Woman: ♪ HEY, NOW... ♪

♪ HEY, WOW... ♪

♪ HERE'S HOW ♪

♪ COME AND READ ♪

♪ BETWEEN THE LIONS ♪

Chorus: ♪ COME ON ♪

♪ COME IN ♪

♪ BEGIN ♪

♪ THE WORLD AWAITS ♪

Woman: ♪ BETWEEN THE LIONS ♪

♪ BETWEEN THE COVERS OF A BOOK ♪

♪ IT'S TIME TO LOOK BETWEEN THE LIONS ♪

♪ BEHOLD THE TALES BEYOND THE TAILS ♪

Chorus: ♪ BEHIND THE DOOR ♪

♪ BECOME, EXPLORE ♪

♪ COME IN BETWEEN THE LIONS ♪

♪ BEGIN BETWEEN THE LIONS ♪

♪ BE HERE BETWEEN THE LIONS! ♪

Theo: COME ON, LIONEL, YOU CAN DO IT.

YEAH, COME ON.

YOU CAN BEAT YOUR OLD MAN AT ARM WRESTLING.

THERE YOU GO.

( groans )

OH, HE'S STRONG.

HE'S A STRONG BOY.

( Lionel straining )

SHH!

I'M SNEAKING UP ON MY BROTHER, LIONEL.

I'M GOING TO JUMP ON HIM, AND HE DOESN'T EVEN KNOW IT.

THAT'S HIM OVER THERE, SEE...

Cleo: ALL RIGHT, ALL RIGHT.

I CALL THIS MEETING

OF THE LIBRARY'S NEW BOOKS COMMITTEE TO ORDER

WITH THE OFFICIAL CALL-THIS-MEETING- TO-ORDER ROAR.

( roars loudly )

( all shriek )

THAT'S MY MOM.

HER NAME IS CLEO.

WOW! WAY COOL ROAR, MOM!

THAT'S LIONEL.

WE'RE HERE TO DECIDE IF WE WANT TO ADD

ANY OF THESE NEW BOOKS I HUNTED DOWN TO THE LIBRARY.

HMM... AND A VERY GOOD-LOOKING LITTLE STACK IT IS, CLEO.

YES-- SCANNING...

NEW BOOKS.

SCANNING COMPLETE.

STACK CONTAINS: TWO ADVENTURE BOOKS, THREE NEW MYSTERY BOOKS

TWO SCIENCE FICTION BOOKS

ONE BOOK ABOUT HORSES, ONE ABOUT BASKETBALL

AND ONE ABOUT A CUTE LITTLE DUCK.

( gasps )

A CUTE DUCK BOOK?

AH, YES, IT'S CALLED THE LUCKY, LUCKY, LUCKY DUCK.

MMM... WE DON'T NEED ANOTHER CUTE DUCK BOOK IN THE LIBRARY.

OH, YES, WE DO.

( Lionel yelling )

LEONA!

( Leona groans )

( Theo chuckles )

I LIKE CUTE DUCK BOOKS!

WE SHOULD READ IT BEFORE WE DECIDE.

YEAH... YEAH, YEAH, YEAH, YEAH, YEAH.

DO WE HAVE TO?

IT'S ONLY FAIR.

ONLY FAIR.

THEO, WOULD YOU DO THE HONORS

AND BE OUR DESIGNATED READER TODAY?

I WOULD BE DELIGHTED, CLEO, MY DEAR.

MMM, I CAN'T WAIT TO GET MY TEETH AND TONGUE

AROUND THIS LITTLE CUTIE.

Theo, Cleo and Leona: AW, CUTE!

THIS IS TOO MUCH.

Theo, Cleo and Leona: OH, VERY CUTE!

OH, THE CUTENESS...

( duck snoring softly )

Theo, Cleo and Leona: OH...

VERY, VERY CUTE!

IT'S OVER! IT'S OVER!

THE CUTENESS IS

OVER!

( in babylike voice ): IT'S OVER, ALL RIGHT!

I AM SICK AND TIRED OF BEING NOTHING BUT CUTE!

( blows raspberries )

CUTE ALL THE TIME, CUTE!

UH, YOU'RE ALSO LUCKY.

AND LITTLE.

LITTLE IS GOOD.

I DON'T CARE!

I DON'T WANT TO BE CUTE ANYMORE.

I WANT POWER... I WANT RESPECT...

STARTING RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW-- GOT IT?

FROM NOW ON, THIS DUCK IS NO LONGER CUTE.

GOT THAT?

I AM NOT CUTE!

All: CUTE!

Leona: EVEN WHEN HE'S ANGRY.

( duck blows raspberry )

OH, AM I DOOMED TO BE CUTE FOREVER?

( sighs )

NO!

( pounds fist )

WHOA!

I CAN TEACH YOU HOW NOT TO BE CUTE.

YOU CAN?

YES!

GOLLY! I REALLY AM LUCKY!

THANKS.

NO PROBLEM.

COME WITH ME.

COMING.

HEY! HEY!

I LIKE HIM CUTE!

OH, MOM, I DON'T WANT HIM TO CHANGE.

Lucky Duck: OUCH! I STUBBED MY LITTLE WEBBY TOE.

All: AW...

LEONA, I DON'T THINK YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO WORRY ABOUT.

BELIEVE IT OR NOT, I--

BARNABY B. "DON'T CALL ME BUSTER" BUSTERFIELD III--

HAVE A CUTE LITTLE DUCKY ON MY MIND.

I KNOW, IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE, BUT IT'S TRUE-- LOOK.

( chuckles )

Boy: MOM, THERE'S A STATUE

WITH A DUCK COMING OUT OF THE TOP OF HIS HEAD.

Mother: WHY A DUCK?

( laughing )

COME ON, YUCK IT UP!

THIS IS CLASSIC COMEDY.

( laughing )

Announcer: AND NOW, LOVERS OF THE VOWELS "A," "E," "I," "O," "U"

AND SOMETIMES "Y"

MARTHA READER AND THE VOWELLES ARE BUSTING DOWN THE HOUSE

WITH THE SHORT "U" SOUND IN THEIR HIT, "MUD."

( singing repeated short "u" sound to soul tune )

( song ends; cheering and applause )

( chugging like engine )

( makes short "u" sound )

( makes "m" sound )

( repeats "m" sound )

UD... UD.

M... UD

M... UD.

MUD.

MUD...

"MUD"!

( squish )

YUCK!

AND NOW ARTY SMARTYPANTS WILL READ FOUR WORDS

WITHOUT ANY ASSISTANCE WHATSOEVER!

( audience applauds and cheers )

THANK YOU!

MAY I HAVE A "BUILD THE EXCITEMENT" DRUM ROLL, PLEASE?

( drum roll, applause )

THANK YOU.

"BUG"...

Audience: BUG.

"BUT"...

BUT.

"BUTTER"...

BUTTER.

"BUTTERFLY."

"BUG," "BUT," "BUTTER" AND "BUTTERFLY"!

THANK YOU.

( cheering and applause )

OH, NO.

( crash )

OH, I THINK I'VE HURT MY SMARTYPANTS.

OH, THE PAIN...

OH... OH!

FLYING OFF THE SHELF ONCE AGAIN, IT'S THE CONTINUING

DARING AND DANGLING ADVENTURES OF CLIFF HANGER!

TODAY'S ADVENTURE, NUMBER 73

"CLIFF HANGER AND THE BIG FLYING RUG."

Chorus ( singing ):

WE FIND CLIFF HANGER WHERE WE LEFT HIM LAST

HANGING FROM A CLIFF.

( branch breaking )

SUDDENLY CLIFF SEES A BIG FLYING RUG.

UNRUFFLED, CLIFF REACHES INTO HIS BACKPACK

AND TAKES OUT HIS TRUSTY SURVIVAL MANUAL.

USING HIS EXPERT DECODING SKILLS

CLIFF BEGINS TO READ.

"WHEN YOU SEE A FLYING RUG, JUMP ON THE RUG."

WHAT LUCK!

IS PLUCKY CLIFF HANGER FINALLY OFF THAT CLIFF?

UGH!

Man: ♪ AND THAT'S WHY HE'S CALLED CLIFF HANGER! ♪

( branch breaking )

Cleo: DON'T WORRY, LEONA.

I DON'T THINK THERE IS ANY WAY

THAT LIONEL CAN TEACH THAT DUCK NOT TO BE CUTE.

OH, YES, THERE IS.

I ALREADY DID.

OH, LIONEL, SAY YOU DIDN'T.

PLEASE SAY YOU DIDN'T.

I DIDN'T.

HE DIDN'T!

BUT I DID!

OH, LIONEL!

YOU'VE HEARD OF THE BIG, BAD WOLF.

WELL, STAND BACK

AND GET READY FOR THE BIG, BAD DUCK!

( heavy rock music begins )

♪ INSTEAD OF FEATHERS, I'M WEARING LEATHER ♪

♪ INSTEAD OF NICE, I'M BEING RUDE ♪

♪ AND LOOK WHO'S BACK ♪

♪ THE DUCK IN BLACK ♪

♪ AND YOU'D BETTER WATCH OUT ♪

♪ I'M IN A "FOWL" MOOD ♪

♪ I'M THE BIG BAD DUCK ♪

♪ A NASTY FELLOW ♪

♪ YEAH, BABY, SAY GOOD-BYE TO MR. CUTE AND YELLOW ♪

♪ HE'S THE BIG BAD DUCK ♪

♪ HE DID HIS TIME ♪

♪ NOW YOU WON'T CATCH ME IN NO NURSERY RHYME... ♪

All ( singing ):

All ( singing ):

♪ ♪ ♪

♪ I WAS A CREAM PUFF, NOW I GOT POWER ♪

♪ I WAS A SOFTIE, BUT NOW I'M TOUGH ♪

♪ YEAH, NO MORE STOPPING TO SMELL THE FLOWERS ♪

♪ AND NO MORE EASTER BASKETS ♪

♪ ENOUGH'S ENOUGH! ♪

Chorus ( singing ):

♪ I'M MEAN AND SCUZZY ♪

♪ YEAH, BABY, SAY GOOD-BYE TO MR. WARM AND FUZZY ♪

Both ( singing ):

♪ WITH A BAD NEW LOOK ♪

♪ NOW YOU WON'T CATCH ME IN NO BABY BOOK! ♪

( guitar reverberating )

QUACK!

( song ends )

Lions: AW...

I'M STILL CUTE?

Cleo: WELL...

Lionel: YEAH, I HAVE TO ADMIT IT--

YOU'RE STILL CUTE.

I'M SORRY, BUT I'M NOT GIVING UP!

I'LL THINK OF SOMETHING.

OH, I AM DOOMED TO BE CUTE FOREVER!

OH, DON'T BE SAD, LITTLE DUCK.

I'M REALLY GLAD YOU'RE STILL CUTE.

OH, WHY? WHY?!

IT'S WHO YOU ARE.

THE AUTHOR WHO WROTE YOUR BOOK MADE YOU CUTE-- THAT'S WHY.

THAT'S WHY?

THAT'S WHY.

"Y"-- THAT'S IT!

DON'T GO AWAY, LITTLE DUCK.

YOU WON'T HAVE TO BE CUTE FOR LONG!

"Y"!

All: WHY?

( bluesy music playing as audience applauds )

♪ WOKE UP THIS MORNING ♪

♪ WONDERING WHY ♪

♪ "Y" CAN SOMETIMES SOUND LIKE "YEH" ♪

♪ AND SOMETIMES "EE" OR "AYE" ♪

♪ OH, MY... ♪

♪ I'M TROUBLED BY LETTER "Y"... ♪

♪ "Y" HAS GOT THREE DIFFERENT SOUNDS: ♪

♪ "YEH," "EE" AND "AYE." ♪

♪ WELL, THE "Y" IN "LUCKY" SOUNDS LIKE "EE" ♪

♪ THE "Y" IN "SKY" SAYS "AYE" ♪

♪ THE "Y" IN "YELLOW" SOUNDS LIKE "YEH" ♪

♪ WON'T SOMEONE TELL ME WHY? ♪

♪ OH, MY... ♪

♪ I'M TROUBLED BY LETTER "Y" ♪

IT BRINGS ME GRIEF!

♪ "Y" HAS GOT THREE DIFFERENT SOUNDS: ♪

♪ "YEH," "EE" AND "AYE." ♪

♪ WELL, "Y" IS THE "EE" IN "MUCKY" ♪

♪ "Y" IS THE "YEH" IN "YES" ♪

♪ SO WHY IT SOUNDS LIKE "AYE" IN "CRY" IS HARD FOR ME TO GUESS ♪

♪ OH, MY... ♪

YOU TROUBLE ME, LETTER "Y"!

WHY YOU WANT TO DO THAT TO ME?

♪ "Y" HAS GOT THREE DIFFERENT SOUNDS: ♪

♪ "YEH," "EE" AND "AYE" ♪

♪ THE THREE SOUNDS OF "Y." ♪

( applause )

"Y," YOU'RE WHY I FEEL YUCKY!

( laughing )

OH, YEAH.

( playing final notes )

( phone rings )

BARNABY B. BUSTERFIELD III PUBLIC LIBRARY.

INFORMATION HEN SPEAKING.

OH, WELL, YES, INDEED, DEAR, WE HAVE ALL KINDS OF BOOKS

AND MAGAZINES AND NEWSPAPERS AND VIDEOS

OH, AND EDUCATIONAL GAMES, MM-HMM...

YES, DEAR, AND TABLES AND CHAIRS, MM-HMM.

YOU'RE WELCOME.

( phone rings )

LIBRARY, INFORMATION HEN.

OH, WELL, THAT'S AN INTERESTING QUESTION.

HMM, LET'S SEE WHAT WE'VE GOT HERE.