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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The Mirror-Monster: A Lesson in Kindness! 🪞👹

The Terrible Trio—Grumblegut the Ogre, Trolla the Troll, and Snotbeard the Giant—are in a very foul mood! 😠 They are stomping through the woods, looking for something to smash or chase. But instead of a fight, they find a small, grey, wobbly Blob sitting on a stone.

When Grumblegut roars at the Blob, the Blob roars back! 🗣️ When Trolla pokes it with a stick, it grows a spike and pokes her back! The more the Trio attacks, the bigger and meaner the Blob gets, until it turns into a colossal, rampaging Mirror-Monster made of their own bad behavior! 😱

The Trio flees to Snaggleton, where Granny Gigglesnort reveals the secret: it's a Karmic Slime! It has no personality of its own—it only reflects exactly what is done to it. Fighting it only makes it stronger. Granny gives them a difficult challenge: they have to treat the monster the way they want to be treated.

Can the grumpiest monsters in Magimajura learn to be nice? Watch as Grumblegut, Trolla, and Snotbeard try to stop the Mirror-Monster with a "hello," a pat, and a handkerchief! This story teaches the golden rule: Don’t do to others what you would not want them to do to you. ✨

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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 setting off on a massive adventure across the entire world! We will meet the strangest, goofiest, and occasionally scary magical monsters, learn about world cultures, try out some of their language, and pick up interesting vocab along the way.

🇧🇷 Today's Snack: The Amazon Rainforest!

We are traveling deep into the Amazon in Brazil, a giant country in South America! It is home to the Amazon River, which is the biggest river in the whole world!

We even learned a greeting from the Tupi people: “Kwehe!” (Kway-hey!) which means “Hello!”

🌟 The Feature: The Caipora!

Today, we meet a small, fierce forest rider called the Caipora! He looks like a little boy with long, dark hair, and he is famous for riding on the back of a giant wild pig! He is a master of camouflage, which means he can hide by blending in with the trees and vines around him.

• The Goal: The Caipora is usually benevolent—which means he is kind and friendly to people who respect the forest. He is a protector who makes sure hunters aren't greedy.
• A Tasty Lesson: In one story, a greedy hunter got lost because the Caipora made the paths disappear! The hunter had to leave a piece of Cupuaçu (Coo-poo-ah-soo)—a fruit that tastes like chocolate and pineapple—as an offering to find his way home.
• Survival Tip: If you meet the Caipora, offer him a chocolate bar! Since cacao comes from Brazil, he loves chocolatey treats. If you also give his pig some fruit and snort three times, he might let you ride on the pig’s back all the way to safety!

⭐ Bonus Time! (Supporter's Club)

If you want to keep traveling with us and meet even more wacky and mysterious beasts, ask a grown-up about our secret bonus episodes! This week, we learn all about a scary monster from Peru that secretly steals fat, called the Pishtaco!

Amo nhana! (Ah-moo nah-nah!) That means, "Goodbye until later!"

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There was once a man who called himself an Astrologer. He spent all his time studying the night sky because he believed the stars could tell him exactly what would happen in the future.

One night, he was walking along a dark road outside his village. He was so busy looking up at the stars—trying to figure out when the world might end—that he didn't look where he was going.

• The Accident: Suddenly, he stepped right into a big, deep hole filled with mud and water!
• The Struggle: He was stuck up to his ears in the cold mud. He tried to climb out, but the sides were too slippery. He began to shout and cry for help.
• The Lesson: The villagers heard his cries and ran to help him. As they pulled him out of the muddy mess, one neighbor said:

The Moral of the Story

The lesson of this fable is: Take care of the little things, and the big things will take care of themselves.

Key Lessons

• Be Mindful: It is important to pay attention to what is happening right now, not just what might happen later.
• Stay Grounded: While it is okay to have big dreams (like looking at the stars), you still have to watch where you are walking.
• Practicality: Don't ignore the real world because you are too busy thinking about imaginary things or the distant future.

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Once upon a time, there was an old farmer who had several sons. The sons were strong and hard-working, but they had one big problem: they were always fighting with each other. They argued about everything, from who should do the chores to who was the smartest.

The father was worried. He knew that if his sons didn't learn to get along, they would have a very hard time in life. One day, he called them all together and showed them a bundle of sticks tied tightly with a rope.

1. The Challenge: He handed the bundle to his oldest son and said, "Break this in half." The son tried with all his might, but the bundle wouldn't even bend.
2. The Others Try: One by one, the other sons tried to break the bundle. Even the strongest son couldn't snap the sticks while they were tied together.
3. The Lesson: The father untied the rope and gave each son just one single stick. "Now try," he said. With a quick snap, every son broke his stick easily.

The Moral of the Story

The father told his sons:"If you stay together and help each other, you will be like the bundle—strong and hard to break. But if you keep fighting and stay divided, you will be like the single sticks—easy for anyone to snap."

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