Showing results by author "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.

Trapped high on a mountain by deep snow, hungry townspeople wait desperately for one of the three big trains to bring them food, but they all refuse to go up the mountain. Seeing the desperate situation, The Little Red Train and a family of brave helpers decide to go up the mountain in spite of the ridicule from the big trains. The Little Red Train and it helpers overcome severe obstacles and save the people from starvation.

Sometimes there is danger in being too friendly; as is the case with kind-hearted Little Red Riding Hood in this loveable rendition of a Brothers Grimm classic. Distracted by the Big Bad Wolf with a bouquet of lovely flowers, the kind-hearted little girl forgets her mother's instructions and strays from the path on the way to Grandmother's house. Little does she know, the crafty wolf has devised a wicked plan to arrive at her house first. Will Grandmother meet an unfortunate end?

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.

As a wee bear, Teddy was a very smiley fellow, but now that he is older, his smile is nowhere to be found. Frustrated and bewildered, Teddy tries to find joy through new toys and fun activities. However, for toys and activities to be fun, one needs to be happy, and Teddy is anything but. In fact, the more he tries to make himself happy, the grumpier Teddy gets.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

Witnessing the deterioration of her inner-city neighborhood, Stephanie decides to "light her candle" to help clean up the trash and stop the violence. After convincing her two friends to do as much good as they can for one week, Stephanie and her friends, with the help of parents, end up transforming their inner-city school and the whole city from a place of violence and deterioration to a model of order and cleanliness.

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.

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.

Missy the mouse has a very big problem - she's dissatisfied with who she is and what she looks like. Even worse, Horace the cat is constantly chasing her, and she can't do anything about it! One day, while being chased by Horace, Missy wishes herself into becoming a big cat. Her wish comes true, and she chases Horace. Missy is delighted that she is now the biggest and most beautiful cat in the whole world. But she quickly discovers that cats have serious problems with dogs.

Teased by their friends that "No one will ever know", Johnny and Janie ignore their parents' warnings about the big, bad wolf. Wanting big, delicious acorns, they lie to their parents and sneak out one night to Mr. Smith's farm. Their delightful meal suddenly ends by being chased by a very hungry wolf.

Mom and Dad Fox try to set a healthy example for triplets Freddy, Fay, and Flip. Even though Mom cooks nutritious meals, Freddy prefers to stuff himself with sugary treats, and refuses to participate in healthy family exercise. One bad choice leads to another, and in spite of Dad and Mom's efforts, Freddy finds himself part of a crooked gang of foxes. When the leader recruits Freddy as a decoy to help him outwit a lion and a donkey, the plan backfires. Is Freddy too chubby to get away?

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.

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.