Classic Childrens Fiction

Most people know this book from the Academy Award-winning motion picture starring Winona Ryder. Now, introduce them to the sparkling American classic behind the movie: a charming portrait of the joys and hardships of the four sisters in Civil War New England. Separated by the war from their beloved parents, these "little women" struggle to find their place in the world.

The shoemaker can only afford the leather to make one more pair of shoes. He cuts the leather and lays it on his workbench - and the next morning, there are two perfectly-finished shoes! But who can have made them? A magical retelling of the classic tale, read by Tamsin Greig.

One day a young girl, Trot, encounters a strange young boy with a big umbrella. She learns his name is Button Bright and he uses this umbrella to go on long journeys. Trot's friend, Cap'n Bill, joins the two children and they venture to a fantastical island, which they call Sky Island, as it is halfway in the sky.

Sarah, Plain and Tall, Skylark, and Caleb's Story, all unabridged and all performed beautifully by Academy Award-winning actress Glenn Close, make up this exquisite audio collection.

This is a collection meant to be cherished for a lifetime. Whether encountering these cherished tales for the first or the 50th time, listeners will find enchantment in this collection.

Like Anne, Emily Starr is a quick-witted and imaginative orphan who is sent to live with her two maiden aunts at New Moon Farm after her father dies. Though initially disheartened by her strict and conventional Aunt Elizabeth, Emily slowly grows to love her new family and New Moon Farm. There she makes friends with Ilse Burnley, a tomboy with a blazing temper; quiet, artistic Teddy Kent; and Perry Miller, the hired boy, who Aunt Elizabeth looks down upon because he was born in the impoverished “Stovepipe Town”.

Taran dreams of adventure, but nothing exciting ever happens to an Assistant Pig-Keeper, until his pig runs away. A chase through the woods leads Taran far from home and into great danger, for evil prowls the land of Prydain. With a collection of strange and wonderful friends whom he meets on his journey, Taran finds himself fighting so that good may triumph over evil, and so that his beloved home will not fall to a diabolical fiend.

Here are the beloved adventures of the mischievous hero Robin Hood and his brave and merry band of outlaws, who forged a chivalrous code to protect the oppressed and despoil the oppressors. Follow along as Robin makes his breathtaking escapes from his archenemy, the Sheriff of Nottingham, while classic characters like Friar Tuck, Will Scarlet, and Little John create one hilarious escapade after another.

The 1938 classic tells the story of Mr. Popper, the small-town housepainter who dreamed of exploring Antarctic regions, and Captain Cook, the redoubtable penguin who turned Mr. Popper's world upside down.

Eleven-year-old Josh and 12-year-old Amanda just moved into the oldest and weirdest house on the block - the two siblings think it might even be haunted! But of course their parents don't believe them. You'll get used to it, they say. Go out and make some new friends. But the creepy kids are not like anyone Josh and Amanda have ever met before. And when they take a shortcut through the cemetery one night, Josh and Amanda learn why.

Set in Mississippi at the height of the Depression, this is the story of one family's struggle to maintain their integrity, pride, and independence in the face of racism and social injustice. And it is also Cassie's story - Cassie Logan, an independent girl who discovers over the course of an important year why having land of their own is so crucial to the Logan family, even as she learns to draw strength from her own sense of dignity and self-respect.

Five years have passed since the orphan girl Anne Shirley came to live in the childless home of Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert. She has returned to Avonlea to teach in the same village school where she herself was taught. Her earlier friends, Diana Barry, Jane Andrews, Priscilla Gray, and Gilbert Blyth, have also become teachers at neighboring village schools.

Two years have passed since young apprentice magician Nathaniel became famous by foiling the ruthless Simon Lovelace. Now 14, Nathaniel is ambitiously climbing the ranks of the magicians' government. The Prime Minister himself has placed Nathaniel in charge of capturing the Resistance, a group of unruly commoners working to undermine the magicians' empire. But after several failed attempts, Nathaniel is forced to admit he can't do it alone.

This volume of the ongoing collection of children's stories offers six well known and well loved classic fairy tales. Included are: "The Princess and the Pea" read by Jaclyn Smith, "The Emperor's New Clothes" read by Michael York, "Thumbelina" read by Jaclyn Smith, "The Ugly Duckling" read by Michael York, "Aladdin's Lamp" read by Lou Diamond Phillips, and "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" read by Sharon Stone

Peter Brownrigg finds himself on the wrong side of the law - and on the run. As he makes his way to London he meets Kit, another runaway, and with luck on their side they find jobs as apprentices to William Shakespeare. But then a chance discovery endangers their lives once more... An action-packed spy thriller set in Elizabethan times, 'Cue for Treason' is a masterpiece of historical fiction, widely considered to be a modern classic.

When their teacher, Mrs. Jewls, leaves to have her baby, the kids go through a series of substitutes, each one a little stranger than the last.

The irresistible Paddington Bear, who was found in Paddington station, returns in this reissued novel, with a brand-new cover design. 'Oh dear!' said Paddington, 'I'm in trouble again.' Somehow trouble always comes naturally to Paddington. What other bear could catch a fish in his hat or cause havoc in the Browns' kitchen just trying to be helpful?

Peter Jeffrey reads three of Rudyard Kipling's original classic short stories. Abandoned in the Indian jungle and rescued by a wolf pack, the man-cub Mowgli is educated in the ways of the jungle by Akela the Wolf, Baloo the Bear, Bagheera the Black Panther and Kaa the big Rock Python. They teach him to hunt and protect him from Shere Khan, the ever-present Bengal Tiger. As Mowgli grows up, the powers of pack leader Akela wane and Shere Khan persuades the younger wolves to attack the man-cub.

Anne Shirley convinces Marilla to take in two orphaned cousins, Davy and Dora. The duo keeps Anne and Marilla on their toes with their antics. But Anne faces challenges not only with the two youngsters, and helping Marilla navigate her diminishing eyesight, but also sadly considering walking away from a future she has dreamed of in order to bring stability to Green Gables.

Brought to life by Academy Award®-winning actor F. Murray Abraham and an ensemble cast of narrators, and featuring original music by Michael Bacon, this collection contains Hans Christian Andersen’s most beloved fairy tales, as well as a selection of lesser-known favorites. Unlike the Brothers Grimm, who collected and retold folklore and fairy tales, Hans Christian Andersen adopted the most ancient literary forms and distilled them into a genre that was uniquely his own. His fairy tales are remarkable for their sense of fantasy, power of description, and vivid imagination.