Classic Childrens Literature

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.

This is a story from the Grimm's Fairy Tales collection.

When Heidi, a lively orphan girl, goes to live with her grandfather in a little hut high in the Alps she soon learns to live in perfect harmony with her surroundings, leading a carefree life with her constant companion, Peter, a young goatherd. But her happiness is short-lived when she is sent to stay with a rich city family as a companion for the sick Clara. Although she becomes fond of the older girl, Heidi is terribly homesick.

Grandma's house was a magical place, and in this vivid memoir, Donald Davis makes it possible for each of us to go back to our own grandma's kitchen, clutter room, living room, and to that immeasurable bed that seemed to swallow us whole. This selection also contains a traditional story Davis learned from his grandmother, one handed down through his family from generations who once lived in Scotland before coming to the Appalachian mountains, about the time that fortune-seeker named Jack made the king mad.

He had likewise, by another wife, a young daughter, but of unparalleled goodness and sweetness of temper, which she took from her mother, who was the best creature in the world. No sooner were the ceremonies of the wedding over than the mother-in-law began to show herself in her true colors. She could not bear the good qualities of this pretty girl, and the less because they made her own daughters appear the more odious. She employed her in the meanest work of the house.

Johnny Appleseed's real name was John Chapman, a native of Massachusetts who lived from 1774 to 1845. It is known that he wandered for 40 years through Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana sowing apple seeds, staying one step ahead of the pioneer movement in order to sell seedlings to those who traveled through. Chapman was known for his humanitarian values: his cheerfulness, generosity, and most of all, his respect for, and nearly mystical relationship with, nature.

A poor peasant woman wishes for a child: but when a sorceress gives her a brown bulb, it grows a flower - and inside is tiny, perfect Thumbelina! A magical retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's classic tale, read by Tamsin Greig.

Sebastian and Anna are best friends who do everything together. So when Sebastian falls into the hands of the evil Snow Queen, Anna is determined to rescue him. A magical retelling of the classic fairy tale, read by Stephen Mangan.

In The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Edmund and Lucy Pevensie, the younger two of the four English children featured in the first two Narnia books, return to the kingdom. The ship The Dawn Treader was built by King Caspian for a voyage to find the seven lords banished by his evil Uncle Miraz when he usurped the throne. The journey takes Edmund, Lucy, and their cousin Eustace to the Eastern Islands beyond the Silver Sea, en route to Aslan's country at the End of the World. Each island they visit has its own story so the narrative almost reads like a series.

Mollie and Peter are home for the summer holidays, and they long to see their pixie friend Binky and their magic Wishing-Chair. They can't wait for lots of new and exciting adventures, but then the Wishing-Chair is stolen by some very cheeky characters. Whatever will the children do?

‘We is in Dream Country,’ the BFG said. ‘This is where all dreams is beginning.’ This edition of The BFG, part of The Roald Dahl Classic Collection, is perfect for Dahl fans old and new. So, enter a world where invention and mischief can be found throughout the book and where magic might be at the very tips of your fingers.

When the Dearly's Dalmatians have their first litter of puppies (fifteen in all) everyone is delighted. But their joy is shattered when the pups are kidnapped! The humans don't have a clue as to who the culprit is, but the smartest dogs in London are on the case, and on the trail of fur-loving Cruella de Vil, who will stop at nothing to have a Dalmatian fur coat!

Acclaimed author L.M. Montgomery continues the story of Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea in Anne's House of Dreams. Anne and Gilbert move to Four Winds Harbor to start their new life together. The young married couple buys their dream house, encounters new adventures, and makes new friends. Barbara Caruso's entertaining narration brings listeners to Four Winds and makes them feel a part of this shoreline community.

The green leaves on the trees are changing to red and gold. A chilly wind blows from the north. Mrs. Cottontail and her littlest rabbit watch a flock of wild geese in the sky. “Cold winter days are near,” she tells him. All through the woods, creatures of every size are busy. Squirrels are storing acorns and seeds under logs. The ground hog is growing a warm fur coat. The blue bird begins his long trip south. They must hurry—soon the big snow is coming.

Fans of the ingenious little monkey will not be disappointed as he embarks on a wild series of adventures in a traveling circus.

Pollyanna, an expert at her favorite "Glad Game" of always looking at the bright side in her numerous trials, is one of the most popular and enduring characters in all of children's literature. As Pollyanna arrives in Beldingsville to live with her strict and dutiful maiden aunt, she exclaims, "Oh, Aunt Polly, I don't know how to be glad enough that you let me come to live with you!"

In this (more or less) sequel to the adventures of Coot Club, Arthur Ransome returns once more to his beloved Norfolk Broads where trouble is again brewing for Joe, Bill, and Pete, the three boatbuilders' sons who live aboard the Death and Glory, and the three Coots, Tom, Dorothea and Dick. The problem seems to be that boats are constantly being set adrift and all the evidence points squarely at the three Death and Glories. In a clever bit of detective work, the Big Six manage to exonerate themselves and catch the villains.

In this famous fairytale, the three little pigs remind us that the easiest way, the one that requires less work, is not always the right one. If you want to get something satisfying, you have to give it some commitment.

Joseph the Bellmaker is troubled. It has been four seasons since his warrior-mouse daughter, Mariel, and her companion, Dandin, set off from Redwall to fight evil in Mossflower. Nothing has been heard of them since. Then one night, in a dream, the legendary Martin the Warrior comes to the Bellmaker with a mysterious message. Clearly, Mariel and Dandin are in grave danger. Joseph and four Redwallers set off at once to aid them. As they push over land and sea, they cannot know the terrible threats they face: the impossible Foxwolf, Urgan Nagru, his mate Silvamord, and their army.

A touch of computer keys, a blast of heat, and suddenly the Murry twins, Sandy and Dennys, are gasping in a shimmering desert land. If only the brothers had normal parents, not a scientist mother and a father who experiments with space and time travel. If only the Murry twins had noticed the note on the door of their mother's lab: Experiment In Progress. Please Keep Out. But it's too late for regrets.