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Between the Lions Volume 1, 2, 3 22-Disc Box Set DVD
Between the Lions aired on PBS Kids and in some Fox markets across the early-to-mid 2000s, a literacy-focused children's series built around a fictional public library run by a family of lions. The premise placed Theo, Cleo, Lionel, and Leona Lion, plus a deep ensemble of supporting characters and library regulars, at the center of episodes that combined live-action puppetry, animated inserts, song parodies, and the steady focus on phonics, vocabulary, and the joy of reading that defined the series' educational mission.
What stands out is the show's commitment to teaching reading explicitly. Where many literacy-themed children's programs sneak instruction into broader storytelling, this one made phonics, sentence structure, and word-recognition exercises a clear, visible part of every episode, packaged through musical numbers, recurring sketch segments, and adapted classic stories that appeared as animated interludes inside the library setting. The puppetry stayed warm and character-first, and the live-action segments brought viewers into a fully populated lion-family-and-library world.
In the broader era of early-to-mid 2000s PBS Kids programming, this kind of curriculum-flavored children's series was a particular fixture, with the network supporting deeply intentional literacy programming alongside its broader children's lineup. It suited household viewing for early-elementary kids, classroom and home-reading environments, and parents who appreciated children's content that quietly built reading skills alongside its play. It pairs well with other PBS literacy and curriculum-flavored programming of the period.
Favorite episodes include the franchise-launching "Pecos Bill Cleans Up the West," the legendary-creature "Pandora's Box," the magical-detour "Lionel's Great Escape Trick," the classic-fable "The Boy Who Cried Wolf," the storybook adaptation "The Three Little Pigs," the tale-classic "Sylvester and the Magic Pebble," the friendship-themed "Knuffle Bunny," and the bedtime warmth of "Night in the Country." This 22-disc set gathers 101 episodes plus extras across multiple seasons, a deep archive of early-to-mid 2000s PBS literacy programming that disc ownership keeps available.
Season 1 Episode 1 – Pecos Bill Cleans Up the West
Season 1 Episode 2 – The Lost Rock
Season 1 Episode 3 – Little Big Mouse
Season 1 Episode 4 – Farmer Ken's Puzzle
Season 1 Episode 5 – Shooting Stars
Season 1 Episode 6 – The Hopping Hen
Season 1 Episode 7 – Touching the Moon
Season 1 Episode 8 – The Boy Who Cried Wolf
Season 1 Episode 9 – Fuzzy Wuzzy, Wuzzy?
Season 1 Episode 10 – Lionel's Antlers
Season 1 Episode 11 – To the Ship! To the Ship!
Season 1 Episode 12 – The Chap with Caps
Season 1 Episode 13 – Pandora's Box
Season 1 Episode 14 – Lionel's Great Escape Trick
Season 1 Episode 15 – There's a Fly in My Soup
Season 1 Episode 16 – The Popcorn Popper
Season 1 Episode 17 – Something Fishy
Season 1 Episode 18 – Hug, Hug, Hug!
Season 1 Episode 19 – The Ram in the Pepper Patch
Season 1 Episode 20 – A Peck of Peppers
Season 1 Episode 21 – Sausage Nose
Season 1 Episode 22 – Red Hat, Green Hat
Season 1 Episode 23 – The Lucky Duck
Season 1 Episode 24 – The Old Man
Season 1 Episode 25 – A King and His Hawk
Season 1 Episode 26 – The Roar That Makes Them Run
Season 1 Episode 27 – Piggyback, Piggyback
Season 1 Episode 28 – The Fox and the Crow
Season 1 Episode 29 – Giants and Cubs
Season 1 Episode 30 – Be Bop
Season 2 Episode 1 – The Sad Dad
Season 2 Episode 2 – Humph! Humph! Humph!
Season 2 Episode 3 – The Good Seed
Season 2 Episode 4 – Icarus's Wings
Season 2 Episode 5 – Zoop! Zoop!
Season 2 Episode 6 – Clickety-Clack, Clickety-Clack!
Season 2 Episode 7 – Poetry Day
Season 2 Episode 8 – Bobby the Hopping Robot
Season 2 Episode 9 – Teacher's Pet
Season 2 Episode 10 – The Last Cliff Hanger
Season 2 Episode 11 – Pebble Trouble
Season 2 Episode 12 – Oh, Yes, It Can!
Season 2 Episode 13 – Five, Six, and Thistle Sticks
Season 2 Episode 14 – Bug Beard
Season 2 Episode 15 – Trains and Brains and Rainy Plains
Season 2 Episode 16 – Quest, Quest, Quest!
Season 2 Episode 17 – The Spider and the Lie
Season 2 Episode 18 – Why the Baboon's Balloon Went Ka-Boom!
Season 2 Episode 19 – But, Mama, But...
Season 2 Episode 20 – Dreaming Shakespeare
Season 2 Episode 21 – Rats
Season 2 Episode 22 – Tweet! Tweet!
Season 2 Episode 23 – Good Night, Knight
Season 2 Episode 24 – The Chess Mess
Season 2 Episode 25 – Stop That Chicken!
Season 3 Episode 1 – Hay Day
Season 3 Episode 2 – Pigs Aplenty
Season 3 Episode 3 – What Parakeets Need
Season 3 Episode 4 – Too Cool
Season 3 Episode 5 – You Can't Catch Me
Season 3 Episode 6 – Huff and Puff
Season 3 Episode 7 – Out in Outer Space
Season 3 Episode 8 – Help!
Season 3 Episode 9 – Two Coats, One Goat, and One Boat!
Season 3 Episode 10 – Treats!
Season 4 Episode 1 – Art Party
Season 4 Episode 2 – Grow, Mane, Grow!
Season 4 Episode 3 – Three Goats, No Waiting
Season 4 Episode 4 – Step by Step
Season 4 Episode 5 – Dance in Smarty Pants
Season 5 Episode 1 – Pigs, Pigs, Pigs/The Three Little Pigs
Season 5 Episode 2 – The Carrot Seed/The Empty Pot
Season 5 Episode 3 – Wings/What's in the Box?
Season 5 Episode 4 – A Shower of Stars/Two Moons and One Lagoon
Season 5 Episode 5 – The Golden Meaty Awards
Season 5 Episode 6 – Click, Clack, Moo; The Little Red Hen
Season 5 Episode 7 – Sylvester and the Magic Pebble/I Miss You, Stinky Face
Season 5 Episode 8 – A Tasty Piece of Cheese; The Lion and the Mouse
Season 5 Episode 9 – Earl's Too Cool/When I Was Five
Season 5 Episode 10 – It's Red, It's Green; Joseph Had a Little Overcoat
Season 6 Episode 1 – Mrs. McNosh Hangs Up Her Wash/Knuffle Bunny
Season 6 Episode 2 – Sheep on a Ship; Mississippi Skip and His Pirate Ship
Season 6 Episode 3 – Yo! Yes; Very Loud, Very Big, Very Metal
Season 6 Episode 4 – I'll Fix Anthony; Jamaica Louise James
Season 6 Episode 5 – Pete's a Pizza/Pygmalion
Season 6 Episode 6 – Here Come the Aliens & Abiyoyo
Season 6 Episode 7 – King Midas; The Dirty Smelly King
Season 6 Episode 8 – Cheesybreadville & Stolen Smells
Season 6 Episode 9 – The Coyote and the Rabbit & The Gingerbread Man
Season 6 Episode 10 – The Goat in the Coat
Season 7 Episode 1 – The Problem with Chickens/An Egg Is Quiet
Season 7 Episode 2 – Spicy Hot Colors/Yesterday I Had the Blues
Season 7 Episode 3 – Bear Snore On; Night in the Country
Season 7 Episode 4 – How to Be a Good Dog; Not Afraid of Dogs
Season 7 Episode 5 – Dear Mr. Blueberry/I Wanna Iguana
Season 7 Episode 6 – Violet's Music/What Instrument Does Alvin Play?
Season 7 Episode 7 – Moon Rope/Welcome to the Moon
Season 7 Episode 8 – The Three-Legged Pot/When Jabo Jammed
Season 7 Episode 9 – Charlie's Dinosaur/Here Come the Aliens
Season 7 Episode 10 – Making Bread/Cheesybreadville
Season 8 Episode 1 – Ruby Sings the Blues/The Camel Dances
Season 8 Episode 2 – Mole and the Baby Bird/Owen and Mzee
Season 8 Episode 3 – Stop That Pickle; Chicks and Salsa
Season 8 Episode 4 – Are You a Snail?/Wonderful Worms
Season 8 Episode 5 – Stone Soup/Bee-bim Bop!
Season 8 Episode 6 – Bein' with You This Way/How to Be
Season 8 Episode 7 – No One Told the Aardvark/Sea Horse
Season 8 Episode 8 – Elephants Can Paint Too!/Jamaica Louise James
Season 8 Episode 9 – Trosclair and the Alligator/The Coyote and the Rabbit
Season 8 Episode 10 – I Don’t Want a Birthday Party/Knuffle Bunny
Season 9 Episode 1 – Night Shift & Under Construction
Season 9 Episode 2 – Bugs & Beetle Bop
Season 9 Episode 3 – Cliff Hanger, the Pheasant and the Phone/Terrific
Season 9 Episode 4 – River Story/Salmon in Alaska
Season 9 Episode 5 – Pigs in Hiding/Stop That Pickle!
Season 9 Episode 6 – Priceless Gifts/King Midas
Season 9 Episode 7 – The Popcorn Popper/Oh, Yes, It Can!
Season 9 Episode 8 – The Emperor's New Clothes/The Hungry Coat
Season 9 Episode 9 – Like a Windy Day/Winter Is the Warmest Season
Season 9 Episode 10 – Angelina's Island/Chinese New Year
Season 10 Episode 1 – Three More Little Pigs/The Ants and the Grasshopper
Season 10 Episode 2 – A Birthday for Cow!/Rabbit's Gift
Season 10 Episode 3 – City Mouse and Country Mouse/The Happy Hocky Family Moves to the Country!
Season 10 Episode 4 – Pablo the Artist/Dream Carver
Season 10 Episode 5 – Roller Coaster/What Do Wheels Do All Day?
Season 10 Episode 6 – Not Norman/Me and My Cat?
Season 10 Episode 7 – My Dog Is as Smelly as Dirty Socks/Just What Mama Needs
Season 10 Episode 8 – Castles, Cave, and Honeycombs/My House
Season 10 Episode 9 – Deep in the Swamp/Trosclair and the Alligator
Season 10 Episode 10 – Red Parka Mary/Not Afraid of Dogs
Extras
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