The Best Gift of All CBeebies Bedtime Stories

CBeebies Bedtime Story.

Hello, I'm Lisa.

I've just got a present from a very good friend

and I can't wait to open it.

I love receiving presents, don't you?

Tonight's bedtime story is all about one of the best presents ever.

Would you like to hear it?

Wonderful. This story is called The Best Gift Of All,

by Jonathan Emmett and Vanessa Cabban.

"Hop-diggity-drat,"

said Mole, poking his head out of the ground one morning.

"It's raining again."

Mole did not like going out in the rain.

"The only place to be in this weather is underground," he decided.

But it had been raining ALL week

and Mole was missing his friends,

especially Rabbit.

Mole hadn't seen her for days

and he was beginning to worry about her.

"Dear Rabbit," sighed Mole.

"It would be SO nice to see her."

And, then, Mole had a wonderful idea.

"I don't need to go out in the rain to see Rabbit," Mole told himself.

"I can visit her by tunnel."

And he began to dig.

Squirrel had been collecting nuts beneath the shelter of the trees

and was about to bury them.

Squirrel dropped the nuts into a hole and then jumped back

in surprise as, "Ouch, ouch, ouch!"

cried a voice from below.

Squirrel peered down the hole

and was astonished to see Mole peering back up at her.

"Mole," said Squirrel.

"What are you doing at the bottom of my hole?"

"Squirrel!" laughed Mole.

"What are you doing at the top of my tunnel?"

Mole explained that he was going to see Rabbit.

"What a smashing idea," said Squirrel.

"Can I come too?"

Hedgehog had found a heap of dry leaves and had just

settled down for a nap when he felt something scrape his backside.

"What the weevil?" cried Hedgehog, jumping up again.

"Sorry, Hedgehog," said Mole,

appearing out of the ground.

"I came up to find a way around these roots."

"We're off to see Rabbit," cried Squirrel,

popping her head out of the tunnel.

"We haven't seen her for days," said Mole.

"What a splendid idea," said Hedgehog.

"Can I come too?"

It was dark in the tunnel

and neither Squirrel nor Hedgehog was used to being underground.

All they could do was follow Mole.

"How can you tell where we are?" asked Squirrel.

"Are you sure we're going the right way?" asked Hedgehog.

"Don't worry," Mole assured them,

"if there's one thing I'm good at,

"it's digging tunnels."

Rabbit lay in her burrow feeling miserable.

She had a terrible cold

and was staying inside until the weather got better.

But it had been raining all week

and she was missing her friends,

especially Mole.

She was worried they might have forgotten her.

"It's so lonely, stuck here on my own," she thought.

"It would be lovely if someone dropped in to see me."

Just then, there was a scrabbling sound

and a lump of earth fell from the burrow ceiling.

And before Rabbit could take a closer look, there was

a shower of soil and Mole, Hedgehog

and Squirrel dropped one after the other onto the burrow floor.

"Mole! Squirrel! Hedgehog!"

smiled Rabbit.

"I was just thinking how much I missed you."

When Mole, Squirrel and Hedgehog realised that Rabbit was poorly,

they couldn't stop fussing over her.

Squirrel went back down the tunnel

and brought Rabbit some of her nuts to eat,

and Hedgehog fetched some of his dry leaves to make a fresh bed.

And it wasn't long before Rabbit was feeling better and chatting happily.

Only Mole looked unhappy.

"What's wrong, Mole?" Rabbit asked.

"Everyone has brought something to make you feel better,"

explained Mole, "except me, and I've missed you most."

"Oh, Mole," said Squirrel.

"You shouldn't feel bad.

"After all, it was your idea to visit Rabbit."

"And we would never have got here," agreed Hedgehog,

"without your tunnel."

"And you did bring me something, or someone," said Rabbit.

Mole grinned when he realised what Rabbit meant.

"I brought you your friends," he said.

"Yes," said Rabbit,

"you brought me my friends

"and that's the best gift of all."

That story was called The Best Gift Of All.

Did you enjoy it?

It's getting late so I'm going to open my present in the morning,

but I really hope my gift is as good as Rabbit's.

Now, it's time for me to snuggle down and dream of moles,

squirrels and other furry friends.

Why don't you do the same?

Night-night.