Hello, my name is Lizzie and I'm from Little Angel Theatre,
and I've been trying to teach myself to juggle. Would you like to see? [WHISPERS] Okay here it goes.
Oh [LAUGHS] that was a terrible start! I'm gonna try again. Oh dear! I think I need some more practice.
The reason that I'm learning to juggle is because I love the circus,
and today's story, The Singing Mermaid, by Julia Donaldson and Lydia Monks, is set in a circus.
But this circus isn't as nice as some of the circuses that I've been to. Would you like to find out what happens?
Did you ever go to Silversands On a sunny summer's day?
Then perhaps you saw the mermaid Who sang in the deep blue bay.
She sang to the fish in the ocean, To the haddock, the hake and the ling,
And they flashed their scales and swished their tails to hear the mermaid sing.
And sometimes the singing mermaid swam to the silvery shore.
She sat and combed her golden hair and then she sang some more.
She sang to the cockles and mussels She sang to the birds on the wing
and the sea shells clapped and the sea gulls flapped to hear their mermaid sing.
When Sam Sly's circus came to town, Sam took a stroll by the sea.
He heard the mermaid singing and he rubbed his hands with glee.
He said "I can make you famous. I can make you rich".
He said "you shall swim in a pool of marble and sleep on a fine feather bed"
"You shall sing for the lords and the ladies. You shall sing for the queen and the king"
"and young and old will pay good gold to hear the mermaid sing."
"Don't go, don't go" cried the seagulls, and the sea shells warned "he lies".
But the mermaid listened to old Sam Sly and smiled as she waved her goodbyes.
And he took her away to the circus and she sang to the crowds round the ring.
And "more more more" came the deafening roar when they heard the mermaid sing.
The mermaid shared a caravan with Annie the Acrobat
and Ding and Dong the circus dogs and Bella the circus cat "meow".
And she made good friends with the jugglers and the man who swallowed fire,
and the clown with the tumble down trousers and the woman who walked on wire.
But she wasn't friends with old Sam Sly. No, she didn't care for him.
He made her live in a fish tank where there wasn't room to swim.
And there was no pool of marble, and there was no feather bed.
And when she begged him, "set me free" he laughed and shook his head.
All summer long the circus toured. All autumn, winter, spring.
And many a crowd cheered long and loud to hear the mermaid sing.
But the mermaid dreamed of silver sands and she longed for the deep blue bay.
And her songs grew sad and again she said "I beg you set me free".
But again he laughed and shook his head.
And told her "no such thing. Here you will stay, while people pay to hear the mermaid sing".
At Silver Sands a seagull was flying to his nest,
when on the breeze he heard a song - the song which he loved best.
And he followed the song to the caravan.
Sam Sly was about to lock it. The seagull watched as he turned the key and slipped it in his pocket.
Then the seagull waited till Sam had gone.
Then he perched on the window sill and 'tap tap tap' at the window, he tapped with his yellow bill.
"Come back, come back to Silver Sands, it's only a mile away. I can find the key, and set you free,
if you'll come back home to the bay."
"Escape" barked the dogs. "Escape!" meowed the cat. But the mermaid sighed.
"I'd fail, for how can I walk to silver sands when i only have a tail?"
"Like this!" cried Annie the Acrobat.
And she stood upon her hands. "This is the way the only way to get to silver sands."
"Right hand, left hand, tail up high, there's really nothing to it."
"If I give you lessons every night you'll soon learn how to do it."
Next week while Sam was snoring... [SNORES]
The seagull stole the key and he carried it off to the caravan and set the mermaid free.
And he flew ahead to guide her as she walked upon her hands,
all along the moonlit road that led to Silver Sands.
And creatures on the seashore, and the fish beneath the foam,
jumped and splashed and danced with joy to have their mermaid home.
And she sang to the cockles and mussels, she sang to the birds on the wing,
and the sea shells clapped and the seagulls flapped to hear the mermaid sing.
And if you go down to Silver Sands and swim in the bay of blue,
perhaps you'll see the mermaid and perhaps she'll sing for you.
Now I really must start practising... Oh dear!