Brian Cox - The Way Back Home CBeebies Bedtime Stories

Hello, I'm Brian.

What do you see when you look up into the night sky?

Do you see twinkling stars?

Perhaps you can see a great big shiny moon.

I'd love to visit the moon. Wouldn't you?

Perhaps tonight's bedtime story is going to take us there.

It's called The Way Back Home and it's by Oliver Jeffers.

Once, there was a boy.

And one day, as he was putting his things back in the cupboard,

he found an aeroplane.

He didn't remember leaving it in there

but he thought he'd take it out for a go, right away.

The plane lifted off the ground and up into the sky,

higher and higher and higher.

Suddenly, the plane spluttered.

It had run out of petrol.

Now the boy was stuck on the moon.

What was he to do?

He was all alone and afraid and soon his torch began to go out.

Up in space, someone else was in trouble too.

His engine had broken down

and steering the ship towards a flicker of light,

he landed on the moon...

with a bump!

Both the boy and the Martian could hear noises in the dark

and both feared the worst.

But as their eyes got used to the dark,

they both realised they'd met someone else in trouble.

They weren't alone any more.

The boy showed the Martian his empty petrol tank.

And the Martian showed the boy his broken engine.

Together, they thought of ways to fix their machines

and how to get them both back home.

The boy jumped down to Earth to get the things they would need,

right down into the sea,

and swam towards home.

But by the time he got there,

the boy was tired out

so he sat in his favourite chair, just to catch his breath.

His favourite programme was just starting

and he settled down to watch.

Suddenly, he remembered what he should be doing

and rushed off to the cupboard to get what he needed.

-He ran outside and shouted.

-Hello!

But there was no reply, he couldn't be heard.

The boy climbed to higher ground,

called again and waited.

This time, a rope was lowered.

The boy began to climb and the Martian began to pull

and soon the boy was back on the moon.

The boy fixed up the Martian's engine with the right spanner

and the Martian filled the boy's petrol tank.

They said goodbye and thanked each other for their help.

They wondered if they'd ever meet again.

After a long night, they were both finally off the moon.

The boy went one way and the Martian went another,

both on their way back home.

But that isn't quite the end of the story.

Sometime later, there was a knock at the boy's door.

A parcel was delivered.

The Martian hadn't forgotten his friend from Earth.

And that story was called The Way Back Home.

Fancy going all the way to the moon and meeting a Martian!

What an adventure.

Perhaps you'll dream about adventures to another galaxy.

But for now, it's time to snuggle down and go to sleep.

I'll see you again soon. Night-night.