Snoring Beauty CBeebies Bedtime Stories

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CBeebies Bedtime Story.

Wow! I can't believe it!

What a fantastic story.

Oh, hello! I'm Anna.

Have you heard these news headlines?

"True love wins fair princess."

"The sty's the limit." "Palace tickled pink."

You haven't?

Well, then, you need to listen to tonight's bedtime story.

It's by Rachael Mortimer and Amanda Hellberg,

and it's called Snoring Beauty.

BELL CHIMES

As the palace clock struck midnight, the king and queen awoke

to a frightening sound. SNORING

Where was it coming from? Was there a monster in the room?

Had the dragon escaped from the palace dungeons?

The king and queen rushed into the princess's chamber.

They looked over the bed, they looked under the bed,

they looked in the bed.

The princess was making a deafening noise.

Still sound asleep, her mouth was wide open.

She was snoring in the most unladylike way.

The next day, the palace was in chaos as the princess,

still sleeping, snored louder and louder!

Cook was so distracted he burnt all the cakes.

The royal guards, unable to hear any commands,

kept bumping into one another. Saddest of all was the court jester.

He couldn't remember a single joke.

The story of Snoring Beauty made headline news.

The princess had fallen under a wicked spell

and would snore for 100 years unless a special kiss could wake her.

Without delay, a notice appeared across the kingdom.

"Wanted - a special kiss for a special princess.

"Princess seeks hero to break evil spell.

"Reward, one large bag of gold and...

"the princess's hand in marriage."

Word spread, and within hours,

a long queue of hopeful heroes appeared at the palace gates.

One by one, they kissed the princess.

But 999 kisses later,

Snoring Beauty was still fast asleep. SNORING

Before long, the story of Snoring Beauty had spread beyond the kingdom

to far-off lands.

Many took pride in their own special kiss.

They elected heroes

and the race began to prove whose kiss was the best.

Chief Brown Bear, the courageous yet cuddly Eskimo prince,

locked up his igloo and harnessed his husky dogs to the royal sledge.

The journey ahead would be long, cold, and at times dangerous.

But nothing could have prepared him for the noise from the chamber!

It was more frightening than a polar bear,

more ear-piercing than the barking of his husky dogs.

He smiled bravely at the queen,

and quickly rubbed noses with the princess.

"A special kiss the Eskimo way is sure to break the spell today."

Chief Brown Bear's nose must have been very cold...

for the princess's nose twitched and she sneezed -

"Atchoo!"

But it didn't wake her.

Prince Powder Puff of Paris put the finishing touches to his hair,

and retied the silk bows on his expensive tights.

After one last look in the mirror, he stepped delicately,

so as not to ladder his tights, into his golden carriage.

Two days later, and still with perfect tights,

Prince Powder Puff pranced to the princess's bedside.

He looked at her wide, open mouth in horror,

and, glimpsing himself in the mirror,

kissed her first oh-so-daintily on the left cheek,

and oh-so-prettily on the right cheek,

and oh-so-cheekily on the left cheek again.

"A special kiss zee Parisian way is sure to break zee spell today."

The princess's left cheek quivered.

Her right cheek twitched! Then her left cheek quivered again.

But the princess simply carried on snoring.

Charming Prince Charlie thanked his cook for his lunch,

his butler for his shoes and his horse for such a comfortable ride.

He raised his hat respectfully to the king, bowed gallantly to the queen,

and went down on one knee before the snoring princess.

Far too charming to comment on the undignified din,

he took her hand in his and delicately kissed it.

"A special kiss the gentleman's way is sure to break the spell today."

The light brush of his lips would have woken most storybook princesses.

ANNA SIGHS But not this one.

Snoring Beauty only snored louder.

Then, one especially noisy afternoon,

a dirty and rather smelly young man arrived at the palace.

"Who are you?" asked the butler.

"I'm Joe," he replied. "I look after the pigs.

"I've come to kiss the princess."

The butler was shocked,

the king was outraged, but the queen was desperate.

"Come this way," she said. "Quickly!"

The queen opened the chamber door.

It was love at first sight,

for Joe had never seen a girl so beautiful,

and the noise she was making was adorable -

just like his beloved pigs.

Joe kissed the princess.

ANNA GASPS The palace held its breath.

There was silence.

The princess wrinkled her nose a little, then opened her eyes.

"A true love kiss! The most special of all!

"At last, it's time for a ball!"

Within hours, the royal notices appealing for a special kiss

were replaced with a new announcement.

"Fairytale wedding of the century.

"Everyone invited for fun, fizzy drinks and fairy cakes.

"Wedding celebrations start at three o'clock."

The royal guard stood to attention, and as the palace clock struck three,

a silver carriage appeared, pulled by six polished and pampered pink pigs.

Joe and his beautiful bride waved happily.

The crowd cheered, the cameras flashed.

Once again, the story of Snoring Beauty made headline news.

And the rest of Joe's reward?

Well, who needs gold when you've found true love?

Joe rewarded his pigs with a feast fit for a king,

then turned their sty into a palace.

And there they all lived happily ever after.

That story was called Snoring Beauty.

I told you it was a fantastic story.

Can you imagine - Joe becoming a prince?!

But I'm glad that he woke the princess.

You wouldn't be able to fall asleep with all that noise.

And now it's time for you to go to bed and have sweet dreams.

But don't worry. I'll see you soon for another story.

Night-night.

Now, what other stories are in the newspaper?

ANNA GASPS Oh, my!