Magic Cellar

Two sisters learn the village Chief needs help. One sister takes a shortcut, the other takes the proper way and helps. In the end, respect and obedience carry great reward. Pula discovers the Magic Cellar and the wonders of stories read from books.

Concerns about being different leads to the tale of the Lion King who gives Eagle feathers, to fly; Elephant a long nose; Rhino a sharp horn; Hyena a silly laugh; Zebra black & white stripes. And Mr. Zee's tale teaches the gang the importance of sharing.

When the kids argue, Mr. Zee promotes respect with a folk tale of an old woman who dislikes children warning those that play tricks on her not to return, but when she becomes ill, she asks for help. Also, the story of a King, a Queen & a magic ring.

Quarrels among the friends, prompt Mr. Zee's tale of the elephant and hare who learn about friendship when hare is threatened by a jackal. And the friends learn about sharing through a tale of a child who solves a fight between the farmers and the birds.

Pula and friends learn the importance of promises in the tale of the hunter who helps a lion when the lion agrees not to eat him. The children learn about the value in a promise. And, when the hare is caught by a hungry jackal, he finds a way to escape.

The kids' concerns about reputations are examined in the legend of the Great Animal Spirit whose mixed message to Chameleon and Gecko causes Chameleon to be blamed for spreading rumors. And when no one owns up to a mistake, the kids learn a hard lesson.

The difficulty of sharing compels Mr. Zee to tell a fanciful tale about the Lion who refused to share his food with the Jackal. And when greed becomes a problem with the kids, Mr. Zee shares the tale of a water snake that has a magical red stone.

Honesty prompts Mr. Zee's tale of a herd of magic cattle that are stolen along with the twins who look after them until they use the magic to part a river and escape. And, South Africa's most famous folk tale of the hungry 'Devil of Table Mountain.'

Not doing your share prompts a tale of a lazy Hare who doesn't help the other animals build a well. When he's tricked into building his own, he learns its more work than helping the others. And trust is examined when Grandmother meets a hungry baboon.

Vanity is explored in a tale of the Leopard who thinks she is very pretty until a snake challenges her to tell him how many spots she has. The friends learn how strong love of family can be in Mr. Zee's tale of a boy in search of his missing brothers.

When one of the friends gets a new bike, Pula keeps it all to herself. Mr. Zee tells a story of a hungry Tortoise who forgets to share a special picnic with his equally hungry bird friends. And a tale teaches Pula that what we fear may not be real.

Playing soccer, Marcus causes mischief between friends and in the Magic Cellar they hear the tale of the Hare who tries to break up a friendship between the Jackal and the Lion. Later Marcus learns that being stubborn is not a good idea among friends.

The kids are acting selfish until hearing Mr. Zee's tale about the kind Tortoise and the dishonest Eagle. And, when Pula disobeys Grandma, she learns from Mr. Zee's tale of the runaway boy kidnapped by an Elephant until rescued by his worried parents.