Showing results by publisher "Recorded Books" in Animals & Nature

Oscar the caterpillar lives in a flower pot in Cleveland. One day, a monarch butterfly floats by, headed for Mexico. Oscar learns that he will one day have wings too - but when that day comes, Oscar gets quite a surprise.

Henry and his slobbering dog Mudge are visiting Great-Grandpa Bill, who lives in a house with lots of other grandpas. Henry likes the grandpas because they play checkers and rock in rocking chairs. Mudge likes them because they feed him mint candies.

When Jake follows his grandfather Taw to the Hopi reservation where Taw was born, he finds trouble. The Hopi are upset about a Mexican wolf. Since there are no wolves in Arizona, some believe it's a ghost. Others want to kill it because it's hunting their livestock. Jake is sure of one thing: he must help his grandfather save the lobo. It could be the last of its kind.

Christmas is Mr. Putter's favorite time of the year. He starts thinking about Christmas presents in July. It's easy to buy gifts for the postman, the grocer, and the librarian. But he has to think very hard about a gift for his neighbor, Mrs. Teaberry. Mrs. Teaberry likes strange things. She likes coconuts that look like monkey heads and tiny dresses that fit her teapots. She even likes fruitcake. That's it! He'll make her a good cake for Christmas, a light and airy one that won't break her toe if she drops it.

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.

One day at the fish store, Mr. Putter decides to buy some fish. Tabby is happy. Fish make his tail twitch. At home, Mr. Putter and Tabby watch the fish swim around in their glass bowl. Then Tabby starts to bat the bowl. Bat. Bat. Tabby can't stop batting the bowl, even when Mr. Putter covers it up. Soon, Tabby is so twitchy and batty, Mr. Putter calls Mrs. Teaberry. She has a solution to Tabby's problem - a very relaxing one!

A robin with poor eyesight has mistaken Freddy the pig's tail for a worm. Putting aside the poem he is writing, Freddy decides to help the poor bird solve his problem. But the solution just seems to lead to bigger problems.

Acclaimed author and illustrator of over 30 children’s books, Daniel Kirk delights kids with his fun-filled tales. The first in a new series, Library Mouse tells the story of Sam, a young mouse who lives in a hole in the library and comes out at night to write stories. His books are soon found by a puzzled librarian, who leaves a note inviting the mystery writer to Meet the Author Day. At first Sam isn’t sure what to do, but his ingenious solution is sure to be a real winner. This rousing tale will leave kids itching to write their own stories.

Like other rock hopper penguins, Mr. Pin enjoys the icy weather in the South Pole. But he loves eating chocolate and solving mysteries more. When he moves to Chicago to be a detective, his new home is wonderful! Snowflakes swirl in the wind, and Sally from Smiling Sally’s diner gives him all the chocolate ice cream he can eat. Soon Maggie, Sally’s young niece, becomes his new friend. But Sally and Maggie are worried. Gangsters are threatening to blow up the diner. Will Mr. Pin be able to help them?

In this sequel to Daniel Kirk’s Library Mouse—a Parenting magazine Book of the Year—Sam falls asleep in the library and awakens just in time to scamper out of sight. In his haste, he leaves behind his mouse-sized notebook. As a boy named Tom puzzles over the mystery of such a small book, he discovers Sam’s mouse hole. Soon Sam and Tom form an unusual partnership that would surprise others—if they only knew.

Duck is a great swimmer. She splashes around the lake faster than her friend, Gander. But Gander flaps his wings and flies higher in the sky than Duck. The two friends fluff up their feathers and shout at each other, “I am the champion of champions!” Soon they think of the perfect contest. The bird who stands still the longest will be the “forever champion.” But as they “freeze-in-place”, not even fidgeting a feather, along comes a host of troublesome visitors.

Mr. Putter is tired of living all alone, with no one to share his morning English muffins or his afternoon tea. He has many wonderful stories to tell, but no one to tell them to. What Mr. Putter needs is some good company. But good company is hard to find. This first adventure in award-winning author Cynthia Rylant's popular series introduces readers to a pair of friends who are just perfect for each other.

Grasshoppers, waterstriders, and fireflies light up the pages of this rib-tickling book of poetry for two voices. Written as spirited duets, the poems ring with the love songs of book lice, the serenades of moths, and a choir of cicadas. Each one is a treat, filled with busy insect life. In addition to the voices of these frisky critters, there are also fascinating tidbits about their lives and habits.

Warnings had been printed in the Bean Home News and the Centerboro Guardian, but nobody paid much attention to them. An animal revolt? "Preposterous!" said the Beans and all the other humans.

But it's true - and the outrages begin: cars are stopped and overturned all over the county, farmers starting out to do their morning chores are driven back into the house, and the cows refuse to come in at milking time.

Cats don’t really have nine lives, but they can visit nine different lives, anywhere, anytime. This is the secret Jason’s cat, Gareth, tells him. When Jason hears this, he begs to go along. Soon cat and boy find themselves in ancient Egypt on the first of nine fantastic adventures. With the wink of an eye, Jason and Gareth are transported to alluring settings in world history. On their travels they meet interesting and famous people, such as St. Patrick, and Leonardo Da Vinci. Whether the destination is Renaissance Italy or revolutionary America, their appearance never fails to cause a stir.

In Bearstone, 14-year-old Cloyd Atcitty watched as a hunter killed what he thought was the last grizzly bear in Colorado. In this sequel, Cloyd continues his quest to find grizzlies in the mountains. Exploring the Weminuche Wilderness, Cloyd finds a pair of orphaned grizzly cubs. He must draw on his courage, determination, and Ute Indian heritage to teach them how to live in the wild. With winter approaching and food growing scarce, Cloyd must not only ensure the survival of the bears, but return to civilization before starvation and cold kill him.

Mr. Putter and his fine cat, Tabby, like sharing music with their neighbors Mrs. Teaberry and her good dog, Zeke. But when Mrs. Teaberry decides they should join a band, Mr. Putter isn’t so sure. He doesn’t even play an instrument—in fact, neither does Mrs. Teaberry. But they aren’t going to let that stop them!

Mr. Bean knows he has the smartest animals in the state of New York. He's just not sure they can care for his farm by themselves while he takes his wife on vacation. So to show how responsible they are, Freddy the pig and his friends start their own bank and their own animal republic. But a hotly contested election between a plain-spoken cow and a wily woodpecker might be more than even Freddy can handle.

For the past four years, Rick Walker has been shuffled between foster care and group homes. At 14, he’s a kid nobody wants or cares about. Now he’s headed for Blue Canyon Detention Center. For Rick, life is a maze full of dead ends. But when he is threatened at Blue Canyon and runs away, Rick finds himself in a real maze - the enormous rocky expanse of Canyonlands National Park in Utah. There, Rick meets a biologist who has devoted his life to reintroducing the condor to its natural habitat. As Rick joins him to protect the giant birds, the teenager will begin to see choices instead of dead ends.

Returning from a riding trip through New England, Freddy the pig, Jinx the cat, and Samuel Jackson the mole are surprised at the cool reception they get from the people of Centerboro. It seems that some animals have been raiding gardens, stealing bicycles, and breaking into houses. And they'e led by a pig that matches Freddy's description!