Showing results by publisher "Phoenix Books" in Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths

The Thirteen Clocks is James Thurber's enduring story of life in a castle where time stands still on every clock at 10 minutes to five. The Duke of the castle ignores time and pays no attention to temperature either. He is a wicked Duke who has hands cold enough to choke a bull. The only warmth he understands is the warm hands of Princess Saralinda, his fair niece, whom he cherishes and protects from suitors.

Tales like How the Leopard Got His Spots and The Elephant's Child answer questions only children would ask and answer them in a way only children would believe. Kipling very much intended his Just So Stories to be read aloud - and no one does it better than Carl Reiner as he brings each original story to life. A superbly amusing and entertaining experience, Kipling's Just So Stories will delight both young and old alike.

Audrey Hepburn performs selections from her Grammy Award winning "Enchanted Tales" (adapted by Mary Sheldon); John Ritter tells the story of "Jack and the Beanstalk"; Sharon Stone delivers an off-the-wall rendition of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" (the tale by the Brothers Grimm, retold by Richard Hack); and Orson Welles performs the all-time favorite "The Happy Prince" (by Oscar Wilde).

The evil Duke of cold Coffin Castle fancies he has frozen time by stopping all of the clocks. He is fearful that one day a Prince may come and win away the hand of his niece, beautiful Princess Saralinda—the only warm hand in the castle. Several suitors have tried to court the Princess, but the Duke assigns them impossible tasks to thwart that fate. A few days before Saralinda's twenty-first birthday, a mysterious prince arrives to complete a seemingly impossible task and free Saralinda from the clutches of her uncle. 

Dudley Moore reads "The Happy Prince", Oscar Wilde's tale of charity and loyalty. David Dukes reads Hans Christian Andersen's "The Steadfast Tin Soldier", a fable about a tin soldier's love for a paper ballerina.

> The Wonderful O tells of a man named Black who despised the letter "O". He deleted it from his language and omitted it from his words. Opals, moonstones, owls and oaks could not possibly be his items of choice. He preferred emeralds, rubies, sapphires and maps. At least they had no "O". Soon he wanted his entire village to omit the letter "O". But the villagers found words they would not do without HOPE, LOVE, VALOR, and the most important one of all.

In addition to her acclaimed performances on film—including her Academy Award-winning role in Roman Holiday—Audrey Hepburn was also a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF, an organization dedicated to the lives of children. As one of her final projects for young listeners, Hepburn left the world a treasure of exquisitely told fairy tales. This recording features Mary Sheldon's fresh adaptations of “Sleeping Beauty"; “Tom Thumb”; “Beauty and the Beast”; and “Laidronette, Empress of the Pagodes.”

Oscar Wilde was an Irish writer who made up special stories for children filled with sweetness and tenderness, as well as lessons about life. Hans Christian Andersen was a Danish author and poet best remembered for his fairy tales with lessons of virtue and resilience in the face of adversity. In this pairing of classics, Dudley Moore reads "The Happy Prince"— Oscar Wilde's tale of charity and loyalty—and David Dukes reads Hans Christian Andersen's "The Steadfast Tin Soldier," a fable about a toy soldier's love for a paper ballerina.