British music icon Jarvis Cocker and global recording artist and actor, Nick Jonas, best known as one-third of the Jonas Brothers, are the next musical superstars to take on CBeebies Bedtime Stories to read a pair of music-themed tales.
Jarvis Cocker, front man of Pulp, who performed as part of BBC Radio 2’s Piano Room Month on Vernon Kay’s mid-week morning show this week, is reading Wally the World’s Greatest Piano-playing Wombat, written by Ratha Tep and illustrated by Camilla Pintonato. The book follows Wally, a gifted piano‑playing wombat who becomes competitive with fellow virtuoso, Wylie. The uplifting tale teaches young children about handling rivalry and embracing what brings them joy, even when they’re not the very best.
Jarvis Cocker said: “Reading stories to my son when he was young was one of the great pleasures in my life. He’s 22 now: a bit old for bedtime stories, so thank you CBeebies for inviting me to experience this pleasure once again.”
Nick Jonas, who has a four‑year‑old daughter with his wife, actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas, is reading The Ballad of Cactus Joe by Lily Murray, illustrated by Clive McFarland. The story follows a cranky cactus and a persistent woodpecker whose unlikely encounter leads to a series of unexpected adventures. The book delivers a heartwarming message about adapting to change and embracing new experiences.
Nick Jonas said: “We are raising our daughter to embrace all of the culture that is around her, both from India and from the US. It’s really exciting for us as parents to think about the things that we love about our cultures, whether its clothing, food or certain traditions that are important to us.
“Giving her the opportunity to learn about it through books, programmes and spending time with family, where she can really engage and understand where she comes from and her family’s history, has been a really special thing for us as parents.”
Previous Bedtime Stories readers who have also performed as part of BBC Radio 2’s Piano Room Month include Jessie J, Tim Booth from James, and Mel C. All episodes are available now on BBC iPlayer.
Parents and carers can find more support on CBeebies Parenting, an online community where for the first time, CBeebies is bringing all its resources in one place from developing speech and language skills to potty training and, of course bedtime routines. CBeebies Parenting provides top tips, activity ideas, games, advice and content backed by trusted experts.
Jarvis Cocker’s episode airs on CBeebies tonight (Friday 6 February) at 6.50pm, followed by Nick Jonas’ episode tomorrow (Saturday 7 February) at the same time. Both episodes will be available to watch on BBC iPlayer after broadcast.
HG
Follow for more
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.bbc.com ’
