Family Classics

Pudd'nhead Wilson, like many other Mark Twain books, was read aloud by the author to his wife and daughters, chapter by chapter, as it was being written.

"Towers - like flame. A candle in darkness. A black wind." Roland Watson wasn't expecting to see things like that when he kicked a football into a condemned church. But once inside, he is taken from the slums of Manchester to the ruins of a magical kingdom. And only he can bring back the light to Elidor.

Salten's most famous work is Bambi (1923), or Bambi, in the Woods, also known as Bambi: A Life in the Woods. It was translated into English in 1928 and became a Book-of-the-Month Club success, and then formed the basis of the 1942 animated Disney classic, Bambi.

Taking place three years after The Bean Trees, Taylor is now dating a musician named Jax and has officially adopted Turtle. But when a lawyer for the Cherokee Nation begins to investigate the adoption—their new life together begins to crumble. Depicting the clash between fierce family love and tribal law, poverty and means, abandonment and belonging, Pigs in Heaven is a morally wrenching, gently humorous work of fiction that speaks equally to the head and the heart.

Here is the preface to 12 magnificent stories, originally part of The John Cheever Audio Collection, in which John Cheever celebrates - with unequaled grace and tenderness - the deepest feelings we have.

Hawthorne approached the Romantic notion of the ability of science to destroy art (or beauty) in the form of fictive "horror stories" of biological research out of control. This story is the best of that group. A devoted scientist marries a beautiful woman with a single physical flaw: a birthmark on her face. Aylmer becomes obsessed with the imperfection and his attempts to remove it via his scientific skills, thus rendering his bride perfect.

Was wäre, wenn jeden Abend Weihnachten wäre? Für Tante Milla ist Weihnachten, als Inbegriff eines besinnlichen Festes im Kreise der Familie, zu ihrem Lebensinhalt geworden. Ihre Lust am Fest wächst ungebremst, bis auch im August die Englein noch singen und die Familie allabendlich zur Feier des Heiligen Abends vorbeikommt. In Nicht nur zur Weihnachtszeit (1952) nimmt Heinrich Böll die deutsche Nachkriegsmentalität und scheinbar unumstößliche Weihnachtsroutinen aufs Korn.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar knows how special grandpas are, and this celebratory audiobook is the perfect way to honor them. Give the gift of love and show Grandpa how much you care with sweet sentiments from Eric Carle.

At some point in your life, you will contemplate the end and question what it is like to depart from the only thing you’ve known. Hesitation and uncertainty might consume you to the core, or a sensation of comfort and contentment will set you free. In Four Seasons, Chris Widener shares the relatable journey of Jonathan Blake and his family through a year in their life, confronted with unavoidable tragedy. After he is diagnosed with cancer, Jonathan reflects on the growth of his children, watching them take life into their own hands and create light in the darkest of times.

When Father is taken away unexpectedly, Roberta, Peter, Phyllis and their mother have to leave their comfortable life in London to go and live in a small cottage in the country. The children seek solace in the nearby railway station and make friends with Perks the Porter and the Station Master himself. Each day, Roberta, Peter and Phyllis run down the field to the railway track and wave at the passing London train, sending their love to Father.

Six children decide that the only way to restore the fortunes of their family is to go out and do it themselves. They produce a series of madcap schemes and one after another try them out with varying degrees of success, most resulting in trouble rather than riches. But then one scheme begins to look more promising than the rest.

There is no finer way to welcome young people (or adults!) to the pleasures of Shakespeare than with these four masterful retellings of the Bard's most beloved plays. Ranging from the pure magic of A Midsummer Night's Dream to the heartbreak of young love in Romeo and Juliet, featuring the spine-tingling tragedy of Macbeth (complete with ghost and witches) and culminating in the laugh-out-loud hijinks of Twelfth Night.

Since it first appeared in 1913, Pollyanna has become an enduring favorite with children. The tale of an orphan who maintains a strongly positive view of the world despite adversity has a strong affect on listeners of all ages, even in the 21st century - and especially when read with such warmth by Laura Lefkow.

This is the abridged version of the trilogy The Torrents: Family, Spring, and Autumn, masterpieces of Ba Jin, one of the greatest writers of modern Chinese literature. The trilogy recounts the decline of a large feudal family following the May Fourth Movement of 1919. The abridged version of 30,000 words for each title, approximately 1/10 of each of the original, can be listened to by elementary-level students of Chinese with a 2,000-word vocabulary or can be used as an aid to reading the original.

Published in 1848, the novel follows the fortunes of a shipping firm owner, who is frustrated at the lack of a son to follow him in his footsteps. He initially rejects his daughter's love before eventually becoming reconciled with her before his death. The story features many Dickensian themes, such as arranged marriages, child cruelty, betrayal, deceit, and relations between people from different British social classes.

Orphaned at 13, Rose goes to live with her Uncle Alec. Here she meets her seven spirited boy cousins with whom she has home-spun fun, many exciting adventures and in the process learns valuable lessons about life, love and friendship.

"The Most Frugal of Men" is a funny story about masters of frugality outperforming each other; "The Moon-Cake" about the dangers of asking for a cake that would resemble the moon; "The Ladle that Fell from the Moon" tells about the witty attempt to confound an elderly scammer; "The Young Head of the Family" tells about a father being outwitted by his daughter-in-law; and "A Dreadful Boar" tells how a poor old woman could defend herself of an elf that met her in the form of a wild boar, threatening to devour her granddaughter.

Wien um 1880: Der persische Schah besucht die Hauptstadt. Gelangweilt von seinen Haremsdamen verlangt er die verheiratete Gräfin W. als Gespielin für eine Nacht. Ein moralisches und diplomatisches Dilemma, für das der anwesende Baron von Taittinger zum Glück eine Lösung kennt: Er lässt die Prostituierte Mizzi Schinagl, die der Gräfin stark ähnelt, fürstlich ausstaffieren und präsentiert sie dem persischen Herrscher.

Jane, ich begehre von Ihnen, daß Sie mein Weib werden; nur Sie beabsichtige ich zu heiraten...

Главный герой Гордей находит золотой жилу, нежданное счастье, а потому "дикое". Роман о конфликте ценностей, материальное благо или счастьем семьи? Аудиокнига. Русская классика.