Season's creating circle round fans. To celebrate the season of giving, we hope you'll consider

giving to WBUR, the NPR station that makes circle round possible. When you make a contribution

to WBUR, we'll give you a thank you gift of your choice, like the adorable new lion stuffed

animal, as well as our picture books, tote bags, t-shirts, water bottles, we've even designed

some special holiday gift bundles for the circle round fans in your life. Grown-ups head

to www.orgslashcircleround and click circle round swag. Thank you and happy holidays!

Produced by the iLab at WBUR Boston. Have you ever lost something? A favorite toy

perhaps or even a pet? In the best case, when we lose something, some kind soul finds it,

returns it and we offer them our thanks. But in the story we're about to hear, when a generous

person finds and returns a lost item, she doesn't get thanked. She gets taken to court.

I'm Rebecca Schier and welcome to Circle round, where story time happens all the time.

Today our story is called the Red Velvet Purse. We've found versions of this folktale from

a number of places including China, India, Ethiopia and Romania. Some really great people

came together to bring you our adaptation of this tale, including Alisa Donovan, whom

you grown-ups might recognize from Clueless, Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Beverly Hills

90210. Her new memoir, Wake Me When You Leave is Out Now.

So circle round everyone, for the Red Velvet Purse.

Their once was a merchant who traveled from town to town and country to country, selling

goods. He was one of the most prosperous merchants around because of the curious way

he conducted his business.

Step right up folks and take a gander at these mangoes. Each and every one of these beauties

was personally picked from a tree owned by the Empress of Casminiopolis. A country so

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