Classic Childrens Literature

The little red hen finds none of the lazy barnyard animals willing to help her plant, harvest, or grind wheat into flour, but all are eager to eat the bread she makes from it.

In the narrator’s dream, Christian follows the advice of Evangelist and leaves the City of Destruction for the Celestial City. His travels include visits to many fascinating places, including the Hill of Difficulty, the Palace Beautiful, the Valley of Humiliation, Vanity Fair, and Doubting Castle. Along the way, he meets Worldly Wiseman, Goodwill, Hypocrite, Apollyon, Faithful, Mr. Talksalot, Hopeful, Simpleton, and a host of other colorful characters.

There was once a velveteen rabbit, and in the beginning he was really splendid. He was fat and bunchy, as a rabbit should be; his coat was spotted brown and white, he had real thread whiskers, and his ears were lined with pink sateen. On Christmas morning, when he sat wedged in the top of the Boy's stocking, with a sprig of holly between his paws, the effect was charming.

Meg Murry, her little brother Charles Wallace, and their mother are having a midnight snack on a dark and stormy night when an unearthly stranger appears at their door. He claims to have been blown off course and goes on to tell them that there is such a thing as a "tesseract", which, if you didn't know, is a wrinkle in time. Meg's father had been experimenting with time travel when he suddenly disappeared. Will Meg, Charles Wallace, and their friend Calvin outwit the forces of evil as they search through space for their father?

Back in 1900 author L. Frank Baum says he wrote The Wonderful Wizard of Oz to please children of his time. He called it a modernized fairy tale, totally unlike older stories often filled with blood-curdling events. He left out the heartaches and nightmares. He pointed out youngsters have long had a love of fantastic stories, but times change and they look forward more to entertainment that still has the wonderment and joy of time gone by. His fantastic creation of Oz provides exactly that.

This is not a fairy tale. This is about real witches. Grandmamma loves to tell about witches. Real witches are the most dangerous of all living creatures on Earth. There's nothing they hate so much as children, and they work all kinds of terrifying spells to get rid of them. Her grandson listens closely to Grandmamma's stories - but nothing can prepare him for the day he comes face-to-face with The Grand High Witch herself!

Few wars have been fought by each side with greater intensity of conviction in the rightness of its cause or with more abundant personal heroism than the War Between the States. The story begins with a great responsibility falling on Vincent Wingfield, the teenage son of a widowed Virginia plantation owner. Vincent must decide what course of action he should take when a problem arises on the plantation.

On a summer holiday in the countryside of England, five children suddenly find themselves without the supervision of their parents. Left alone with the housekeeper, the children anticipate a dull vacation. However, they soon find more adventure than they can handle. The first day after their parents leave, the children head for a gravel pit to pretend that they are at the beach. While digging in the sand they find a Psammead, or a sand fairy.

Fall in love with Frog and Toad in this complete audio collection, written and read by Arnold Lobel. From writing letters to going swimming, telling stories to finding lost buttons, Frog and Toad are always there for each other – just as best friends should be. Loved by generations, enter the world of Frog and Toad and join them in their wonderful adventures together in this complete audio collection.

When 10-year-old Winnie Foster stumbles upon the Tuck family's disturbing secret, she is forced to come to terms with her conflicting emotions. She feels drawn to the loving, gentle, and rather eccentric Tucks, but what they tell her is too incredible to be believed. Doomed to, or blessed with, eternal life after drinking from a magic spring, the Tuck family tries to make Winnie understand that the terrible magic of the forest spring can never be revealed.

When Glinda informs Ozma, the ruler of Oz, that there is trouble brewing between two distant lands in Oz, Ozma decides to take Dorothy along with her and try to put an end to the problems. Ozma and Dorothy travel first to the land of the Flatheads, where they encounter the evil dictator Su-Dic and are forced to discover they will not be able to make Su-Dic want peace. They then move on to the land of the Skeezers, whose evil queen Coo-ee-ooh is unwilling to make peace as Su-Dic.

Jerry, Jimmy, and Kathleen can’t go home for their school holiday because their cousin is sick with measles there. Instead, they stay at Kathleen’s school with the French teacher. One morning, they set out to find adventure. Instead, they find an enchanted place - and magic, too! Walking through a nearby forest, they discover an enormous mansion, where a girl lies asleep in the garden. Although she pretends to be an enchanted princess, she is Mabel, the housekeeper’s niece. But she has a ring that really is magical. It can make the wearer invisible and grant wishes.

Mr. and Mrs. Twit are the smelliest, nastiest, ugliest people in the world. They hate everything - except playing mean jokes on each other, catching innocent birds to put in their Bird Pies, and making their caged monkeys, the Muggle-Wumps, stand on their heads all day. But the Muggle-Wumps have had enough. They don't just want out, they want revenge.

Meet Zezé—Brazil’s naughtiest and most loveable boy, his talent for mischief matched only by his great kindness. When he grows up he wants to be a ‘poet with a bow-tie’, but for now he entertains himself playing pranks on the residents of his family’s poor Rio de Janeiro neighbourhood and inventing friends to play with. That is, until he meets a real friend, and his life begins to change.

In honor of Madeleine L'Engle's 100th birthday, fans are invited to enjoy this archival audiobook, originally recorded in 1993 and newly restored! Listen to the voice of the author as Madeleine L'Engle reads her Newbery Medal-winning novel A Wrinkle in Time.

When the Tooting family finds an old engine and fits it to their camper van, they have no idea what kind of adventure lies ahead. The engine used to belong to an extraordinary car, and it wants its bodywork back! But as the Tootings hurtle across the world rebuilding the original Chitty, a sinister baddie is on their trail - one who will stop at nothing to get the magnificent car for himself.

Mother Duck's brood of little ducklings are all adorable - except for one. The ugly duckling is large, grey, and awkward - but he has a surprise in store.... A magical retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's classic tale, read by Stephen Mangan.

Freddy the Pig has taken to the skies to save a damsel in distress. Mademoiselle Rose, the lovely bareback rider from Mr. Boorschmidt's Stupendous and Unexcelled Circus, needs Freddy's help. A wealthy but selfish man wants to marry her, and if she doesn't accept his proposal, he vows to close the circus down. So it's up to Freddy to save the beautiful lady and the big top.

Pinocchio, The Tale of a Puppet is a novel for children by Carlo Collodi is about the mischievous adventures of Pinocchio, an animated marionette, and his poor father, woodcarver Geppetto. It is considered a classic of children's literature and has spawned many derivative works of art. This is not the story we've seen in film, but the original version - full of harrowing adventures faced by Pinocchio.

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?