The Gigantic Turnip CBeebies Bedtime Stories

Some for the beans.

And the carrots. Oh, yes, the peas.

Oh, hello!

My name's Ted.

Just watering the seeds. I'm growing my own vegetables.

They'll need plenty of water and lots of sunlight

so they can grow really big.

I've got a story to tell you about a very big vegetable.

Would you like to hear it?

You would? Great.

It's called The Gigantic Turnip

and it's by Aleksei Tolstoy and Niamh Sharkey.

Long ago, an old man and an old woman

lived together in a crooked old cottage

with a large, overgrown garden.

The old man and the old woman kept six yellow canaries,

five white geese, four speckled hens,

three black cats,

two pot-bellied pigs and one big, brown cow.

MOO!

On a fine, March morning, the old woman sat up in bed,

sniffed the sweet spring air

and said, "It's time for us to sow the vegetables."

So, the old man and the old woman went out into the garden.

They sowed peas and carrots and potatoes and beans.

Last of all, they sowed turnips.

That night, rain fell.

Pitter-patter on the garden of the crooked old cottage.

The old man and the old woman smiled as they slept.

The rain would help the seeds swell and produce fine, juicy vegetables.

Spring passed and the summer sun ripened the vegetables.

The old man and the old woman harvested their carrots

and potatoes and peas and beans and turnips.

At the end of the row, there was just one turnip left.

It looked very big. In fact, it looked gigantic.

On a fine September morning, the old man sat up in bed,

sniffed the cool late-summer air

and said, "It's time for us to pull up that turnip." And out he went.

The old man pulled and heaved and tugged and yanked,

but the turnip would not move.

The old man went to find the old woman.

The old woman wrapped her arms around the old man's waist,

both of them pulled and heaved and tugged and yanked.

But still the turnip would not move.

So, the old woman went to fetch the big, brown cow. Moo!

The old man, the old woman and the big, brown cow

pulled and heaved and tugged and yanked,

but still the turnip would not move.

So the old man mopped his brow

and went to fetch the two pot-bellied pigs.

Oink, oink, oink!

The old man, the old woman, the big, brown cow

and the two pot-bellied pigs pulled and heaved and tugged and yanked.

Still the turnip would not move!

So, the old woman rolled up her sleeves

and went to fetch the three black cats.

Meow!

The old man, the old woman, the big, brown cow,

the two pot-bellied pigs

and the three black cats pulled and heaved and tugged and yanked.

Still the turnip would not move!

So, one of the cats twitched her tail

and went to fetch the four speckled hens.

Bo-ock, bock, bock, bock! Bo-ock, bock, bock!

The old man, the old woman, the big brown cow,

the two pot-bellied pigs, the three black cats

and the four speckled hens pulled and heaved and tugged

and yanked - still the turnip would not move!

So one of the hens shook her feathers. CLUCK CLUCK CLUCK!

And went to fetch the five white geese.

HONK HONK HONK!

The old man, the old woman, the big brown cow,

the two pot-bellied pigs, the three black cats, the four speckled hens

and the five white geese pulled and heaved and tugged and yanked

- still the turnip would not move!

So one of the geese craned her neck

and went to fetch the six yellow canaries.

CHEEP CHEEP! CHEEP CHEEP CHEEP!

The old man, the old woman, the big brown cow, the two pot-bellied pigs,

the three black cats, the four speckled hens,

the five white geese and the six yellow canaries

pulled and heaved and tugged and yanked -

and still the turnip would not move!

The old man scratched his head.

The animals and birds lay on the ground gasping.

HE PANTS

The old woman had an idea.

The old woman went into the kitchen,

and put a piece of cheese by the mouse hole.

Soon, a hungry little mouse popped its head out of the hole.

SQUEAK SQUEAK, SQUEAK SQUEAK!

The old woman caught the mouse and carried it outside.

The old man, the old woman, the big brown cow, the two pot-bellied pigs,

the three black cats, the four speckled hens,

the five white geese, the six yellow canaries

and the hungry little mouse pulled and heaved and tugged and yanked...

Pop!

The gigantic turnip came flying out of the ground,

and everyone fell over!

The canaries fell on the mouse, the geese fell on the canaries,

the hens fell on the geese, the cats fell on the hens,

the pigs fell on the cats, the cow fell on the pigs,

the old woman fell on the cow and the old man fell on the old woman!

All of them lay on the ground and laughed.

HE LAUGHS

That night, the old man

and the old woman made a huge bowl of turnip stew.

Everyone ate as much as they could, and do you know what?

The hungry little mouse ate the most of all.

MUNCHING

That story was called The Gigantic Turnip.

The hungry little mouse made a big difference in the end, didn't he?

And he got a lovely bowl of turnip stew as a reward. Mmm!

Delicious. It's time for you to go to bed now.

While you're fast asleep, you'll be growing big and strong.

I'll see you soon for another bedtime story. Night-night.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd