The Story Blanket CBeebies Bedtime Stories

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Now, where is this leading me?

Oh, hello. I'm Floella.

Can you see where this trail of wool is going?

It started in the lounge,

it's gone through to the kitchen,

and now...it has led me...

..to these story books.

A-ha! I know why there's a trail of wool -

because there's lots of wool in tonight's bedtime story.

It's by Ferida Wolff and Harriet May Savitz

and it's called The Story Blanket.

Deep in the snow-covered mountains,

there was a tiny village where Babba Zarrah lived.

The children loved to settle down

on Babba Zarrah's big old story blanket, to listen to her stories.

One day, Babba Zarrah noticed there was a hole in Nikolai's shoe.

When the children left,

she decided to knit Nikolai some nice, warm socks.

But so much snow had fallen that winter

that no-one could get through to the village to deliver wool.

How could she knit some socks without wool?

"Every question has an answer," said Babba Zarrah.

"I just have to think of it."

She poured herself a glass of sweet tea to help her think.

Before she'd taken three sips,

Babba Zarrah knew what to do.

"I will unravel a little of the story blanket

"and use the wool for Nikolai's socks," she said.

Late that night, when everyone was asleep,

Babba Zarrah trekked through the snow

and left the socks on Nikolai's doorstep.

Soon after, the postman found a scarf wrapped around his mail bag

when he left to start his morning rounds.

"Do you know who made it?" he asked everyone he met.

No-one did.

The schoolmaster was surprised to find a pair of warm mittens

on the wood pile when he brought in the wood for the school stove.

Mrs Evanoff flapped the ravens from her wash

with a new knitted apron she discovered beside her water pump.

Before long, the grocer was wearing a new shawl,

instead of the moth-eaten one she used to have.

The children had to sit closer on the blanket

when they came for a story.

Day by day, the villagers grew more curious.

Baby Olga received a mysterious new soft blanket,

and the butcher showed off the fancy woollen cap

that covered his shiny, bald head!

The children were now squashed together

on a very small story blanket.

The confusion grew when the tailor's scraggly cat

suddenly showed up, purring and grand in a snug cat coat.

There was no blanket left to sit on. The villagers asked the mayor

to help them solve the mystery.

"You know what Babba Zarrah always says," the mayor replied.

"Every question has an answer."

When the children saw the socks, the scarf, the mittens,

the apron, the shawl, the cap,

the baby blanket and the cat in her coat,

all together they shouted,

"It looks like Babba Zarrah's old story blanket."

"But she doesn't have it any more," said Nikolai.

"A-ha," said the mayor,

"Babba Zarrah used the wool in her blanket to make these."

"Now, it is our turn to give Babba Zarrah a surprise."

So while Babba Zarrah slept,

a few rows of wool were unravelled from every blanket

in every household and left on Babba Zarrah's doorstep.

Babba Zarrah was amazed

when she opened her front door in the morning.

She'd never seen so much wool in so many colours.

And on the top of it all was a sign -

"For your new story blanket."

The next time the children went to Babba Zarrah's for a story,

there was a colourful new blanket to sit on,

and a tale about a village where everyone shared with each other.

As she hugged the children goodbye,

Babba Zarrah noticed a hole in Alexandra's sweater.

She wanted to knit Alexander a surprise,

but the snow was still on the hills -

and no wool was to be had anywhere in the village.

Babba Zarrah knew that every question had an answer.

She looked at her new story blanket and smiled.

FLOELLA CHUCKLES

And that story was called The Story Blanket.

Maybe I can knit a story blanket with all this wool.

But it might take quite a long time, so I think you should go to bed now

and I'll see you very soon for another bedtime story.

Night-night. Sweet dreams!

Now, if I start winding here...