Showing results by narrator "Carl Sommer" in All Categories

Individuals with a sunny attitude understand that the ending of one opportunity in life often opens the door for a new one. Carrying big loads of grain is easy for young donkeys, but what happens when they get too old to be of use? One old donkey takes off on a journey of rediscovery, picking up an old dog, cat, and rooster along the way. Intending to combine their musical talents to start a band, this lively crew finds another surprising way to benefit the community.

There is an old saying that states, "You can please some of the people some of the time, but you can't please all of the people all of the time." Miller Elmo most certainly could have benefitted from this sage advice. His constant effort to please the local farmers grows into an obsession to satisfy everyone, which the miller unfortunately passes on to his son. The two learn the hard way what can come of always taking the advice of others instead of listening to your heart.

It was time for the beautiful Princess Elizabeth to be married. Charming Simon and the strong, handsome Thomas came to ask her hand in marriage. And then there was John, the handsome but not-so-flashy commoner whom Elizabeth had first noticed helping an old man get his wagon out of a muddy ditch. Not sure about the true character of her three suitors, Elizabeth had them run a race to reveal what they were really like in difficult situations.

When Dozy, Pokey, and Hardy went out into the world, Papa and Mama warned them to build strong houses because of the big bad wolf. Dozey and Pokey ignored their parents' advice and built flimsy houses. But Hardy listened to his parents by working hard and building a strong house. After the big, bad wolf blew down the houses of Dozey and Pokey, they narrowly escaped to Hardy's house, and learned a valuable lesson about doing their best. In the rewriting of this classic tale, Carl Sommer teaches the importance of diligence, respect for labor, and self-discipline.

Christopher has great dreams of becoming an inventor, but he dislikes anything requiring work. When he discovers that his neighbor Dr. Finkle has invented a time remote, Christopher uses it to avoid schoolwork, wholesome food, and jobs he doesn't like. The time remote sends him quickly through a life of avoiding problems, right into old age. Christopher finally realizes the misery of an easy life. Discovering a hidden button on his discarded remote, he fortunately gets a chance to start his life over.

When Jane, the farmer's wife, complains to her husband, Sam, about the crooked rows he has plowed, they decide to switch jobs for a day. Both Sam and Jane expect to have lots of free time after each finishes the other's "easy" job. But they encounter one calamity after another doing each other's chores. After having the hardest day of their lives, they meet each other and end up laughing at their misconceptions.

Benny and Sally don't mind doing their farm chores and caring for their mules, but they absolutely refuse to share. Their mules, Bossy and Stiffy, imitate their owners' selfish ways by stubbornly refusing to let anyone else ride them, and fussing whenever they work together doing farm work. Dad needs to teach the mules a lesson. He ties them together which forces them to learn to cooperate in order to eat. After much struggling, the mules learn to work together, and teach their owners Benny and Sally that sharing brings happiness.

To grow up to be big, little lions have to learn survival skills, but the cub Sangu doesn’t want to listen to Papa and Mama’s lessons - he just wants to play. Getting lost while escaping a charging rhino, Sangu learned how unprepared he really was to be out on his own. Befriended by some kind gazelles, Sangu didn’t have the slightest idea as to what a lion should be. After being taunted by his friends, Sangu finally learned to be assertive, to value learning, to listen to his parents, and to respect himself.

Mama and Papa have always told their chicks never to have anything to do with strangers. But the sly fox disguises himself as a little lamb and tries to trick the chicks into going with him. His early attempts fail because Clucky listens to Papa and Mama. The fox finally succeeds by promising delicious corn to lure some of the chicks. After a horrifying experience, Clucky's sister Wendy escapes and realizes the importance of always listening to her parents and never talking to strangers.

Proud Rooster, always ignoring everyone's advice, gets into all sorts of trouble. Filling his tummy with green strawberries, falling off a tree while showing off, and skating on thin ice after being warned, nearly do him in. But his hard lessons change him forever. Proud Rooster is glad to learn that it is not too late to obey. In this exciting tale, Carl Sommer reveals the importance of humility, obedience to parents, and self-discipline.

Sometimes it is hard to comprehend why certain individuals choose to spread gossip about others. In this rendition of Aesop's timeless fable, the reason is crystal-clear: The lion is hungry and would do anything to have a delicious bull for dinner. Using malicious gossip, the sly fox helps the lion by separating the bulls for capture on the promise that he will receive his own tasty portion of the meal. Will the lion eat the bulls?

Spike the rebel caused trouble everywhere, and all the kids were afraid of him except Mary. Mary warned him that one day he would get into big trouble because of his meanness. Spike continued to be mean at school, on the school bus, camping, and in the park. One day while riding his bike, he hit one of his self-made bike traps. He broke his leg and bled badly. Debbie, a girl he laughed at for falling off her bike in one of his traps, came with her mother and saved him. Spike's life was transformed.

The bear cubs Stubby and Prissy can't seem to agree on anything - not even on who should close the door. Even their forest friends walk out because of their bickering. The cubs finally decide to settle the issue with a game of "You move, you lose". However, two raccoon burglars show up for an unforgettable game of their own. When a wolf comes by chasing a little kitten, their stubbornness is tested to the limit. Stubby declares victory, but he soon realizes the true winner is his sister, Prissy.

Tombo the tadpole thinks he is the king of the pond. He brags that he is the biggest, the fastest, and the strongest tadpole and teases and chases all the other tadpoles. However, while Tombo is showing off doing a triple flip, a boy catches him. The boy puts him into a fish tank and gives him fish flakes to eat, a food Tombo despises. When Tombo turns into a frog, the boy releases him back into his pond. Then Tombo discovers that he is no longer the biggest and fastest, but he does learn the value of friendship.

Ants have to work hard during the summer to build their homes and gather food for the winter, but the Dilly Dally family has a different tradition: they always play first. If they have any time, then they work a little. The Family Work Play ants, however, first build their house and gather their food and then they relax and have fun. So they built a strong house and had lots of food for the coming winter. When the long, cold winter came, the Dilly Dally family had a tough time getting food and keeping warm. However, they learned an important lesson.

Nelson was a successful doctor, his best friend, Jesse, was an award-winning architectural engineer, and his brother, Alvin, ended up in jail. Nelson tells about his childhood of living in a single-parent home in a poor area with gangs and drugs. His grandparents taught him, Alvin, and Jesse valuable lessons on how to become successful, but Alvin always resisted learning.

Millie thought the whole world was unfair. Even though she had a nice house and a loving family, she was always miserable. Whenever things didn't go her way, Millie constantly complained. Millie became so miserable that she decided to run away so she could do whatever she wanted. She takes a bus to the big city, but instead of having fun, she encounters one disaster after another. Millie is alone and scared and ends up with no money, no food to eat, and nowhere to sleep. After getting caught stealing candy, the police call her parents.

Marcus and Marcella hate the noisy forest animals and the hard work in searching for food every day. Their eyes light up when a chipmunk tells them that the farm has no noise and lots of food. In spite of being warned by Mama Beaver, they immediately move to the farm. Their dreams come true. But their dreams are shattered when the farmer and his wife come home. The chase is on. After barely escaping, they quickly return to their forest home. They discover that even with all the noise and hard work, the forest is a wonderful place to live.

Life couldn't have been better for Buzzie Bee, until she overhears some disturbing news. Buzzie became furious and started a revolt among the younger bees. The angry bees left the hive to start their own. In the new hive, the young bees argue and fight over who should do the work. They finally discover that working together with a leader is the only way to have a happy hive. They return and follow the queen bee.

As a reward for winning the soccer championship, Davy is chosen mayor for a day. The band and the whole town assemble together for this great event. Tired of his parents' rules, Davy's first official announcement as mayor is to eliminate all rules. The parents' groan, but the children jump up and down for joy. But the day without rules was a disaster for everyone. The whole town becomes angry, but Davy finally saves the day.