Sue Johnston - Churchill's Tale of Tails CBeebies Bedtime Stories

Hello. I'm Sue and I'm here with a bedtime story just for you.

Would you like to hear it?

Oh, good!

Well, tonight's story is called Churchill's Tale of Tails

and it's by Anca Sandu.

Churchill was a very proud pig,

just like any other pig.

Churchill valued many things in life.

Smelling beautiful flowers,

painting self portraits,

playing classical music

or reading a good book.

And he loved to have a cup of tea with his friends, Billy and Gruff.

"Milk and sugar?"

But Churchill had one thing that he

prized above everything else...

His tail.

It wasn't a big tail.

It wasn't a fancy tail.

It wasn't even a very practical tail.

But it was his tail

and it made him feel great.

But one morning, his tail was nowhere to be found.

Churchill searched here,

there

and everywhere.

Finally, he gave up searching.

He was miserable.

"I just don't feel myself

"without my tail," he said.

But Billy and Gruff came up with a good idea.

They gave Zebra a call.

"Hello, Zebra. We have a tail emergency.

"Can you help?"

"Come over. I think we have just the thing."

The Zebras were happy to help.

They had a spare tail for Churchill to try.

But the Zebra tail didn't

feel quite right.

"Perhaps I should try some other tails," Churchill thought.

So he went to see Peacock.

Peacock gave Churchill a tail

that made him feel beautiful.

"Oh!" said Churchill to himself.

"I wonder what other tails I could try."

A tail from the fish

made Churchill feel fantastic.

He could do things he'd never done before.

"Churchill never talks to us any more.

"It's all these fancy tails."

He tried little tails,

spotty tails,

snappy tails

and tails that made him feel big.

Trying different tails made Churchill feel so good

that he didn't have time for anything else,

not even his old friends.

"Come and play, Churchill."

"No, thank you.

"I'm rather busy with my new tails."

"Now," thought Churchill.

"It's time for something very special."

So he went to Tiger's house.

Tiger's tails were really super.

"I feel fierce," said Churchill.

"I am the world's strongest, bravest pig," he said.

"I'm not scared of anything.

"I'm totally fearless."

And then a dark shadow fell across his path.

"Arrgghhh!" Churchill felt terrified

and very alone.

"What could it be?"

"A giant mean lizard?

"An unfriendly blue alien?

"Or a huge, hungry robot

"with a twisted fork on its head?"

But it wasn't any of those things.

It was just a little bird.

"What's that on your head?" asked Churchill.

"Is it my tail?"

"Well, I don't know," the bird replied.

"I found it in a bush.

"I thought it was a worm

"but I couldn't eat it.

"It didn't look like a flower.

"It was useless, so I put it on my head.

"I've grown rather fond of it."

"Oh! But it's my very own, perfect tail," said Churchill.

"Please, may I have it back?"

"Well," said Bird.

"If it's yours, then you should have it."

"Thank you," said Churchill.

Finding his old tail made Churchill feel like his old self again.

He was so grateful that he helped Bird

find the perfect thing for her head.

And making a kind, new friend helped Churchill remember his old ones.

So he organised a tea party to bring all his friends together.

"My dear friends," said Churchill.

"I have been a very silly pig and a very bad friend.

"Can you ever forgive me?"

And, as they loved Churchill,

even though he could be very silly,

they did.

From then on, Churchill took great care

of his own perfect tail

and he was perfectly happy with it...

Most of the time.

SUE LAUGHS

That story was called Churchill's Tale of Tails.

I hope you liked it as much as I did.

Did you enjoy it, Little Pig?

Oh, you'd like me to check that your tail's still attached?

Yes, it's right there on your bottom, where it belongs.

Now, it's time for boys and girls, and little pigs,

to go to bed for a good, long sleep full of sweet dreams.

I'll see you soon for another bedtime story.

But for now, night-night.