0:00:06 > 0:00:08Hello. I'm Maggie.
0:00:08 > 0:00:11I've come to read you a bedtime story. Are you ready?
0:00:11 > 0:00:14Tonight's story is one of my favourites -
0:00:14 > 0:00:17Ruby Nettleship And The Ice Lolly Adventure.
0:00:17 > 0:00:19It's by Thomas and Helen Docherty.
0:00:19 > 0:00:22Are you sitting comfortably?
0:00:22 > 0:00:24Then I'll begin.
0:00:24 > 0:00:27This is Ruby Nettleship. She likes climbing and sliding,
0:00:27 > 0:00:31running and jumping, and when she isn't doing these things,
0:00:31 > 0:00:33she's dreaming of adventures.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36In the park by Ruby's house, there was an old,
0:00:36 > 0:00:38falling apart playground.
0:00:38 > 0:00:42The slide didn't slide, the roundabout wouldn't go round,
0:00:42 > 0:00:45and the see had lost its saw.
0:00:45 > 0:00:47The only thing that worked was the swing,
0:00:47 > 0:00:51and there was always a big queue of children waiting to swing on it.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54One hot afternoon, Ruby and her friends
0:00:54 > 0:00:57had been waiting for ages, when...
0:00:57 > 0:01:00Crash! The swing came unswung.
0:01:00 > 0:01:04There was nothing to play on, and the children began to wander home.
0:01:04 > 0:01:07"Come on, let's go," called Ruby's friends.
0:01:07 > 0:01:11But something about the playground made Ruby want to stay.
0:01:11 > 0:01:15Without the other children, the playground felt sadder than before.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18"No-one cares," mumbled Ruby to herself
0:01:18 > 0:01:20as she tugged at the broken swing.
0:01:20 > 0:01:22"If this was my playground,
0:01:22 > 0:01:26"there'd be loads of brilliant stuff for everyone to play on."
0:01:26 > 0:01:30Just then, she was interrupted by the tinkle of an ice cream van.
0:01:30 > 0:01:33It drew up right next to Ruby.
0:01:33 > 0:01:34"Not many people today,"
0:01:34 > 0:01:38remarked the lady in the ice cream van cheerfully.
0:01:38 > 0:01:40"The swing broke," explained Ruby.
0:01:40 > 0:01:44"Well, that won't do," said the lady. "Here, have an ice lolly."
0:01:44 > 0:01:47She handed Ruby a lolly in a green wrapper.
0:01:47 > 0:01:49"It's my last one."
0:01:49 > 0:01:53Ruby took the lolly. "Thank you," she remembered to say.
0:01:53 > 0:01:57But when she looked up again, the ice cream van had vanished.
0:01:57 > 0:02:01"That's strange," thought Ruby, turning her attention to the lolly.
0:02:01 > 0:02:06It was green like the wrapper, but it seemed to glow from the inside.
0:02:06 > 0:02:10She took a bite. It tasted delicious, so she took another one.
0:02:10 > 0:02:14The letters P and L appeared at the end of the lolly stick.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17Ruby ate the rest of the lolly quickly
0:02:17 > 0:02:22and held up the stick to examine it. It read: "Plant me."
0:02:22 > 0:02:25"I wonder what will happen if I do," thought Ruby.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28No-one was about, so she pushed the lolly stick
0:02:28 > 0:02:31firmly into the ground, covered it up, and waited.
0:02:31 > 0:02:36Almost immediately, Ruby felt a rumbling in the ground beneath her.
0:02:36 > 0:02:38She watched in amazement
0:02:38 > 0:02:41as a multicoloured shoot pushed its way through the soil.
0:02:41 > 0:02:45It shot up into the air, nearly hitting her on the nose.
0:02:45 > 0:02:49Once it had grown to twice Ruby's height, it sprouted new branches
0:02:49 > 0:02:52that twisted and turned into a beautiful swing.
0:02:52 > 0:02:53"Wow," cried Ruby.
0:02:53 > 0:02:57She climbed on board and launched herself into the air.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00As Ruby started to swing, more shoots appeared.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03They quickly sprouted into ladders and poles
0:03:03 > 0:03:06that blossomed and bloomed with swings and slides.
0:03:06 > 0:03:10Ruby was swinging so high that she could see over the whole city.
0:03:10 > 0:03:14"I bet no-one else is having this much fun," she thought.
0:03:14 > 0:03:15Then Ruby had an idea.
0:03:15 > 0:03:19As if it read her thoughts, the playground flowered
0:03:19 > 0:03:22all over the park and spilled out into the street.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25The first thing Ruby did was pick up all her friends
0:03:25 > 0:03:29and the children that lived nearby. "This way," shouted Ruby,
0:03:29 > 0:03:31and they headed off towards the town.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34On the way, they dropped in at the zoo
0:03:34 > 0:03:37to see if any of the animals wanted to come out and play.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40After that, they visited the supermarket
0:03:40 > 0:03:43and made a giant trolley rollercoaster.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46By the time they got to the centre of town,
0:03:46 > 0:03:48the playground was full to bursting.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51Even the grown-ups had got out of their cars,
0:03:51 > 0:03:55put down their shopping, forgotten about work and joined in the fun.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58Soon, the whole city ground to a halt.
0:03:58 > 0:04:00"Now what?" Ruby wondered.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03As if in answer, the playground twisted round,
0:04:03 > 0:04:06heading towards an important looking building.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09Before Ruby had a chance to say anything,
0:04:09 > 0:04:12she was tipped gently through an open window.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15She found herself standing in front of a huge door
0:04:15 > 0:04:17with "The Mayor" written on it.
0:04:17 > 0:04:19"Now I'm in trouble," thought Ruby.
0:04:19 > 0:04:23There was nothing else to do. She took a deep breath and knocked.
0:04:23 > 0:04:26"Come in," said a voice that sounded vaguely familiar.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29"I didn't realise your playground
0:04:29 > 0:04:31"was going to take over the whole city,"
0:04:31 > 0:04:34remarked the lady sitting behind the desk.
0:04:34 > 0:04:35"I'm sorry," said Ruby.
0:04:35 > 0:04:38"All I wanted was a place for everybody to play
0:04:38 > 0:04:41"where no-one had to wait for the swings."
0:04:41 > 0:04:45"I see," the lady replied. "Perhaps you'd better go home for your tea,
0:04:45 > 0:04:47"and I'll see what I can do."
0:04:47 > 0:04:51"OK," Said Ruby, sneaking a quick glance out of the window.
0:04:51 > 0:04:53"Thank you," she remembered to say.
0:04:53 > 0:04:57But when she looked back, the lady behind the desk had vanished.
0:04:57 > 0:05:01Suddenly, Ruby felt very hungry, so she climbed out of the window,
0:05:01 > 0:05:04whispered one last word to the playground.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07As everybody slipped home, it untangled itself from the city
0:05:07 > 0:05:10and disappeared back into the ground,
0:05:10 > 0:05:13leaving everything as it had been before.
0:05:13 > 0:05:18"You're back late," said Mum when Ruby got home. "Sorry," replied Ruby.
0:05:18 > 0:05:21"There was a big queue for the swing." Ruby's dad shook his head.
0:05:21 > 0:05:25"Something should be done about that playground."
0:05:25 > 0:05:27Ruby smiled to herself.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30"Maybe someone will."
0:05:30 > 0:05:32And of course, Ruby was right.
0:05:32 > 0:05:35SOUNDS OF CHILDREN PLAYING
0:05:35 > 0:05:40That story was called Ruby Nettleship And The Ice Lolly Adventure.
0:05:40 > 0:05:42I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.
0:05:42 > 0:05:44Now, off to bed you go.
0:05:44 > 0:05:48It's time for a big, long sleep and some happy dreams.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51Perhaps tomorrow, you can go to the playground.
0:05:51 > 0:05:53Sleep tight, and I'll see you soon.