I'm so hungry.

Me, too, last night I ate two fleas and a cobweb.

Breakfast is served, losers.

(liquid sloshes) Bon appetit.

What's in that?

Since you asked, it's my specialty, spider egg soup.

That is cruel and unusual punishment.

Tell it to the warden.

Wait, wait, is there any way you could rustle up a little "Kid Stew"?

"Kid Stew"?

Never heard of it.

"Kid Stew" is a show by kids about kids and for kids.

It's about books, art, creativity, and fun.

Fun?

I'm running a dungeon out here, so I'm fresh out of fun.

That means I got no "Kid Stew."

Well free your mind.

[Prisoners] 'Cause we do!

(upbeat music) ♪ Go, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ♪ ♪ There's a world for me and you ♪ ♪ Yeah, yeah, yeah ♪ ♪ A lot of things to see and do ♪ ♪ Yeah, yeah, yeah ♪ ♪ Every day is something new ♪ ♪ It's Kid Stew, it's Kid Stew ♪ ♪ Yeah, yeah, yeah ♪ ♪ So laugh and learn, enjoy the view ♪ ♪ Yeah, yeah, yeah ♪ ♪ Jump right in and join the crew ♪ ♪ Yeah, yeah, yeah ♪ ♪ It's Kid Stew, it's Kid Stew ♪ (electricity crackles) [Announcer] Funding for "Kid Stew" is provided in part by the Cornelia T Bailey Foundation and Michele and Howard Kessler.

[Announcer] "Kid Stew."

Ah, behold those miserable mortals struggling below.

It's good to be Zeus, king of the gods.

Phew, this Mount Olympus is a hike.

Zeus, looking for a Mr. Zeus?

Ah, there you are, head in the clouds, just as they said.

Marty Slobnik, Olympus PR.

That's public relations to you.

And who admitted you to the Hall of the Immortals?

Well, you bring the right people to lunch, anything can happen.

So listen, Zeus, can I call you Zeus?

That is my name.

Well, Zeus, I think this whole god thing can use a little, mm, refresh.

An update, if you will.

You insolent worm!

The gods have ruled this universe since the beginning of time.

We are unchanging and eternal.

(thunder booms) Ah, my daughter, Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty.

And her sister Athena, the goddess of wisdom.

And my daughter, Artemis, the goddess of the hunt.

Ho ho, watch where you point that thing.

Hey, great kids, Zeus, really.

But we're in the 21st century here, and frankly, we need some new gods.

New gods?

(thunder booms) (Aphrodite gasps) Uh, just a few ideas from the guys in the PR department.

The gods we need for Generation Z.

That's the hook.

You have one minute, wow me.

Okay, let's start with this one.

Emojicon, god of texting.

This guy's all thumbs, get it?

[Zeus] Next.

Okay.

(poster crashes) How about this one?

Kitkatos, the god of candy.

Everybody has a sweet tooth.

Am I right or am I right?

Not a fan?

(trombone warbles sadly) Okay.

(poster crashes) This one's a winner.

Goddess of gossip, we call her Kardashios.

Enough, I should cast you into the underworld!

Hey, I'm just trying to help.

Be gone, before I lose my immortal temper.

Hey, Zeus, can you get Thor to autograph this hammer for me?

(thunder booms) (electricity crackles) ♪ I'm at a payphone ♪ Hey, Madison, what's up?

I'm trying to come up with the essay topic for my language arts class.

Using a pencil?

Where's your computer?

Actually, I find writing with a pencil more creative.

Want to take a break for a little time travel?

My fingers could use a rest.

♪ Yeah, I'm a payphone trying to call home ♪ ♪ All of my change I spent on you ♪ Ready, set, go.

(phone booth bloops) (goats bleating) (gentle music) Where are we now?

Whew, I'm sweating buckets here.

Welcome to Sumer.

Summer?

That explains the heat.

No, no, Sumer, the country.

One of the earliest civilizations on Earth.

You're not from these parts, are you?

Um, long story.

What's that you're writing?

Not familiar with the term.

We're marking on a piece of clay to count our goats.

Wait, Sumer, Sumeria, this is where it all started.

Pretty soon those marks will become symbols, and those symbols will become letters, then a whole language of written communication.

Did you hear that?

We're gonna become writers.

Before you know it, people will start writing bibles, recipe books, and bestselling novels.

Maybe we could write a TV show for kids.

Actually, I think we're kind of covered on that department.

A series about a boy wizard.

Ooh, you can't miss with that.

The point is, the sooner you start writing, the sooner civilizations will start to advance.

Here, use my pencil.

Hmm, wooden cylinder surrounding a graphite core, ingenious.

This beats a stylus any day.

We owe you something.

Could I offer you a goat?

(goats bleating) No need, actually I've got some homework to do back home.

Don't steal that wizard idea.

I think we just witnessed the birth of writing.

I think I just found my essay topic.

(pages tinkling) (dramatic music) Excuse me, do you know anything about Greek mythology?

Well I do know a little bit.

In fact, I've written some books about it, yeah.

Wait, you're Rick Riordan.

That's me, yeah.

(laughs) Well, nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you.

I'm Caroline.

So can I ask you some questions?

Oh yeah, sure, Caroline, no problem.

How did you like, um, figure out, like, you wanted to write about the gods?

Yeah, well I've always liked mythology.

When I was in middle school that was my favorite subject when we had English class.

I always loved reading those old stories.

But then I became a teacher, and I liked to teach it, as well.

I taught middle school, and my students always loved 'em.

But writing about it, I didn't really think about until I had my son, and he was, when he was about eight years old, he really got into it.

And I started telling him bedtime stories, and that's where The Lightning Thief came from.

So you told these stories to your son and is that how you got the idea to write?

Yeah, I just made up Percy Jackson off the top of my head one night.

And it took me about three nights to tell him the whole story.

I just made it up as I went along, and then he said, "Dad, that was pretty good.

You ought to write it down."

So I did, and the next thing I knew, I had a book.

So you've written about Greek mythology, Egyptian mythology, Norse mythology.

Is there something in common with all of them?

The thing that mythology has in common is that we want to believe in things that are bigger than us.

We want to see really big, huge stories.

We like superheroes, and the gods and the heroes, they were our first superheroes.

They're really powerful, but they also have failings and flaws just like we do.

And that makes them really interesting.

So I think that's true whether you're talking about the Norse myths or the Egyptian or the Greek.

And just recently, we started an imprint, like a small publishing company within Disney called Rick Riordan Presents, and it brings in authors from all kinds of backgrounds to write about the mythologies that they grew up with.

Like for instance, Hindu mythology is amazing, but I don't know it that well and I didn't grow up with it, so we found this fantastic author, Roshani Chokshi, who is Hindu and knows these myths and really wanted to do a book with a bunch of humor and action and stuff like Percy Jackson but with the stories she grew up with.

So in fact, she used the Carlos Museum as inspiration for a museum that's in her books.

And the first one is called "Aru Shah and the End of Time."

I played Artemis in one of our little segments.

Can you like elaborate on her?

Oh, right, I can see that.

You would make a good Artemis.

Are you a natural archer?

Yeah, I play it on the phone.

Excellent, very good.

Yeah, Artemis is awesome.

I really like her because she's a free spirit and she does her own thing, and she doesn't hang out with the other gods very much because she knows, you know, they can be jerks, and she's, she's right.

So she is just out in the woods doing her thing, hunting with her, her band of friends.

She's kind of like a Greek Robin Hood, almost, you know?

I can see that.

She's just sort of out on her own, I love her.

But she's the goddess of the moon, she's the goddess of the hunt, and she is the protector of young ladies, you know.

If you were a young lady and you needed somebody on your side, she was the one you would pray to.

Do you think what you read as a kid influenced how you write now?

Oh, absolutely, I can't imagine being where I am now without reading what I read as a kid.

I think every time you read a book, you sort of expand your soul a little bit.

It's like you become a better person, seriously, because you learn more and you sort of have more space to sort of exercise your imagination.

Thank you for joining us for our "Kid Stew" interview.

Thank you.

It was nice having you.

Yeah, and nice talking with you.

Well, back to you guys.

(electricity crackles) ♪ Did I see moonlight ♪ Mom, Dad, I have something to tell you.

Sally, you're blushing, what's going on?

I think I'm in love.

In love, with who?

With Fizbat Gloop.

Fizbat Gloop?

Sally, Fizbat Gloop is an illegal alien.

I absolutely forbid it.

Daddy, I don't care where he's from or how he got here.

Fizbat Gloop is the one for me, I just know it.

♪ Well he walked up to me ♪ ♪ And he asked me if I wanted to dance ♪ (upbeat music) ♪ He looked kinda nice ♪ ♪ And so I said I might take a chance ♪ ♪ When we danced he held me tight ♪ ♪ When he walked me home that night ♪ ♪ All the stars were shining bright ♪ ♪ And then he kissed me ♪ ♪ Each time I saw him ♪ ♪ I couldn't wait to see him again ♪ ♪ I wanted to let him know ♪ ♪ That he was more than a friend ♪ ♪ I didn't know just what to do ♪ ♪ So I whispered I love you ♪ ♪ He said that he loved me too ♪ ♪ And then he kissed me ♪ ♪ Ooh ah ♪ ♪ Then he asked me to be his bride ♪ ♪ And always be right by his side ♪ ♪ I felt so happy I almost cried ♪ ♪ And then he kissed me ♪ ♪ And then he kissed me ♪ ♪ And then he kissed me ♪ ♪ And then he kissed me ♪ ♪ And then he kissed me ♪ (stately music) It wasn't me or the meteorologist over there.

I think it was Ozzie.

(dog whines) Hello, I'm Nicholas, and welcome back to "Kid Stew Ewws!"

The news show where the truth is always gross.

Turning first to the world of science, a 390 million-year-old skeleton found in a German quarry turned out to be the fossil remains of an eight-foot scorpion with a 12-inch claw.

(spring boings) [Children] Ew!

Wouldn't want to step on that one.

(audience laughing) In more gross nature news, spiders have eight eyes and can run two feet in a second.

[Children] Ew!

Fortunately, they're not great at the high jump.

(audience laughing) And now, let's get a weather update from Blake, our gross meteorologist.

Sounds like you're up against some rough conditions out there, Blake.

Nicholas, I'm here in the heart of the storm.

I don't think I've ever seen conditions this gross.

To be honest, it doesn't look that bad out there, Blake.

Oh trust me, it's bad, Nicholas, and it's going to get a whole lot worse.

I'm hoping to last the night, but under these circumstances, who knows?

I think I saw a little ray of sunshine back there.

Right now, the squall is intensifying.

Once that Gulf Stream shifts, and the barometric pressure craters, Nicholas, this could be goodbye.

(spring boings) Thank you, Blake, for that totally exaggerated and inaccurate report.

Let's close with a feelgood story from down under.

When an Australian worker lost his fingers in a factory accident, doctors replaced them with his toes.

[Children] Ew!

Now he just has to watch out for athlete's hand.

(audience laughing) And that's it for this episode of "Kid Stew Ewws!"

Until next time, keep it real, and keep it gross.

(stately music) (upbeat music) Hi, and welcome to "Kid Stew Who Knew?"

In the 1800s, newspaper reporting was men's work.

Women were considered far too delicate.

But a teenager named Elizabeth Cochran changed all that after she changed her name to Nellie Bly.

In 1885, Nellie traveled to Mexico to report on the people and the culture there.

A couple years later, she got the inside scoop on American insane asylums by pretending to be insane.

In 1889, she took up the challenge to go around the world by herself.

She traveled 24,898 miles in 72 days.

Nellie Bly, investigative reporter and daring world traveler.

Guess she wasn't too delicate after all.

Who knew?

(electricity crackles) (singing muffled by headphones) [Man] Caroline!

Oh, sorry, sometimes I think thee things are permanently attached to my body.

But what if I actually needed them for hearing?

That's the story behind this book, "El Deafo," by Cece Bell.

It's a graphic novel about a girl who loses her hearing at 4 1/2.

When she goes to school, she has to wear a device called the Phonic Ear to hear what her teachers are saying.

Being different from the other kids may make life harder at first, but when the other kids discover that she has a special way of hearing, it becomes like a superpower.

The story is funny and real, because the hero of the book is the woman who wrote the book.

It's her true story, and now she's a bestselling author.

"El Deafo" by Cece Bell.

Sometimes being different can turn out pretty great.

[Announcer] "Kid Stew!"

♪ I love, I love, I love banana sundae ♪ I got this.

Hey Rex, when was the last time you picked up a check?

(dinosaur rumbles) Mm, right, tiny arms.

(dinosaur rumbles) You know, you eat 10 times more than anybody else does.

Relax, Armando, Rex can't help it.

It's just the way he evolved.

We can't have everything.

(dinosaur rumbles) Massive jaws, massive tail, tiny arms, so-so brain.

(dinosaur rumbles) Maybe that's why you're not top of the food chain anymore, buddy.

How about a little bowling?

(dinosaur rumbles) Just kidding.

(dinosaur grunts) [Armando] It's okay, buddy.

Want a mint, Rex?

(dinosaur rumbles) [Armando] Rex!

(dinosaur rumbles) Hey!

Yeah, I got one!

You know, Rex, if it weren't for us, you'd probably be extinct.

He's right, high five.

(dinosaur rumbles) Close enough.

Ah.

(electricity crackles) ♪ Can't you hear his anger roar ♪ ♪ Zeus's anger roar ♪ [Madison] Nicholas, you've really aged.

It must be the beard.

I was playing the good god Zeus.

I'm so jealous, Greece is the best.

The best gods?

The best everything.

The Greeks gave us the scientific method, geometry, democracy.

They even invented the Olympics.

Sounds like Greece is worth a visit.

Right, I don't suppose the mighty Zeus has a plane ticket for me?

Even better.

Really?

Just bring me back a Greek sponge.

A what?

[Nicholas] You'll see.

(arrow whizzing) (arrow thwacks) (Greek music) This is Greece, opa!

(Greek music) Wow, this is an incredible collection of Greek art.

Hi, I'm Madison.

Hi, Madison, I'm Kessanda.

[Madison] Can you tell me why Greek art is so significant?

Their artwork tells the story of them.

What they believed in, who they worshiped, something of their daily life.

And by looking at their artwork, we could learn about those things, and in learning about those things, we learn a little bit about ourselves, too.

Come on, you want to see some more?

Can you tell me about the artwork on these vessels?

So here, you see Hercules, and we know it's Hercules because of his lion hood that's wrapped around his head and this, his club.

And Hercules is battling the Amazons.

And these were fierce warrior women.

One of them is Hippolyta, or the queen of the Amazon, also known as Wonder Woman's mom.

So tell me about Poseidon.

Poseidon, if you know anything about the Percy Jackson stories, was the god of the sea, and he was actually one of the big three gods, so brother to Zeus, who was the king of the gods.

And he ruled over all of the ocean.

Thank you for showing me around, this was great.

Well thank you for joining me.

I had so much fun telling you about our collection.

Are these all sponges?

Yes, this is a natural sponge.

That's what you see right here.

Why are sponges related to Greece?

Well, Greece was a country that used to harvest sponges from Asia for a long time, back from Alexander the Great, 2,000 years ago.

Sponging has nothing to do with regular scuba diving.

You can learn how to scuba dive in a week, but that don't mean you're gonna be a sponge harvester.

It takes years to build up this knowledge.

Thank you for teaching me about sponges.

Can I bring one for my mom?

Sure.

I'm glad to tell you anything I know about 'em.

This is for you, give it to your mom.

Thank you.

And probably she going to tell you to wash the dishes with it, though, right?

Yeah.

Okay.

(electricity crackles) [All] Hey, "Kid Stew," welcome to the opera.

(children singing in foreign language) An opera is basically a play, but it's all singing, and you get to learn about a lot of different stories and a lot of different people and how they express their feelings.

So a really good learning experience is to watch all these grown professional adults.

So the opera that these children are performing in is called "Werther."

It's an opera by Massenet, and it takes place in the 1830s in Wetzlar, Germany.

However, these children need to sing in French.

(laughs) We have two-hour music rehearsals, and during that time I work in a lot of detail.

These children really can focus.

We work with the French language.

I give them every single syllable.

They have to understand what every word means, and not only what they're saying but the other characters on stage, as well.

(children singing in foreign language) It's been a great experience working with professional adult singers and I got to see what it's like to be in a professional show.

[Director] Here we go!

The most amazing thing about the kids is how talented each and every single one of them are, and they're performing onstage with opera singers who are some of the top names in the entire industry.

You just have to pursue your dreams and express yourself and just try your best and try to make your dreams happen, really.

And don't be nervous or scared if you really wanted it.

[Announcer] Mr. Gardner and all children to the stage, please.

Maestro and orchestra to the pit, please.

Places please for the top of this age performance.

(electricity crackles) Hello, and welcome to "Kids Do Classics."

That voice was called the voice of the century.

The last century, actually.

That's Enrico Caruso, one of the most famous opera singers of all time.

His father in Italy was a factory worker and wanted his sons to follow in his footsteps.

But Enrico had faith in his voice, and he was willing to sing in the streets for pennies until people recognized his gift, which took him all the way to the New York City Opera.

He said, "When I hear the music and begin to sing, I cannot hold back.

I give the best there is in me, I give all."

We hear ya, Enrico, we hear you.

(electricity crackles) Welcome to the "Kid Stew" kitchen.

I'm Luke.

And I'm Josiah.

Now, salads get a bad rap.

Today, I'm gonna show you how to make a light salad that's also tasty and enjoyable.

Does my salad have to have lettuce?

But of course.

It's always great to have green lettuce.

It's much more nutritious.

I like this stuff better.

(grunts) (Josiah giggles) (upbeat music) All right, now it's time to find your favorite veggies.

And now I'm just gonna add a little bit of extra virgin olive oil.

(oil gurgles) And a splash of white vinegar.

[Josiah] I need my protein!

That's really not necessary.

Oh, um.

(eggs squishing) (Josiah giggles) Okay, um.

(clears throat) Of course, you can always add sesame seeds and strawberries for that added touch.

My precious olive loaf.

That's really not necessary.

What?

It's my famous Cobb salad.

(meat squishing) [Luke] Okay, then.

Croutons!

Don't forget the dressing.

(dressing gurgles) (Josiah grunts) That doesn't look very healthy.

How are you gonna eat that all?

I have a giant fork.

(giggles) All right, a small salad can be tasty and satisfying if you have the right ingredients.

And if you don't overdo it.

See you next time, back here in the kitchen.

(electricity crackles) ♪ Every book you read ♪ (gentle music) ♪ Sows a little seed ♪ ♪ A piece of what you need ♪ ♪ To make your life succeed ♪ ♪ Every book you read ♪ ♪ With every page you turn ♪ ♪ There's a lesson learned ♪ ♪ A little fire that burns ♪ ♪ A little wisdom earned ♪ ♪ With every page you turn ♪ ♪ Don't give up if a book isn't what you like ♪ ♪ Chapter 10 could be when you see the light ♪ ♪ Stick it out and don't give up the fight ♪ ♪ This could be the book that will change your life ♪ ♪ So keep reading, baby, baby, please ♪ ♪ Every book you read ♪ ♪ Sows a little seed ♪ ♪ Stories turn the key ♪ ♪ That can set you free ♪ ♪ Every book you read ♪ ♪ Sows a little seed ♪ ♪ Stories turn the key ♪ ♪ That can set you free ♪ ♪ Every book you read ♪ ♪ Sows a little seed ♪ ♪ Stories turn the key ♪ ♪ That can set you free ♪ ♪ Every book you read ♪ ♪ Sows a little seed ♪ ♪ Stories turn the key ♪ ♪ That can set you free ♪ ♪ Every book you read ♪ ♪ Sows a little seed ♪ ♪ Stories turn the key ♪ (music) (electricity crackles) Well that's all the time we have for this episode.

Come back next time you need an escape.

[All] On "Kid Stew!"

(electricity whirs) Could we offer you a goat?

And my daughter, Artemis, the guardess.

The guardess.

(chuckles) Massive jaws, massive tail, tiny arms, so-so brain.

(dinosaur whines) (all laughing) (electricity crackles) (words crackling) (upbeat music) [Announcer] Funding for "Kid Stew" is provided in part by the Cornelia T Bailey Foundation and Michele and Howard Kessler.

(upbeat music)