Adventures from the Book of Virtues

- Season 1

(1996)

A thunderstorm strikes the forest, knocking a tree into the rainbowl. Zach and Annie volunteer to clean it out, along with Plato, Ari, and Aurora, but Sock isn't interested in helping. Plato tells him the story "How the Camel Got His Hump", where another beast's how not working gave him trouble. When Sock agrees to help but complains of boredom, Plato tells "Tom Sawyer Gives Up the Brush", where it was learned that working is more enjoyable than laziness as long as the right viewpoint is there.

Zach is sorely tempted to touch his dad's beautiful antique camera, despite promising not to - and when he does, he breaks it and lies that it fell off its display table naturally. Plato tries to convince Zach to tell the truth by telling him the stories of "The Frog Prince", where the title character received a punishment for breaking a promise and another had to keep one made, and the legend "George Washington and the Cherry Tree", whose protagonist too broke something he promised to leave in good shape but learned his lesson in a different way. Annie even tells a ...

Annie agrees to put her brand-new bike to good use by delivering cakes from her mom's bakery, but can't resist Zach's offer to race - and is angry with him when her bike crashes and the food is ruined. Plato and Aurora try to convince her that responsibility is always handy to keep around as shown in "Icarus and Dedalus" where a boy had too little responsibility to obey his father and paid for it, or the legend "King Alfred and the Cakes" where even a renowned ruler was forced to admit he neglected his simple duty. Ari tells "The Chest of Broken Glass", where a mother...

Emile Zigrodny, a classmate Zach barely knows, loses his house in a fire, and Zach is hesitant to show him support since their first meeting would be his giving charity. Plato and the others try to push him in the right direction by pointing out that anyone can be kind since even the least-likely are capable of it as shown in the Biblical story "The Good Samaritan", anyone can make a difference no matter how young as shown in "The Legend of the Dipper", or how it proves to have lasting effects for the giver and the receiver as shown in "Androcles and the Lion". Even ...

Annie is defeated badly by a formidable opponent in a hurdles race, and her confidence leaves her after that. Plato tries to help her get her it back by telling the story of "The Minatour", where an opportunity was taken to protect people in spite of the danger. When Zach acts confident, Ari points out to them both that different levels of courage are needed in different situations, as shown in Aesop's fable "The Brave Mice", and Plato speaks of William Tell, who put plenty at risk for his own sake and others'. Even the poem "If" is a reminder about how much courage ...

Zach offers Annie and all the others favors for money since he wants to buy a new game and can't get an allowance-raise at home. Plato points out that wanting money too badly leads to pain, as King Midas learned in "The Golden Touch". When Zach reveals that he said something hurtful to his mom, Aurora mentions how painful a short temper is for the one with the temper by telling "The King and His Hawk", where even Genghis Kahn didn't control his enough to not regret his actions later, and Plato reminds that waiting pays off, as shown in "The Magic Thread" where a boy ...

Annie is disheartened when her new friend Sarah decides to choose a partner other than her to go canoeing with, even though she agreed to pair up with her, just because Annie's canoe leaks. Plato reads "Waukewa's Eagle" to show how compassion is occasionally and a good heart is always found in real friendships like that of a Maliseet boy and a bird. When Annie is ready to hold too much distrust against those from cities like Sarah, Ari explains that friendship can take a lot of strength to build but it takes more to get through life without it by telling "Why Frog=...

Zach enjoys birdwatching with Mr. Cleveland, but in climbing on a plaque to get up to a tree he breaks it and doesn't get why Mr. Cleveland is so worked up over it, especially when he shows confusion over why anyone would care about such an aged thing. Plato explains the meaning of one of the words on it, "loyalty", by telling the stories of "Yudisthira at Heaven's Gate", where a king is challenged to choose between a companion and his dreams, and "The Cap That Mother Made", where a boy is tempted with great things for something he values. When Plato remembers that ...

Zach and Annie are building a go-cart out of scraps from a friend's junkyard, but don't strike gold with every piece they find right away, and are ready to blame Jake Jeeters when he kicks them out after they yell at him. Plato hears their complaints and points out that manners are important in life, just as they are in the story "Please", the results for using and not using them are different by reading "Diamonds and Toads", and everyone and everything deserves respect as shown in the Italian story "The Bell of Atri".

Annie is saddened when her faith-devoted neighbor Ruth passes away, and wonders whether faith is really wroth it because of that. Plato tries to convince her that it is very much worth it by telling the stories of the Hebrew Daniel in the lions' den, who looked to faith always and saw how times of trouble caused it to prove strong, and Harriet Tubman's determination to use faith to continue taking noble risks throughout her life. Even the 23rd Psalm is a good example of why there's enough reason for faith to live throughout life.

Annie is delighted to win the class presidency, but upon receiving it is pressed by her classmates to make what will be extreme, controversial changes and believes their proclamations that her greatness can accomplish anything. Plato warns her that a ruler's not swallowing pride often brings a painful fall to humiliation as proved in "The Emperor's New Clothes". On the other hand, "King Canute at the Seashore" is noted by Aurora as a reminder of how humility is a good thing for anybody but especially those trusted with power, but the mistakes made by a partly-noble ...

Plato learns that Annie and Zach are collecting canned goods for a homeless shelter, but their first priority is the rewards they'll get instead of helping the hungry, to the point where they argue over who should be recognized first at a celebration. He tries to explain how true giving requires selflessness, as shown in the story of "Rocking-Horse Land" where it's done between friends, and how it can be more satisfactory than receiving by telling "Old Man Rabbit's Thanksgiving Dinner". "The Gift of the Magi" is read as a reminder that even the thought of attempting ...

Zach and Annie have been taking lessons in karate and guitar, respectively, but now decide they don't want to stay in them anymore. On a hike, Plato tries to remind them of how rewarding persistence can be by telling the stories of "Scarface", about a Native American warrior who was rewarded based on how hard he tried for something he wanted, and "The Stars in the Sky", where a girl learned how pleasing staying with a goal was afterward. A Greek hero's story in "Ulysses and Cyclops" proved how important tenacity is in times of trouble. Even the poem "You Mustn't Quit"...