Sir David Attenborough turns CBeebies storyteller

The first episode from the series tells the story of the young Sir David venturing into the jungle

Known for bringing us the wonders of the animal kingdom on TV, Sir David Attenborough has added children's storyteller to his CV.

The veteran natural history expert has narrated Attenborough's Adventures, a five-part series of animated stories for the CBeebies Storytime app.

The interactive tales follow Sir David from Zoo Quest in the 1950s to 2016's Attenborough and the Giant Dinosaur.

Sir David said he was "thrilled" by the project.

"We've brought to life many fond memories of my exploration of the natural world for young children to enjoy and learn," said Sir David.

The time a baby gorilla sat on Sir David's charmed viewers in Life on Earth

The series is designed to help teach children up to the age of six how to read, and begins on Friday with a story called Gorilla Quest.

It's based on the "aah"-inducing moment from 1979's Life on Earth, which saw Sir David sit with a baby jungle gorilla which had climbed onto his lap.

Attenborough's Adventures:

• David and the Gorilla Quest

• David and the Giant Dinosaur

• David and the Hidden City

• David and the Dragon

• David the Treasure Hunter

Children can play and become involved in the story by doing things like helping the young explorer pack his kit and clearing his jungle path.

Four more stories will be released with Sir David going in search of dinosaurs, dragons - and a hidden city.

Children will be able to help Sir David on his adventures

CBeebies controller Kay Benbow said: "The grown-up and child can enjoy reading, playing and learning together.

"Sir David has led an extraordinary life, and we're over the moon that his enthralling tales are now helping children to learn while being inspired by the natural world."

More than 170,000 children read stories on the CBeebies app each week, which is free to download.