0:00:07 > 0:00:09Hiya. Are you almost ready for bed?
0:00:09 > 0:00:12I'm Ore and I'm going to read you one of my favourite stories
0:00:12 > 0:00:15before you snuggle up for the night.
0:00:15 > 0:00:18It's called Footballer Fat Puss
0:00:18 > 0:00:20and it's by Harriet Castor
0:00:20 > 0:00:22and is illustrated by Colin West.
0:00:22 > 0:00:26One morning, Terence Mouse visited Fat Puss.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29Terence looked rather worried.
0:00:29 > 0:00:33"What's the matter?" asked Fat Puss.
0:00:33 > 0:00:34"Well," said Terence,
0:00:34 > 0:00:38"we are supposed to be playing a football match tomorrow,
0:00:38 > 0:00:40"with the rabbit family.
0:00:40 > 0:00:44"But we need five players and there are only four of us.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48"Would you play with us?"
0:00:48 > 0:00:50"Of course," replied Fat Puss.
0:00:50 > 0:00:52Terence looked relieved.
0:00:53 > 0:00:56"But I've never played in a football match before."
0:00:56 > 0:00:59"That doesn't matter," said Terence,
0:00:59 > 0:01:01"we've got all day to teach you."
0:01:01 > 0:01:04So, for the rest of the day,
0:01:04 > 0:01:08the Mouse family taught Fat Puss to play football.
0:01:08 > 0:01:11Robert and Charlotte helped him to practise
0:01:11 > 0:01:12running as fast as he could.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15Jessica taught him how to kick a ball.
0:01:17 > 0:01:20And Terence explained the rules of the game to him.
0:01:20 > 0:01:24That evening, Fat Puss felt very tired
0:01:24 > 0:01:27and a little nervous about the match.
0:01:27 > 0:01:31The next morning, the Mouse family went to see Fat Puss,
0:01:31 > 0:01:33who was looking rather upset.
0:01:34 > 0:01:37"Are you all right, Fat Puss?" asked Terence.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41"No," sobbed Fat Puss.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44"Because of all of that training yesterday,
0:01:44 > 0:01:48"I feel stiff all over and I can hardly walk -
0:01:48 > 0:01:49"let alone run!"
0:01:50 > 0:01:53"Oh, no!" said Jessica.
0:01:53 > 0:01:55"What shall we do?"
0:01:56 > 0:02:01"I'm so sorry that I've let everyone down," said Fat Puss.
0:02:01 > 0:02:04"But you haven't!" exclaimed Terence.
0:02:05 > 0:02:10"I've had an idea! I don't know why we didn't think of it before.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13"Why don't we let Fat Puss be the goalkeeper?
0:02:13 > 0:02:18"He's so big that he won't have to move around very much."
0:02:18 > 0:02:22"That's a wonderful idea," said Jessica.
0:02:22 > 0:02:26So, the mice helped Fat Puss to get to the football match.
0:02:26 > 0:02:30And when it started, he stood in the goal.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33He found that he didn't need to move at all,
0:02:33 > 0:02:36because the ball simply bounced off his tummy!
0:02:37 > 0:02:39MATCH WHISTLE BLOWS
0:02:39 > 0:02:42After the match, all the mice hugged Fat Puss.
0:02:44 > 0:02:47"You were so good," said Terence,
0:02:47 > 0:02:52"that we've decided to make you a permanent member of the team."
0:02:52 > 0:02:56"Oh, thank you!" said Fat Puss.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59He was proud to be in the team
0:02:59 > 0:03:03and very happy that he hadn't let his friends down after all.
0:03:05 > 0:03:09The Fat Puss stories were one of my favourites when I was young.
0:03:09 > 0:03:13Me, Kitty and the mice are going to have a kickabout of our own.
0:03:13 > 0:03:15I hope you enjoyed that tale. Night-night.
0:03:15 > 0:03:17Right, you two go in defence...
0:03:17 > 0:03:20GENTLE SNORING