Showing results by publisher "Spoken Realms" in Literature & Fiction

A beautiful tale from a truly classic writer. Oscar Wilde helps us all learn that just because someone is different than we are comfortable with, there are worthwhile moments to be shared. This was true for a giant who hated children. When he finally welcomed a child into his realm, this child was much more than anyone realized. Written for all ages and narrated by Glenn Hascall.

A classic story for all ages. A plot that has been used often in great storytelling, and a heroine beloved by many generations. Let Cinderella charm you again.

Thumbelina, by the beloved story teller Hans Christian Andersen, is about a tiny girl and her adventures with appearance- and marriage-minded toads, moles, and cockchafers. Her adventures are many and varied before she successfully avoids their intentions and, just when all seems lost, ends by falling in love with a flower-fairy prince just her size. A perfect ending!

While most farmers are well-mannered and espouse great virtues and integrity this story proves there exists at least one farmer who is a profound scoundrel. It's not often a farmer can start with a wooden calf and end up the richest farmer in the land. The moral may well be never to follow this fellow's example.

It is the last night of the year on a freezing night in London and the pitiful little match girl has not sold a single bundle of matches all day. But she can't go home without money so, what will she do? This sad tale by Andersen reaches into our very souls and hearts to evoke the deepest emotions in all of us. Her rescuer comes but the price is high. Very high.

Once there was a lazy girl who would not spin. While her mother berates her for it, the Queen, passing by, overhears and asks the reason for the scolding. Ashamed to admit that her daughter is lazy, the woman replies that the girl spins so much that her mother cannot afford to buy enough flax to keep her occupied. The Queen, impressed by such industry, offers to take the girl with her. Once at the castle, the queen takes the girl to a room filled with flax. If she spins it all within three days, she'll be rewarded with marriage to the queen's oldest son.

A children's classic by Thornton W. Burgess, 19th century conservationist and writer of hundreds of children's tales comes to life as Sara Morsey, professional stage and voice actor, tells this charming tale.

A little fir tree stands in the woods. All he can think about is growing up into a big tree. When a hare hops over him, emphasizing how small he is, he is embarrassed. Children call him the baby of the forest. Find out what happens to the little fir tree in this far from happily-ever-after tale for older children.

The classic story of a king buying invisible clothes from con men. See what peer pressure can do.

On his birthday, a boy receives a set of 25 toy soldiers and arrays them on a tabletop. One soldier stands on a single leg, having been the last one cast from an old tin spoon. Nearby, he spies a paper ballerina with a spangle on her sash. She too is standing on one leg and the soldier falls in love. That night, a goblin among the toys angrily warns the soldier to take his eyes off the ballerina, but the soldier ignores him. The next day, the soldier falls from a windowsill (presumably the work of the goblin) and lands in the street.

The Little Mermaid (Danish: Den lille havfrue, literally: "the little sea lady") is a very well-known fairy tale by the Danish author Hans Christian Andersen about a young mermaid willing to give up her life in the sea and her identity as a mermaid to gain a human soul and the love of a human prince. The tale was first published in 1837 and has been adapted to various media including musical theatre and animated film. But this tale is not the Disney version, all cleaned up and made pretty. This is the way Andersen wrote it.

This is the story about Ed, Sam, and Pete - and Pete's a horse. This delightful classic shares the vision of boys who want the best futures by dreaming big dreams. Ed is a follower, Sam is a know-it-all, and Pete, well he's not much to look at. A delight for all ages.

The original classic that does not feature some of the elements that have become part of the story we usually share. A princess, a frog, and a broken curse all remain a part this great story for the entire family. A story that never once involves 'kissing'.

Originally published as part of the Just So stories, this tale has no animals, but is the endearing story of a Neolithic child and the hilarious ramifications of attempting to request a fresh fishing spear from the village by use of a pictorial letter. As ever, Kipling’s timeless prose is evocatively presented by Phillip J Mather - an excellent listen!

Ann M. Richardson Narrates this old english fairy tale that will have youngsters demanding, "Play it again!".

What's it like to be a sister with 12 brothers? In this story it's pretty good, until she makes a mistake, and puts a spell on them for seven years, and she's speechless.... This story by the Brothers Grimm has an interesting spin, as told and acted by Kathy Verduin.

Kipling’s timeless classic of How the Leopard Got His Spots is skilfully narrated by Phillip J. Mather. Phillip’s mellifluous tones transport the listener, young or old, back to a time when the world map was indeed coloured red!

The kangaroo once ambulated on four legs. This charming story by Rudyard Kipling, and wonderfully narrated by Phillip J. Mather tells us how the kangaroo became the marsupial we know today.

"The Beginning of the Armadillos" is a tale that focuses on two days in the lives of three creatures "who lived on the banks of the turbid Amazon": Stickly-Prickly the hedgehog, Slow-and-Solid the tortoise, and Painted Jaguar.

A touching story of the moments following the death of a child. Comfort, memories, and a visual reminder of life here follows a young boy on his journey. What may be most compelling is his angelic companion. A classic fairy tale from Hans Christian Andersen narrated by Glenn Hascall.