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

Cheryl loves horses. She’s been studying thoroughbreds at her family’s horse racing stables since she was old enough to ride on the shoulders of her father, a famous horse trainer. Cheryl wants to be a jockey. One problem—she is a girl, and there has never been a Black female jockey in history! Jetolara is a young thoroughbred finding his place in the herd. When Cheryl literally falls onto his back, and Jeto sprints off across the pasture, Cheryl discovers that she doesn’t just want to be a jockey, she is a jockey—and she and Jeto were born to race.

Trendsetter is a horse destined to fly—in more ways than one. Sarah is a horse-loving seventh-grader with a secret and a fear of losing the one thing she loves most in the world. Separated by an ocean, a horse and a girl’s parallel struggles to be their best include lots of luck and grit, some stubbornness, and a few failures. It is only when they find each other that these two kindred spirits find themselves. Together they learn that what’s important in life isn’t greatness.

Welcome to the Woofmore, where the water bowls are always full and there’s kibble on every pillow! Rufus and his boss, Ms. Coco, work hard to make every guest at the Woofmore feel like a VIP (Very Important Pooch). It’s the grand opening of the hotel, and Rufus and Ms. Coco want everything to be pawfect. Especially for their VIP guest, movie star Greta Garbark. But how can Rufus keep the puparazzi from hounding Ms. Garbark? And what will Ms. Coco do when a (very itchy) problem hits the hotel?

In the early hours before dawn, a young girl and her father greet their horses and ride together through the waking city streets. As they trot along, Daddy tells cowboy stories filled with fun and community, friendship, discovery, and pride.

Pup has boundless energy and endless optimism; Dragon is cool and thoughtful but always up for adventure ... together, they are best friends who are always there for one another. In their first adventure, they are trying to catch one of Santa's little helpers--only Dragon has no idea what a Santa is let alone an elf.

Roger the chick almost never gets the chance to do things on his own—he is always attached to his mother, Olive the hen, who prefers quiet naps to any kind of excitement. They even get borrowed together as Book Buddies at the library. But what Roger really wants is the chance for adventure. To make his little sister happy, eight-year-old Liam agrees to borrow Olive and Roger and bring them to the airport to pick up Grandpa. But when Liam is busy trying to show Grandpa he isn’t a little kid anymore, he loses track of Roger, who gets left behind at the airport.

Nia loves Alfie, her pet turtle. But he’s not very soft, he doesn’t do tricks, and he’s pretty quiet. Sometimes she forgets he’s even there—that is, until the night before her seventh birthday, when . . . Alfie disappears! Where did he go? And why? Nia can’t say . . . but Alfie can. This is his story, and the narrative switches to Alfie’s perspective, as the brave turtle goes on the hunt for the perfect gift for Nia’s birthday.

Georgina watches me. She doesn’t try to poke me or pull my tail. She doesn’t push her face into mine, and she speaks very softly. “Welcome,” she says. Most shelter animals dream of going home with a forever family. But for Elvis, being chosen by Mrs. Pemberton is a nightmare. He’s been taken away from his sister, Etta, and is determined to get back to the shelter to find her.

Hen isn’t a little chick anymore. She’s spread her wings and can get a job done just the way she likes it. She can grow wheat herself, she can wheelbarrow it home by herself, and she can turn it into delicious bread—all by herself! No need to bother offering Hen a helping hand of any sort, thank you. She’s got it covered! But then comes Fox … and Fox loves to eat all kinds of tasty things. So when Pig, Horse, and Cow discover that Fox has paid Hen a visit, should they step in and offer assistance that Hen hasn’t asked for?

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Unless you’re A Cat Named Sam. Scaredy-cat Sam wants to enjoy the Christmas season, but Liza’s plans for Christmas Eve dinner have spoiled his holiday cheer. Join Sam on this adventure and find out why it is so important to listen closely to others.

When Taddy the Tadpole goes missing, Detective Duck and her friends in the Pond Squad are on the case. What first seemed like a simple search and rescue mission gets more complicated when her friends find a pipe leaking a strange brown liquid along with a cluster of peculiar blue-green plants that make it difficult for the pond creatures to breathe.

"Long, long ago, it was incredibly busy. No one had time to stop for a moment. Everything and everyone had to be higher, faster, further, bigger, prettier, more!" Thus begins Grandpa Hedgehog's story of the Rush Era. A time not so different from our own, where everyone was constantly on the move and no one had time to stop for a moment, even to care for the forest. Everyone except for a tiny hero named Quill. Can this gentle soul teach the rushing world to stop and smell the flowers before it's too late?

Frank and Sunny’s humans are bringing home their nibling for a visit. But what exactly is a “nibling”? Frank says it’s a small bite of something, and Sunny thinks that sounds delicious. But then there is a knock on their door, and this nibling is a far cry from what they expected! Nelly has strong ideas about how to play and what constitutes fun, including a nauseating basket ride around the house and a mandatory play wedding—with costumes!—between Frank and Captain Keith, the parrot.

Aiko is a courageous astronaut, specially trained to brave the extremes of space. The whole of humanity is counting on her success. But on a planet that shows signs of life, something goes awry, and when she wakes up, she finds … a pack of dogs? And … they can talk? Descended from the valiant astrodogs who first traveled in space, these canines have cut off all contact with Earth. They’ve found a new planet where they can live, far from humanity and their former masters. (Yes, that doesn’t explain how they can talk, but that’s a little complicated, so let’s move on.)

Katerina and Luka, two majestic, mated white storks, are in flight when … BANG! Katerina suddenly falls from the sky, wounded by a hunter. Nearby, a farmer and his granddaughter rush to her rescue, determined to nurse her back to health with Luka by her side. However, when Katerina feels the coming cold, she must urge her beloved Luka to migrate, despite knowing he faces a difficult journey alone—and she is left hoping for his springtime return …

Even long ago, there was day and night. The day was full of light and warmth, and people and animals alike rejoiced in the rays of the sun. But what happens when people get greedy and take the Night for granted? What will become of the Earth and those who dwell upon it? Katherine Jumbe masterfully brings the world of the Malawian savanna to life, telling a rhythmic tale perfect for bedtime.

Over the canyon, the sun scalds the air and bakes the desert mud to stone. But under the shade of the canyon hides another world, where bighorn sheep bound from rock to rock on the hillside, roadrunners make their nests in sturdy cacti, and banded geckos tuck themselves into the shelter of the sand. Discover the wonders concealed in the curves of the canyon and all the secret life hidden in its arms.

Roya and her family have made the long journey from Afghanistan to the Netherlands. But Roya was too young then to remember much—and her older brothers and parents don’t really like to talk about it. It’s only when the family welcomes a new member—Mishka, a little bunny rabbit—that they are all finally able to open up. Together Roya and Mishka listen to big Bashir, gentle Hamayun, tough Navid, and sometimes even Mom and Dad tell their story of how they got here.

Two brothers are settling down for the night. The littler one, called Faly, doesn’t want to sleep, because his older brother is allowed to stay up later. “I wish I were big … ,” murmurs Faly. But the bigger one, Mahandry, sometimes misses being small. He has to do much of his climbing and exploring without Mama’s help. “I wish I were little … ,” murmurs Mahandry. Luckily, Mama knows how to show both of her sweet little ones that her love for them grows bigger every day, just as they do!

Over the swamp, the barred owl hoots, and the great egret swoops down on snowy wings. The slow mazes of waterways are quiet with the shush of reeds and grasses. But under the swamp’s soft shadows, there’s a whole hidden world of panthers and orchids, red-bellied turtles and raccoons, lurking alligators and singing frogs. Discover the magical reaches of the Everglades and all the fascinating creatures living just out of sight in its branches and depths—over and under the wetland.