Before we dive into today’s adventure, we have a very special shout-out! This story was written, performed, and discussed by the talented students at SAFA Community School. They took part in our Schools Storyteller Program, where kids get to become the stars of their own podcasts!

If you want your school to join the fun and share your stories with the world, head over to bykidsforkids.co/schools to see how you can get involved! Stick around after the story to hear a lively conversation where the students discuss the tricky vocabulary and the important morals found in this tale.

The Mystery of Lumo City 🛸🏙️

Welcome to Lumo City, an extraordinary settlement on a brand-new planet, protected by a giant glass dome where sparkles fly and cars zoom through the air! ✨ Best friends Evelyn and Izzy think they live in a perfect wonderland, until one morning they wake up to a "dun-dun-dun" moment: the magical river that powers the entire city has vanished!

But it’s not just the water—the city’s heart (the park) and the colossal bridge are disappearing too! 😱 Left in their place are mysterious riddles that challenge the girls to save their home before the season ends.

Accompanied by their teacher, Mrs. Cooper—who has a secret ability to transform into a ginger cat (though it is a bit distracted by sandboxes and mice!)—Evelyn and Izzy must race to the Nova Lumo statue. There, they face off against Zoba, an environmentalist alien from Planet Messon. Zoba has a message: the landmarks are gone to teach the citizens a lesson about protecting their world. 🌍🛰️

Can the girls come up with five ways to save the environment before the clock strikes nine? Join Evelyn and Izzy on this adventure about teamwork, sustainability, and... a lifetime supply of chocolate! 🍫

Stay Tuned for the Discussion! 🎤

After the episode, join the creators from SAFA Community School for a fun, high-energy chat! They’ll break down the big words used in the story and dive deep into the lesson Zoba the Alien taught the city. It’s a great way to learn while hearing from the storytellers themselves!

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The Life-Bot: Too Efficient for Fun? 🤖🥧

Sparky Flarkbottom is tornado busy! 🌪️ Between the "Self-Buttering Toast-Launcher" and her friends constantly dropping by with beetles, stories, and muffins, she’s had enough. She decides that life is just one big distraction!

To fix the problem, Sparky invents the Life-Bot—a shiny metal gnome designed to handle all the "boring and irritating" parts of being human. 🛠️

• Jinx has a cool bug? Tell the robot. 🐜
• Sir Chucklenugget has a brave tale? Tell the robot. ⚔️
• Gerta brings a delicious, sticky blackberry pie? The robot eats it. 🥧🤖

At first, Sparky loves the silence. She’s the most efficient inventor in Snaggleton! But soon, her workshop feels dark and lonely. While Sparky eats dry, dusty crackers in the dark, she looks out the window and sees the Life-Bot having the time of its life—playing with her doglin, smelling flowers, and laughing at jokes! 🌸🐶

Wizzlethorp the Wizard drops by to ask a very important question: If the robot is out there living her life, what is Sparky doing? Sparky realizes that the "annoyances"—the crumbs, the barks, and the interruptions—aren't distractions; they are life! 💖

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The air in Wizzlethorp the Wizard's tower usually smells like magic, but today it smells like... burnt broccoli? 🥦 Wizzlethorp is thrilled because he has finally brewed the legendary Elixir of the Iron Mountain! According to an ancient goblin scroll, this grey sludge makes anyone invincible—swords will shatter against them and dragon fire will feel like a tickle!

Wizzlethorp is so sure of his "cherished belief" in the scroll that he refuses to test it. He wants to pour it straight onto Sir Chucklenugget’s armor before the knight goes on patrol! ⚔️ But Sparky Flarkbottom and Stanky aren't so sure. They insist on a "science test" using a pumpkin from Granny Gigglesnort’s garden.

Snotbeard the Giant gives the coated pumpkin a tiny tap, and—CRACK!—it doesn't just dent; it explodes into a thousand brittle pieces! 🎃💥 Wizzlethorp is shocked. His "invincible" potion didn't turn the pumpkin into iron; it turned it into thin, fragile sugar!

Sparky realizes the mistake: Wizzlethorp used Sugar-Root instead of Stone-Root. He didn't make a potion of invincibility; he made a heavy-duty candy glaze! 🍭 Wizzlethorp learns a big lesson: no matter how much you want to believe an ancient scroll, you must always look at the facts and test your ideas before you put your friends in danger.

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A baffled Sir Chucklenugget arrives at Wizzlethorp’s tower with a strange report: a "mad-gnome" is loose in Snaggleton! 🏃‍♂️ This mysterious figure isn't stealing gold or jewels; they are breaking into gardens just to smash cheap, "Giggling Garden Gnomes" into a hundred tiny pieces! 🔨

Wizzlethorp (our Sherlock) and the patchwork creature Stanky (our Watson) investigate and find a tiny clue: a miniature silver wrench! 🔧 This tool belongs to a Tinker-mite—a race of tiny, brilliant craftsmen no taller than a teacup. ☕️

Wizzlethorp realizes the Tinker-mite isn't a common criminal; he is searching for something hidden inside one specific gnome from an experimental batch of six. Five have already been smashed! The race is on to find the sixth gnome, currently sitting in the garden of Sylvaris the Elf. 🧝‍♀️

The heroes set a clever trap using clockwork messenger bees 🐝 to lure the "smasher" to the tower. When they capture the tiny Widget Spring-Coil, they discover a heartbreaking story: his people's home, the Great Tinker-Tree, is dying! 🌳 The only thing that can save it is the Heart-Seed, a golden acorn hidden inside one of the statues by Widget’s brother.

Will the Heart-Seed be found in the final gnome? Join Wizzlethorp and his friends as they solve a mystery of survival and learn that the greatest treasures are often hidden in the most unusual places! 💎✨

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Based on the beautiful Maori proverb: "Turn your face toward the sun and the shadows fall behind you."

Grumblegut the Ogre wants to be an artist! 🎨 He’s trading smashing for stone-carving, trying to create a masterpiece. But when his hand slips and he ruins the nose of his statue, Grumblegut gets grobblesome angry! He starts seeing only his mistakes—uneven ears, wobbly chins, and "chicken-dragons." 🐉

Suddenly, a strange thing happens: a dark, grumpy rain cloud appears right over his head! ⛈️ No matter where he runs, the cloud follows, raining on his parade. The angrier he gets at his work, the bigger the storm grows—until there’s thunder, lightning, and a full-blown hurricane in the middle of the quarry!

His friends Trolla and Snotbeard realize the truth: the storm isn't bad luck—it's fueled by Grumblegut's own frustration! Snotbeard the Giant has to step into the gale to give his friend some wise advice: "Turn your face toward the sun, and the shadows fall behind you." ☀️

Will Grumblegut learn to stop staring at his mistakes and find the "sparkle" in his work? Join the Trio in this heartwarming story about how changing your focus can clear away even the darkest clouds.

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Hey there, creature catchers! Need a quick treat to keep you entertained between episodes? Welcome to PODSNACK!, your bite-sized adventure that’s full of fun!

In this special WORLD Edition series, we are journeying across the entire globe! We will meet the strangest, goofiest, and occasionally scary magical beings, learn about world cultures, try out some of their language, and pick up interesting vocab along the way.

🇻🇪 Today's Snack: The World's Tallest Waterfall!

We are traveling to Venezuela, a country in South America famous for the amazing Angel Falls. It is the tallest waterfall in the world—almost 1 kilometer high!

We even learned a greeting from the Warao people: “Yanaida!” (Yah-ny-dah!) which means “Hello!”

🌟 The Feature: The Mapinguari!

Today, we meet a colossal, backward-footed beast called the Mapinguari (Mah-peen-GWAH-ree)! He is a ginormous giant covered in reddish-brown fur who lets out a roar that sounds like a thousand garbage trucks fighting!

• The Goal: The Mapinguari is a protector of the forest and is especially fond of the sloth—the slowest, laziest creature in the Amazon! He has a very tricky feature: his feet are turned backward, so his footprints lead you the wrong way!
• A Horrendous Mistake: In one story, a hunter saw the giant footprints and ran in the opposite direction to get away. But because of the backward feet trick, he ran straight into the creature’s massive arms! It led to a horrendous fight—which is a very shocking and frightening fight!
• Survival Tip: If you see those huge footprints, don't be bamboozled (completely surprised and confused)! To escape, try running backwards yourself. The Mapinguari will be so mixed up by your trail that he'll get completely lost trying to figure out which way is forward!

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The Word-War: Rocks vs. Words! 🪨🗣️

Grumblegut the Ogre is visiting his cousins, the Thundersmashers! 🏔️ But instead of playing games, he finds them in a rage, ready to throw massive boulders at a peaceful goblin village below. Why? Because the cousins think the goblins are "BAD!" 😠

Grumblegut realizes his cousins are stuck using one tiny word to describe the whole world. He decides to teach them a lesson about vocabulary:

• Is the lunch "Bad," or is it just Bland? 🥣
• Is the rain "Bad," or is it just Wet and Necessary? 🌧️
• Are the goblins "Wicked," or are their slug-snacks just Disgusting to an ogre? 🤢

Grumblegut shows them that when you call everything "Bad," the only thing you can do is smash it. But if you use the right words—like Annoying, Loud, or Silly—you can find a better solution! 💡

Watch as the Thundersmashers learn that being Different doesn't make someone an Enemy. Instead of a war, they use their giant voices to ask for a "quiet song," proving that words are even stronger than rocks! 🎶✨

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Hey there, creature catchers! Need a quick treat to keep you entertained between episodes? Welcome to PODSNACK!, your bite-sized adventure that’s full of fun!

In this special WORLD Edition series, we are heading out on a huge world journey to track down the strangest, goofiest, and occasionally spooky magical beings. We will learn about world cultures, try out some of their language, and pick up interesting vocab along the way.

🇨🇴 Today's Snack: The Mountains of Colombia!

We are traveling to Colombia, a country in South America famous for its beautiful mountains, coffee, and jungles that stretch forever!

We even learned a greeting from the Wayuu people: “¡Atpana!” (Aht-pah-nah!) which means “Hello!”

🌟 The Feature: The Madremonte!

Today, we meet a towering, plant-covered giant called the Madremonte (Mother of the Mountain)! She is a gigantic woman covered from head to toe in thick moss, vines, and green leaves. She lives in the most inaccessible parts of the mountains—places that are almost impossible to reach!

• The Goal: The Madremonte is the protector of the earth. She acts as a judge and can be very fierce if people are reckless, which means doing dangerous things without caring about what happens.
• A Lesson in Nature: In one story, a greedy farmer cut down trees near a river. The Madremonte sought retribution—which is a punishment for a bad deed—by sending a massive storm to wash away his crops. She reminds us to protect the "Lungs of the Earth!"
• Survival Tip: If you meet her, show her you are a friend of nature! Toss some rich soil or compost around her feet to help her grow. For extra points, find a few tasty insects and toss them onto her body. She has carnivorous plants (plants that eat meat!) growing on her that will gobble them right up!

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