# Between the Lions (2000)

> A PBS Kids puppet series in which a family of lions helps young children learn to read through letters, words and playful stories.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/4088

## Facts

- Seasons: 10
- Episodes: 140
- Episode runtime: 30 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: family, animation, comedy
- Created by: Kathryn Mullen, Christopher Cerf, Michael K. Frith, Lou Berger, Norman Stiles
- Network: PBS
- Cast: Peter Linz, Jennifer Barnhart, Anthony Asbury, Kathryn Mullen, Heather Asch, Tyler Bunch, Ruth Westheimer, Chris Phillips
- TMDB rating: 7.1/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0242192/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: subtle
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: none
- Tone: gentle, cozy, joyful, playful, encouraging

## What critics say

Widely regarded as an effective, warmly made early-literacy series that teaches reading skills through playful puppetry and wordplay.

## Synopsis

Between the Lions is an American PBS Kids puppet series that ran from 2000 to 2010 across ten seasons and 140 episodes, aimed at children roughly four to seven learning to read. Its central family of lions lives in a library-like home where everyday mishaps and small questions prompt them to explore letters, sounds and words. Each half-hour episode weaves together sketches, songs, animated segments and playful wordplay, so a simple problem becomes a gentle lesson in phonics and vocabulary. The format is episodic and repeatable rather than serialized, with recurring characters returning to pose new literacy challenges. The tone is cozy, encouraging and cheerful, with humor built on puns, rhymes and silly puppet antics. Its bright storybook look and warm, sing-along energy share the spirit of Sesame Street and Reading Rainbow. Parents and early educators find it an affectionate, low-pressure way to build early reading skills, and the show earns its place through kindness and joy rather than conflict or danger.

## Shows like Between the Lions

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- [Fetch! with Ruff Ruffman (2006)](https://ember.film/tv/491)
- [Waffles + Mochi (2021)](https://ember.film/tv/98489)
- [Shining Time Station (1989)](https://ember.film/tv/509)
- [Big Comfy Couch (1993)](https://ember.film/tv/4204)
- [Reading Rainbow (1983)](https://ember.film/tv/9330)
- [Arthur (1996)](https://ember.film/tv/2041)
- [Blue's Clues (1996)](https://ember.film/tv/10065)
- [Blue's Clues & You! (2019)](https://ember.film/tv/78598)
- [Ghostwriter (1992)](https://ember.film/tv/3735)

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