Showing results by narrator "Katie Haigh" in All Categories

"The Twelve Labours of Hercules" are a series of feats ordered by the gods carried out by Heracles, the greatest of the Greek heroes, whose name was later romanised as Hercules. The legend was first written whole, as a fixed cycle of twelve labours, in an epic Greek poem now lost, in about 600BC; as they survive in the original source, the labours are not all recounted in a single place, but must be reassembled from many sources. This short story is a retelling of Hercules' legend with an elegant style that will edify children and adults alike.

The Battle of Thermopylae is without doubt the most famous battle in European ancient history. It has inspired many poems, stories, and movies, most recently Frank Miller's 300. Vastly outnumbered Greek soldiers fought with all their might and held off the Persian army for seven days, before the rear-guard was annihilated in one of history's most famous last stands. This battle is a perfect example of tactical optimization and a stunning demonstration of the advantages of training and equipment to maximize an army's potential.

"King Kojata" is a Slavonic fairy tale. A king and a queen had no children. One day, the king was travelling and grew thirsty. He found a spring with a cup floating in it. He did not succeed at trying to grab the cup: it always evaded his hands. When he dropped to drink directly, a creature in the well grabbed his beard and would not free him until he promised to give it something he knew nothing about, and which he would find on his return home.

The 100 greatest poems of three major French authors, Baudelaire, Victor Hugo, Paul Verlaine, translated into English with perfect accuracy and elegance, narrated by Katie Haigh and Paul Edwards. Excerpts from Hugo's "Contemplations and Autumn Leaves", Baudelaire's "Flowers of Evil", which started as a banned book in France because of its indecency, and Verlaine's "Poèmes Saturniens": here is enough to delight in the greatest poetry lines ever written and to nourish one's literary culture.

"The Most Frugal of Men" is a funny story about masters of frugality outperforming each other; "The Moon-Cake" about the dangers of asking for a cake that would resemble the moon; "The Ladle that Fell from the Moon" tells about the witty attempt to confound an elderly scammer; "The Young Head of the Family" tells about a father being outwitted by his daughter-in-law; and "A Dreadful Boar" tells how a poor old woman could defend herself of an elf that met her in the form of a wild boar, threatening to devour her granddaughter.

French philosophy has been led on by three most influent thinkers, each one bordering on literature and bringing new understandings to politics, philosophy, and religion. Michel de Montaigne is known for popularizing the essay as a literary genre; his style merges casual anecdotes and autobiography with deep intellectual insights. His "Essays" are among the most influential ever written; one can recognize Montaigne's direct influence on great literary figures all over the world.

"Thumbelina" is a charming fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen, and it has been called "the most delightful fairy tale you could wish for". The story is about quite a tiny, little girl, and her adventure with toads, moles, and cockchafers. "Thumbelina" is the first of Andersen's tales to focus on the sufferings of someone who is different, as at the beginning of the tale, Thumbelina is the only one her tiny size. It reflects on mockery and powerlessness, before a happy ending in which Thumbelina finds love and empowerment.

"Blue beard" (French: "La Barbe bleue") is a very famous classic fairy tale written by Charles Perrault. Bluebeard is a wealthy aristocrat, feared and shunned because of his ugly, blue beard. He has been married several times, but no one knows what became of his wives. He is therefore avoided by the local girls. When Bluebeard visits one of his neighbours and asks to marry one of his two daughters, the girls are terrified, and each tries to pass him on to the other. Eventually he talks the younger daughter into visiting him, and after hosting a wonderful banquet, he persuades her to marry him.

Most people experience at least some anxiety in airports or on planes, but for some, flying causes panic attacks. This audiobook contains relaxation scripts designed to help decrease the stress associated with flying, stop the anxiety experienced on air planes and in airports, and take care of an anxiety attack before or during a flight. It is a series of exercises intended to bring the listener to a state of complete relaxation through simple, efficient and proven techniques, so as to relieve the symptoms of panic or anxiety attacks.

Enjoy the short stories of three of the greatest writers of French literature, for the first time assembled together in audiobook and narrated in a lively way. Guy de Maupassant was an absolute master of the short story genre, delighting in clever plotting, concise style, and efficient storytelling, which he used to produce stunning pieces in a very condensed format. He produced more than 300 short stories; we selected for you nine of the most bizarre, influent, humorous or plain shocking.

On a cold New Year's Eve, a young, poor girl tries to sell matches in the street. She is already shivering from cold. She shelters in a nook and sits down. The girl lights the matches to warm herself. In their glow she sees several lovely visions, including a Christmas tree and a holiday feast. The girl looks skyward and sees a shooting star; she then remembers her grandmother saying that such a falling star means someone is dying and is going to Heaven. As she lights the next match, she sees a vision of her grandmother, the only person to have treated her with love and kindness. She strikes one match after another to keep the vision of her grandmother alive for as long as she can.

Here are 60 of the greatest poems of all time: the art of three major French authors, Baudelaire, Victor Hugo, Paul Verlaine, translated into English with perfect accuracy and elegance, and carefully selected excerpts of Japanese poetry, for a world-encompassing literary culture and delight.

To help your children manage their emotions, learn to focus and unwind, it is essential to teach them simple and efficient relaxation techniques in a format appealing to them. This selection of exercises specially designed for children will introduce them to relaxation through breathing techniques, guided visualizations, and mindfulness; they can be used by the whole family, as these proven techniques are the same adults can learn. Children live in an information-packed environment.

We have collected for you the best fables and fairy tales ever written. This collection begins with tales from Hans Christian Andersen and Charles Perrault, two absolute masters of the genre, whose stories have been universally read ever since: "The Beauty and the Beast", "Cinderella", T"he Fairies", and "Hansel and Gretel". As for the fables, Jean de la Fontaine is the most famous French fabulist ever; he was recognized as one of the foremost men of letters of France, and his Fables are still learned by every child as an essential part of moral culture.

Charles Perrault is one of the most well-known authors of fairy tales for children. These are the 7 most famous fairy tales written by Charles Perrault, the best classic stories for kids.

Little children need tales and stories, for they play an essential part in their development by awakening their imagination, introducing them to symbolic imagery, and bringing forth emotions in a healthy, constructive way. Our audiobook collection brings together the fairy tales, stories, myths and legends, which have fed the imagination of children of many generations in the years when the imagination is awakening and craving stimulus and material to work upon.

Discover the endless fascination of Japanese culture with seven ancient tales, selected for you for their power of evocation, wisdom and humor. Not unlike the western folk tales compiled by the Brothers Grimm, these stories faithfully preserve the spirit of medieval Japan, while rendered in a translation accessible to all ages.

"Rapunzel" is a well-known fairy tale of German origin, recorded by the Brothers Grimm. A lonely couple, who want a child, lived next to a walled garden belonging to an evil witch named Dame Gothel. The wife, experiencing the cravings associated with the arrival of her long-awaited pregnancy, notices a rapunzel plant, growing in the garden and longs for it, desperate to the point of death. One night, her husband breaks into the garden to get some for her. She makes a salad out of it and greedily eats it.

Alfred North Whitehead once noted: "the safest general characterization of the European philosophical tradition is that it consists of a series of footnotes to Plato." Plato is indeed considered the most pivotal figure in the development of philosophy, along with his teacher, Socrates, and his student, Aristotle. But his writings are often light, fresh and funny; it was Plato who invented the dialogue in philosophy, which makes a point very easy to follow and the occasion of various scenic arrangements.

The philosophy of Confucius was so powerful that it dominated intellectual life in ancient China for centuries. It even came to be considered a religion, and there are still temples where Confucius is worshipped as the God of Culture. His writings were transmitted as aphorisms, each one of them one concentrated teaching about philosophy, ethics, or society.