Little Bill(1999–2004)

Just A Baby / The Campout

Just A Baby: Brenda's sister, Debra, arrives for a visit with her new baby, Jamal. Little Bill accidentally frightens the baby when he sings too loudly, and Big Bill explains how babies like soft music like lullabies. Aunt Debra gives Bill the job of telling her when Jamal has woken from a nap, but when the baby spits up, Little Bill fears ""he broke the baby."" Bobby teached Little Bill that babies sometimes make messes and shows him how to hold Jamal properly. The Campout: Little Bill and his friend, Andrew, decide to have a pretend camp out in the back yard. They set up umbrellas to stand for their tent, and go hiking, imagining Bill's neighbor, Mrs. Shapiro, is a bear. Bobby joins in after he finishes raking the leaves and makes up some sleeping bags from old grocery sacks. When Andrew has to go home for supper, Little Bill and Bobby ask Alice the Great if they can continue the camp out by having dinner outside.

The Treasure Hunt / The Best Way To Play

The Treasure Hunt: On a rainy day, Little Bill is bored and not sure what to do; Alice the Great suggests he find out what he likes to do best, and while looking for it to consider it a ""treasure hunt."" Little Bill goes around the house asking the other family members what their favorite thing is-- Big Bill loves listening to Jazz music, Brenda enjoys photography, while Bobby and April like to compete in chess. Later that night, while reviewing everything he learned to Alice the Great, she points out that storytelling must be Little Bill's ""thing."" The Best Way To Play: Little Bill and his friends Andrew, Kiku, and cousin Fuschia are acting out their favorite TV show, Space Explorers, before the show comes on. As they watch the program during lunch, a commercial airs for a ""Space Explorer"" video game. Little Bill asks both Brenda and Big Bill if he can have the game, but they explain that's it's too expensive. Andrew gets the video game for his birthday, but after the kids play it for

Monty's Roar / Natural Root Pals

Monty's Roar: Alice the Great invites an old friend over and she brings her grandson, Monty, along to play with Little Bill. Little Bill is a little uneasy about how to act around Monty, who uses a wheelchair. The two boys quickly become fast friends after Monty mentions his love of dinosaurs and they begin to play a dinosaur game, pretending to eat the room and stomp around making squawking noises. Natural Root Pals: When Brenda takes Little Bill along on her trip to the hair salon, he becomes bored since he has no one to play with. Several minutes later, his classmate Dorado arrives with his mother, Valencia, and the boys amuse themselves by pretending to go on a ""space walk"" using the hair dryers as helmets. Brenda and Dorado's mother agree to schedule their hair appointments at the same time so the boys can play together.

The Dollar / The Choice

The Dollar: Little Bill finds a dollar on the street, but Alice the Great insists that Bill find out who owns the money before he can keep it. When no one responds to Bill's questioning ""Who lost a dollar?,"" she lets him have it and tells him they can go to his Uncle Al's store after school. At the store, Little Bill wants to buy many toys for his friends, but Uncle Al explains that the things he wants cost more that one dollar. When Uncle Al points out that four quarters make up a dollar, Bill gets an idea; he trades in the dollar for four quarters and buys his friends toys that cost 25 cents from a vending machine. The Choice: Brenda takes the children to the grocery store and announces that the children can choose what type of cereal she buys, but they can only choose one box. Bobby, April and Little Bill each want a different type of cereal, so they hold contests to see who gets to choose. Little Bill gets the final say and decides to pick a variety box set so everybody can have th

Guppies / The Magic Quilt

Guppies: Little is Bill is pretending to swim in his daily bath when Brenda suggests he start swimming classes with his cousin Fuschia. At the pool, Little Bill is afraid to get in the water because of its size. Brenda and Fuschia carefully ease Bill into the water by getting in slowly and showing him that he'll be safe while they are with him. By the time the Guppies class is about to start, Little Bill is happily playing in the pool. The Magic Quilt: Little Bill can't sleep one night and asks Alice the Great to help him investigate ""the Thing"" in his closet that is keeping him awake. Alice the Great checks the closet out, and after determining ""the Thing"" must have left because of her, gives Little Bill a special 'magic quilt' with colorful patches that will help him get to sleep. She tells him to think about how the patches remind him of happy times and he won't think about the things that scare him. Little Bill quickly drifts off to sleep, and the next morning, when he mentions how

The Meanest Thing To Say / Lavatory Story

The Meanest Thing To Say: Little Bill and his friends are playing a game portraying pirates when their teacher, Miss Murray, introduces a new student, Michael, who has moved to New York from Florida. During recess, Little Bill and the others try to include Michael in their basketball game, but Michael is more interested in playing a ""ranking"" game, where people are supposed to say hurtful things to one another. Although the children say they refuse to participate, Michael doesn't listen and starts saying mean things to Little Bill, who stays silent. Michael threatens that he'll just keep saying insults if Little Bill doesn't ""play"" the game tomorrow, so Little Bill attemps to practice making up mean things to say by pretending to be a pirate. April overhears her brother acting out of character and tells their parents; when Big Bill learns of Michael's games, he explains how ""ranking"" used to be a popular game when he was a boy, too, and that he always won his matches by countering his

The Zoo / My Pet Elephant

The Zoo: Miss Murray takes the class to the zoo, and Little Bill is very excited to see his favorite animals, the elephants. He asks Miss Murray if they can see the elephants first, but his teacher points out that they are going to follow the zoo map, and unfortunately, the elephants are the last exhibit. Bill waits patiently, and when they finally get to the elephant cage, the other children want to leave because the elephants are shy about coming out. Bill does his impersionation of an elephant roar and gets the attention of a baby elephant. My Pet Elephant: After his trip to the zoo, Little Bill decides he wants a pet, and asks Brenda for permission to pick out an animal at the pet store. Brenda relents when the rest of the family, including Big Bill, beg her too. When Little Bill asks if he can have an elephant for his pet, Brenda explains that elephants are too big to live in houses. With some help from Mr. Percy, the pet store owner, Little Bill settles on a hamster and names it

Chicken Pox / Shipwreck Saturday

Chicken Pox: Little Bill is recovering from the Chicken Pox and is disappointed that he won't be able to attend a Blue Sox baseball game with the rest of the family. Brenda tries to cheer him up by watching the game on TV, but the cable goes out, so they pretend to play the game themselves. Little Bill perks up after he receives a puzzle in the mail from his cousin Fuschia, and Miss Murray stops by with a get well card from his friends. Shipwreck Saturday: The Glovers have decided to hold a cookout with family and friends, and Little Bill is excited to float the boat he made with Big Bill, the Moby Dick. Unfortunately, while he is sailing the boat with Kiku, an unobservant rower crashes into the toy boat and smashes it. Kiku suggests they try to fix the boat, and using some of Kiku's grandmother's origami paper, they transform the boat into the Moby Kite and join Bobby in his kite sailing.

Zoopity Zoo / The Neighborhood Park

Zoopity Zoo: When Little Bill can't find his Captain Brainstorm doll before he's supposed to go to Andrew's house to play, Alice the Great suggests he clean the room up; Little Bill is reluctant to clean because he claims it isn't fun, so Alice the Great makes up a rhyming game using the phrase ""1, 2, Zoopity Zoo"" to make the job seem like playtime. Soon, Little Bill's bedroom is organized, and he even helps Andrew clean up his messy room when he goes over to play. The Neighborhood Park: As Big Bill and Little Bill are walking to the park downtown to play ball, Little Bill asks his father why there isn't a local park closer to their house. Big Bill explains that there aren't too many vacant areas for parks near them, but when they stop at Uncle Al's store for a snack, Little Bill suggests that the vacant garbage cluttered lot across the street from the store would make a perfect park area. Inspired, Uncle Al volunteers that his family, the rest of the Glovers, and some of the nearby ne

Elephant On The Loose / If A Bird Rings, Answer It

Elephant On The Loose: Little Bill's pet hamster, Elephant, sneaks out of his cage while Little Bill is trying to return him from Elephant's toy rolling ball so Bill can go shopping with Brenda and Bobby. Realizing his pet is missing, Little Bill won't let anyone leave the house until Elephant is found, for fear the hamster will crawl out the front door if it's opened. The entire family scours the house trying to find Elephant, but Little Bill finally coaxes the hamster to come out of hiding by offering a hamster treat and singing a song he made up about how much he loves his pet. If A Bird Rings, Answer It: While Brenda and the kids are walking home from shopping, they stop to answer a ringing pay telephone. Brenda finds it unusual to find nobody on the other end, until Little Bill notices the phone isn't ringing-- there's a parrot sitting on top of the booth imitating the phone's ring. The parrot, whom Brenda christens ""Phone Dog"" because the bird likes to mimic phones ringing and a

Big Kid / The Bills Go To Work

Big Kid: While watching his favorite TV show, Space Exporers, with Alice the Great, Little Bill tells her about the story, since Alice the Great fell asleep during the program. He points out that the show was all about how Captain Brainstorm's dog, Sparky, felt like he wasn't being treated like a 'big dog' and ran away; Little Bill says that sometimes he feels like the family treats him the same way and wants to do things like a ""Big Kid"" does. Alice the Great allows him to pour his own juice, and is very impressed when Little Bill cleans up his glass afterwards, because ""that's what big kids do."" When he goes upstairs to his room to play, Little Bill notices some of April's toys have fallen off her bed and volunteers to pick them up so April won't trip on them when she comes home. Alice the Great praises Little Bill for trying to act more grown up, but tells him there is plenty of time for him to be a big kid and to enjoy the time he still has as a ""little kid"" too. The Bills Go To Wo

The Promise / The Practice

The Promise: When Little Bill runs out of his own belongings to bring to Show and Tell, he asks his sister April if he can borrow her basketball trophy to show. Bobby points out that the trophy is April's most prized possession, but April gives her permission and makes Little Bill promise to take care of the trophy. Unfortunately, despite Little Bill telling his friends that they couldn't touch the trophy after he showed it to them, somehow it gets misplaced during recess and the little basketball on the player's hand gets broken off. Little Bill is afraid April will be angry with him for breaking his promise, but Bobby suggests they try to fix the trophy. Little Bill sacrifices his most prized possession, a tiger's eye marble, to replace the missing basketball on the trophy, and his sister forgives him. The Practice: One morning, Brenda explains to Little Bill that after school he will have to attend April's basketball practice instead of coming straight home because Alice the Great h

Are We There Yet? / Super Family Fun Land!

Are We There Yet?: The Glover family plans to spend the day at their favorite amusement park, Super Family Fun Land. Little Bill is put in charge of the maps since it's going to be a long drive before they reach the park. Bobby worries that their day will be ruined when it begins to rain while they're driving along, but Little Bill says that they should follow Alice the Great's advice about bad weather-- Keep your chin up high, smile at the sky, and wish those rain clouds bye, bye, bye. Little Bill tries her method and gets the rest of the family to join in; sure enough, shortly the storm lets up and the Glovers are on their way again. Super Family Fun Land: The family arrives at the amusement park, which has a bug theme about all its rides. Although everyone wants to go on different rides, Little Bill wants to go on as many rides as they can together-- as a family. They start off the day riding the spinning Spider ride, but Big Bill says it made him all 'wobbly' and has to sit down. A

The Ring Bear / Miss Murray's Wedding

The Ring Bear: Miss Murray, Little Bill's teacher, announces to the class that she will be getting married and would like two of the children to be attendants in her wedding. To be fair, she selects names from a hat, and picks Kiku to be the flower girl and Little Bill to be the ring bearer. Little Bill mishears the teacher and thinks his job will the ""Ring Bear,"" meaning he will dress up in a bear costume. He's very disappointed when Brenda corrects him and tells him he'll have to wear a tuxedo, but she also makes him understand that he made a promise to Miss Murray to do his job at the wedding, even if it means he can't be a bear. Miss Murray's Wedding: Brenda, Big Bill, and Little Bill go to the church so Little Bill can be the Ring Bearer in Miss Murray's wedding. He meets up with Kiku and her grandmother, and they are all greeted by the nervous groom, Dr. Winthrop Clinkscales, who presents Kiku with a corsage and gives Little Bill a special boutenniere with a little bear on it so

The Birthday Present / The Birthday Party

The Birthday Present: Little Bill and Brenda go shopping for a birthday present for Bill's cousin, Fuschia. Bill decides upon a toy robot called a ""Gooey-Bot"" that has a liquid goo in its stomach that wiggles around when you push a button on its head. Trying to prove he's grown up, Little Bill attempts to wrap Fuschia's present by himself, but he accidentally knocks it off the table while arranging the wrapping paper. When he picks it up, he notices the button the make the ""gloop"" move doesn't work anymore, and when he tries to fix it himself he just makes it worse, getting glue all over the toy. Little Bill hides when he hears Brenda coming, but she explains that she isn't angry if he broke the toy by accident, and there's still time before Fuschia's party to buy a replacement gift. The Birthday Party: Little Bill goes to his cousin Fuschia's birthday party pleased that his present is most likely the best gift. When he gets to the party, he tells his friend Andrew that he bought Fusch

A Trip To The Hospital / The Wrong Thing To Do

A Trip To The Hospital: Little Bill is playing Cowboy in the back yard with his cousin Fuschia when he suddenly trips and falls on his arm. Crying out in pain, Little Bill fears he hurt himself, and Alice the Great determines that he has to go to the hospital to see if he broke anything. Brenda rushes over from work to assure Little Bill he'll be fine. At the hospital, Little Bill's doctor turns out to be Miss Murray's husband, Dr. Clinkscales, so Little Bill isn't as afraid since he knows Winthrop. Dr. Clinkscales takes x-rays of Bill's arm and diagnoses he broke his wrist, so Little Bill will have to wear a cast. As they leave the hospital, the doctor tells Brenda to give Bill a dish of ice cream as medicine. The Wrong Thing To Do: Cooped up inside the house because of his broken wrist, Little Bill becomes bored and frustrated since he's stuck inside while April, Bobby, and all his friends can play outside. Brenda suggests that he do something relaxing so as not to hurt his arm furth

Making Mother's Day / Picture Perfect

Rolling Along / The Stage Trick

Rolling Along: As Miss Murray teaches the class gymnastics for physical education in the class, Little Bill becomes frustrated when it comes time for the students to practice forward rolls since he hasn't been able to do one successfully. Miss Murray suggests that Bill shouldn't give up and work on the exercise at home. In the back yard, Little Bill asks Alice the Great for help, but she recommends April help her brother because she's younger.

The Snack Helper / Buds

The Snack Helper: At school, Little Bill is pleased to note on Miss Murray's assignment board that he has been chosen Snack Helper for the day; this means he gets to set up the table during snack time and choose who goes first when it's time to seat everybody. He soon realizes a problem in the job when all his friends want him to pick them to go first. Little Bill wants to be fair to his friends, but he doesn't want to choose one over the others for fear of angering the kids who weren't chosen.

The Car Keys/ Doggie Sitting

The Car Keys: As Big Bill and Bobby return from an errand, Big Bill asks Bobby to put away his car keys for him. Pretending to pitch a baseball, Bobby throws the keys effortlessly into a bowl on the table by the door. Wanting to emulate his older brother, Little Bill takes the keys and prepares to toss them also when he's interrupted by guests at the door. Andrew and his mother have come over to invite Little Bill to play at their house, so the boys go up to Bill's bedroom to get some toys and put Elephant back in his cage. Little Bill forgets he has the keys in his hand and as he puts Elephant away the keys drop and roll under his bed. Later, as Big Bill and Bobby get ready for Bobby's violin lesson, Big Bill asks what happened to the keys. Bobby asserts that he did put them away, but will start looking for them. Little Bill, remembering what he did, is afraid to tell his brother what happened, fearing their father will be angry. Finally, Little Bill confesses to Bobby what happened;

New Foods/ Elephant Tricks

New Foods: Brenda and Little Bill are shopping at the grocery store when they run into Little Bill's classmate, Dorado, and his mother, Valencia. Valencia invites Bill to play over at their house and stay for dinner, but Brenda mentions they are planning to attend April's basketball game late that evening, so Valencia extends the invitation to the next day. Little Bill asks if they can have his favorite meal, macaroni and cheese; Valencia says she is going to make Dorado's favorite foods that night-- chicken with rice and pigeon peas, and fried plantain bananas. Little Bill is hesitant to try the new foods, and laments to his mother that he would rather eat food he is familiar with. Brenda gets him to realize how eating something different can be fun by asking him if everything were made out of macaroni and cheese, would he still want to eat it? Little Bill agrees to taste the dishes, and to his surprise discovers he enjoys it very much. Elephant Tricks: Little Bill and Andrew are wat

What About Me?/ Happy Not Birthday To You

What About Me?: Little Bill asks his father if they can go play catch in the park, but just as they are leaving, April asks Big Bill to help her repair the computer, which she needs to use to finish her homework. Big Bill fixes the printer and the two are ready to leave again when April announces the computer crashed again. Thinking that his father will be tied up with April's problems for a while, Little Bill asks Brenda if she will take him instead; she apologizes and explains she's helping Bobby fix his bicycle. Feeling ignored, Little Bill retreats to his room and decides to pass the time observing a bird's nest outside his window. Just when the rest of the family finishes their tasks and tells Bill they can all go to the park with him, Little Bill spots one of the baby birds falling out of the nest and rushes outside to rescue it. Big Bill gets a ladder to return the bird to the nest, and calls his son a hero, pointing out that if they had left when they originally planned to, Lit

Racing Time/ All Tied Up

Racing Time: Little Bill is trying to get ready for school, but little things keep distracting him, like watching the bird's nest outside his window, and playing with Elephant. Alice the Great tells him if he doesn't stop dawdling he will be late to school. Little Bill gets to school too late to see Show and Tell, and misses his friend Kiku's presentation, showing her cat, Big Debbie. Little Bill apologizes to Miss Murray for his tardiness, and she reminds him to not be late to class the next day because she's bringing in her pet to who the class tomorrow. When he gets home after school, Little Bill asks Alice the Great to help him with his problem of getting ready on time. Alice suggests using an egg timer from the kitchen to time how long it takes Little Bill to do his tasks; that way, he can know how much time he has left before he knows he will be late. The next morning, Alice uses the timer to clock how long it takes Bill to get dressed, have his breakfast, and brush his teeth in

Echo Falls/ Going Fishing

Echo Falls: Big Bill and Uncle Al take Little Bill and Fuchsia on a hiking trip to visit Echo Falls. Uncle Al is reading a map with guide markings on it to make sure they are following the right path, but one of the signs is covered up by a bush, and they get turned around going the wrong way. Little Bill figures out that if they walk back to where they saw the last landmark, then try to listen for the waterfalls, they will get to the right place. Going Fishing: As part of their hiking trip, Al and Big Bill take the children fishing. Little Bill gets discouraged when it seems like everybody else is catching fish; he tries to change paces on the boat, puts on his father's lucky hat, but nothing seems to help. Uncle Al suggests they break for lunch, and have a picnic. Little Bill gets inspired, and asks Big Bill if he can use his hot dog as bait for the fish. The next time the family goes out to fish, Little Bill tries his new bait and catches the biggest fish of all.

The Best Book Ever!/ A Ramp For Monty

The Best Book Ever: Brenda takes Little Bill to the library so he get his first library card and check out a book. He checks out a book called, ""A Day in the Life of a Hamster"" and tells the librarian it's the best book ever. All week long, he reads the book over and over. When it's time to return the book, Little Bill tells Brenda he doesn't want to, because he likes it too much. When the librarian asks what he liked about it, Bill realizes he has memorized the story, and can remember it, so he returns the book and checks out another. A Ramp For Monty: Monty and Bill are reading in the library, and when Big Bill comes to pick them up, Bill notices that Monty can exit the library easily in his wheelchair using a ramp. He also sees that there is not a ramp at their house, so it's hard for Monty to go up their stairs when he visits. After Monty goes home, Little Bill asks Big Bill to help him build a ramp for the back steps as a surprise for Monty the next time he visits. When Monty come

The New Babysitter/ My Friend Isabel

The New Babysitter: Brenda and Bill Bill are going to a meeting at April's school, while Alice the Great has a doctor's appointment, so Little Bill will be getting a new babysitter: Mr. Rojas' niece, Isabel. Little Bill still misses his old babysitter, Mrs. Shapiro, so when Isabel arrives and asks what he wants to play, he skulks and says,""Nothing."" Deciding to take the initiative, Isabel invents ""The Nothing Game,"" saying he has to keep perfectly still, doing nothing, and the first one to move loses. This makes him laugh, so she offers to make dinner while he plays in his room. He finally warms up to her when he learns Isabel loves his favorite TV show, Space Explorers, and makes up a funny game playing ""the friendly alien from the 4th galaxy meets Captain Brainstorm."" My Friend Isabel: Alice the Great has a dentis appontment after school, so Little Bill asks if Isabel can pick him up instead. She agrees, but explains that she can't stay long because she has to study for a test the ne

The Early Bill/ Going Camping

The Early Bill: Little Bill wakes up very early one morning, and find that everyone else, except Alice the Great, is still sleeping. Alice invites him to come along with her on her morning walk. They walk to the park, and on the way, they meet Uncle Al taking a jog, Mr. Rojas walking Lito, and Miss Murray practicing Tai Chi. When they get to the park, Alice takes Bill to the pond, where he spots a goose and her goslings. When they get back home, Bill tells Bobby about all the things he missed by sleeping late. Going Camping: Bobby and April are going on a school camping trip for the weekend, and Little Bill is disappointed that he's too young to go. To cheer him up, Big Bill suggests they have their own campout in the backyard. They set up a tent and cook their dinner on a portable stove. Big Bill starts to tell a story, but gets spooked by the neigbor's cat. He then suggests counting firelies, but Little Bill has nodded off.

Same Moon, Same Sun, Same Star/ All Together Now

Same Moon, Same Sun, Same Star- Little Bill's next door neighbor, Mrs. Shapiro, announces that she has decided to move to Hawaii to live with her sister. Brenda explains that it means Mrs. Shapiro will be living very far away from them and may only visit once a year. Although he understands, Little Bill is worried that he'll never see his good friend ever again. Mrs. Shapiro assures him they can stay in contact by writing to one another and using the telephone; she also gives him her ukelele as a parting gift along with a little tip to help him whenever he starts to feel lonely: she sings a song from Hawaii that points out that although they will live in different parts of the country, they will still see the ""same moon, same sun, same star"" when they look up at the sky. When Little Bill begins to miss her, she states, just look up at the sky and think of her looking at the sky, too. This cheers up Little Bill and allows him to say a heartfelt goodbye to his neighbor. All Together Now

The Surprise!/ Good Ol' Lightnin'

The Surprise: Bobby and April are planning a special surprise for Alice the Great's birthday: a photo album filled with pictures of her all through her life. Little Bill points that they don't have any up to date photos of her, and volunteers to be the ""secret picture taker."" He tries to take photographs of Alice around the house, and even gets the rest of the family to pose with her, but when she catches on, he accidentally lets the news about the gift slip out. Upset at ruining the surprise, Little Bill doesn't even want to attend the birthday party; trying to cheer him up, Brenda tells him she developed his photos, and Alice the Great doesn't know about these pictures. Bill decides to take the photos and make a special collage to add to the last page in the photo album. Good Ol' Lighnin': While looking in the photo album, Little Bill spots a photo of Alice when she was his age, riding in a wagon. Alice remarks that the wagon was nicknamed ""Ol' Lightnin'"" and that she used to ride it

The Musical Instrument/ The Choir

The Musical Instrument: After watching Bobby practicing his violin, Little Bill decides he might like to learn to play a musical instrument. He asks Bobby how he decided on the violin; Bobby replies that ""it just felt right"" after trying out other instruments. Big Bill takes Little Bill to a local music store to try out different instruments, but announces that none of them feel right to him. When he makes up a song off the top of his head to express himself, Alice the Great points out that singing is also music, so Little Bill decides his voice is his new ""instrument."" The Choir: Little Bill hears April practicing a song for the church choir, and asks if he can sing with her, but she gets annoyed with his improvisational scatting rather than singing the part as written. Little Bill talks Brenda into letting him join April at her choir practice. Bill sits quietly and listens to the girls practice, but when Tiny becomes sick during rehearsal and has to be sent home, Little Bill voluntee

The Incredible Shrinking Little Bill/ The Big Swings

The Incredible Shrinking Little Bill: Little Bill decides to measure himself using the family growth chart along the kitchen doorway, but his hand slips while making the mark and his new line falls below the old measurement that last time he checked his height. Now convinced he's shrinking, Little Bill consults the rest of the family about ways to grow bigger. Big Bill mentions how people grow at night while they sleep, and Alice the Great says eating the right foods helps growth. Bobby and April say stretching exercises help, but when Brenda catches the children trying to stretch Bill by pulling on his legs and arms, she puts a stop to the nonsense. Showing Bill how he made a mistake, Brenda measures him again and shows him he actually grew a little since last time. The Big Swings: At the park, Little Bill asks Alice the Great if he can play on the big playground equipment like April and Bobby do. Bobby promises to look after his little brother while April is playing basketball with h

New Neighbors/ Doggie Magic

New Neighbors: Bobby and Little Bill notice someone new moving into Mrs. Shapiro's old house, and decide to investigate. Alice the Great and April have made a cake to welcome the new neighbors, and they all go next door to meet Mr. Rojas, a retired gentleman who works part time as a children's entertainer with his dog, Miguelito. While they are talking with Mr. Rojas, the children discover some of their belongings have gone missing-- April's shoe, Bobby's magnifying glass, and Little Bill's hat. Deciding to investigate before accusing his new neighbor of being a thief, Little Bill discovers that there is a hole in their fence big enough for Lito to squeeze through, and he has been swiping things as a fetching exercise. Mr. Rojas promises to fix the fence and teach Lito not to take things anymore. Doggie Magic: Big Bill and Little Bill are on their way home from shopping when Big Bill notices Mr. Rojas having trouble with his car. He offers to help fix the problem, but Little Bill remin

I Can Sign/ The Sign For Friend

I Can Sign: Brenda and Little Bill are grocery shopping when Little Bill notices a new cashier; he is confused because she doesn't talk, using her hands to communicate. Brenda explains the cashier, Angie, is deaf, and uses sign language to talk. She tries to introduce them, but Little Bill becomes uncharacteristically shy, and afraid to talk. When they return home and tell April what happened, she remarks that she's learning sign language at school and can teach Little Bill what to say; she shows him how to say Hello, Friends, and Elephant, and how to finger spell his name. The next time they go to the store, Little Bill signs his usual greeting to Angie, ""Hello, Friend!"" The Sign For Friend: Little Bill is playing in the park with Andrew when they notice a new girl playing with her mother; she seems engrossed with using a special magnifying glass that lets her look at insects closely. The boys would like to meet her and ask if they can play with the toy, too, but can't seem to get her

Summertime In The Wintertime/ Snow Racer

Summertime In The Wintertime: A blizzard hits the Philadelphia area, leaving the Glover children stuck inside the house for the day. Thinking of ways to entertain themselves until it warms up, Little Bill suggests imagining that it's summer instead, and decorates his room like the beach. His siblings join in the fun and take the ""beach"" into the living room. April notes that Brenda and Big Bill were unable to avoid the snowstorm before heading off to work and will probably be tired, cold and wet when they come home. Bobby and Little Bill decide they should put on a ""Summertime In The Wintertime"" variety show for their parents to cheer them up. April pretends to do a news report, Bobby tells jokes, while Little Bill sings the songs he made up. Brenda, Big Bill, and Alice the Great tell the children how much they appreciate their thoughtfulness and creativity. Snow Racer: Little Bill and his friend Michael take advantage of the snowstorm by building a pretend racecar out of snow, dubbing

Get Well, Elephant/ Elephant's Best Friend

Get Well, Elephant: Big Bill and Little Bill are about to leave to see the Captain Brainstorm Movie when Big Bill points out that Little Bill forgot to put on his shoes. As he retrieves his sneakers, Little Bill notices that his pet hamster, Elephant, hasn't eaten and seems lethargic; worried, Little Bill tells his father that they can't go to the movie until they take care of his pet. Little Bill decides to ask Percy Mulch, the pet store owner for advice, and Percy suggests that Little Bill just make Elephant warm, comfortable, and give lots of water. Little Bill follows the instructions carefully, and after a good night's rest, Elephant seems to be back to his old self. Elephant's Best Friend: Little Bill and Andrew are playing Space Explorers, and decide Elephant should play the alien in their story. Andrew says that Elephant needs a best friend to play with, just like the boys are best friends. They try to find someone with common interests like Elephant, but when they ask April to

The Skating Lesson/ Mr. Moth

The Skating Lesson: Little Bill is very excited about learning to roller skate with April, but he doesn't know why he needs lessons; he expects to just take off and skate right away. April explains that it takes time to learn how to balance on the skates, but Little Bill gives up angrily after falling down several times. When he watches April give a lesson to his cousin Fuchsia, who has been skating for a few days and keeps on trying even if she falls down, Little Bill gets encouraged to make another attempt. Mr. Moth: Miss Murray is giving the class a lesson on insects, and has assigned each of the children a butterfly chrysalis to watch it change. As Fuchsia's, Kiku's and Andrew's butterflies all begin to hatch, but Little Bill's doesn't, Miss Murray notices that Little Bill was given a moth pod instead. She tells him that moths usually take longer to hatch, and may come out at night; she allows Bill to take his insect home so he doesn't miss the hatching. Just before he's about to f

Private Time/ Never

Private Time: The Glover family is cleaning the kitchen together when Big Bill mentions to Brenda that ""their song"" is playing on the radio and asks her to dance. April takes the hint that her parents might like to be alone together and tries to escort her brothers out, but Little Bill doesn't understand when April says they'd like some ""private time."" Brenda explains that it means sometimes people need to be alone with someone to talk, or just spend time together. Little Bill is still a little confused, and says that his walks on errands with his mother must be their private time, so his parents decide to just explain it to him when he's older. Never: Alice the Great is entertaining an old friend, Jazz musician Clark Terry, but Little Bill is feeling a little put out because Sunday afternoons are usually the time he spends with Alice by himself-- it's their ""private time."" Alice invites Clark to join them on their walk to the park, but they go to a different area than they usually do.

Ready, Set, Read!/ I Got A Letter

Ready, Set, Read!: Little Bill decides he wants to learn to read after watching Bobby enjoy reading a joke book. At school, he asks Miss Murray for assistance, so she devises a word game of looking up things in the room that start with the same letter and writing the words on the board so the children can see how they're spelled. During story time, Miss Murray talks Bill through reading one of his favorite stories, Harry the Helpful Horse; Little Bill recognizes some of the words thanks to the game they played earlier. When he gets home, Little Bill shows Bobby how well he can read the story, and Bobby offers to help him learn the jokes in his book. I Got A Letter: When Little Bill helps Big Bill bring in the mail one afternoon, he asks how people get mail addressed to them. His father points out that in most cases, if you write a letter, you receive letters, so Little Bill chooses to write a letter to one of his friends. He draws apicture for Andrew, and Big Bill helps him address the

The Violin Lesson / Squirmy

The Violin Lesson: Little Bill is playing outside with Andrew and Kiku when they hear Bobby practicing his violin for an upcoming recital. Bobby is still a fairly new performer, so the violin occasionally squeaks while he's learning a new song. Little Bill and the others think the instrument sounds funny and start to imitate the noise. At dinner, Bill does his violin impression for his parents, but Bobby thinks his brother is making fun of him and runs off, hurt. April explains to Little Bill that learning to play an instrument takes time and practice, and that sometimes you might make mistakes. Bill apologizes to Bobby and asks him to play the new song he learned. Squirmy: Andrew and Bill are playing in the back yard when they see an earthworm crawling out of Alice The Great's garden. Little Bill is intrigued by the worm and decides to keep it as a pet, naming it Squirmy for the way it wiggles. When he asks for permission to keep it, however, Brenda is adamant about not having worms i

Monty Visits / Mom's Trip

Monty Visits: Little Bill is excited when Alice the Great tells him his friend Monty is coming over to spend the day; he brings all his favorite toys down to the living room so Monty won't have to worry about manuevering his wheelchair upstairs. When Monty arrives, he seems to be more interested in helping Alice the Great prepare a sweet potato pie than playing any games. He tells her he wants to become a chef when he grows up, and is always helping his parents in the kitchen. Alice the Great appreciates the assistance and his company, but Bill gets angry that his great grandmother is taking away his friend; he becomes even more upset when Alice remarks that she loves Monty-- he thinks she loves Monty more than him. Alice explains that she is only being hospitable to Monty because he is a guest, and although she did say loves him as a good friend, she will never love anyone the way she loves Bill. Monty apologizes for upsetting Little Bill, and invites him to join in to make the pie. M

The No-Talking Contest / The Search For The Sock

The No Talking Contest: The children are helping to clean the kitchen, and Bobby and Little Bill complain to Big Bill that April's singing is annoying them. Their father says that while they are working together they are not to fight, so April proposes a ""No Talking Contest"" so they won't say anything hurtful to one another. Bobby gets Little Bill to be the first one to break the silence by dropping his watch, but Bill claims Bobby cheated by saying ""Oops"" when he dropped the watched to get his brother's attention. When a second round causes April to laugh, they decide to make a rule that no one can make any type of sound, not just talking, in order to win. Big Bill wonders what's going on when the children refuse to answer the telephone and don't want to talk to Brenda. The children manage to stay quiet while cleaning the kitchen, but Little Bill notices that Bobby accidentally knocked his watch into the trash, and Big Bill is about to deliver the bag to the garbage man. He screams

A Day At The Beach/ The Get Well Song

A Day At The Beach: The Glovers go to the beach for a day off, and while Big Bill just wants to relax, the children want him to join in with them and have some fun. They go swimming, play games, build sand castles, and go exploring for shells. As Big Bill lies down to finally try to relax, Little Bill suggests to his siblings that they bury their father in the sand. Although he pretends to protest, Big Bill actually enjoys not having to worry about moving and falls asleep while everybody else has lunch. Little Bill asks Brenda why Big Bill doesn't want to play, and she explains that his father is tired from the long drive to the beach and all the things he did for everybody else. When he realizes how much he appreciates all the things Big Bill does without being asked, Little Bill goes over to where Big Bill is lying and offers to read to him so they can relax together. The Get Well Song: Big Bill catches a cold and has to stay home from work. Little Bill volunteers to take care of h

Michael Sleeps Over/ Michael's First Snow

Michael Sleeps Over: Little Bill invites his friend Michael to spend the night when Michael's mother has to go out of town for the day. At first, Michael enjoys playing games and meeting the family, but by dinnertime, he becomes homesick and wants Big Bill to take him home. Little Bill tries to make Michael feel more comfortable by letting his friend sleep in his bed on Captain Brainstorm sheets, since Michael's bed at home has the same bedding. He also allows Michael to play with Elephant so Michael won't miss his own pet goldfish as much. When they finally go to sleep, Michael says he'll repay Little Bill for all his hospitality by inviting him to sleep over at his house. Michael's First Snow: As Brenda is putting the boys to bed, she notices that outside a heavy snowfall has started, and by morning the back yard is blanketed with snow. Michael remarks that since he grew up in Florida, where it's usually sunny all year round, that this is the first time he's seen snow. April, Bobby,

Monty Joins The Class/ Dad Goes To School

Monty Joins The Class: Little Bill's friend, Monty, moves closer to town, so he will be going to Bill's school now. Little Bill volunteers to be Monty's ""Super Helper,"" and show him around the class, since he already knows Monty. Unfortunately, in his efforts to be helpful, Little Bill ends up doing everything for Monty rather than waiting for Monty to ask for help, or letting Monty do it himself. Resentful, Monty says he doesn't want Bill's help anymore, and that he would like to play with someone else. Later that night, Little Bill understands what he must have been doing to Monty when he has difficulty putting on his pajamas, and Alice the Great tries to offer assistance; Bill argues that he can do it, and isn't a baby. The next day at school, Bill apologizes to Monty, who teaches him how to use the magnetic fishing game more efficiently. Little Bill points out that Monty helped him-- in more ways than one. Dad Goes To School: Miss Murray arranges for all the children's fathers to v

Number One On Honeywood Street/ Baseball Glovers

Number One On Honeywood Street: April and Bobby are having a friendly competition of racing, and when April wins, she begins to brag that she's ""Number One on Honeywood Street."" The children run into Little Bill's friend, Andrew, and his visiting cousins, who claim that they win every type of game they play on their block. Spurred on by competitiveness, April challenges them to a series of track and field type games to prove who's the best. Andrew and Little Bill want to play on the same team, but April and Andrew's cousins argue that they have to play as families against another. When Andrew's team appears to be winning, April gets angry and accuses Bobby and Bill of not trying hard enough, so they quit playing. The other children make April realize that she is taking the game too seriously in wanting to be the best, and that they began playing the game as a way to have fun together. Baseball Glovers: It's time for the annual Glover Family Picnic and Baseball Playoff Game, but Big Bil

Wabbit Worries/ Wabbit Babies

Wabbit Worries: Little Bill is very excited one morning at school when Miss Murray hands out the class assignments and asks him to look after the class' new pet rabbits, Dwayne and Wabbit. Little Bill becomes concerned when Wabbit, who usually loves to be held and eats the rabbit food as soon as it's served, is strangly quiet and isn't hungry. Miss Murray suggests calling a veterinarian in the morning to check Wabbit out. As he walks home, Little Bill decides to consult pet shop owner Mr. Percy with Wabbit's symptoms. Mr. Percy agrees to come to school the next day and examines Wabbit; he announces he has two surpises for the class-- Wabbit is really a female, and she's going to have babies soon, fathered by Dwayne. Mr. Percy volunteers to take Wabbit to his pet shop to keep her under observation until the litter is born. That night, Little Bill expresses his worries over Wabbit's condition to Brenda; she explains that Wabbit has the baby rabbits growing in her tummy, just like people

The Halloween Costume / The Haunted Halloween Party

Merry Christmas, Little Bill