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

Born in the Yukon, White Fang is a Wolf, or mostly Wolf - his father was a Wolf, his mother was half dog, but for all intents and purposes it was a Wolf. He looked like Wolf, fought like a Wolf, and thought like a Wolf. Early in his cubhood he was captured by an Indian, and raised as a sled dog, the Wolf nearly beaten out of him, but not quite. Subjected to human brutality and a very little human kindness he becomes a deadly fighter until rescued by a wise and kindly man. A heartwarming story.

Ben has been tramping for two weeks when he's discovered, nearly starving, by a widow and her two little girls. Mrs. Moss feeds and clothes him and gets him a job with the local Squire. But herding cows is boring for an active boy and he's about to take to the road again when the lovely Miss Celia, owner of the Big House (bordered by lilacs!) arrives and hires him to do odd jobs and be the company for her teenage invalid brother.

This quintessentially English novel is considered by many to be a masterpiece of storytelling. Set for the most part on a riverbank in rural England, against a backdrop of social, agricultural, and industrial change typical of the early 20th century, Kenneth Grahame's portrayal of the anthropomorphic characters (which include Mole, Ratty, Badger, Otter, and, of course, the incorrigible Mr. Toad) is imaginative, lyrical, and without doubt uniquely humorous.

The Adventures of Buster Bear follows a bear who has moved from the Great Woods to the Green Forest. Unknown to the little people of the Green Forest, Buster Bear, although is big and has a grumbly rumbly voice is actually very shy. As with most Burgess books, there is a positive morale to the story.

One day Peter Rabbit sees a strange thing that scares him. He tells many of his friends in the Green Forest who at first don't believe him. Then, after Unc' Billy Possum sees the same thing, others begin to wonder what this strange thing is. Peter eventually learns the truth of what scared him and together with his friends, they start scaring Green Forest predators such as Reddy Fox, Granny Fox, and Ole Man Coyote. But, what is it that is scaring them up on Prickly Porky's hill?

Beautifully performed by Ann Richardson, this bedtime prayer by Sabine Baring-Gould is a comfort to listeners young or old.

Hello, dear listener. This is Mike Vendetti, and today, I'll take you on a journey through the magical land of Oz, as told in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum.

Bambi: A Life in the Woods was written by Austrian writer Felix Salten and first published in 1929. It is the story of Bambi, a roe deer, whose wide-eyed curiosity leads him to explore all the wonders of the forest. He is enchanted by the songs, scents, and all the diverse creatures who live in the trees alongside him. But within these moments of discovery lies the ever-present danger of predators—one predator in particular: man.

This is a fairy tale about two kings who bluster and stumble into a hilarious non-war, a princess who finds true love in an unexpected place, and a conniving, beautiful Countess whose poetry was stolen by Shelley. The plot is driven by a bent ginger whisker, seven-league boots, two cloaks of darkness, and stiff notes. The characters are three-dimensional; the satire is gentle and wise. There is whimsy in every minute.

On a whim and at the advice of a friendly Alley Cat, Elmer Elevator packs his knapsack and heads on a daring quest to rescue a baby dragon. Join Elmer as he treks through Wild Island on a rescue mission relying only on what he can find in his backpack! Will the Wild Animals he meets along the way bring him closer to the dragon?

Now a college student, Anne Shirley pursues her studies in Kingsport while finding herself pursued romantically. In between, she navigates the life changes her friends and family back in Avonlea are undertaking, while navigating her own sense of home, and all with the indomitable spirit that has made Anne a beloved classic character.

Follow the adventures of cheerful, joke-loving Jolly Robin, and learn along with him how a robin survives in the wild. In this book, lighthearted Jolly learns how to find food, how to fly, and how to get along with the other animals (and people) in his community. With his sense of humor, can Jolly make a vocation of laughing for others? Can his friend Jimmy Rabbit help solve the mystery of the eerie white giant in the orchard? Should he trust Jasper Jay to teach him a better way to fly south for the winter?

Peter Rabbit would like to know more about the four-footed friends who share the Green Meadows and Green Forest with him. Old Mother Nature is only too happy to help and holds a "school" for Peter. Along the way, many others of the Green Meadow and Green Forest creatures join Peter at school as he learns about his neighbors. As with all Thornton W. Burgess stories, young listeners gain positive values while learning a great deal about the animals that share their world.

First published in 1869, Little Women is the story of four sisters growing up against the background of the American Civil War. Alcott wrote the book at the urging of the publisher, Thomas Niles, who was seeking a story about girls that would have popular appeal. Although it was commenced essentially as a children's book, it developed into something of a bildungsroman, which touches on more serious issues such as the difficulties faced by single-parent families, the death of a sibling, and fractured relationships.

In 1913, Arthur Ransome traveled to Russia to explore Russian folklore. The result of his studies was the publication of retellings (rather than translations) of a number of stories, including The Soldier and Death, which first appeared in 1920.

A delightful and funny retelling of one of the most famous tales of all time. Follow the antics of these little pigs as they (well some of them) make foolish decisions and flirt with the hungry wolf.

If you had some beans that grew into a huge stalk, that grew into the sky...would you be brave enough to climb it? Jack did...not once, but 3 times! And what he found at the other end was quite an adventure of giants, fairies, and harps that could play by themselves... Listen to the theatrical narration by Kathy Verduin.

Heidi, a five-year-old orphan girl, is sent to live with her grandfather up in the mountains of Dorfli after her Aunt Dete receives a job offer in the city. Enchanted by the old man and his jaded attitude towards the villagers and God, Heidi wins him over with her enthusiasm and love. When her aunt returns, she insists Heidi go to live with a wealthy family in Frankfurt. Disappointed to leave her grandfather and her friend, Peter, Heidi reluctantly agrees.

Immediately following the success of Little Women, Louisa May Alcott sat down to write An-Old Fashioned Girl, expanding on the subject of rich versus poor that she explored in her first novel. It’s a story of a country mouse and a city mouse: 14-year-old Polly Milton travels to Boston for a stay with her friend Fanny Shaw. The wealthy Shaws’ way of life is foreign to Polly who tries to adapt but is quickly labeled “old-fashioned”. Fanny and her friends dress and behave as their elders do, flirting with boys and gossiping.

The Victorians had a fondness for scaring their offspring straight with cautionary tales - moral stories featuring children who misbehaved and suffered the consequences. Hilaire Belloc's Cautionary Tales are a parody of the Victorian moral fables: irresistible, irreverent and downright jolly.