Anna Maxwell Martin - Millicent and Meer CBeebies Bedtime Stories

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So, you've got four paws - one, two, three, four...

And a furry grey coat.

Let's have a look in my book...

Oh, hello. I'm Anna.

Do you know what kind of animal this is?

I'm just trying to find out. Let's have a look...

Hmm, it's got four paws, two ears, a tail,

and a very pointy nose.

I can't quite find anything like it in my animal book.

Millicent, in tonight's bedtime story finds an unusual animal.

The story is by Richard Byrne and it's called Millicent And Meer.

One Saturday, Millicent was busy making sandcastles

in the garden when... BUMP!

..a big wooden box landed beside her.

"Ouch!" said the big wooden box.

Millicent peeped under the lid.

A dazed looking creature sat inside.

"Hello in there. Are you OK?" asked Millicent.

"Oh, I think so," replied the creature, rubbing its head.

"But I've got no idea who I am or how I got here."

Millicent giggled.

"You're funny. Perhaps I can help."

Millicent spotted a label on the big wooden box -

"Me-ee-ee-rr....

"kk-kat."

"Mystery solved," said Millicent.

"You're a cat and you're name is Meer. Yipee!

"I've always wanted a cat!

"You can be MY cat!" She took Meer indoors.

Millicent loved her new cat.

But he did do some very uncatty things.

And some very naughty things, too.

Millicent's dad got crosser and crosser.

"Right, that's it," he said.

"Meer will have to go outside until he can learn to behave

"like a proper cat!"

Millicent didn't like putting Meer outside

and Meer certainly didn't like being outside.

Poor Meer. He'd been sitting all alone for some time when...

a stray cat came strolling past.

"Hey, why the sad face?" he asked.

"I have to stay outside until I can learn to behave like a proper cat."

"Well, old chap. You don't look like much of a cat to me.

"But today's your lucky day!

"Marvin's the name and being a cat is my game. Just follow me."

Being a proper cat was a little tricky at first.

But Meer soon got the hang of it.

MARVIN PURRS Then...

Woof!

"Dog! Quick, run!" cried Marvin.

Meer wasn't sure what a dog was

but he was sure he didn't want to find out.

Marvin and Meer ran and ran until...

something caught Meer's eye.

"Come and see the meerkats at Steve's safari park."

"Nice move, Meer," said Marvin.

"We've lost him. Now that was clever.

"Even if you're NOT a cat."

"I'm not a cat?" replied Meer.

"No. Look!

"You're a meer-kat!"

Marvin and Meer showed Millicent what they had discovered.

"So Meer isn't a cat doing naughty things,

"he's just a meerkat doing meerkat things," said Millicent.

"That explains everything," said Dad.

"But it's not fair to keep Meer here.

"He belongs at the safari park with the rest of his family."

Later that day, a van arrived to take Meer back to his family.

Millicent and Marvin waved goodbye.

They were really going to miss Meer.

"Are you going home to your family, too, Marvin?" asked Millicent.

"I don't have a home.

"Or a family," sighed Marvin sadly.

"Yipee!" said Millicent.

"I've always wanted a cat. YOU can be MY cat!"

She took Marvin indoors.

Millicent and Marvin did lots of fun things together.

Millicent loved her new pet and Marvin loved his new home.

But best of all, every weekend, they went to the safari park

and did lots of meerkat things with Meer and his family.

And that story was called Millicent And Meer.

So that's what you are!

You're a meerkat.

I'm so glad I know now so we can plan lots of adventures together.

Just like Millicent, Marvin and Meer.

But now it's time for you to go to bed

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

Now, then, let's have a drink of juice

while I work out what we can do tomorrow...

Mmm!

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

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