Classic Adaptation

The young boy Peter, together with his friend the bird, manages to catch a hungry wolf who has come to his garden, looking for food and chasing all the animals, including a duck whom he manages to swallow. After the wolf has been caught with a lasso, hunters arrive, intending to shoot him. Instead, Peter proposes to bring him to the zoo, and the hunters, Peter, his grandfather, and the animals form a procession to deliver the wolf.

"When we are happy, we are always good," says Lord Henry, "but when we are good, we are not always happy." Lord Henry’s lazy, clever words lead the young Dorian Gray into a world where it is better to be beautiful than to be good; a world where anything can be forgiven - even murder - if it can make people laugh at a dinner party. Oxford Bookworms Library reader for learners of English, adapted from the Oscar Wilde original by Jill Nevile.

On the birth of Princess Aurora, an evil fairy places a curse on her and declares that before the sun sets on her 16th birthday, she will die by pricking her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel. To protect her from the evil spell, the king agrees to place Aurora in the care of three spirited good fairies who live in a cottage in the woods. One of the fairies conjures a spell so Aurora will fall into a deep sleep instead, to be awakened only by a kiss from her true love.

Nils Holgersson is a naughty boy who pulls the tails of cats and trips up his mother while she is carrying the milk pail. Then one day he discovers he has been magically turned into a tiny imp. He climbs on the back of a gander and takes off with a flock of wild geese as they fly over Sweden, soaring above patchwork fields, through storms, to castles and lakes and even to a city under the sea. As he learns about the world, he also learns what it means to care for living things, in Selma Lagerlöf's timeless and beloved fable.

This sparkling sequel to the beloved Little Women follows the grown-up and married Jo, mistress of Plumfield, a school for boys (and a few girls, too). The fun begins with a new arrival, Nat Blake; it is through his eyes that we first meet Plumfield’s lively residents and experience the cheerful confusion that reigns in the welcoming home. Fans of the first book will happily greet these wonderful characters...and renew their acquaintance with such old favorites as Laurie and Meg.

Ronja, die Tochter des Räuberhauptmanns Mattis, wächst mitten im Wald auf - zwischen Räubern, Graugnomen und Wilddruden. Eines Tages trifft sie auf Birk, den Räubersohn aus der verfeindeten Sippe von Borka. Trotz aller Umstände freunden sich die Kinder an. Sehr zum Missfallen der beiden Familien... Eine märchenhafte Geschichte voller Fantasie, und ein Plädoyer gegen Vorurteile und Ungerechtigkeit.

Mischievous, lazy, and full of tricks, the puppet Pinocchio causes trouble for his creator, Geppetto, almost as soon as he comes to life. Yet, more than anything, this naughty and playful creature wants to become a real boy. To make his dreams come true, he must prove himself worthy. Come along on Pinocchio's amazing journey as he learns - the hard way - what it means to be honest, kind, and, above all, human.

Set in a richly rendered 15th-century Paris, Victor Hugo's powerful drama focuses on a beautiful gypsy girl named Esmeralda, the two men (including an obsessed and manipulative priest) who love her, and the pitiful hunchback Quasimodo who tries to save her. With this simplified yet spellbinding version, kids can enjoy all the excitement of Hugo's masterful story.

In Prague researching the legend of the Golem, a fantastical "living" creature made of clay, archaeologist Annja Creed is faced with an even bigger mystery on her hands when someone begins murdering the homeless. And every day there's a fresh corpse. As the suspicion that Golem is behind the deaths circulates quietly on the streets of the city, Annja cannot resist unraveling the thread that binds science to superstition. According to Czech history, these aren't new attacks.

In a gloomy, neglected house Miss Havisham sits, as she has sat year after year, in a wedding dress and veil that were once white, and are now faded and yellow with age. Her face is like a death’s head; her dark eyes burn with bitterness and hate. By her side sits a proud and beautiful girl, and in front of her, trembling with fear in his thick country boots, stands young Pip.

Belle, a beautiful young girl, becomes the captive of what seems to be a terrible beast - until she discovers her captor to be an enchanted prince.

Beauty and the Beast is a traditional fairy tale. The original author is unknown. The first published version was a rendition by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, and the best-known written version is an adaptation of her work, published in 1756 by Jeanne-Marie Le Prince de Beaumont.

A searing tale of fear and courage, set during the Civil War, but more powerful today than ever. A young man enlists in the Union Army but nervously wonders how he will react to the blood, violence, and death of a real battle. When that terrible day arrives, he flees the fighting in terror. But his cowardly behavior gnaws at his conscience, and he searches for redemption for what he has done.

Classic Starts: The stories are abridged; the quality is complete. Classic Starts treats the world's beloved tales (and children) with the respect they deserve. No child is too young to appreciate the amazing deductive powers of the world's smartest detective. These easy-to-listen-to Sherlock Holmes stories provide the perfect introduction to the super sleuth and his friend and assistant, Dr. Watson. Among the intriguing tales: "A Scandal in Bohemia", Holmes's first encounter with the mysterious Irene Adler; "The Red-Headed League"; "The Adventure of the Six Napoleons" and others.

“To help mother”: that was the goal of each and every one of the five Pepper children. Yet even as “Mamsie” struggles hard to feed and educate her brood, she still manages to fill the house with joy. The adventures of this poor but loving family - Ben, Polly, Joel, Davie, and the adored youngest, Phronsie - have charmed young listeners for more than a century. Overflowing with warmth, suspense, and many delightful surprises, this classic remains as compelling as ever.

Jewish folklore is full of vivid stories that both entertain and teach. We have selected for you a collection of tales and stories from the Talmud and Midrash, and rewritten them to suit the needs of children of Jewish culture and any other. Along with a large helping of gentle humor, these tales entertain while being infused with the perennial Jewish struggle for survival and dignity.

Paul Bunyan, Pecos Bill, and Davy Crockett are some of the roughest, toughest characters to ever blaze the frontier. Clever as the crack of a whip and strong as a wildcat, these tall-tale heroes each left a legacy of larger-than-life deeds that has captured the American imagination for over a century. Three rib-tickling tracks tell the whole story -- believe it or not.

Tania "Thumbelina" Pulgar may be small, but she's fierce in the wrestling ring. When her friend Jorge “The Mouse” Mendoza introduces her to a manager named Mr. Mole, she’s promised a pro career full of fame and fortune. But soon Thumbelina is miserable as she's dragged from match to match and forced into a flashy new persona that just isn’t a good fit. Can the little wrestler break free of Mr. Mole’s hold and live her own life?

When young Pip accidentally meets a convict out in the marsh one Christmas Eve, he has no idea that his life is about to change - forever. The amazing events following that encounter, and the strange tale of Miss Havisham and her adopted daughter, Estella, have made Great Expectations a must since it was first serialized in 1860. Now, young listeners can enjoy Dickens’ engrossing story in this simplified yet thrilling version.

Deep beneath the ocean, there is a shimmering palace. Built of coral walls and windows of clearest amber, it is the kingdom of the merpeople. And one of these mermaids you might know well: she is the youngest, and is gifted with the most beautiful voice. Unhappy with her life as a mermaid, she dreams of living on dry land. One day, on her birthday, she ascends to the surface to find a magnificent three-masted ship drifting in calm waters. There, amongst the passengers, she meets the brown-eyed prince.

Alice is a skilled pre-teen secret agent, but when she joins the forces of Wonderland, she's in over her head. Nothing they do makes sense! Mr. White, the new boss, is always running late for something. Maddie makes wacky gadgets and hats but stops for tea every hour. And Alice's new partner, Kitty, literally disappears during their mission training. How can Alice sneak into the evil Queenie Hearts's garden party and stop her top-secret, world-ending plan amid all this madness?