The villagers were so happy, they cheered… dancing and splashing around in the puddles. And with that, Rain jumped out of the clouds and fell upon the farmlands. When Lightning and Thunder saw their friend, they said hello – Lightning, with a flash of his fleece, and Thunder, with a rumble. dark gray clouds formed in the sky, with Rain sitting right in the middle. Thunder followed behind, her powerful voice bellowing low.īefore long. Lightning dashed ahead, his white coat glinting bright. NARRATOR: The entire village watched as Thunder and Lightning hurried up to the hills. MAYOR: Thunder, Lightning: the crops are in trouble and only you can help us! Can you call for Rain today? So he summoned Thunder and Lightning to his house. The mayor of the village worried none of the crops would grow. Well, one summer, the weather was especially hot… and the farmlands were especially dry. so quickly that all you’d see was his white fleece streaking by.Īs soon as Rain heard Thunder’s rumble, and spotted Lightning’s flash, she would drop down from the clouds and give the village all the water it needed.

Thunder would use her deepest, most booming voice… and Lightning would dash back and forth. Any time the villagers needed water for their crops, Thunder and Lightning would climb up the tall, bumpy hills and call out for Rain. Thunder and Lightning were very good friends with… Rain. was “Thunder.” And the ram’s name… was “Lightning.” NARRATOR: Something else that set the sheep and ram apart was… their names. SHEEP: What would you like for breakfast, my child? NARRATOR: Also, the sheep and ram didn’t live inside a barn, or out in a pasture. The ram was the sheep’s son.īut this sheep and ram were very different from all other sheep and rams. In most ways it was like any other village: it had houses, a school, a market, some farmland for crops, and many, many men, women and children.Īnd among the many, many men, women and children… there also lived a sheep… and a ram. NARRATOR: Once upon a time… near a lush, green forest and some tall, bumpy hills… there was… a village. What do they look like? What are they doing? Where are they? Let your imagination run wild as you bring them to life. Find a piece of paper, and something to draw or paint with, and create your own picture of Thunder the sheep and Lightning the ram. Now that we’ve done our telling, it’s your turn to do some showing. Casting by Amy Lippens, CSA.Īdults: Print out this picture and let your listeners color along with the episode. Sound design and original music by Eric Shimelonis. The story was adapted for Circle Round by Rebecca Sheir and Jessica Alpert.

Voices on this episode include Yetide Badaki ('American Gods'), Dayo Okeniyi ('Shades of Blue'), Chiazotam Ekekezie, Angel Blaise, and Josiah Akinyele. Today, our story is called “Thunder and Lightning.” It was inspired by a folktale that’s been told for years and years in Nigeria, a country in Africa. Well, today we’ll hear one explanation of where all that thunder and lightning comes from. Streaks of lightning… rumbles of thunder… the whole thing can be kind of scary, right? Do you sometimes want to hide under the covers? Do you remember the last time you saw a rainstorm?

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