Katy Hill - When I Woke Up I Was a Hippopotamus CBeebies Bedtime Stories

OK, you go there, you stay there.

Hello! My name is Katy and I'm sorting out these toys.

There's a rocket, a robot and over here, there's a monkey.

I'd like to be a monkey. Or a rocket. What do you think?

It'd be fun. There's a boy in tonight's bedtime story

who thinks he can be all sorts of things.

Let me tell you about him.

The story is called When I Woke Up I Was A Hippopotamus,

and it's by Tom MacRae and Ross Collins.

When I woke up I was a hippopotamus!

Yawning in the morning, I raised up my sleepy head,

then took one look out of the window and got straight back into bed.

"Get up!" said Mum, "or you will be late!"

But hippos in their sludge don't get up in the morning,

and so I didn't budge.

At breakfast, I was a robot.

My tummy wasn't hungry, I wasn't programmed how to eat.

My mouth was made of metal, like my nose and knees and feet.

"Quick, quick!" said Dad. "Come on! Eat up! We've really got to scoot!"

But robots can't eat cornflakes,

Dad's words did not compute.

When it was time to go to school, I was a...statue.

I couldn't move a muscle,

I couldn't blink an eye,

I couldn't lift a finger,

I couldn't breathe a sigh.

Mum pushed, then pulled.

Dad pulled, then pushed.

They heaved with all their might,

but my legs were made of granite

and my feet were stuck down tight.

When I got to school,

I was a...monkey.

A cheeky little monkey, thought a table was a tree.

I had to climb upon it, just to see what I could see.

I couldn't sit and listen, and my work was rather slack.

And when the teacher told me off,

I told her off right back!

When it was playtime,

I was a...monster!

-SCREAMING

-A scritchy-scratchy monster

with ten scritchy-scratchy claws.

I had 50 scritchy-scratchy teeth

in scritchy-scratchy jaws.

The girls all screamed, the boys all ran. My mouth went munchy-crunch!

Then teacher told me off again

so I had her for my lunch!

When it was time to go home, I was a...rocket ship.

I zoomed up out of orbit.

Countdown - five, four, three, two, one.

I was nearly reaching light speed.

Poor old Dad, he had to run.

My pistons pumped, my jet packs jumped,

all full of super fuel,

I had to get to Planet Home and far from Planet School.

When I was in my bedroom, I was a...giant.

My hands were huge as houses.

My beard was big and blue.

I was hunting for a human

to put in my human stew.

I was crashing round my bedroom -

well, that's just how giants play -

we're big and loud and noisy,

we don't know another way.

But Mum and Dad weren't happy and the yelled out, "Keep it down!"

But my giant feet were busy

as they crushed a tiny town.

"That's it!" cried Mum and Dad,

"You're louder than ten boys!"

and they stomped upstairs to tell me off for making so much noise.

When Mum and Dad came in, they were dragons.

They snarled and growled

and stamped and howled

and nearly broke the door.

Their wings caught in the curtains

and their tails scratched on the floor.

Dad blew a giant smoke ring with an angry, rumbling cough.

Mum wagged a scaly finger,

then they really told me off.

I stared up at my mum and dad

and didn't feel so brave.

"I was having fun pretending, I didn't mean to misbehave."

"Of all the wondrous things,"

said Mum, "that you pretend to be,

"why can't you be a nice thing?"

So I pretended I was me!

We had a lovely evening. I helped my dad with tea.

Then I read my mum a story as I sat upon her knee.

At bath time we played pirates and we plotted pirate schemes

then I snuggled in my duvet and dreamed amazing dreams.

And that story was called When I Woke Up I Was A Hippopotamus.

I wonder what you'll be when you wake up tomorrow morning -

a helpful monkey or a tidying-up robot.

Have sweet dreams and I'll see you soon for another bedtime story.

Good night!

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd