midas gets what he wished
for, then wishes he didn’t, and
King Chuck the Mucky Muck
wishes he weren’t so smelly.
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
Features the myth
“King Midas”
Key word: king
Craft, Charlotte. King Midas and the
Golden Touch
Myth
Target sound: k
King Midas
Word family: -ick
High-frequency sight words: he, him, his
New vocabulary: dangling, forsake, greedy,
kabob, kale, kazoo, keen, kidney, kite, kooky,
kumquat, perky
Demi. King Midas: The Golden Touch
Smalls, Irene. I Can’t Take a Bath
Wells, Rosemary. Max and Ruby’s Midas
Wood, Audrey. King Bidgood’s
in the Bathtub
The Dirty Smelly King
Features a version of
“The Dirty Smelly King”
Key word: back
Folktale
Target sound: ck
Word family: -ick
High-frequency sight words: and, at, in,
look, out, see
New vocabulary: majesty, muck, peck,
popular, preferably, prime minister
The Last Cliff Hanger
#210
Lionel is very unhappy because
author Livingston Dangerously
has written The Last Cliff Hanger.
Features an original story
Story
Key word: last
Aliki. How a Book Is Made
Word family: -ast (-at, -an, -ant)
Christelow, Ellen. What Do Authors Do?
Target sound: short a
Marshall, Pam. From Idea to Book
High-frequency sight words: a, and, by,
can’t, of, the
Medearis, Angela Shelf. Lucy’s Quiet Book
Nixon, Joan Lowery. If You Were a Writer
New vocabulary: paddle, stapler, tackle
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Seasons 1–10
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
31
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
Like a Windy Day/
Winter Is the Warmest
Season
#909
In this animated special, the
Lion family and Click the Mouse
try not to let the wind spoil
their picnic, and Lionel tries to
convince Leona that winter is
really warm.
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
Key word: windy
Asch, Frank and Devin Asch. Like a
Windy Day
Like a Windy Day
Features the book Like a
Windy Day, by Frank Asch
& Devin Asch
Target sound: -y ending
New vocabulary: flowery; seasons (autumn,
fall, spring, summer, winter); weather-related
(chilly, cloudy, cold, drippy, drizzly, foggy,
hot, mizzly, nippy, rainy, showery, slippery,
snowy, stormy, sunny, warm, windy)
Story
Winter Is the Warmest Season
Features the book Winter
Is the Warmest Season, by
Lauren Stringer
Story
Featured vocabulary: seasonal sports
(badminton, basketball, sledding, soccer,
swimming); summer-related (heat wave,
hot, steamy, warm); winter-related (blankets,
cold, cool, cozy, hat, hot chocolate, scarf,
snow, snowing, snowman)
Cobb, Vicki. I Face the Wind
Glaser, Linda. It’s Winter
Hall Ets, Marie. Gilberto and the Wind
Lin, Grace and Ranida T. McKneally. Our
Seasons
Stringer, Lauren. Winter Is the
Warmest Season
New vocabulary: imagine
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Seasons 1–10
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
32
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
Lionel’s Antlers
#110
Just like the girl in the book
Imogene’s Antlers, Lionel
wakes up with antlers on
his head.
Lionel’s Great
Escape Trick
#114
Lionel ties himself up with
ropes and tries to escape
without magic words.
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
Features the book
Imogene’s Antlers,
by David Small
Key word: antlers
Geisel, Theodor. If I Ran the Zoo
Word family: -an (-ant, -am, -amp)
Jeffers, Susan. My Pony
Target sound: short a
Kimmel, Eric. The Rooster’s Antlers
High-frequency sight words: an, man, off
Small, David. Imogene’s Antlers
New vocabulary: antlers, enchanting,
peacock, scram
Van Laan, Nancy. Moose Tales
Features the real-life
story of Houdini
Key word: trick
Brown, Marc. Arthur’s April Fool
Word family: -ick (-it, -ish, -ig)
Web site
Target sound: short i
Johnson, Crockett. Harold and the
Purple Crayon
Story
High-frequency sight words: do, the, words
Sendak, Maurice. Where the Wild
Things Are
New vocabulary: applause, escape, famous,
flicker, magician, sunken
Van Allsburg, Chris. Jumanji
Wyler, Rose & Gerald Ames. Magic Secrets
Little Big Mouse
#103
Click’s feelings are hurt when
Lionel and Leona start a fan club
for a heroic storybook mouse.
Features Aesop’s fable
“The Lion and the Mouse”
Key word: little
Fable
Target sound: short i
Word family: -it (-ip, -ick, -in)
High-frequency sight words: big, brown,
can, it, little
New vocabulary: appetite, approaching,
intelligent, unzipped
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Seasons 1–10
Alborough, Jez. Watch Out! Big Bro’s
Coming
Faustin, Charles. The Selfish Crocodile
Lobel, Arnold. Mouse Soup
Steptoe, John. The Story of Jumping Mouse
Waber, Bernard. The Mouse That Snored
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
33
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
The Lost Rock
#102
Features an original story
Key word: rock
Baylor, Byrd. Everybody Needs a Rock
Word family: -ock (-op, -ot, -om)
Brown, Marcia. Stone Soup
Target sound: short o (double o)
Christian, Peggy. If You Find a Rock
High-frequency sight words: am, and,
mom, not, stop, the
Kimmel, Eric. Anansi and the
Moss-Covered Rock
New vocabulary: dictionary, kazoo
Shields, Carol Diggory. Martian Rock
Key word: duck
Andersen, Hans Christian. The Ugly
Duckling (illus. Jerry Pinkney)
A rock rolls out of his book
and then can’t remember
which book he belongs in.
The Lucky Duck
#123
Lionel tries to help a very
cute duck from a very cute book
stop being so cute.
Dictionary
Features an original story
Word family: -uck (-ucky, -ug, -ud)
Story
Target sound: short u
High-frequency sight words: a, oh, what
New vocabulary: delighted, leather, rude,
scanning
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Seasons 1–10
McCloskey, Robert. Make Way for Ducklings
Raffi. Five Little Ducks
Root, Phyllis. One Duck Stuck
Tafuri, Nancy. Have You Seen My Duckling?
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
34
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
Making Bread/
Cheesybreadville
#710
After Theo’s fails at making
bread, a video and a book come
to the rescue. Another breadbaking disaster creates a tasty
new treat.
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
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)
Dooley, Norah. Everybody Bakes Bread
Making Bread
Features an original video
Video
New vocabulary: baguette, fresh, expanded,
surprisingly, tastes, tasty, tastier, tastiest
Levenson, George. Bread Comes to Life:
A Garden of Wheat and a Loaf to Eat
Manzano, Sonia. “Cheesybreadville,”
in Thanks and Giving All Year Long,
by Marlo Thomas and Friends
Mora, Pat. The Bakery Lady
Morris, Ann. Bread, Bread, Bread
Cheesybreadville
Features the poem
“Cheesybreadville,”
by Sonia Manzano
Pinkney, Jerry. The Little Red Hen
Key word: corn
Smalls, Irene. My Pop Pop and Me
Target sound: r-controlled o
High-frequency sight words: he, her, him,
his, look, see, she, they
Poem
New vocabulary: airborne, anonymous,
aware, belching, cornmeal, din,
doused, fame, hollered, horrible,
orphan, popular, renowned, stumbled,
tempting, title, trio, wailed
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Seasons 1–10
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
35
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
Mole and the Baby Bird/
Owen and Mzee
#802
Lionel and Leona find out why
some animals aren’t meant to
be pets, and how some animals
develop surprising friendships.
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
Key word: fly
Hatkoff, Isabella, Craig Hatkoff and
Dr. Paula Kahumbu. Owen & Mzee:
The Language of Friendship
Mole and the Baby Bird
Features the book
Mole and the Baby Bird,
by Marjorie Newman
Target sound: fl
New vocabulary: feelings and emotions
(care, cried, feel, dejected, happy, miserable,
sad); animal-related (baby bird, cage, die,
feed, food, fluttered, fly, flying, grew, help,
mole, nest, pet, wild, wind, wings)
Story
Newman, Marjorie. Mole and the
Baby Bird
Owen and Mzee
Features the book Owen
& Mzee, told by Isabella
Hatkoff, Craig Hatkoff,
and Dr. Paula Kahumbu
with photographs by
Peter Greste
Hatkoff, Isabella, Craig Hatkoff,
and Dr. Paula Kahumbu.
Owen & Mzee: The True Story of a
Remarkable Friendship
Featured vocabulary: crocodile, hippo,
tortoise, turtle
New vocabulary: environment and weather
(beach, home, nature park, reef, river, storm,
water, wave); friendship (best friend, friends)
Torres, Leyla. The Subway Sparrow
Winter, Jeanette. Mama: A True Story
Yee, Wong Herbert. Upstairs Mouse,
Downstairs Mole
Nonfiction Story
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Seasons 1–10
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
36
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
Moon Rope/
Welcome to the Moon
#707
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.
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
Features the book
Moon Rope by Lois Ehlert
Key word: rope
Asch, Frank. Moongame
Target sound: long o (as in o_e)
Beifuss, John. Armadillo Ray
Folktale
Word family: -ope (-ose, -ole, -oke)
Ehlert, Lois. Moon Rope
New vocabulary: appear, braided, creatures,
crescent, fuss, glancing, hitch, mole, telescope,
tunnel, twirled, unnoticed, upset
Gibbons, Gail. The Moon Book
Moon Rope
Mcnulty, Faith. If You Decide to Go
to the Moon
Welcome to the Moon
Features a web site with
a video about the moon,
presented as a girl’s diary
Web site, video, diary
Landry, Leo. Space Boy
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
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Seasons 1–10
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
37
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
Mrs. McNosh Hangs Up
Her Wash/
Knuffle Bunny
#601
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.
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
Mrs. McNosh Hangs Up Her Wash
Features the book
Mrs. McNosh Hangs Up
Her Wash, by Sarah Weeks
Key word: her
Word family: -er, -ir
Target sound: r-controlled e, r-controlled i
Rhyming story
High-frequency sight words: and, she,
the, up
New vocabulary: barrel, comfortable, dawn,
dusk, removable, wring
Clark, Emma Chichester. Where Are You,
Blue Kangaroo?
Falconer, Ian. Olivia…and the Missing Toy
Noble, Trinka Hakes. The Day Jimmy’s
Boa Ate the Wash
Weeks, Sarah. Mrs. McNosh Hangs Up
Her Wash
Weeks, Sarah. Oh My Gosh, Mrs. McNosh
Willems, Mo. Knuffle Bunny
Knuffle Bunny
Features the book Knuffle
Bunny, by Mo Willems
Key word: bunny
Story
High-frequency sight words: and, daddy,
her, look, she, the
Target sound: -y ending
New vocabulary: apron, bawled, cautionary,
errand, fussy, gown, laundromat, laundry,
realized, replied, scurry, shirt, stockings,
underwear
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Seasons 1–10
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
38
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
My Dog Is Smelly as Dirty
Socks/
Just What Mama Needs
#1007
The Lion family turns a box
of junk into self-portraits, and
Leona tricks Lionel into cleaning
her room.
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
My Dog Is as Smelly as Dirty Socks
Features the book My Dog
Is as Smelly as Dirty Socks,
by Hanoch Piven
Story/Concept Book
Featured vocabulary: dog; family words
(aunt, brother, cousins, family, grandmother,
love, mom, pop, sister, uncle)
New vocabulary: descriptive words
(amusing, beautiful, big, blue, brown,
colorful, cool, curious, curly, cute, delicious,
different, funny, gentle, little, reliable, same,
silly, special, straight, strong, sweet, tasty,
thick, unusual); draw, picture
Story/Concept Book
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Seasons 1–10
Glenn, Sharlee. Just What Mama Needs
Katz, Karen. The Colors of Us
Lomas Garza, Carmen. Family Pictures,
Cuadros de familia
Piven, Hanoch. My Best Friend Is as Sharp
as a Pencil
Piven, Hanoch. My Dog Is as Smelly as
Dirty Socks
Just What Mama Needs
Features the book
Just What Mama Needs,
by Sharlee Glenn
Carle, Eric. Today is Monday
Featured vocabulary: days of the week
(Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday,
Thursday, Friday, Saturday)
New vocabulary: clean, cleaned, cowgirl,
detective, genie, kiss, kissed, moose, pirate,
platform, queen, witch, wore
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
39
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
Night Shift/
Under Construction
#901
The Lion family helps out a
monkey who sells ice cream in
the middle of the night, and tries
to figure out how to get rid of the
enormous tree branch that fell
into the library.
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
Featured vocabulary: job-related (artist,
bridge painter, chef, director, disc jockey,
fisherman, freight captain, groom, pilot,
plumber, radio DJ, road worker, scoop,
security guard, sing, sketch, snip, street
sweeper, truck driver, waitress)
Banks, Kate. The Night Worker
Night Shift
Features the book
Night Shift, by Jesse
Hartland
Nonfiction
New vocabulary: time-related (awake, bed,
closed, day, end, late, quiet, start, time)
Nonfiction/Song
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Seasons 1–10
Hartland, Jessie. Night Shift
Olson, K.C. Construction Countdown
Sobel, June. B is for Bulldozer: A
Construction ABC
Zimmerman, Andrea. Digger Man
Under Construction
Features an original song
Caterpillar. C is for Construction: Big
Trucks and Diggers from A to Z
Featured vocabulary: construction vehicles
(backhoe, bulldozer, cement mixer, concrete
mixer, crane, dump truck, forklift, pickup
truck, steam shovel, steamroller, vehicles)
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
40
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
No One Told the Aardvark/
Sea Horse
#807
Leona pretends to be different
animals, and tries the sea horse’s
trick of camouflage in the library.
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
No One Told the Aardvark
Features the book
No One Told the Aardvark,
by Deborah Eaton and
Susan Halter
Featured vocabulary: aardvark, animal,
boa constrictor, chimpanzee, crab, elephant,
fish, horse, kangaroo, plover, raccoon, snails,
snake, termites, whale
Concept Book
New vocabulary: chew, crawl, hurry,
swallow, pouches, slow, tongue, zoo
Nonfiction Story
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Seasons 1–10
Butterworth, Chris. Sea Horse
Carle, Eric. Mister Seahorse
Eaton, Deborah and Susan Halter.
No One Told the Aardvark
George, Twig C. Seahorses
Sea Horse
Features the book
Sea Horse, by Chris
Butterworth
Barrett, Judi. Never Take a Shark to the
Dentist: And Other Things Not to Do
Key word: fish
Hickman, Pamela. Animal Senses: How
Animals See, Hear, Taste, Smell and Feel
Target sound: f
New vocabulary: babies, camouflage, coral,
coral branch, current, eggs, fish, fins, mate,
ocean, pouch, reef, sea, seabed, sea horse,
slowly, swims, tail, waves
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
41
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
Not Norman/
Me and My Cat?
#1006
Theo feels as unappreciated as
a goldfish named Norman, and
a malfunctioning computer gets
the Lion family all mixed up.
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
Features the book Not
Norman, by Kelly Bennett
Key word: not
Cheng, Andrea. Goldfish and
Chrysanthemums
Story
New vocabulary: catch, chase, chasing,
jumping, pets (bird, cat, dog, goldfish,
hamster, lizards, mice, puppies, snake); run,
scared, screaming
Not Norman
Target sound: n
Story
Oh, Yes, It Can!
#212
Can yams, gloves, and hammers
talk? Oh, yes, they can!
Doering Tourville, Amanda. Flutter and
Float: Bringing Home Goldfish
Kitamura, Satoshi. Me and My Cat?
Grimes, Nikki. When Gorilla Goes Walking
Me and My Cat?
Features the book Me
and My Cat? by Satoshi
Kitamura
Bennett, Kelly. Not Norman
Featured vocabulary: cat, claws, paws,
purred, tail
Roberton, Fiona. Wanted: The Perfect Pet
New vocabulary: awake, barking, ears,
eyes, feet, hunt, kicked, leap, licked, plays,
pounce, punched, scratched, sleeping
Features a version of
“Talk,” an African folktale
Key word: can
Bruchac, Joseph. Racoon’s Last Race
Word family: -an (-at, -ant, -am, -ack)
Kimmel, Eric. Anansi and the Talking Melon
Folktale
Target sound: short a
Meddaugh, Susan. Martha Speaks
High-frequency sight words: can, can’t,
has, I, in, it, that, they, yes, you
San Souci, Robert D. The Talking Eggs
New vocabulary: Ashanti, commanded,
fabric, gasped, yam, yammering
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Seasons 1–10
Yolen, Jane. Favorite Folktales from
Around the World
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
42
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
The Old Man
#124
Features an original story
Key word: man
Brown, Ruth. A Dark, Dark Tale
Word family: -an (-am, -and, -ack)
Martin, Bill, Jr. A Beasty Story
Target sound: short a
Pulver, Robin. Author Day for Room 3T
High-frequency sight words: a, an, and, in,
is, it, man, of, old, that, the, this, to, was, you
(“Ten Small Words” song)
Schwartz, Alvin. In a Dark, Dark Room
Writer Babs Caplan visits
the library to write the world’s
scariest story.
Story in progress
Yep, Laurence. The Man Who Tricked
a Ghost
New vocabulary: enchanting, planet, scram
Out in Outer Space
#307
Grandpa Lion visits the library
and tells the true story of a friend
who traveled out in outer space.
Features an original
biography of astronaut
Ellen Ochoa
Biography
Key word: out
Lindbergh, Reeve. Nobody Owns the Sky
Word family: -out (-ound, -outh, -ow)
Mora, Pat. Tomás and the Library Lady
Target sound: ou (spelled ow or ou)
Ryan, Pam Muñoz. Amelia and Eleanor
Go for a Ride
High-frequency sight words: how, in, now,
our, out
New vocabulary: astronaut, biography,
chowder, comma, homophone, ingredient,
outstanding, period, punctuator, space shuttle
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Seasons 1–10
Thomas, Frances. One Day, Daddy
Wallace, Karen. Rockets and Spaceships
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
43
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
Pablo the Artist/
Dream Carver
#1004
The Lion family is inspired to
create works of art, and Gus is
inspired when he and Lionel
work on a page from the Cliff
Hanger Coloring Book.
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
Featured vocabulary: art (abstract, art,
artist, canvas, easel, exhibition, inspiration,
landscape, museum, paint, paintbrush,
painting, picture, portrait, seascape, still
life); music
Cohn, Diana. Dream Carver
Pablo the Artist
Features the book Pablo
the Artist, by Satoshi
Kitamura
Story
New vocabulary: animals (animals, bees,
bird, frog, rat, sheep, squirrel, wild boar,
wolf, worm, turtle); sleep (asleep, dream,
drowsy, napping, woke up, yawned)
Johnson, Angela. Lily Brown’s Paintings
Kitamura, Satoshi. Pablo the Artist
Say, Allen. Emma’s Rug
Weill, Cynthia. ABeCedarios: Mexican Folk
Art ABCs in English and Spanish
Winter, Jeanette. Josefina
Dream Carver
Pandora’s Box
#113
Should Lionel and Leona open
a mysterious box that has a
“Do Not Open!” sign on it?
Features the book Dream
Carver, by Diana Cohn
Key word: dreams
Story
New Vocabulary: art (carve, carvings,
drawing, inspired, inspiring, paintbrush,
painted); colors (black, bold, bright, green,
orange, red, turquoise, white, yellow);
dragon, dream, dress, drum, father, mother,
sister
Features the Greek myth
“Pandora’s Box”
Key word: box
Stevenson, James. The Mud Flat Mystery
Word family: -ox (-ot, -op, -oppy)
Thompson, Kay. Eloise
Myth
Target sound: short o (double o)
Turkle, Brinton. Do Not Open
High-frequency sight words: do, not,
open, stop
Waddell, Martin. The Pig in the Pond
Target sound: dr
New vocabulary: curious, exclamation
point, hiccups
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Seasons 1–10
Wells, Rosemary. Max and Ruby
in Pandora’s Box
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
44
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
Pebble Trouble
#211
Leona is under a table and
won’t come out.
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
Features the book
Sylvester and the Magic
Pebble, by William Steig
Key word: pebble
Bruchac, Joseph. The First Strawberries
Word family: -eb (-en, -ent, -est, -ess)
Leaf, Munro. The Story of Ferdinand
Target sound: short e
Silverman, Erica. Don’t Fidget a Feather!
High-frequency sight words: and, he, his,
no, on, the, was, yes
Steig, William. Sylvester and the Magic
Pebble
New vocabulary: agitated, ceased,
distressed, pebble, perturbed
Yolen, Jane & Mark Teague. How Do
Dinosaurs Say Goodnight?
Features a variety
of tongue twisters
Key word: peppers
Artell, Mike. Giggle Fit: Zany
Tongue Twisters
Tongue twisters
Target sound: short e
Story
A Peck of Peppers
#120
Lionel thinks he is the king of
tongue twisters and nobody can
write one that he can’t say.
Pecos Bill Cleans Up
the West
#101
A storybook tornado blows
into the library and makes
a terrible mess.
Word family: -ep (-eck, -en, -ess, -et)
High-frequency sight words: a, if, is, of,
the, where
Buck, Nola. Creepy Crawly Critters
Geisel, Theodor. Oh Say Can You Say?
Marcus, Hal. Animal Alphabet Album
New vocabulary: gloat, impressive, peck,
tenderloin, tongue twister
Schwartz, Alvin. Busy Buzzing Bumblebees
Features a version of an
American tall tale
Key word: west
Hopkins, Jackie. The Horned Toad Prince
Word family: -est (-ess, -ell, -et)
Isaacs, Anne. Swamp Angel
Folktale
Target sound: short e
Keats, Ezra Jack. John Henry
High-frequency sight words: in, the, was
Kellogg, Steven. Pecos Bill
New vocabulary: fictional, imaginary,
lasso, steady, steed, tall tale, tornado, twister,
unwelcome
McKissack, Patricia. A Million Fish...
More or Less
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Seasons 1–10
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
45
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
Pete’s a Pizza/
Pygmalion
#605
With a little imagination,
a father turns his son into
a pizza, and some loving hugs
bring a statue to life.
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
Features the book Pete’s
a Pizza, by William Steig
Key word: father
Amery, Heather. Greek Myths for Young
Children
Story
High-frequency sight words: father, that,
the, then
Pete’s a Pizza
Target sound: th
New vocabulary: capture, contractions,
dough, kneading, miserable, mood,
mustache, thimble, twirled, whirled
Briggs, Raymond. The Snowman
Holub, Joan. The Pizza That We Made
Steig, William. Pete’s a Pizza
Sturges, Philemon. The Little Red Hen
(Makes a Pizza)
Pygmalion
Features the Greek myth
“Pygmalion”
Key word: hug
Myth
High-frequency sight words: he, him, his
Target sound: g (hard)
New vocabulary: ancient, goggles,
masterpiece, pity, pretend, sculptor, statue
Piggyback, Piggyback
#127
Leona decides to ride
piggyback on her dad’s
back forever and ever.
Features a version of
“The King with Dirty Feet,”
a folktale from India
Folktale
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Seasons 1–10
Key word: back
Goodman, Joan Elizabeth. Bernard’s Bath
Word family: -ack (-at, -ap, -ab, -ad)
Meister, Cari. Tiny’s Bath
Target sound: short a
Steptoe, Javaka. In Daddy’s Arms I Am Tall
High-frequency sight words: and, at,
in, out
Wood, Audrey. King Bidgood’s
in the Bathtub
New vocabulary: acrobat, flapjack,
piggyback, racket, unpacked
Ziefert, Harriet. Harry Takes a Bath
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
46
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
Pigs Aplenty
#302
When Theo and Cleo leave
Marmy in charge of the cubs,
she throws a big pig party
in the library.
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
Features the book
Pigs Aplenty, Pigs Galore!,
by David McPhail
Key word: pig
Child, Lauren. Clarice Bean, Guess Who’s
Babysitting?
Word family: -ig (-ick, -in, -ing, -ink, -ip, -it)
Target sound: short i
Story
High-frequency sight words: do, give,
we, what
New vocabulary: aplenty, apostrophe,
disaster, galore, hippo, jig, snout, sprig,
stagger
Pigs in Hiding/
Stop That Pickle!
#905
The Lion family plays hide-andseek, then joins a sandwich on
the hunt for a runaway pickle in
the library.
Day, Alexandra. Good Dog, Carl
McPhail, David. Pigs Aplenty,
Pigs Galore!
Miranda, Anne. Pignic
Wardlaw, Lee. Saturday Night Jamboree
Pigs in Hiding
Features the book
Pigs in Hiding, by Arlene
Dubanevich
Story
Featured vocabulary: locative words
(above, behind, below, beside, far, far away
from, in, in front of, inside, near, next to, on
top of, outside, under); quantity words (all,
almost all, some); relational words (anybody,
everybody, somebody, nobody)
New vocabulary: found, here, hide, hiding,
pigs; snacks (donuts, peanuts, popcorn,
punch, sandwiches, strawberries); surprise
Ahlberg, Allan. The Runaway Dinner
Armour, Peter. Stop That Pickle!
Dubanevich, Arlene. Pigs in Hiding
Hassett, John. Can’t Catch Me
McPhail, David. Pigs Aplenty, Pigs Galore!
Wong, Janet S. Hide & Seek
Stop That Pickle
Features the book Stop
That Pickle!, by Peter
Armour
New vocabulary: food-related (almonds,
apple, bake shop, brine, deli, doughnut/
donut, food, grape juice, hungry, ice cream
cone, jar, pickle, pretzel, raisins, sandwich);
actions and movement (caught, chase,
collided, fast, rolled, shouted, slowest, stop)
Story
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Featured concept: punctuation
(contractions, exclamation point, period,
question mark)
Seasons 1–10
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
47
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
Pigs, Pigs, Pigs!/
The Three Little Pigs
#501
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.
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
Key word: pigs
Galdone, Paul. The Three Little Pigs
Word family: -op
Gibbons, Gail. Pigs
Target sound: p
Lowell, Susan. The Three Little Javelinas
High-frequency sight words: and, her,
house, I, is
McPhail, David. Pigs Aplenty,
Pigs Galore!
New vocabulary: galore
McPhail, David. Those Can-Do Pigs
Pigs, Pigs, Pigs!
Features the book
Pigs Aplenty, Pigs Galore!,
by David McPhail
Story
Roth, Carol. Ten Dirty Pigs/Ten Clean Pigs
The Three Little Pigs
Features a version of
“The Three Little Pigs”
Key word: house
Folktale
Target sound: h
Word family: -op
High-frequency sight words: big, in, little,
no, the, then
New vocabulary: locative words (behind, in
front of, next to, on top of, under)
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Seasons 1–10
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
48
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
Poetry Day
#207
Two pigeons named Walter
and Clay learn all about poetry
on Poetry Day!
The Popcorn Popper
#116
Lionel and Leona persuade
Click to take a magic popcorn
popper out of a book and then
can’t make it stop popping!
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
Features a poem from
A Child’s Garden of Verses,
by Robert Louis Stevenson
Key word: train
Bryan, Ashley. Sing to the Sun
Word family: -ain (-aint, -ail, -air)
Demi. In the Eyes of a Cat: Japanese Poetry
Target sound: ai as long a
Greenfield, Eloise. Honey, I Love
High-frequency sight words: and, has, is,
it, on, pull, push, the
Prelutsky, Jack. Read-Aloud Rhymes for the
Very Young
New vocabulary: entertainment, pail, poetry,
poultry, rhyme, rhythm, spotlight, transport
Stevenson, Robert Louis. A Child’s
Garden of Verses
Features a folktale about
magical pots
Key word: pop
Barrett, Judi. Cloudy With a Chance
of Meatballs
Folktale & Instructions
Target sound: short o
Poetry
Word family: -op (-om, -ot, -ox)
High-frequency sight words: it, mom, not,
on, pop
New vocabulary: designated, instructions,
poplar, popular
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Seasons 1–10
Demi. One Grain of Rice
dePaola, Tomie. The Popcorn Book
Moran, Alex. Popcorn
Riley, Linnea. Mouse Mess
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
49
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
The Popcorn Popper/
Oh, Yes, It Can!
#907
Lionel and Leona can’t make a
popcorn popper stop popping,
then meet a yam that can talk.
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
Features a folktale about
magical pots
Key word: popcorn
dePaola, Tomie. Strega Nona
Word family: -op
Galdone, Paul. The Magic Porridge Pot
Folktale & Instructions
Target sound: short o
Kimmel, Eric. Anansi and the Talking
Melon
The Popcorn Popper
New vocabulary: designated, instructions,
popcorn
Oh, Yes, It Can!
Features a version of
“Talk,” an African
folktale
Key word: can
Word family: -an (-at)
MacDonald, Margaret Read. Tunjur!
Tunjur! Tunjur!: A Palestinian Folktale
Paye, Won-Ldy and Margaret H. Lippert.
The Talking Vegetables
Yolen, Jane. Favorite Folktales from
Around the World
Target sound: short a
Folktale
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
New vocabulary: abacus, alligator,
alphabet, ant, apple, apricot, Ashanti,
avocado, commanded, fabric, gasped, yam,
yammering
Seasons 1–10
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
50
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
Priceless Gifts/
King Midas
#906
Is Lionel going to get his wish—
to see Cliff Hanger get off the
cliff? King Midas gets what
he wished for, then wishes he
didn’t.
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
Features a retelling of the
folktale “Priceless Gifts”
Key word: sheep
Craft, Charlotte. King Midas and the
Golden Touch
Folktale
New vocabulary: cat, friend, gift, grateful,
king, merchant, priceless, sailed, sell,
shaking, shapes, shark, sheep, shell,
shimmying, shirt, shoes, shovels, shower
curtains, shrimps, shrubs
Priceless Gifts
Target sound: sh
Demi. King Midas: The Golden Touch
Hamilton, Martha. Priceless Gifts: A Tale
from Italy
Polacco, Patricia. Mrs. Katz and Tush
Wells, Rosemary. Max and Ruby’s Midas
King Midas
Features the myth “King
Midas”
Key word: king
Myth
New vocabulary: dangling, forsake, greedy,
kabob, kale, kazoo, keen, kidney, kite, kooky,
kumquat, perky
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Seasons 1–10
Target sound: k
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
51
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
The Problem with
Chickens/
An Egg Is Quiet
#701
What to do about chickens that
don’t lay eggs and eggs that just
sit there quietly and don’t hatch?
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
The Problem with Chickens
Features the book The
Problem with Chickens,
by Bruce McMillan
Story
Key word: chickens
Aston, Dianna. A Seed is Sleepy
Target sound: ch
Aston, Dianna. An Egg is Quiet
New vocabulary: chess, chilly, chuckling,
exercising
McMillan, Bruce. The Problem
with Chickens
Seeger, Laura Vaccaro. First the Egg
Sklansky, Amy. Where Do Chicks
Come From?
An Egg Is Quiet
Features the book An Egg
Is Quiet, by Dianna Aston
Nonfiction
Quest, Quest, Quest!
#216
Faith Prince stars in an adventure
about two knights and a nasty
villain, written by Babs Caplan
with a little help from the lions.
Recommended Books
Features an original story
Featured vocabulary: descriptive words
(colorful, loud, noisy, quiet); shapes (circle,
oval, rectangle, round, square, triangle)
New vocabulary: albumen, camouflage,
hatch, shell, tubular, yolk
Key word: quest
Word family: -est (-ess, -et, -en, -ed)
Story
Target sound: short e
High-frequency sight words: best, for,
of, the
New vocabulary: armor, dungeon, jester,
kettle, quest, siesta, tenderloin, villain
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Seasons 1–10
Sykes, Julie. Dora’s Eggs
dePaola, Tomie. The Knight and
the Dragon
Gibbons, Gail. Knights in Shining Armor
Maynard, Christopher. Days of the Knights
San Souci, Robert D. Young Lancelot
Talbott, Hudson. King Arthur and the
Round Table
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
52
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
The Ram in the
Pepper Patch
#119
A rambunctious ram leaves
his book, butts everyone and
everything in the library,
and won’t go back!
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
Features a version of
“The Ram in the Chili
Patch,” a Mexican folktale
Key word: ram
Christelow, Ellen. Five Little Monkeys
with Nothing to Do
Word family: -am (-an, -ap, -ad)
Target sound: short a
Folktale
High-frequency sight words: am, in, no,
on, the
New vocabulary: diagram, hamburger,
scram, scramble
Rats
#221
Sticks and stones can break
your bones, but names can
never hurt you. Or can they?
Features an original story
Story
Leona’s new hat stirs up trouble
in the library.
Folktale
Sierra, Judy. Nursery Tales Around the World
Wild, Margaret. Nighty Night!
Choi, Yang Sook. The Name Jar
Word family: -at (-ag, -an, -ant)
dePaola, Tomie. Oliver Button Is a Sissy
Target sound: short a
Frasier, Debra. Miss Alaineus: A Vocabulary
Disaster
High-frequency sight words: in, that,
they, to
Features a version of “A
Quarrel Between Friends,”
an African folktale
McKissack, Patricia & Fredrick. Messy
Bessey’s School Desk
Key word: rat
New vocabulary: acrobat, bard, eulogy,
fabulous, flatter, insult
Red Hat, Green Hat
#122
Geisel, Theodor. The Cat in the Hat
Henkes, Kevin. Julius: The Baby
of the World
Lovell, Patty. Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon
Key word: red
Jones, Rebecca C. Matthew and Tilly
Word family: -ed (-et, -en, -end), -eep
Marshall, James. George and Martha
Target sound: short e (long e)
Morris, Ann. Hats, Hats, Hats
High-frequency sight words: green, is,
red, said
Silverman, Erica. Don’t Fidget a Feather!
Zolotow, Charlotte. The Quarreling Book
New vocabulary: dove, fowl, hen,
information, jealous, peacock, quail
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Seasons 1–10
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
53
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
Red Parka Mary/
Not Afraid of Dogs
#1010
Leona and her friend Sadie are
scarier than they think, and a
boy learns that dogs aren’t so
scary after all.
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
Key Word: love
Eyvindson, Peter. Red Parka Mary
Target Sound: l
Chinn, Karen. Sam and the Lucky Money
New vocabulary: book, draw; emotions
(afraid, dramatic, heart, love, scared); family
(dad, family, grandmother, mom, sister);
hear, listen, lobster, lollipop, lovely, pictures,
read, writes
Pitzer, Susanna. Not Afraid of Dogs
Red Parka Mary
Features the book Red
Parka Mary, by Peter
Eyvindson
Story
Golembe, Carla. Dog Magic
McGovern, Ann. The Lady in the Box
Vail, Rachel. Jibberwillies at Night
Not Afraid of Dogs
Features the book
Not Afraid of Dogs, by
Susanna Pitzer
Story
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Featured vocabulary: emotions (afraid,
brave, braver, bravest, petrified, scared,
scary, terrified); locative words (above, below,
far, near, inside, outside)
New vocabulary: crinkled, elevator,
snuggled, thunderstorm
Seasons 1–10
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
54
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
River Story/
Salmon in Alaska
#904
The cubs take a trip down the
river, and the whole family
heads to Alaska.
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
Key word: river
Gonzalez, Maya Christina. I Know the
River Loves Me/Yo sé que el río me ama
River Story
Features the book
River Story, by Meredith
Hooper
Nonfiction
Target sound: r
New vocabulary: descriptive words
(bubbling, bouncing, bumping, dripping,
melting, stronger); imagine; locative words
(deeper, over, under, wider); river-related
(boulders, deep, fish, moss, mud, pebbles,
rowboat, stones, stream, water)
Nonfiction
Joosse, Barbara M. Mama, Do You Love
Me?
Miller, Debbie S. River of Life
Kalman, Bobbie. The Life Cycle of a
Salmon
McMillan, Bruce. Salmon Summer
Salmon in Alaska
Features an original story
Hooper, Meredith. River Story
Featured vocabulary: fish and fishing
(creek, drifting, fish drying rack, hatching,
incubator, ocean, pumped, raceway,
river, salmon, smokehouse, stream, swim,
upstream)
New vocabulary: Alaska; family (adults,
cousins, grandchild, grandmother); culture,
tradition
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Seasons 1–10
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
55
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
The Roar That Makes
Them Run
#126
Leona and Lionel try to get their
dad to roar a mighty roar.
Roller Coaster/
What Do Wheels Do All
Day?
#1005
Leona is finally ready—or is
she?—to take the training wheels
off her bike, and Squeaky the
Wheel has the audience rolling
with laughter in the library.
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
Features information
about animal life
in the wild
Key word: run
Aardema, Verna. Bringing the Rain
to Kapiti Plain
Word family: -un (-ug, -uck, -up, -ut)
Target sound: short u
CD-ROM
High-frequency sight words: a, and, but,
in, the, up
Arnosky, Jim. Little Lions
Freeman, Don. Dandelion
Saign, Geoffrey. The African Cats
New vocabulary: mutton, overdue, volume
Simon, Seymour. Big Cats
Features the book Roller
Coaster, by Marla Frazee
Key word: zips
Adams, Diane. Zoom!
Target sound: z
Story
New vocabulary: bike, dizzy, drizzly, mizzly,
roller coaster, training wheels, wheels, zag,
zebra, zebu, zero, zinnia, zipped, zooms
Carlson, Nancy. Harriet and the Roller
Coaster
Roller Coaster
What Do Wheels Do All Day?
Features the book What
Do Wheels Do All Day?, by
April Jones Prince
Concept Book
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Seasons 1–10
Featured vocabulary: bike, boat, bus, car,
cement mixer, crane, cycle, motorcycle,
plane, subway, tire, train, training wheels,
transportation, truck, vehicles, wheel
Frazee, Marla. Roller Coaster
Jones Prince, April. What Do Wheels
Do All Day?
Pearson, Debora. Sophie’s Wheels
Welsbacher, Anne. Wheels and Axles
New vocabulary: circle, fast, fly, go, pedal,
pull, push, race, roll, round, spin, tow, turn,
zoom
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
56
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
Ruby Sings the Blues/
The Camel Dances
#801
A very loud girl learns to sing,
and Leona and a camel discover
the joy of dancing.
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
Key word: loud
Andreae, Giles. Giraffes Can’t Dance
Target sound: l
Brown, Monica. My Name is Celia/
My llamo Celia
Ruby Sings the Blues
Features the book
Ruby Sings the Blues,
by Niki Daly
New vocabulary: concert, dance, jazz singer,
hollered, loud, quiet, quieter, saxophonist,
shouted, singing, volume, yelled
Story
Daly, Niki. Ruby Sings the Blues
Laguna, Sofie. Too Loud Lily
Lobel, Arnold. Fables
The Camel Dances
Features a fable
“The Camel Dances”
from the book Fables,
by Arnold Lobel
Fable
The Sad Dad
#201
Theo reads a story about a
sad dad who gets advice from
a wise woman and ends up
with chickens, goats, cows,
and an elk in his house.
Features a version of “It
Could Always Be Worse,”
a European folktale
Folktale
Smith, Cynthia Leitich. Jingle Dancer
Key word: dance
Target sound: d
New vocabulary: applause, arabesques,
audience, ballet dancer, camel, critic,
dancer, desire, grace, movement, pirouettes,
practiced, recital, relevés
Key word: bad
Forest, Heather. A Big Quiet House
Word family: -ad (-an, -ack, -at, -ap)
Ginsburg, Mirra. Mushroom in the Rain
Target sound: short a
Koller, Jackie French. One Monkey
Too Many
High-frequency sight words: be, could,
dad, everyone, from, is, it, that, this,
woman, worse
New vocabulary: admiral, advance,
adventure, advice, elk, porridge
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Seasons 1–10
Leodhas, Sorche Nic. Always Room
for One More
Zemach, Margot. It Could Always
Be Worse
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
57
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
Sausage Nose
#121
Theo, Cleo, Lionel, and
Leona watch a video about
a husband and wife, three
wishes, a sausage, and a nose.
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
Features a version
of “The Three Wishes,”
a European folktale
Key word: wish
Addy, Sharon Hart. When Wishes
Were Horses
Word family: -ish (-ing, -in, -it, -ip, -ick)
Target sound: short i
Folktale
High-frequency sight words: in, it, no,
three, you
New vocabulary: argue, expression, radish,
sausage, subtitles
McClintock, Barbara. Molly and the
Magic Wishbone
Steig, William. Sylvester and the
Magic Pebble
Yolen, Jane. Favorite Folktales from Around
the World
Zemach, Margaret. The Three Wishes
Sheep on a Ship/
Mississippi Skip and
His Pirate Ship
#602
Ahoy there, mateys! There’s lots
of slipping, sliding, swabbing,
and colliding when sheep and
pirates take to the high seas.
Sheep on a Ship
Features the book
Sheep on a Ship,
by Nancy Shaw
Story
Key word: ship
Fox, Mem. Tough Boris
Target sound: sh
Shaw, Nancy. Sheep in a Jeep
High-frequency sight words: a, and, off,
on, the, to
Shaw, Nancy. Sheep on a Ship
New vocabulary: anchor, collide, craft,
deck, drift, flap, hail, lap, mast, paddling,
port, raft, sagging, slosh
Tucker, Kathy. Do Pirates Take Baths?
Wheeler, Lisa. Wool Gathering: A Sheep
Family Reunion
Yolen, Jane. Ballad of the Pirate Queens
Mississippi Skip and His Pirate Ship
Features an original
pirate story
Key word: skip
Story
High-frequency sight words: and, he, his,
on, the, with
Target sound: s blends
New vocabulary: behold, boulder,
brim, hippo, jig, scoot, search, skis, steer,
stupendous, swab
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Seasons 1–10
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
58
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
Shooting Stars
#105
Features an original poem
Key word: star (night)
Dorros, Arthur. Abuela
Word family: -ar (-ark, -art), -ight
Hort, Lenny. How Many Stars in the Sky?
Target sound: r-controlled a
Levinson, Riki. Watch the Stars Come Out
High-frequency sight words: all, and, at,
in, no, of, one, the, to, up
Rylant, Cynthia. Henry and Mudge and the
Starry Night
New vocabulary: acrobat, marvelous,
meteor, sparkling
Taylor, Harriet Peck. Coyote Places
the Stars
Key word: stars
Gibbons, Gail. The Moon Book
Word family: -ar
Henkes, Kevin. Kitten’s First Full Moon
Target sound: st blend
Levinson, Riki. Watch the Stars Come Out
High-frequency sight words: and, in, of,
sees, the
Mayo, Margaret. Magical Tales
from Many Lands
New vocabulary: clouds, marvelous, meteor,
moon, rain, shedding, sparkling, stars
Oughton, Jerrie. How the Stars Fell into the
Sky: A Navajo Legend
The very sleepy Lion family
tries to stay up very late at night,
so they won’t miss the most
spectacular meteor shower
of the year.
A Shower of Stars/
Two Moons and One
Lagoon
#504
Poem
A Shower of Stars
Features an original poem
Poem
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.
Thompson, Lauren. Polar Bear Night
Two Moons and One Lagoon
Features a version of
“The King Who Wanted
to Touch the Moon,” a
Caribbean folktale
Key word: moon
Word family: -an, -en
Target sound: n
High-frequency sight words: and, in, of,
sees, the
Folktale
New vocabulary: lagoon, loyal, platoon,
swayed
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Seasons 1–10
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
59
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
Something Fishy
#117
Features an original story
Key word: fish
Barber, Barbara E. Allie’s Basketball Dream
Word family: -ish (-ip, -ig, ix, -ick)
Gibbons, Gail. Soaring with the Wind:
The Bald Eagle
When Lionel reads the latest
Cliff Hanger book to Leona,
it gives her an idea about how
to make one of her biggest
dreams come true.
Spicy Hot Colors/
Yesterday I Had the Blues
#702
A colorful piñata holds a
meaty surprise for the Lions,
who also experience a dazzling
array of colorful feelings.
Story
Target sound: short i
High-frequency sight words: in, is,
look, not
Lindbergh, Reeve. Nobody Owns the Sky
Ringgold, Faith. Tar Beach
New vocabulary: disguise, squished, ticklish
Williams, Vera B. A Chair for My Mother
Key word: colors
Ehlert, Lois. Planting a Rainbow
Target sound: hard c
Frame, Jeron Ashford. Yesterday I Had
the Blues
Spicy Hot Colors
Features the book
Spicy Hot Colors,
by Sherry Shahan
Concept book
New vocabulary: cactus, castanets, cilantro,
gourds, iguanas, piñatas, sarapes, skeletons,
sombreros
Gonzalez, Maya Christina. My Colors,
My World/Mis colores, mi mundo
Henkes, Kevin. A Good Day
Yesterday I Had the Blues
Features the book
Yesterday I Had the Blues,
by Jeron Ashford Frame
Story
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)
Shahan, Sherry. Spicy Hot Colors
Thong, Roseanne. Red Is a Dragon: A Book
of Colors
New vocabulary: fabulous, fantastic,
marvelous, splendid, swell, terrific
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Seasons 1–10
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
60
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
The Spider and the Lie
#217
Features an original story
Key word: spider
Adler, David. Cam Jansen and the Library
Mystery
It’s up to Judge Click the Mouse
to find out who’s telling the
truth—Leona or a shady monkey
named Monkey C. Monkeydew.
Step by Step
#404
The lions find a treasure map
that belonged to Barnaby B.
Busterfield III, and go hunting
for library treasure.
Word family: -ide (-ile, -ime, -ipe)
Mystery
Target sound: long i
High-frequency sight words: her, said,
she, was
Clement, Rod. Grandpa’s Teeth
Hurd, Thacher. Art Dog
Wisniewski, David. Tough Cookie
New vocabulary: chump, genre, temporary,
witness
Wright, Betty Ren. Pet Detectives
Features instructions
to a treasure map
Key word: step
Cooper, Helen. Tatty Ratty
Word family: -ep (-est, -ed, -et)
Freeman, Don. Corduroy
Instructions
Target sound: short e
Henkes, Kevin. Owen
High-frequency sight words: by, get, hear,
here, know, love, no, take, the, then, to
Long, Melinda. How I Became a Pirate
Waber, Bernard. Ira Sleeps Over
New vocabulary: booklet, directions,
entertainment, hammock, homophones,
wrench
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Seasons 1–10
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
61
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
Stone Soup/
Bee-bim Bop!
#805
Lionel and Leona discover
that you can make delicious
soup from a stone and enjoy a
popular Korean meal called Beebim bop.
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
Key word: soup
Cooper, Helen. Pumpkin Soup
Target sound: s
Forest, Heather. Stone Soup
New vocabulary: delicious, food, pot, salad,
salmon, salsa, salt, satisfied, satsumas,
sausage, savory, schnitzel, simmering, slurp,
soup, soy sauce, succotash, tasty
Katzen, Molly and Ann Henderson.
Pretend Soup and Other Real Recipes
Stone Soup
Features an original story,
based on the Swedish
folktale Stone Soup
Folktale
Rattigan, Jama Kin. Dumpling Soup
Soto, Gary. Too Many Tamales
Bee-bim Bop!
Features the book
Bee-bim Bop!,
by Linda Sue Park
Stop That Chicken!
#225
It’s poultry in motion
when Chicken Jane flies out
of her book into the library.
Park, Linda Sue. Bee-bim Bop!
Key word: bop
Target sound: b
Story
New vocabulary: bubbling, chop, dinner,
eggs, flip, hop, hungry, hurry, kitchen, mix,
mop, rice, shop, steaming, supper
Features an original story
Key word: stop
Word family: -op (-ot, -ox)
Story
Braman, Arlette N. Kids Around the
World Cook!
Target sound: short o
Katzen, Molly and Ann Henderson.
Pretend Soup and Other Real Recipes
High-frequency sight words: are, as, for,
he, his, I, on, they, was, with (“Ten Little
Words” song)
Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth. Paul
Revere’s Ride (illus. Ted Rand)
New vocabulary: colonial, illustrated, plop
Stevens, Janet & Susan Stevens Crummel.
Cook-a-Doodle-Doo!
Winnick, Karen B. Sybil’s Night Ride
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Seasons 1–10
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
62
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
Stop That Pickle!/
Chicks and Salsa
#803
The Lions and a sandwich chase
a runaway pickle in the library,
and Cleo’s “Book and a Meal”
show leads to a lively fiesta.
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
Featured concept: punctuation
(exclamation point, question mark, period,
contractions)
Armour, Peter. Stop that Pickle!
Stop That Pickle!
Features the book
Stop that Pickle!,
by Pete Armour
New vocabulary: food-related (almonds,
apple, bake shop, brine, deli, doughnut/
donut, food, grape juice, hungry, ice cream
cone, jar, pickle, pretzel, raisins, sandwich);
actions and movement (caught, chase,
collided, fast, rolled, shouted, slowest, stop)
Story
Aylesworth, Jim. The Gingerbread Man
Compestine, Ying Chang. The Runaway
Rice Cake
Kimmel, Eric A. The Runaway Tortilla
Mora, Pat. Yum! Mmmm! Qué Rico!:
America’s Sproutings
Reynolds, Aaron. Chicks and Salsa
Chicks and Salsa
Features the book
Chicks and Salsa,
by Aaron Reynolds
Target sound: g (hard)
New vocabulary: food-related (aromas,
avocados, beans, chilies, chips, cilantro,
dice, garden, garlic, guacamole, lemons,
ingredients, nachos, onions, salsa, scallions,
peppers, limes, slice, spice, tomatoes);
descriptive words (enticing, savory,
Southwestern, succulent, sumptuous, spicy)
Story
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Key word: garden
Seasons 1–10
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
63
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
Sylvester and the
Magic Pebble/
I Miss You, Stinky Face
#507
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.
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble
Features the book
Sylvester and the Magic
Pebble, by William Steig
Key word: picnic
Target sound: p
High-frequency sight words: an, and, he,
if, too
Story
New vocabulary: ceased, dawn, frantic,
gradually, inquiring, miserable, panicked,
pebble, scene, shiver, startled
Garza, Carmen Lomas. In My Family/
En Mi Familia
McCourt, Lisa. I Miss You, Stinky Face
McCourt, Lisa. I Love You, Stinky Face
Steig, William. Doctor DeSoto
Steig, William. Sylvester and the
Magic Pebble
I Miss You, Stinky Face
Features the book
I Miss You, Stinky Face,
by Lisa McCourt
Key word: mama
Target sound: m
High-frequency sight words: but, if, I’ll,
the, to, what, you
Story
New vocabulary: astronaut, cheetah, cousin,
enormous, gangplank, grandpa, member,
moose, probably, steer, supersonic, uncle
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Seasons 1–10
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
64
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
A Tasty Piece of Cheese/
The Lion and the Mouse
#508
A taste for cheese leads a fox to
trick a crow, and lands a mouse
in the paws of a hungry lion.
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
Features Aesop’s fable
“The Fox and the Crow”
Key word: cheese
Aardema, Verna. Borreguita and the Coyote
Target sound: ch
Herman, Gail. Lion and the Mouse
Fable
High-frequency sight words: a, going, is,
the, to, very, with
Kleven, Elisa. The Lion and the Little
Red Bird
New vocabulary: beak, beware, continued,
flatter, gorgeous, unfortunately
Lynch, Tom. Fables from Aesop
A Tasty Piece of Cheese
Morrison, Toni & Slade. The Lion or the
Mouse? (Who’s Got Game?)
The Lion and the Mouse
Features Aesop’s fable
“The Lion and the Mouse”
Key word: little
Fable
High-frequency sight words: are, as,
for, he, his, I, love, on, the, they, was, with
(“Ten Little Words” song)
Target sound: l
New vocabulary: appetite, approaching,
broccoli, chop, creatures, lighthouse, moral,
scurried, taco
Teacher’s Pet
#209
Cleo has the I-can’t-hearor-tell-or-smell-if-someone’ssneaking-up-on-me flu.
Features an original story
Newsletter & Journal
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Seasons 1–10
Key word: teacher
Berger, Melvin. Germs Make Me Sick!
Word family: -each (-eat, -eam)
Brown, Marc. Arthur’s Chicken Pox
Target sound: ea as long e
Flournoy, Valerie. The Patchwork Quilt
High-frequency sight words: can’t, he,
me, my, on, or, please
Rosa-Casanova, Sylvia. Mama Provi and
the Pot of Rice
New vocabulary: competition, journal,
pride, reunion, unbeatable, undefeated
Slate, Joseph. Miss Bindergarten Stays Home
from Kindergarten
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
65
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
There’s a Fly in My Soup
#115
Everyone reads jokes to Click the
Mouse to try to make her laugh.
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
Features an original
joke book
Key word: fly
Cerf, Bennett. Riddles and More
Word family: -y
Jokes
Target sound: y as long i
Cole, Joanna. Why Did the Chicken Cross
the Road?
High-frequency sight words: a, and, in,
is, it, my, of, that, the, to, what, when, where,
who, why, you
New vocabulary: backstroke, chuckle,
comedy, monitor
Three Goats, No Waiting
#403
Lionel writes and directs a play
of “The Three Billy Goats Gruff,”
but who can act scary enough
to be the hungry troll?
Features the Norwegian
folktale “The Three
Billy Goats Gruff”
Folktale & Play
Hills, Tad. Knock, Knock, Who’s There?
Keller, Charles. Awesome Jokes
Pellowski, Michael. Joke and Riddle
Bonanza
Key word: goat
Finch, Mary. The Three Billy Goats Gruff
Word family: -oat, (-oast, -oan)
Miller, Sara Swan. Goats
Target sound: oa as long o
Polacco, Patricia. G is for Goat
High-frequency sight words: a, his, I’m,
in, little, me, the, there, they, you
Prelutsky, Jack. Monday’s Troll
Ziefert, Harriet. Pumpkin Pie
New vocabulary: director, enchanted,
gobble, houseboat, pretend, troll
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Seasons 1–10
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
66
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
The Three-Legged Pot/
When Jabo Jammed
#708
Pepe can’t get a pot with three
legs to walk, but Leona can
make it dance. A boy named
Jabo doesn’t dance or sing,
but he can really jam.
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
Key word: pot
Bernier-Grand, Carmen T. Juan Bobo:
Four Folktales from Puerto Rico
The Three-Legged Pot
Features an original story,
adapted from the popular
Puerto Rican Juan Bobo
folktales
Folktale
Target sound: p
New vocabulary: perfect, platter, poke;
locative and relational words (after, around,
last, next to last, under)
Hadithi, Mwenye. Lazy Lion
Montes, Marisa. Juan Bobo Goes to Work
Snyder, Dianne. The Boy of the Three-Year Nap
Uhlberg, Myron. Lemuel the Fool
When Jabo Jammed
Features an original story
Weatherford, Carole Boston. Jazz Baby
Key word: jam
Target sound: j
Story
New vocabulary: jamboree, jammed,
jamming, jiggle, judge
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Seasons 1–10
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
67
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
Three More Little Pigs/
The Ants and the
Grasshopper
#1001
Lionel, Leona, and the Wolf
each try their hand at writing
a sequel to The Three Little Pigs,
and Leona finds a way to work
and play.
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
Key word: puff
Guarnaccia, Steven. The Three Little Pigs:
An Architectural Tale
Three More Little Pigs
Features an original
retelling of the folktale
The Three Little Pigs
Target sound: u (short)
New vocabulary: book, bug, cup, dug;
homes (bricks, chimney, houses, live, mud,
sticks, straw); huffed, hug, jug, mug, puffed,
pup, read, rug, scary, sequel, shrug, snug,
tug, umbrella, umpire, underline, undershirt,
upside down
Folktale
The Ants and the Grasshopper
Features an original
retelling of the fable The
Ants and the Grasshopper
Lionel and Walter Pigeon
think all pirates were men, so
they won’t let Leona and Clay
Pigeon join their pirate game.
Target sound: m
Features an original story
Story
Morrison, Toni and Slade Morrison.
Who’s Got Game?: The Ant or the
Grasshopper?, The Lion or the Mouse?,
Poppy or the Snake?
Percy, Graham. The Ant and the
Grasshopper
Trivizas, Eugene. The Three Little Wolves
and the Big Bad Pig
Key word: ship
Fox, Mem. Tough Boris
Word family: -ip (-it, -ick, -ickle, -ish)
Gibbons, Gail. Pirates
Target sound: short i
McNaughton, Colin. Captain Abdul’s
Pirate School
High-frequency sight words: his, in, it,
on, the, to
New vocabulary: boulder, courage, hippo,
jig, squished, swabbed, treasure
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Lionni, Leo. Frederick
New vocabulary: ants, cold, food,
grasshopper, hungry, mambo, meal, merry,
month, moody, moose, munched, prepared,
sang; synonyms for small (diminutive,
microscopic, miniscule, petite, teeny, tiny,
weeny); starving, summer, winter
Fable
To the Ship! To the Ship!
#111
Key word: merry
Gay, Marie-Louise. The Three Little Pigs
Seasons 1–10
Tucker, Kathy. Do Pirates Take Baths?
Yolen, Jane. The Ballad of the Pirate Queens
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
68
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
Too Cool
#304
Lionel thinks the new kid at
school, Derek Cheetah, is too cool
to be on his baseball team.
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
Features the book
Earl’s Too Cool for Me,
by Leah Komaiko
Key word: cool
Havill, Juanita. Jamaica and Brianna
Word family: -ool (-oop)
Hest, Amy. Jamaica Louise James
Target sound: double o
Komaiko, Leah. Earl’s Too Cool for Me
High-frequency sight words: as, be, for,
he, me, too
Parr, Todd. The Best Friends Book
Story
Soto, Gary. Chato’s Kitchen
New vocabulary: apostrophe, pooch,
pretend, role-playing, tango
Touching the Moon
#107
Leona keeps the whole family
awake because she wants a
queen to touch the moon.
Features a version of
“The King Who Wanted
to Touch the Moon,”
a Caribbean folktale
Key word: moon
Word family: -oon (-ool, -ooth, -oot, -oo)
Target sound: double o
High-frequency sight words: and, it, soon,
the, to, too
Folktale
New vocabulary: cucumber, galaxy, lagoon,
platoon, snooze, toodle-oo
Trains and Brains and
Rainy Plains
#215
Lionel and Leona ride a train
into a book called Bringing the
Rain to Kapiti Plain.
Features the book Bringing
the Rain to Kapiti Plain,
by Verna Aardema
Key word: rain
Word family: -ain (-ail, -aint)
Target sound: ai as long a
Folktale
High-frequency sight words: all, big, is,
no, on, that, the, this, with
New vocabulary: blaze, drought, illustrated,
pierce, plain, sacrifice, slender
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Seasons 1–10
Carle, Eric. Papa, Please Get the Moon
for Me
Ehlert, Lois. Moon Rope/Un lazo a la luna
Gibbons, Gail. The Moon Book
Mayo, Margaret. Magical Tales
from Many Lands
Yolen, Jane. Owl Moon
Aardema, Verna. Bringing the Rain
to Kapiti Plain
Germein, Katrina. Big Rain Coming
Hesse, Karen. Come On, Rain!
James, Betsy. The Mud Family
Martin, Bill, Jr. Listen to the Rain
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
69
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
Treats!
#310
An advertising Dream Team—
creators of one of the Lions’
favorite commercials—is hired
to create an ad for the library.
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
Features an original story
about an ad campaign
for the library
Key word: treat
Best, Cari. Red Light, Green Light,
Mama and Me
Word family: -eat (-eam, -ear)
Target sound: ea as long e
Advertisement
High-frequency sight words: by, don’t, eat,
have, it, love, read, to, you’ll
New vocabulary: advertising, comma,
commercial, farewell, librarian, period,
punctuator, quotation marks, rhinos
Trosclair and the Alligator/
The Coyote and the Rabbit
#809
A clever boy tricks a hungry
alligator, who gives Lionel
and his friend Keri a scare, and
a hungry coyote gets tricked
by a clever rabbit.
Bruss, Deborah. Book! Book! Book!
Cummins, Julie. Inside-Outside Book
of Libraries
Gibbons, Gail. Check It Out! The Book
About Libraries
Stewart, Sarah. The Library
Trosclair and the Alligator
Features the book
Trosclair and the Alligator,
by Peter Huggins
Featured vocabulary: alligator, beehive,
bees, cousins, hive, honey, oak tree, rice,
swamp, uncle
New vocabulary: bayou, cypress trees,
enormous, gumbo, Louisiana, pirogue,
sweet, stung, teeth, tree, turtle eggs
Story
The Coyote and the Rabbit
Features an original
retelling of “The Coyote
and the Rabbit”
Key word: circle
Target sound: c (soft)
High-frequency sight words: he, she, the
Folktale
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Aardema, Verna. Borreguita and the Coyote
Huggins, Peter. Trosclair and the
Alligator
Johnston, Tony. The Tale of Rabbit and
Coyote
Hamilton, Virgina. Bruh Rabbit and the
Tar Baby Girl
Kadair, Deborah Ousley. There Was
an Ol’ Cajun
Tingle, Tim. When Turtles Grew Feathers:
A Tale from the Choctaw Nation
New vocabulary: cannon, celery, clever,
coyote, fragrance, morsel, relative, trapeze
Seasons 1–10
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
70
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
Tweet! Tweet!
#222
Walter and Clay Pigeon
meet face-to-face with
Tyrannosaurus rex!
Two Coats, One Goat,
and One Boat
#309
Lionel’s copy of a very rare
Cliff Hanger book is missing!
Did some bunny take it?
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
Features a poem from
Bone Poems, by Jeff Moss
Key word: tweet
Mitton, Tony. Dinosaurumpus!
Word family: -eet (-eeze, -ee, -eep)
Moss, Jeff. Bone Poems
Poetry & Nonfiction
Target sound: ee as long e
Prelutsky, Jack. Tyrannosaurus Was
a Beast
High-frequency sight words: go, little, see,
sleep, to
Features the book
Joseph Had a Little Overcoat,
by Simms Taback
Folktale
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Seasons 1–10
Ryder, Joanne. Tyrannosaurus Time
New vocabulary: ancestor, descendant,
dinosaur names, eel, extinct, flee, meteorite,
parakeet
Shields, Carol Diggory. Saturday Night
at the Dinosaur Stomp
Key word: coat
Flournoy, Valerie. The Patchwork Quilt
Word family: -oat (-oan, -oad, -oak, -oast)
Gilman, Phoebe. Something from Nothing
Target sound: oa as long o
Sanfield, Steve. Bit by Bit
High-frequency sight words: a, had, he, it,
little, of, out, so, was
Taback, Simms. Joseph Had a
Little Overcoat
New vocabulary: autograph, chorus,
enchanted, handkerchief, private, protective,
scarf, suspenders, valuable
Ziefert, Harriet. A New Coat for Anna
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
71
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
Violet’s Music/
What Instrument Does
Alvin Play?
#706
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
Features the book Violet’s
Music, by Angela Johnson
Key word: music
Ancona, George. Mi música/My Music
Target sound: m
Cox, Judy. My Family Plays Music
Story
New vocabulary: band, guitar, guitarist,
magnificent, maracas, microphone,
moccasins, saxophone, tambourine, wail;
locative and directional words (beneath,
opposite, sideways)
Hayes, Amy. Meet the Orchestra
Violet’s Music
Lionel and Leona discover
many wonderful instruments,
and that if you keep playing
music, you’ll find someone
who wants to join your band.
Johnson, Angela. Violet’s Music
Velasquez, Eric. Grandma’s Records
Weatherford, Carol Boston. Before John
Was a Jazz Giant: A Song of John Coltrane
What Instrument Does Alvin Play?
Features an original story
Story
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
What Parakeets Need
#303
Theo and Cleo give the cubs
a pet parakeet, but will Sweety
Tweety talk?
Features the book
The Carrot Seed,
by Ruth Krauss
Guide
Key word: parakeet
Ajmera, Maya. A Kid’s Best Friend!
Word family: -eet (-eep)
Doyle, Malachy. Sleepy Pendoodle
Target sound: ee as long e
Krauss, Ruth. The Carrot Seed
High-frequency sight words: come, didn’t,
ever, is, known, my, name, our, she, talked,
that, to, up, we’ve, won’t, would, you’ll
Numeroff, Laura. Laura Numeroff’s
10-Step Guide to Living with Your Monster
Piers, Helen. Taking Care of Your Parakeet
New vocabulary: flee, parakeet, peep,
responsibility, responsible, screech, sprinkled,
weep, wheeze
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Seasons 1–10
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
72
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
Why the Baboon’s Balloon
Went Ka-Boom!
#218
A little bug goes ka-choo! and a
baboon’s balloon goes ka-boom!
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
Features the book Because
a Little Bug Went Ka-Choo!,
by Rosetta Stone
Key word: ka-choo
Barton, Byron. Buzz, Buzz, Buzz
Word family: -oo (-oom, -oot, -oose)
Numeroff, Laura. If You Give a Mouse
a Cookie
Target sound: double o
Story
High-frequency sight words: and, because,
he, she, that, the
New vocabulary: anchor, baboon,
hullabaloo, kazoo, maroon, snagged, taboo,
vamoose
Wings/
What’s in the Box?
#503
Watch out! The cubs find out
what warnings mean, and
why it’s important to pay
attention to them.
Polacco, Patricia. In Enzo’s Splendid
Gardens
Shannon, David. The Rain Came Down
Stone, Rosetta. Because a Little Bug
Went Ka-Choo!
Wings
Features the Greek myth
“Daedalus & Icarus”
Key word: wings
Myth
High-frequency sight words: a, can, he
Target sound: w
New vocabulary: ancient, backwards,
brilliant, fierce, imprisoned, labyrinth,
plummeted, warning, wheeze, wiggling
Amery, Heather. Greek Myths for Young
Children
Myers, Christopher. Wings
Ryan, Pam Muñoz. Amelia and Eleanor
Go for a Ride
Stevenson, James. The Mud Flat Mystery
Turkle, Brinton. Do Not Open
What’s in the Box?
Features the Greek myth
“Pandora’s Box”
Key word: box
Myth
High-frequency sight words: do, not, of,
open, out, stop, the
Target sound: b
New vocabulary: airplane, cure, hiccups,
interesting, kite, released
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Seasons 1–10
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
73
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
Yo! Yes?/
Very Loud, Very Big,
Very Metal
#603
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.
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
Features the book Yo! Yes?,
by Chris Raschka
Key word: yes
Bloom, Suzanne. A Splendid Friend,
Indeed
Story
High-frequency sight words: me, yes, you
Burton, Virginia Lee. Mike Mulligan
and His Steam Shovel
New vocabulary: dandelion, finch, pollen,
yak, yodel
McMullen, Kate & Jim. I Stink!
Yo! Yes?
Target sound: y
Raschka, Chris. Ring! Yo?
Very Loud, Very Big, Very Metal
Features an original song
Key word: very
Raschka, Chris. Yo! Yes?
Sobel, June. B is for Bulldozer: A
Construction ABC
Target sound: v
Song
High-frequency sight words: and, it’s,
very, we
New vocabulary: clang, construction,
metal, thump, tilted, vacuum, vehicle, vines,
vulture
You Can’t Catch Me!
#305
Lionel gives Leona The
Gingerbread Man book for her
birthday. Will it spoil her party?
Features a version of
“The Gingerbread Man”
Key word: catch
Folktale/fairy tale
Target sound: short a
Word family: -atch (-at, -an, -and, -ant)
High-frequency sight words: a, and, as,
can, can’t, couldn’t, he, I, I’m, in, me, said,
the, they, you
Compestine, Ying Chang. The Runaway
Rice Cake
Egielski, Richard. The Gingerbread Boy
Howland, Naomi. The Matzah Man
Kimmel, Eric. The Gingerbread Man
Takayama, Sandi. Musubi Man
New vocabulary: character, flabbergasted,
gingerbread, streamers
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Seasons 1–10
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
74
Episode
(in alphabetical order)
Zoop! Zoop!
#205
Leona faces her fear of a scary
fictional giant, with the help
of her mother and a ukelele.
Featured Text
Words and Sounds
Recommended Books
Features the book
Abiyoyo, by Pete Seeger
Key word: zoop
McKissack, Patricia. Precious and
the Boo Hag
Folktale/song
Target sound: double o
Word family: -oop (-oon, -oose)
High-frequency sight words: boy, father,
say, the
New vocabulary: magician, ostracized,
slobbery, staggered, ukelele
BETWEEN THE LIONS Curriculum Content by Episode
Seasons 1–10
Seeger, Pete. Abiyoyo
Seeger, Pete. Abiyoyo Returns
Souhami, Jessica. No Dinner: The Story
of the Old Woman and the Pumpkin
Young, Ed. Lon Po Po
Titles in boldface indicate book
featured on the show.
75