0:00:06 > 0:00:10Hello, I'm Sam and I absolutely love Christmas, don't you?
0:00:10 > 0:00:14Oh, you'll like this then, cos I'm going to read you
0:00:14 > 0:00:16a story about somebody very special.
0:00:16 > 0:00:19The story is called Careful, Santa!
0:00:19 > 0:00:23And it's written by Julie Sykes with pictures by Tim Warnes.
0:00:26 > 0:00:31It was Christmas Eve and Santa was loading presents onto his sleigh.
0:00:31 > 0:00:34Santa's little mouse was helping too.
0:00:35 > 0:00:38Whoosh! A gust of wind blew Santa's beard
0:00:38 > 0:00:40straight in his face!
0:00:40 > 0:00:42"Ho-ho-ho!" he chuckled.
0:00:42 > 0:00:45"I can't see what I'm doing!"
0:00:45 > 0:00:48"Careful, Santa!" warned Santa's cat.
0:00:48 > 0:00:50"You mustn't lose that sack of presents."
0:00:50 > 0:00:53"That would never do," Santa agreed,
0:00:53 > 0:00:56as he carefully stored everything away.
0:00:56 > 0:01:00Santa helped his little mouse climb aboard the sleigh.
0:01:00 > 0:01:04"Hold on tight!" he boomed. "We're off!"
0:01:04 > 0:01:06It was a wild and windy night.
0:01:06 > 0:01:11"Oh, my!" shouted Santa, as the sleigh rocked this way and that.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14Suddenly, the sack of presents began to move.
0:01:14 > 0:01:18"Careful, Santa!" called Santa's little mouse.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21"Mind that sack!" But Santa wasn't quick enough.
0:01:21 > 0:01:25The sack slid across the sleigh and toppled overboard.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28"Stop!" cried Santa in alarm.
0:01:28 > 0:01:32"Down, Reindeer, down! I've lost all of the presents."
0:01:32 > 0:01:35The reindeer struggled against the wind
0:01:35 > 0:01:37and landed as gently as they could.
0:01:37 > 0:01:42"Careful, Santa!" they shouted. But it was too late.
0:01:42 > 0:01:46"Whoops!" cried Santa landing on his bottom.
0:01:46 > 0:01:48Santa scrambled to his feet.
0:01:48 > 0:01:52The presents were scattered far and wide and he hurried to pick them up.
0:01:52 > 0:01:54He didn't notice the frozen pond.
0:01:54 > 0:01:57"Whee!" cried Santa,
0:01:57 > 0:02:00as he slid across the ice towards the duck house.
0:02:00 > 0:02:05"Careful, Santa!" quacked the ducks, "You nearly squashed us!"
0:02:05 > 0:02:09"How awful!" said Santa, as he gathered up the presents.
0:02:09 > 0:02:13"Sorry about that. Has anyone seen my sack?"
0:02:14 > 0:02:17"Here it is," chatted a squirrel from high in a tree.
0:02:17 > 0:02:21Santa bravely climbed up, but before he knew it,
0:02:21 > 0:02:23he was well and truly stuck.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26"Oh, help!" he cried.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29"Careful, Santa!" called the squirrel.
0:02:29 > 0:02:34"I'm trying to be careful," said Santa, as he struggled to get free.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37Very, very slowly, Santa climbed back down again,
0:02:37 > 0:02:40dropping some presents as he went.
0:02:40 > 0:02:44In the playground, a few presents were lying under the swings.
0:02:44 > 0:02:48Santa put them into his sack, then he spotted some more on the slide.
0:02:48 > 0:02:53"Whoosh!" cried Santa, as he whizzed down the slide.
0:02:53 > 0:02:57"Careful, Santa, you're going too fast!" warned Santa's cat.
0:02:57 > 0:03:04"Eeek! I can't stop!" said Santa, as he zoomed towards the snowman.
0:03:04 > 0:03:08"Sorry, Snowman, I didn't mean to bump you," Santa said,
0:03:08 > 0:03:10as he dusted himself down
0:03:10 > 0:03:13and popped the last of the presents into his sack.
0:03:13 > 0:03:17"That's it," he boomed, "it's time to deliver these presents.
0:03:17 > 0:03:19"Ready, Mouse?"
0:03:19 > 0:03:22But where was Mouse? Santa couldn't see her anywhere.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25"Oh, dear!" he cried in alarm.
0:03:25 > 0:03:30"First I lose my sack of presents and now I've lost my little mouse.
0:03:30 > 0:03:32"This will never do."
0:03:32 > 0:03:36The ducks, the squirrel and Santa's cat all crowded round.
0:03:36 > 0:03:38"Don't worry, Santa," they chatted.
0:03:38 > 0:03:42"She can't have gone far. We'll help you look for her."
0:03:42 > 0:03:44Everyone looked for Mouse.
0:03:44 > 0:03:48She wasn't in the duck house, she wasn't at the swings,
0:03:48 > 0:03:52she wasn't near the slide, or behind the snowman.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55Just then, Santa heard a familiar squeak.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58He shone his torch upwards.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01And there was Mouse, hanging from a branch in a tree.
0:04:01 > 0:04:06"Careful," warned Santa, "it's far too windy to play up there.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09"That branch doesn't look too safe to me."
0:04:09 > 0:04:11But Mouse wasn't playing.
0:04:11 > 0:04:13"I'm stuck!" she squeaked.
0:04:13 > 0:04:15"Please get me down."
0:04:15 > 0:04:19Quickly, Santa took off his jacket and spread it out on the ground.
0:04:19 > 0:04:23Everyone gathered round and held the coat like a trampoline.
0:04:23 > 0:04:27"Hold on tight, everyone, and don't let go!" said Santa.
0:04:27 > 0:04:32"Ready, Mouse? One, two, three, jump!"
0:04:32 > 0:04:35Mouse jumped and, with a bounce and a plop,
0:04:35 > 0:04:37landed safely on Santa's coat.
0:04:37 > 0:04:39"Hooray!" cheered Santa.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42"Thank you, everyone."
0:04:42 > 0:04:47It was time to go. Santa and Mouse hurried aboard their sleigh.
0:04:47 > 0:04:51"Reindeer, up, up and away!" cried Santa.
0:04:51 > 0:04:53Whoosh, blew the wind!
0:04:53 > 0:04:55"Careful, Santa!" called everyone,
0:04:55 > 0:04:58as the sleigh rocked this way and that.
0:04:58 > 0:05:02"Look after that mouse and hold on tight to that sack!"
0:05:03 > 0:05:08Thank goodness Santa and his animal friends were there to save the day.
0:05:08 > 0:05:12Sometimes, you really do need a little help from your friends.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15Now, snuggle up, get cosy, and drift off to sleep.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18Night-night and merry Christmas!