Showing results by narrator "John McDonough" in All Categories

Mr. Pin, a rock hopper penguin from the South Pole, loves to solve mysteries in the windy city of Chicago. There’s only one thing Mr. Pin likes better—eating yummy chocolate. That’s why his detective office is in the back room of Smiling Sally’s Diner, where the chocolate syrup is stored. With the help of his young friend Maggie, and tasty candy snacks, he makes Chicago a safer place.

Family memoirs and previously unpublished material provide the backdrop for this poignant portrait of a man whose heroic idealism inspired a nation. Edward Renehan's graceful prose allows listeners a close-up look at an entire family of larger-than-life heroes. Theodore Roosevelt taught his sons that wealth and influence were inextricably bound up with a duty to defend democracy to the death. His own exemplary conduct in the Spanish-American War helped win the war for the United States.

Erethizon Dorsatum—better known as Ereth, the self-centered, foul-tempered old porcupine—is having a birthday. And he fully expects his best friend Poppy, a deer mouse, to help him celebrate in a grand manner. But Poppy has gone off somewhere with her husband, Rye, and it appears she has forgotten all about it. "Belching Beavers," says Ereth, "I am not angry!" (Though perhaps he is—and more than just a little.)

Old Mr. Putter and old Mrs. Teaberry are neighbors. When Mrs. Teaberry hurts her foot, Mr. Putter and his cat, Tabby, offer to walk her little dream dog, Zeke, for a week. But Zeke is no dream dog. Zeke is a nightmare. On the first day, he drags Mr. Putter and Tabby through the neighborhood. On the second day, he wraps them around trees. On the third day, he chases big dogs until the big dogs turn around and chase them.

This collection of short poems from Newbery Award-winning author Paul Fleischman delightfully celebrates the essence of birds. The companion to Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices, its poems feature two voices speaking sometimes together and sometimes in turn. Experience the magic and magnificence of the immortal phoenix. Enjoy the fluttering elation of finches at dawn and the swiftness of swallows at dusk. And empathize with the loneliness of the pigeon in the Cincinnati Zoo.

Lad, a handsome collie, rules the Place for his master and mistress. With his sleek mate, Lady, at his side, he chases away neighborhood dogs and intruders. But one day, when the master brings home a spirited young male, Lady starts to spend all her time running with the newcomer. Will Lad be able to win back her loyalty? For Lad, the excitement is just beginning. Throughout this classic story, he faces one thrilling adventure after the other.

While bird-watching in Nowhere Land, Ferocious Beast, Maggie, and Hamilton Hocks are stopped in their tracks. Before them, a most amazing sight: a rabbit struggling to dig up a carrot! "Why is that so amazing" you ask? Well, it’s the carrot of all carrots, the most enormous carrot of all time! Nedley the rabbit refuses their offer of help, even as he grows grumpier with each shovelful of dirt. Soon realizing that there is no way he can accomplish such a humongous task on his own, he accepts help.

What does a little bear wear as he dances and plays his way through a sunny summer day? Young listeners will be fascinated as John McDonough's upbeat narration perfectly delivers this book's lilting, musical rhyme and joyful, exuberant rhythm that make Jesse Bear's day a pleasure for everyone.

The old witch wants a pumpkin pie. First she plants a pumpkin seed. She weeds and waters and waits. A tiny sprout pokes through the ground, and soon a small pumpkin appears. It grows, and it grows some more. When Halloween is only hours away, the witch decides it is finally time to bake the pie. But first she must somehow pull the huge pumpkin off the vine.

How can he possibly stay dry as he waters the roses, skips pebbles on the pond, and helps a blackbird with his bath? Young listeners will sympathize with Jesse's playful urge to wade in a puddle with a squirmy worm or "jump and squish and plop" with a green frog. They will definitely delight in the happy surprise ending. John McDonough's exuberant narration colorfully animates this joyous sequel to the best-selling Jesse Bear, What Will You Wear?.

When Mrs. Teaberry telephones Mr. Putter to tell him about a brilliant idea, he gets a little nervous. Besides, sometimes her ideas involve "running fast or wearing feathers." Mrs. Teaberry wants to take an afternoon train ride with Mr. Putter and their pets, Tabby and Zeke. Mrs. Teaberry hasn't ridden the train since 1938, so when they get to the train station, she is surprised to find that pets aren't allowed to ride. Now it's Mr. Putter's turn to think of a good idea.

In their 14th adventure, Mr. Putter and Tabby spend a lovely morning eating apple jam and raisin crumpets when suddenly Mr. Putter remembers it's his birthday. He decides to celebrate by inviting Mrs. Teaberry over for tea, but Mrs. Teaberry keeps calling to delay her visit. Will she make it before it is tomorrow - and someone else's birthday?

When the ferocious beast with the polka-dot hide catches a piglet, he has a tough decision to make: whether to have him on whole wheat or rye bread. But the clever piglet saves his own life when he convinces the beast that the seams on his polka-dot hide are about to burst. To save his hide, the beast agrees to let the piglet fix all of his meals. “You have to eat the foods you like the least,” the piglet tells the beast. Soon, the beast is too sick to move, and the piglet sees his chance for escape.

Life is hard for 12-year-old Lucas. First Uncle Asa dies of consumption, then Lizy and Pa. Now Mama is sick. And Lucas is the only one left to take care of her and their Connecticut farm. By the time his neighbor tells him of a strange, new cure, it is too late - Mama has just died. Reeling with sorrow, Lucas wanders until he sees a "help wanted" sign for a doctor's apprentice. He feels better while he is helping to pull teeth, visit the sick, and bury the dead.

Freddy the Pig needs a break. As editor of the Bean Home News and president of the First Animal Bank, he has no time for himself anymore. So when rich Mr. Camphor wants a summer caretaker, Freddy trots right over to apply. Soon, he's sunning himself on a houseboat, writing a bit of poetry, and even dabbling with his paint set. But Freddy's life of ease quickly comes to an end.

A series of robberies has disrupted the peaceful life at the Bean Farm. First, food disappears from The First Animal Bank. Then sheets and shirts vanish from a clothesline. By the time oats are stolen from the barn, everyone is suspicious and upset. Soon, the animals even suspect Freddy! Who, or what, is responsible for the crimes? What is the mysterious white shape in the Great Woods?

In this first part of her Gothic mystery trillogy, best-selling author Joyce Carol Oates introduces Xavier Kilgarvan, a romantic hero and amateur detective. He must discover who has murdered an innocent babe while it slept in his mother’s arms. This turn-of-the-century tale of monstrous deeds and heart-stopping suspense will leave you eagerly looking for the next Kilgarvan case.

The green leaves on the trees are changing to red and gold. A chilly wind blows from the north. Mrs. Cottontail and her littlest rabbit watch a flock of wild geese in the sky. “Cold winter days are near,” she tells him. All through the woods, creatures of every size are busy. Squirrels are storing acorns and seeds under logs. The ground hog is growing a warm fur coat. The blue bird begins his long trip south. They must hurry—soon the big snow is coming.

A vague jealousy, one of those dormant jealousies which grow up between brothers or sisters and slowly ripen till they burst, on the occasion of a marriage perhaps, or of some good fortune happening to one of them, kept them on the alert in a sort of brotherly and non-aggressive animosity. They were fond of each other, it is true, but they watched each other. Pierre, five years old when Jean was born, had looked with the eyes of a little petted animal at that other little animal which had suddenly come to lie in his father's and mother's arms and to be loved and fondled by them.

Water is leaking through the cracked basement floor of Sally’s Diner where Mr. Pin has his office. Suddenly a fish pops through the hole in the floor. Astonished, Mr. Pin drops the fish in a jar of water and hurries upstairs to show everyone his new pet. But the diner is in a state of confusion - the Chicago River is pouring into buildings all over the city! Can Mr. Pin stop the flood and save his friends? In A Fish Named Yum, Mr. Pin provides gentle lessons about friendship in two entertaining cases.