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Read by Ruma Tenbrink with the permission of Clete Barrett Smith:If We Were Giants is an uplifting, sometimes harrowing, tale by rock star and environmental activist Dave Matthews and Clete Barrett Smith. Inspired by the cooperative behavior of bivouac ants, Matthews conceived a story of small people who stood up against overwhelming forces by working together, and co-author Smith built an entire world and cast of characters around that beginning. Protagonist Kirra, 10 years old for the first part of the story, 14 later, is racked with guilt because her own careless eagerness led an army of scary invaders called the Takers to discover and wipe out her family and all who lived in a carefully-hidden town inside a dormant volcano. Adopted by a family of peaceable, self-sufficient tree dwellers, she doesn't talk about her past, but when she's 14, the Takers threaten her new family, too. Between the massacres, the hunting scenes, the scary-looking villains, their shiny weapons, and the hand-to-hand combat, there's a lot of violence, but no gratuitous gore. There are lots of positive messages about family, friendship, courage, collaboration, cooperation, clever thinking, and living in harmony with nature and one another. Also about finding your true path and following it even when obstacles crop up.This whole story came about because Dave Matthews observed the behavior of ants in the wild, and was inspired to see how it might apply elsewhere. Have you ever seen something in nature that made you look at something in your own life in a different way?Inspired by ants, Dave Matthews and Clete Barrett Smith spin an exciting, harrowing, uplifting story of banding together to use cooperation -- and clever technology -- against predatory invaders. "If We Were Giants," muses a little kid, we could win against these ruthless foes. Fourteen-year-old tree-dweller Kirra, whose home has already been destroyed, has to rise above her survivor's (and other) guilt to help the people who've taken her in -- and maybe help them become giants for real.Support the show

Read by Ruma Tenbrink with the permission of Clete Barrett Smith:If We Were Giants is an uplifting, sometimes harrowing, tale by rock star and environmental activist Dave Matthews and Clete Barrett Smith. Inspired by the cooperative behavior of bivouac ants, Matthews conceived a story of small people who stood up against overwhelming forces by working together, and co-author Smith built an entire world and cast of characters around that beginning. Protagonist Kirra, 10 years old for the first part of the story, 14 later, is racked with guilt because her own careless eagerness led an army of scary invaders called the Takers to discover and wipe out her family and all who lived in a carefully-hidden town inside a dormant volcano. Adopted by a family of peaceable, self-sufficient tree dwellers, she doesn't talk about her past, but when she's 14, the Takers threaten her new family, too. Between the massacres, the hunting scenes, the scary-looking villains, their shiny weapons, and the hand-to-hand combat, there's a lot of violence, but no gratuitous gore. There are lots of positive messages about family, friendship, courage, collaboration, cooperation, clever thinking, and living in harmony with nature and one another. Also about finding your true path and following it even when obstacles crop up.This whole story came about because Dave Matthews observed the behavior of ants in the wild, and was inspired to see how it might apply elsewhere. Have you ever seen something in nature that made you look at something in your own life in a different way?Inspired by ants, Dave Matthews and Clete Barrett Smith spin an exciting, harrowing, uplifting story of banding together to use cooperation -- and clever technology -- against predatory invaders. "If We Were Giants," muses a little kid, we could win against these ruthless foes. Fourteen-year-old tree-dweller Kirra, whose home has already been destroyed, has to rise above her survivor's (and other) guilt to help the people who've taken her in -- and maybe help them become giants for real.Support the show

Happy Thanksgiving friends!!! Only four chapters left of this incredible tale written by our very own Dave of the Dave Matthews Band and his friend Clete Barrett Smith. If you are enjoying this tale, please subscribe and leave me a 5-Star rating on itunes. It will really make a difference to new podcasts like mine so please please take a second if you can, I would really appreciate it!!!!Read by Ruma Tenbrink with the permission of Clete Barrett Smith:If We Were Giants is an uplifting, sometimes harrowing, tale by rock star and environmental activist Dave Matthews and Clete Barrett Smith. Inspired by the cooperative behavior of bivouac ants, Matthews conceived a story of small people who stood up against overwhelming forces by working together, and co-author Smith built an entire world and cast of characters around that beginning. Protagonist Kirra, 10 years old for the first part of the story, 14 later, is racked with guilt because her own careless eagerness led an army of scary invaders called the Takers to discover and wipe out her family and all who lived in a carefully-hidden town inside a dormant volcano. Adopted by a family of peaceable, self-sufficient tree dwellers, she doesn't talk about her past, but when she's 14, the Takers threaten her new family, too. Between the massacres, the hunting scenes, the scary-looking villains, their shiny weapons, and the hand-to-hand combat, there's a lot of violence, but no gratuitous gore. There are lots of positive messages about family, friendship, courage, collaboration, cooperation, clever thinking, and living in harmony with nature and one another. Also about finding your true path and following it even when obstacles crop up.This whole story came about because Dave Matthews observed the behavior of ants in the wild, and was inspired to see how it might apply elsewhere. Have you ever seen something in nature that made you look at something in your own life in a different way?Inspired by ants, Dave Matthews and Clete Barrett Smith spin an exciting, harrowing, uplifting story of banding together to use cooperation -- and clever technology -- against predatory invaders. "If We Were Giants," muses a little kid, we could win against these ruthless foes. Fourteen-year-old tree-dweller Kirra, whose home has already been destroyed, has to rise above her survivor's (and other) guilt to help the people who've taken her in -- and maybe help them become giants for real. Authors: Dave Matthews, Clete Barrett Smith, Illustrator: Antonio Javier Caparo, Read by: Ruma Tenbrink Support the show

This episode is dedicated to all my friends at the Gorge this weekend who are being good little ants and celebrating "Labor Dave Weekend" with Dave and the band at the most gorge-ous venue in the world! Remember, if you are too excited and can't get to sleep, this will do the trick!!! Thanks for listening to “Children's Bedtime Stories for Adults." If you are enjoying this tale, please subscribe and leave me a 5-Star rating on itunes. It will really make a difference to new podcasts like mine so please please take a second if you can I would really appreciate it!!!!Read by Ruma Tenbrink with the permission of Clete Barrett Smith:If We Were Giants is an uplifting, sometimes harrowing, tale by rock star and environmental activist Dave Matthews and Clete Barrett Smith. Inspired by the cooperative behavior of bivouac ants, Matthews conceived a story of small people who stood up against overwhelming forces by working together, and co-author Smith built an entire world and cast of characters around that beginning. Protagonist Kirra, 10 years old for the first part of the story, 14 later, is racked with guilt because her own careless eagerness led an army of scary invaders called the Takers to discover and wipe out her family and all who lived in a carefully-hidden town inside a dormant volcano. Adopted by a family of peaceable, self-sufficient tree dwellers, she doesn't talk about her past, but when she's 14, the Takers threaten her new family, too. Between the massacres, the hunting scenes, the scary-looking villains, their shiny weapons, and the hand-to-hand combat, there's a lot of violence, but no gratuitous gore. There are lots of positive messages about family, friendship, courage, collaboration, cooperation, clever thinking, and living in harmony with nature and one another. Also about finding your true path and following it even when obstacles crop up.This whole story came about because Dave Matthews observed the behavior of ants in the wild, and was inspired to see how it might apply elsewhere. Have you ever seen something in nature that made you look at something in your own life in a different way?Inspired by ants, Dave Matthews and Clete Barrett Smith spin an exciting, harrowing, uplifting story of banding together to use cooperation -- and clever technology -- against predatory invaders. "If We Were Giants," muses a little kid, we could win against these ruthless foes. Fourteen-year-old tree-dweller Kirra, whose home has already been destroyed, has to rise above her survivor's (and other) guilt to help the people who've taken her in -- and maybe help them become giants for real. Authors: Dave Matthews, Clete Barrett Smith, Illustrator: Antonio Javier Caparo, Read by: Ruma Tenbrink Support the show

Thanks for listening to “Children's Bedtime Stories Podcast for Adults."  If you are enjoying this tale, please subscribe and leave me a 5-Star rating on itunes. It will really make a difference to new podcasts like mine so please please take a second if you can I would really appreciate it!!!! Read by Ruma Tenbrink with the permission of Clete Barrett Smith:If We Were Giants is an uplifting, sometimes harrowing, tale by rock star and environmental activist Dave Matthews and Clete Barrett Smith. Inspired by the cooperative behavior of bivouac ants, Matthews conceived a story of small people who stood up against overwhelming forces by working together, and co-author Smith built an entire world and cast of characters around that beginning. Protagonist Kirra, 10 years old for the first part of the story, 14 later, is racked with guilt because her own careless eagerness led an army of scary invaders called the Takers to discover and wipe out her family and all who lived in a carefully-hidden town inside a dormant volcano. Adopted by a family of peaceable, self-sufficient tree dwellers, she doesn't talk about her past, but when she's 14, the Takers threaten her new family, too. Between the massacres, the hunting scenes, the scary-looking villains, their shiny weapons, and the hand-to-hand combat, there's a lot of violence, but no gratuitous gore. There are lots of positive messages about family, friendship, courage, collaboration, cooperation, clever thinking, and living in harmony with nature and one another. Also about finding your true path and following it even when obstacles crop up.If We Were Giants  opens as 10-year-old Kirra and her storytelling father/mentor -- the only people allowed to leave their well-hidden town inside a dormant volcano -- are returning home from a tour of neighboring villages and storytelling festivals. They're worried, because word has started to spread about brutal invaders called the Takers who pillage everything in their path, strip the landscape and kill the inhabitants. All is well for a while when they get home, but then Kirra, eager to find her own stories to tell, goes outside the walls again -- and leads the Takers straight back to her home and loved ones. In shock and grief, she falls into a river and nearly drowns before a family of tree-dwellers takes her in. Years pass, and then comes word that the Takers are headed for her new home. She's determined to save her adopted family and their neighbors -- but how?This whole story came about because Dave Matthews observed the behavior of ants in the wild, and was inspired to see how it might apply elsewhere. Have you ever seen something in nature that made you look at something in your own life in a different way?Inspired by ants, Dave Matthews and Clete Barrett Smith spin an exciting, harrowing, uplifting story of banding together to use cooperation -- and clever technology -- against predatory invaders. "If We Were Giants," muses a little kid, we could win against these ruthless foes. Fourteen-year-old tree-dweller Kirra, whose home has already been destroyed, has to rise above her survivor's (and other) guilt to help the people who've taken her in -- and maybe help them become giants for real. Authors: Dave Matthews, Clete Barrett Smith, Illustrator: Antonio Javier Caparo, Read by: Ruma Tenbrink Support the show

Thanks for listening to “Children's Bedtime Stories Podcast for Adults."  If you are enjoying this tale, please subscribe and leave me a 5-Star rating on itunes. It will really make a difference to new podcasts like mine so please please take a second if you can I would really appreciate it!!!! Read by Ruma Tenbrink with the permission of Clete Barrett Smith:If We Were Giants is an uplifting, sometimes harrowing, tale by rock star and environmental activist Dave Matthews and Clete Barrett Smith. Inspired by the cooperative behavior of bivouac ants, Matthews conceived a story of small people who stood up against overwhelming forces by working together, and co-author Smith built an entire world and cast of characters around that beginning. Protagonist Kirra, 10 years old for the first part of the story, 14 later, is racked with guilt because her own careless eagerness led an army of scary invaders called the Takers to discover and wipe out her family and all who lived in a carefully-hidden town inside a dormant volcano. Adopted by a family of peaceable, self-sufficient tree dwellers, she doesn't talk about her past, but when she's 14, the Takers threaten her new family, too. Between the massacres, the hunting scenes, the scary-looking villains, their shiny weapons, and the hand-to-hand combat, there's a lot of violence, but no gratuitous gore. There are lots of positive messages about family, friendship, courage, collaboration, cooperation, clever thinking, and living in harmony with nature and one another. Also about finding your true path and following it even when obstacles crop up.If We Were Giants  opens as 10-year-old Kirra and her storytelling father/mentor -- the only people allowed to leave their well-hidden town inside a dormant volcano -- are returning home from a tour of neighboring villages and storytelling festivals. They're worried, because word has started to spread about brutal invaders called the Takers who pillage everything in their path, strip the landscape and kill the inhabitants. All is well for a while when they get home, but then Kirra, eager to find her own stories to tell, goes outside the walls again -- and leads the Takers straight back to her home and loved ones. In shock and grief, she falls into a river and nearly drowns before a family of tree-dwellers takes her in. Years pass, and then comes word that the Takers are headed for her new home. She's determined to save her adopted family and their neighbors -- but how?This whole story came about because Dave Matthews observed the behavior of ants in the wild, and was inspired to see how it might apply elsewhere. Have you ever seen something in nature that made you look at something in your own life in a different way?Inspired by ants, Dave Matthews and Clete Barrett Smith spin an exciting, harrowing, uplifting story of banding together to use cooperation -- and clever technology -- against predatory invaders. "If We Were Giants," muses a little kid, we could win against these ruthless foes. Fourteen-year-old tree-dweller Kirra, whose home has already been destroyed, has to rise above her survivor's (and other) guilt to help the people who've taken her in -- and maybe help them become giants for real. Authors: Dave Matthews, Clete Barrett Smith, Illustrator: Antonio Javier Caparo, Read by: Ruma Tenbrink Support the show

Thanks for listening to “Children's Bedtime Stories Podcast for Adults."  If you are enjoying this tale, please subscribe and leave me a 5-Star rating on itunes. It will really make a difference to new podcasts like mine so please please take a second if you can I would really appreciate it!!!! Read by Ruma Tenbrink with the permission of Clete Barrett Smith:If We Were Giants is an uplifting, sometimes harrowing, tale by rock star and environmental activist Dave Matthews and Clete Barrett Smith. Inspired by the cooperative behavior of bivouac ants, Matthews conceived a story of small people who stood up against overwhelming forces by working together, and co-author Smith built an entire world and cast of characters around that beginning. Protagonist Kirra, 10 years old for the first part of the story, 14 later, is racked with guilt because her own careless eagerness led an army of scary invaders called the Takers to discover and wipe out her family and all who lived in a carefully-hidden town inside a dormant volcano. Adopted by a family of peaceable, self-sufficient tree dwellers, she doesn't talk about her past, but when she's 14, the Takers threaten her new family, too. Between the massacres, the hunting scenes, the scary-looking villains, their shiny weapons, and the hand-to-hand combat, there's a lot of violence, but no gratuitous gore. There are lots of positive messages about family, friendship, courage, collaboration, cooperation, clever thinking, and living in harmony with nature and one another. Also about finding your true path and following it even when obstacles crop up.If We Were Giants  opens as 10-year-old Kirra and her storytelling father/mentor -- the only people allowed to leave their well-hidden town inside a dormant volcano -- are returning home from a tour of neighboring villages and storytelling festivals. They're worried, because word has started to spread about brutal invaders called the Takers who pillage everything in their path, strip the landscape and kill the inhabitants. All is well for a while when they get home, but then Kirra, eager to find her own stories to tell, goes outside the walls again -- and leads the Takers straight back to her home and loved ones. In shock and grief, she falls into a river and nearly drowns before a family of tree-dwellers takes her in. Years pass, and then comes word that the Takers are headed for her new home. She's determined to save her adopted family and their neighbors -- but how?This whole story came about because Dave Matthews observed the behavior of ants in the wild, and was inspired to see how it might apply elsewhere. Have you ever seen something in nature that made you look at something in your own life in a different way?Inspired by ants, Dave Matthews and Clete Barrett Smith spin an exciting, harrowing, uplifting story of banding together to use cooperation -- and clever technology -- against predatory invaders. "If We Were Giants," muses a little kid, we could win against these ruthless foes. Fourteen-year-old tree-dweller Kirra, whose home has already been destroyed, has to rise above her survivor's (and other) guilt to help the people who've taken her in -- and maybe help them become giants for real. Authors: Dave Matthews, Clete Barrett Smith, Illustrator: Antonio Javier Caparo, Read by: Ruma Tenbrink Support the show

Thanks for listening to “Children's Bedtime Stories Podcast for Adults."  If you like what you heard please subscribe and leave me a 5-Star rating on itunes it will really make a difference to new podcasts like mine so please please take a second if you can I would really appreciate it!!!! Read by Ruma Tenbrink with the permission of Clete Barrett Smith:If We Were Giants is an uplifting, sometimes harrowing, tale by rock star and environmental activist Dave Matthews and Clete Barrett Smith. Inspired by the cooperative behavior of bivouac ants, Matthews conceived a story of small people who stood up against overwhelming forces by working together, and co-author Smith built an entire world and cast of characters around that beginning. Protagonist Kirra, 10 years old for the first part of the story, 14 later, is racked with guilt because her own careless eagerness led an army of scary invaders called the Takers to discover and wipe out her family and all who lived in a carefully-hidden town inside a dormant volcano. Adopted by a family of peaceable, self-sufficient tree dwellers, she doesn't talk about her past, but when she's 14, the Takers threaten her new family, too. Between the massacres, the hunting scenes, the scary-looking villains, their shiny weapons, and the hand-to-hand combat, there's a lot of violence, but no gratuitous gore. There are lots of positive messages about family, friendship, courage, collaboration, cooperation, clever thinking, and living in harmony with nature and one another. Also about finding your true path and following it even when obstacles crop up.If We Were Giants  opens as 10-year-old Kirra and her storytelling father/mentor -- the only people allowed to leave their well-hidden town inside a dormant volcano -- are returning home from a tour of neighboring villages and storytelling festivals. They're worried, because word has started to spread about brutal invaders called the Takers who pillage everything in their path, strip the landscape and kill the inhabitants. All is well for a while when they get home, but then Kirra, eager to find her own stories to tell, goes outside the walls again -- and leads the Takers straight back to her home and loved ones. In shock and grief, she falls into a river and nearly drowns before a family of tree-dwellers takes her in. Years pass, and then comes word that the Takers are headed for her new home. She's determined to save her adopted family and their neighbors -- but how?This whole story came about because Dave Matthews observed the behavior of ants in the wild, and was inspired to see how it might apply elsewhere. Have you ever seen something in nature that made you look at something in your own life in a different way?Inspired by ants, Dave Matthews and Clete Barrett Smith spin an exciting, harrowing, uplifting story of banding together to use cooperation -- and clever technology -- against predatory invaders. "If We Were Giants," muses a little kid, we could win against these ruthless foes. Fourteen-year-old tree-dweller Kirra, whose home has already been destroyed, has to rise above her survivor's (and other) guilt to help the people who've taken her in -- and maybe help them become giants for real. Authors: Dave Matthews, Clete Barrett Smith, Illustrator: Antonio Javier Caparo, Read by: Ruma Tenbrink Support the show

Thanks for listening to “Children's Bedtime Stories Podcast for Adults."  If you like what you heard please subscribe and leave me a 5-Star rating on itunes it will really make a difference to new podcasts like mine so please please take a second if you can I would really appreciate it!!!! Read by Ruma Tenbrink with the permission of Clete Barrett Smith:If We Were Giants is an uplifting, sometimes harrowing, tale by rock star and environmental activist Dave Matthews and Clete Barrett Smith. Inspired by the cooperative behavior of bivouac ants, Matthews conceived a story of small people who stood up against overwhelming forces by working together, and co-author Smith built an entire world and cast of characters around that beginning. Protagonist Kirra, 10 years old for the first part of the story, 14 later, is racked with guilt because her own careless eagerness led an army of scary invaders called the Takers to discover and wipe out her family and all who lived in a carefully-hidden town inside a dormant volcano. Adopted by a family of peaceable, self-sufficient tree dwellers, she doesn't talk about her past, but when she's 14, the Takers threaten her new family, too. Between the massacres, the hunting scenes, the scary-looking villains, their shiny weapons, and the hand-to-hand combat, there's a lot of violence, but no gratuitous gore. There are lots of positive messages about family, friendship, courage, collaboration, cooperation, clever thinking, and living in harmony with nature and one another. Also about finding your true path and following it even when obstacles crop up.If We Were Giants  opens as 10-year-old Kirra and her storytelling father/mentor -- the only people allowed to leave their well-hidden town inside a dormant volcano -- are returning home from a tour of neighboring villages and storytelling festivals. They're worried, because word has started to spread about brutal invaders called the Takers who pillage everything in their path, strip the landscape and kill the inhabitants. All is well for a while when they get home, but then Kirra, eager to find her own stories to tell, goes outside the walls again -- and leads the Takers straight back to her home and loved ones. In shock and grief, she falls into a river and nearly drowns before a family of tree-dwellers takes her in. Years pass, and then comes word that the Takers are headed for her new home. She's determined to save her adopted family and their neighbors -- but how?This whole story came about because Dave Matthews observed the behavior of ants in the wild, and was inspired to see how it might apply elsewhere. Have you ever seen something in nature that made you look at something in your own life in a different way?Inspired by ants, Dave Matthews and Clete Barrett Smith spin an exciting, harrowing, uplifting story of banding together to use cooperation -- and clever technology -- against predatory invaders. "If We Were Giants," muses a little kid, we could win against these ruthless foes. Fourteen-year-old tree-dweller Kirra, whose home has already been destroyed, has to rise above her survivor's (and other) guilt to help the people who've taken her in -- and maybe help them become giants for real. Authors: Dave Matthews, Clete Barrett Smith, Illustrator: Antonio Javier Caparo, Read by: Ruma Tenbrink Support the show

Thanks for listening to “Children's Bedtime Stories Podcast for Adults."  If you like what you heard please subscribe and leave me a 5-Star rating on itunes it will really make a difference to new podcasts like mine so please please take a second if you can I would really appreciate it!!!! Read by Ruma Tenbrink with the permission of Clete Barrett Smith:If We Were Giants is an uplifting, sometimes harrowing, tale by rock star and environmental activist Dave Matthews and Clete Barrett Smith. Inspired by the cooperative behavior of bivouac ants, Matthews conceived a story of small people who stood up against overwhelming forces by working together, and co-author Smith built an entire world and cast of characters around that beginning. Protagonist Kirra, 10 years old for the first part of the story, 14 later, is racked with guilt because her own careless eagerness led an army of scary invaders called the Takers to discover and wipe out her family and all who lived in a carefully-hidden town inside a dormant volcano. Adopted by a family of peaceable, self-sufficient tree dwellers, she doesn't talk about her past, but when she's 14, the Takers threaten her new family, too. Between the massacres, the hunting scenes, the scary-looking villains, their shiny weapons, and the hand-to-hand combat, there's a lot of violence, but no gratuitous gore. There are lots of positive messages about family, friendship, courage, collaboration, cooperation, clever thinking, and living in harmony with nature and one another. Also about finding your true path and following it even when obstacles crop up.If We Were Giants  opens as 10-year-old Kirra and her storytelling father/mentor -- the only people allowed to leave their well-hidden town inside a dormant volcano -- are returning home from a tour of neighboring villages and storytelling festivals. They're worried, because word has started to spread about brutal invaders called the Takers who pillage everything in their path, strip the landscape and kill the inhabitants. All is well for a while when they get home, but then Kirra, eager to find her own stories to tell, goes outside the walls again -- and leads the Takers straight back to her home and loved ones. In shock and grief, she falls into a river and nearly drowns before a family of tree-dwellers takes her in. Years pass, and then comes word that the Takers are headed for her new home. She's determined to save her adopted family and their neighbors -- but how?This whole story came about because Dave Matthews observed the behavior of ants in the wild, and was inspired to see how it might apply elsewhere. Have you ever seen something in nature that made you look at something in your own life in a different way?Inspired by ants, Dave Matthews and Clete Barrett Smith spin an exciting, harrowing, uplifting story of banding together to use cooperation -- and clever technology -- against predatory invaders. "If We Were Giants," muses a little kid, we could win against these ruthless foes. Fourteen-year-old tree-dweller Kirra, whose home has already been destroyed, has to rise above her survivor's (and other) guilt to help the people who've taken her in -- and maybe help them become giants for real. Authors: Dave Matthews, Clete Barrett Smith, Illustrator: Antonio Javier Caparo, Read by: Ruma Tenbrink Support the show

Thanks for listening to “Children's Bedtime Stories Podcast for Adults."  If you like what you heard please subscribe and leave me a 5-Star rating on itunes it will really make a difference to new podcasts like mine so please please take a second if you can I would really appreciate it!!!! Read by Ruma Tenbrink with the permission of Clete Barrett Smith:If We Were Giants is an uplifting, sometimes harrowing, tale by rock star and environmental activist Dave Matthews and Clete Barrett Smith. Inspired by the cooperative behavior of bivouac ants, Matthews conceived a story of small people who stood up against overwhelming forces by working together, and co-author Smith built an entire world and cast of characters around that beginning. Protagonist Kirra, 10 years old for the first part of the story, 14 later, is racked with guilt because her own careless eagerness led an army of scary invaders called the Takers to discover and wipe out her family and all who lived in a carefully-hidden town inside a dormant volcano. Adopted by a family of peaceable, self-sufficient tree dwellers, she doesn't talk about her past, but when she's 14, the Takers threaten her new family, too. Between the massacres, the hunting scenes, the scary-looking villains, their shiny weapons, and the hand-to-hand combat, there's a lot of violence, but no gratuitous gore. There are lots of positive messages about family, friendship, courage, collaboration, cooperation, clever thinking, and living in harmony with nature and one another. Also about finding your true path and following it even when obstacles crop up.If We Were Giants  opens as 10-year-old Kirra and her storytelling father/mentor -- the only people allowed to leave their well-hidden town inside a dormant volcano -- are returning home from a tour of neighboring villages and storytelling festivals. They're worried, because word has started to spread about brutal invaders called the Takers who pillage everything in their path, strip the landscape and kill the inhabitants. All is well for a while when they get home, but then Kirra, eager to find her own stories to tell, goes outside the walls again -- and leads the Takers straight back to her home and loved ones. In shock and grief, she falls into a river and nearly drowns before a family of tree-dwellers takes her in. Years pass, and then comes word that the Takers are headed for her new home. She's determined to save her adopted family and their neighbors -- but how?This whole story came about because Dave Matthews observed the behavior of ants in the wild, and was inspired to see how it might apply elsewhere. Have you ever seen something in nature that made you look at something in your own life in a different way?Inspired by ants, Dave Matthews and Clete Barrett Smith spin an exciting, harrowing, uplifting story of banding together to use cooperation -- and clever technology -- against predatory invaders. "If We Were Giants," muses a little kid, we could win against these ruthless foes. Fourteen-year-old tree-dweller Kirra, whose home has already been destroyed, has to rise above her survivor's (and other) guilt to help the people who've taken her in -- and maybe help them become giants for real. Authors: Dave Matthews, Clete Barrett Smith, Illustrator: Antonio Javier Caparo, Read by: Ruma Tenbrink Support the show

Thanks for listening to “Children's Bedtime Stories Podcast for Adults."  If you like what you heard please subscribe and leave me a 5-Star rating on itunes it will really make a difference to new podcasts like mine so please please take a second if you can I would really appreciate it!!!! Read by Ruma Tenbrink with the permission of Clete Barrett Smith:If We Were Giants is an uplifting, sometimes harrowing, tale by rock star and environmental activist Dave Matthews and Clete Barrett Smith. Inspired by the cooperative behavior of bivouac ants, Matthews conceived a story of small people who stood up against overwhelming forces by working together, and co-author Smith built an entire world and cast of characters around that beginning. Protagonist Kirra, 10 years old for the first part of the story, 14 later, is racked with guilt because her own careless eagerness led an army of scary invaders called the Takers to discover and wipe out her family and all who lived in a carefully-hidden town inside a dormant volcano. Adopted by a family of peaceable, self-sufficient tree dwellers, she doesn't talk about her past, but when she's 14, the Takers threaten her new family, too. Between the massacres, the hunting scenes, the scary-looking villains, their shiny weapons, and the hand-to-hand combat, there's a lot of violence, but no gratuitous gore. There are lots of positive messages about family, friendship, courage, collaboration, cooperation, clever thinking, and living in harmony with nature and one another. Also about finding your true path and following it even when obstacles crop up.If We Were Giants  opens as 10-year-old Kirra and her storytelling father/mentor -- the only people allowed to leave their well-hidden town inside a dormant volcano -- are returning home from a tour of neighboring villages and storytelling festivals. They're worried, because word has started to spread about brutal invaders called the Takers who pillage everything in their path, strip the landscape and kill the inhabitants. All is well for a while when they get home, but then Kirra, eager to find her own stories to tell, goes outside the walls again -- and leads the Takers straight back to her home and loved ones. In shock and grief, she falls into a river and nearly drowns before a family of tree-dwellers takes her in. Years pass, and then comes word that the Takers are headed for her new home. She's determined to save her adopted family and their neighbors -- but how?This whole story came about because Dave Matthews observed the behavior of ants in the wild, and was inspired to see how it might apply elsewhere. Have you ever seen something in nature that made you look at something in your own life in a different way?Inspired by ants, Dave Matthews and Clete Barrett Smith spin an exciting, harrowing, uplifting story of banding together to use cooperation -- and clever technology -- against predatory invaders. "If We Were Giants," muses a little kid, we could win against these ruthless foes. Fourteen-year-old tree-dweller Kirra, whose home has already been destroyed, has to rise above her survivor's (and other) guilt to help the people who've taken her in -- and maybe help them become giants for real. Authors: Dave Matthews, Clete Barrett Smith, Illustrator: Antonio Javier Caparo, Read by: Ruma Tenbrink Support the show

Thanks for listening to “Children's Bedtime Stories Podcast for Adults."  If you like what you heard please subscribe and leave me a 5-Star rating on itunes it will really make a difference to new podcasts like mine so please please take a second if you can I would really appreciate it!!!! Read by Ruma Tenbrink with the permission of Clete Barrett Smith:If We Were Giants is an uplifting, sometimes harrowing, tale by rock star and environmental activist Dave Matthews and Clete Barrett Smith. Inspired by the cooperative behavior of bivouac ants, Matthews conceived a story of small people who stood up against overwhelming forces by working together, and co-author Smith built an entire world and cast of characters around that beginning. Protagonist Kirra, 10 years old for the first part of the story, 14 later, is racked with guilt because her own careless eagerness led an army of scary invaders called the Takers to discover and wipe out her family and all who lived in a carefully-hidden town inside a dormant volcano. Adopted by a family of peaceable, self-sufficient tree dwellers, she doesn't talk about her past, but when she's 14, the Takers threaten her new family, too. Between the massacres, the hunting scenes, the scary-looking villains, their shiny weapons, and the hand-to-hand combat, there's a lot of violence, but no gratuitous gore. There are lots of positive messages about family, friendship, courage, collaboration, cooperation, clever thinking, and living in harmony with nature and one another. Also about finding your true path and following it even when obstacles crop up.If We Were Giants  opens as 10-year-old Kirra and her storytelling father/mentor -- the only people allowed to leave their well-hidden town inside a dormant volcano -- are returning home from a tour of neighboring villages and storytelling festivals. They're worried, because word has started to spread about brutal invaders called the Takers who pillage everything in their path, strip the landscape and kill the inhabitants. All is well for a while when they get home, but then Kirra, eager to find her own stories to tell, goes outside the walls again -- and leads the Takers straight back to her home and loved ones. In shock and grief, she falls into a river and nearly drowns before a family of tree-dwellers takes her in. Years pass, and then comes word that the Takers are headed for her new home. She's determined to save her adopted family and their neighbors -- but how?This whole story came about because Dave Matthews observed the behavior of ants in the wild, and was inspired to see how it might apply elsewhere. Have you ever seen something in nature that made you look at something in your own life in a different way?Inspired by ants, Dave Matthews and Clete Barrett Smith spin an exciting, harrowing, uplifting story of banding together to use cooperation -- and clever technology -- against predatory invaders. "If We Were Giants," muses a little kid, we could win against these ruthless foes. Fourteen-year-old tree-dweller Kirra, whose home has already been destroyed, has to rise above her survivor's (and other) guilt to help the people who've taken her in -- and maybe help them become giants for real. Authors: Dave Matthews, Clete Barrett Smith, Illustrator: Antonio Javier Caparo, Read by: Ruma Tenbrink Support the show

Thanks for listening to “Children's Bedtime Stories Podcast for Adults."  If you like what you heard please subscribe and leave me a 5-Star rating on itunes it will really make a difference to new podcasts like mine so please please take a second if you can I would really appreciate it!!!! Read by Ruma Tenbrink with the permission of Clete Barrett Smith:If We Were Giants is an uplifting, sometimes harrowing, tale by rock star and environmental activist Dave Matthews and Clete Barrett Smith. Inspired by the cooperative behavior of bivouac ants, Matthews conceived a story of small people who stood up against overwhelming forces by working together, and co-author Smith built an entire world and cast of characters around that beginning. Protagonist Kirra, 10 years old for the first part of the story, 14 later, is racked with guilt because her own careless eagerness led an army of scary invaders called the Takers to discover and wipe out her family and all who lived in a carefully-hidden town inside a dormant volcano. Adopted by a family of peaceable, self-sufficient tree dwellers, she doesn't talk about her past, but when she's 14, the Takers threaten her new family, too. Between the massacres, the hunting scenes, the scary-looking villains, their shiny weapons, and the hand-to-hand combat, there's a lot of violence, but no gratuitous gore. There are lots of positive messages about family, friendship, courage, collaboration, cooperation, clever thinking, and living in harmony with nature and one another. Also about finding your true path and following it even when obstacles crop up.If We Were Giants  opens as 10-year-old Kirra and her storytelling father/mentor -- the only people allowed to leave their well-hidden town inside a dormant volcano -- are returning home from a tour of neighboring villages and storytelling festivals. They're worried, because word has started to spread about brutal invaders called the Takers who pillage everything in their path, strip the landscape and kill the inhabitants. All is well for a while when they get home, but then Kirra, eager to find her own stories to tell, goes outside the walls again -- and leads the Takers straight back to her home and loved ones. In shock and grief, she falls into a river and nearly drowns before a family of tree-dwellers takes her in. Years pass, and then comes word that the Takers are headed for her new home. She's determined to save her adopted family and their neighbors -- but how?This whole story came about because Dave Matthews observed the behavior of ants in the wild, and was inspired to see how it might apply elsewhere. Have you ever seen something in nature that made you look at something in your own life in a different way?Inspired by ants, Dave Matthews and Clete Barrett Smith spin an exciting, harrowing, uplifting story of banding together to use cooperation -- and clever technology -- against predatory invaders. "If We Were Giants," muses a little kid, we could win against these ruthless foes. Fourteen-year-old tree-dweller Kirra, whose home has already been destroyed, has to rise above her survivor's (and other) guilt to help the people who've taken her in -- and maybe help them become giants for real. Authors: Dave Matthews, Clete Barrett Smith, Illustrator: Antonio Javier Caparo, Read by: Ruma Tenbrink Support the show

Thanks for listening to “Children's Bedtime Stories Podcast for Adults."  If you like what you heard please subscribe and leave me a 5-Star rating on itunes it will really make a difference to new podcasts like mine so please-please take a second if you can, I would really appreciate it!!!! Read by Ruma Tenbrink with the permission of Clete Barrett Smith:If We Were Giants is an uplifting, sometimes harrowing, tale by rock star and environmental activist Dave Matthews and Clete Barrett Smith. Inspired by the cooperative behavior of bivouac ants, Matthews conceived a story of small people who stood up against overwhelming forces by working together, and co-author Smith built an entire world and cast of characters around that beginning. Protagonist Kirra, 10 years old for the first part of the story, 14 later, is racked with guilt because her own careless eagerness led an army of scary invaders called the Takers to discover and wipe out her family and all who lived in a carefully-hidden town inside a dormant volcano. Adopted by a family of peaceable, self-sufficient tree dwellers, she doesn't talk about her past, but when she's 14, the Takers threaten her new family, too. Between the massacres, the hunting scenes, the scary-looking villains, their shiny weapons, and the hand-to-hand combat, there's a lot of violence, but no gratuitous gore. There are lots of positive messages about family, friendship, courage, collaboration, cooperation, clever thinking, and living in harmony with nature and one another. Also about finding your true path and following it even when obstacles crop up.If We Were Giants  opens as 10-year-old Kirra and her storytelling father/mentor -- the only people allowed to leave their well-hidden town inside a dormant volcano -- are returning home from a tour of neighboring villages and storytelling festivals. They're worried, because word has started to spread about brutal invaders called the Takers who pillage everything in their path, strip the landscape and kill the inhabitants. All is well for a while when they get home, but then Kirra, eager to find her own stories to tell, goes outside the walls again -- and leads the Takers straight back to her home and loved ones. In shock and grief, she falls into a river and nearly drowns before a family of tree-dwellers takes her in. Years pass, and then comes word that the Takers are headed for her new home. She's determined to save her adopted family and their neighbors -- but how?This whole story came about because Dave Matthews observed the behavior of ants in the wild, and was inspired to see how it might apply elsewhere. Have you ever seen something in nature that made you look at something in your own life in a different way?Inspired by ants, Dave Matthews and Clete Barrett Smith spin an exciting, harrowing, uplifting story of banding together to use cooperation -- and clever technology -- against predatory invaders. "If We Were Giants," muses a little kid, we could win against these ruthless foes. Fourteen-year-old tree-dweller Kirra, whose home has already been destroyed, has to rise above her survivor's (and other) guilt to help the people who've taken her in -- and maybe help them become giants for real. Authors: Dave Matthews, Clete Barrett Smith, Illustrator: Antonio Javier Caparo, Read by: Ruma Tenbrink Support the show

Thanks for listening to “Children's Bedtime Stories Podcast for Adults."  If you like what you heard please subscribe and leave me a 5-Star rating on itunes it will really make a difference to new podcasts like mine so please please take a second if you can I would really appreciate it!!!! Read by Ruma Tenbrink with the permission of Clete Barrett Smith:If We Were Giants is an uplifting, sometimes harrowing, tale by rock star and environmental activist Dave Matthews and Clete Barrett Smith. Inspired by the cooperative behavior of bivouac ants, Matthews conceived a story of small people who stood up against overwhelming forces by working together, and co-author Smith built an entire world and cast of characters around that beginning. Protagonist Kirra, 10 years old for the first part of the story, 14 later, is racked with guilt because her own careless eagerness led an army of scary invaders called the Takers to discover and wipe out her family and all who lived in a carefully-hidden town inside a dormant volcano. Adopted by a family of peaceable, self-sufficient tree dwellers, she doesn't talk about her past, but when she's 14, the Takers threaten her new family, too. Between the massacres, the hunting scenes, the scary-looking villains, their shiny weapons, and the hand-to-hand combat, there's a lot of violence, but no gratuitous gore. There are lots of positive messages about family, friendship, courage, collaboration, cooperation, clever thinking, and living in harmony with nature and one another. Also about finding your true path and following it even when obstacles crop up.If We Were Giants  opens as 10-year-old Kirra and her storytelling father/mentor -- the only people allowed to leave their well-hidden town inside a dormant volcano -- are returning home from a tour of neighboring villages and storytelling festivals. They're worried, because word has started to spread about brutal invaders called the Takers who pillage everything in their path, strip the landscape and kill the inhabitants. All is well for a while when they get home, but then Kirra, eager to find her own stories to tell, goes outside the walls again -- and leads the Takers straight back to her home and loved ones. In shock and grief, she falls into a river and nearly drowns before a family of tree-dwellers takes her in. Years pass, and then comes word that the Takers are headed for her new home. She's determined to save her adopted family and their neighbors -- but how?This whole story came about because Dave Matthews observed the behavior of ants in the wild, and was inspired to see how it might apply elsewhere. Have you ever seen something in nature that made you look at something in your own life in a different way?Inspired by ants, Dave Matthews and Clete Barrett Smith spin an exciting, harrowing, uplifting story of banding together to use cooperation -- and clever technology -- against predatory invaders. "If We Were Giants," muses a little kid, we could win against these ruthless foes. Fourteen-year-old tree-dweller Kirra, whose home has already been destroyed, has to rise above her survivor's (and other) guilt to help the people who've taken her in -- and maybe help them become giants for real. Authors: Dave Matthews, Clete Barrett Smith, Illustrator: Antonio Javier Caparo, Read by: Ruma Tenbrink A special thank you to SmartSound FX HUMAN CROWD Applause Small Audience applauding and cheering!!!Support the show

Read by Ruma Tenbrink with the permission of Clete Barrett Smith:If We Were Giants is an uplifting, sometimes harrowing, tale by rock star and environmental activist Dave Matthews and Clete Barrett Smith. Inspired by the cooperative behavior of bivouac ants, Matthews conceived a story of small people who stood up against overwhelming forces by working together, and co-author Smith built an entire world and cast of characters around that beginning. Protagonist Kirra, 10 years old for the first part of the story, 14 later, is racked with guilt because her own careless eagerness led an army of scary invaders called the Takers to discover and wipe out her family and all who lived in a carefully-hidden town inside a dormant volcano. Adopted by a family of peaceable, self-sufficient tree dwellers, she doesn't talk about her past, but when she's 14, the Takers threaten her new family, too. Between the massacres, the hunting scenes, the scary-looking villains, their shiny weapons, and the hand-to-hand combat, there's a lot of violence, but no gratuitous gore. There are lots of positive messages about family, friendship, courage, collaboration, cooperation, clever thinking, and living in harmony with nature and one another. Also about finding your true path and following it even when obstacles crop up.If We Were Giants  opens as 10-year-old Kirra and her storytelling father/mentor -- the only people allowed to leave their well-hidden town inside a dormant volcano -- are returning home from a tour of neighboring villages and storytelling festivals. They're worried, because word has started to spread about brutal invaders called the Takers who pillage everything in their path, strip the landscape and kill the inhabitants. All is well for a while when they get home, but then Kirra, eager to find her own stories to tell, goes outside the walls again -- and leads the Takers straight back to her home and loved ones. In shock and grief, she falls into a river and nearly drowns before a family of tree-dwellers takes her in. Years pass, and then comes word that the Takers are headed for her new home. She's determined to save her adopted family and their neighbors -- but how?This whole story came about because Dave Matthews observed the behavior of ants in the wild, and was inspired to see how it might apply elsewhere. Have you ever seen something in nature that made you look at something in your own life in a different way?Inspired by ants, Dave Matthews and Clete Barrett Smith spin an exciting, harrowing, uplifting story of banding together to use cooperation -- and clever technology -- against predatory invaders. "If We Were Giants," muses a little kid, we could win against these ruthless foes. Fourteen-year-old tree-dweller Kirra, whose home has already been destroyed, has to rise above her survivor's (and other) guilt to help the people who've taken her in -- and maybe help them become giants for real. Authors: Dave Matthews, Clete Barrett Smith, Illustrator: Antonio Javier Caparo, Read by: Ruma Tenbrink A special thank you to SmartSound FX HUMAN CROWD Applause Small Audience applauding and cheering!!!Support the show

If We Were Giants is an uplifting, sometimes harrowing, tale by rock star and environmental activist Dave Matthews and Clete Barrett Smith. Inspired by the cooperative behavior of bivouac ants, Matthews conceived a story of small people who stood up against overwhelming forces by working together, and co-author Smith built an entire world and cast of characters around that beginning. Protagonist Kirra, 10 years old for the first part of the story, 14 later, is racked with guilt because her own careless eagerness led an army of scary invaders called the Takers to discover and wipe out her family and all who lived in a carefully-hidden town inside a dormant volcano. Adopted by a family of peaceable, self-sufficient tree dwellers, she doesn't talk about her past, but when she's 14, the Takers threaten her new family, too. Between the massacres, the hunting scenes, the scary-looking villains, their shiny weapons, and the hand-to-hand combat, there's a lot of violence, but no gratuitous gore. There are lots of positive messages about family, friendship, courage, collaboration, cooperation, clever thinking, and living in harmony with nature and one another. Also about finding your true path and following it even when obstacles crop up.If We Were Giants  opens as 10-year-old Kirra and her storytelling father/mentor -- the only people allowed to leave their well-hidden town inside a dormant volcano -- are returning home from a tour of neighboring villages and storytelling festivals. They're worried, because word has started to spread about brutal invaders called the Takers who pillage everything in their path, strip the landscape and kill the inhabitants. All is well for a while when they get home, but then Kirra, eager to find her own stories to tell, goes outside the walls again -- and leads the Takers straight back to her home and loved ones. In shock and grief, she falls into a river and nearly drowns before a family of tree-dwellers takes her in. Years pass, and then comes word that the Takers are headed for her new home. She's determined to save her adopted family and their neighbors -- but how?This whole story came about because Dave Matthews observed the behavior of ants in the wild, and was inspired to see how it might apply elsewhere. Have you ever seen something in nature that made you look at something in your own life in a different way?Inspired by ants, Dave Matthews and Clete Barrett Smith spin an exciting, harrowing, uplifting story of banding together to use cooperation -- and clever technology -- against predatory invaders. "If We Were Giants," muses a little kid, we could win against these ruthless foes. Fourteen-year-old tree-dweller Kirra, whose home has already been destroyed, has to rise above her survivor's (and other) guilt to help the people who've taken her in -- and maybe help them become giants for real. Authors: Dave Matthews, Clete Barrett Smith, Illustrator: Antonio Javier Caparo, Read by: Ruma Tenbrink A special thank you to Trishdmb23 and SmartSound FX HUMAN CROWD Applause Small Audience applauding and cheering!!!Support the show

If We Were Giants is an uplifting, sometimes harrowing, tale by rock star and environmental activist Dave Matthews and Clete Barrett Smith. Inspired by the cooperative behavior of bivouac ants, Matthews conceived a story of small people who stood up against overwhelming forces by working together, and co-author Smith built an entire world and cast of characters around that beginning. Protagonist Kirra, 10 years old for the first part of the story, 14 later, is racked with guilt because her own careless eagerness led an army of scary invaders called the Takers to discover and wipe out her family and all who lived in a carefully-hidden town inside a dormant volcano. Adopted by a family of peaceable, self-sufficient tree dwellers, she doesn't talk about her past, but when she's 14, the Takers threaten her new family, too. Between the massacres, the hunting scenes, the scary-looking villains, their shiny weapons, and the hand-to-hand combat, there's a lot of violence, but no gratuitous gore. There are lots of positive messages about family, friendship, courage, collaboration, cooperation, clever thinking, and living in harmony with nature and one another. Also about finding your true path and following it even when obstacles crop up.If We Were Giants  opens as 10-year-old Kirra and her storytelling father/mentor -- the only people allowed to leave their well-hidden town inside a dormant volcano -- are returning home from a tour of neighboring villages and storytelling festivals. They're worried, because word has started to spread about brutal invaders called the Takers who pillage everything in their path, strip the landscape and kill the inhabitants. All is well for a while when they get home, but then Kirra, eager to find her own stories to tell, goes outside the walls again -- and leads the Takers straight back to her home and loved ones. In shock and grief, she falls into a river and nearly drowns before a family of tree-dwellers takes her in. Years pass, and then comes word that the Takers are headed for her new home. She's determined to save her adopted family and their neighbors -- but how?This whole story came about because Dave Matthews observed the behavior of ants in the wild, and was inspired to see how it might apply elsewhere. Have you ever seen something in nature that made you look at something in your own life in a different way?Inspired by ants, Dave Matthews and Clete Barrett Smith spin an exciting, harrowing, uplifting story of banding together to use cooperation -- and clever technology -- against predatory invaders. "If We Were Giants," muses a little kid, we could win against these ruthless foes. Fourteen-year-old tree-dweller Kirra, whose home has already been destroyed, has to rise above her survivor's (and other) guilt to help the people who've taken her in -- and maybe help them become giants for real. Authors: Dave Matthews, Clete Barrett Smith, Illustrator: Antonio Javier Caparo, Read by: Ruma Tenbrink Support the show

Link to my print book version for purchase:Little David and His Dreaming TreeThis is a fictional story about little David Matthews during his childhood living in Johannesburg, South Africa. He lives with his mom, siblings, and Grandfather and enjoys a magical childhood here. The story refers to his Grandfather who he sings about in "Oh" and his dreaming tree which he sings about in "Dreaming Tree" and his sisters from "Sister." I also reference "Dancing Nancies" which teaches us all that we need to be who we are and that we can't be anyone other than ourselves! The story just came to me as I visualized little David and the life he might have had while Big David was singing these sweet songs to all of us! Enjoy!If you enjoyed listening to this story, please leave a review on Amazon! I read every review, and they help new readers and Dave fans discover my book! Thank you from the bottom of my heart! ruma xoSupport the show