Classic Animal

The fourteen stories gathered here, which have appeared in The New Yorker, GQ, Harper's, McSweeney's, and Playboy, as well as in The O. Henry Prize Stories and Best American Stories volumes, display T. C. Boyle's imaginative muscle, emotional sensitivity and astonishing range. There are the...

Since 1903, the escapades of Mole, his friend Water Rat, shy Badger, and Toad of Toad Hall have delighted children, and adults, too. Follow the winning foursome through the seasons as they sail the river, get lost in the Wild Wood, take off on a merry adventure in Toad's colorful carriage, and rescue Toad Hall from a band of nasty marauding weasels.

For centuries, children and adults have treasured the stories handed down by Aesop, a slave who lived in ancient Greece approximately six centuries B.C. Known for their charm and simplicity, these simple tales feature brief adventures of animals, birds, and beasts - with a message hidden in each narrative. Every child should meet up with "The Hare and the Tortoise", "The Ants and the Grasshopper", "The Goose and the Golden Egg", "The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing", and other characters.

Animal lovers of all ages will cherish this memorable story. Perhaps the most celebrated animal story of the 19th century, Black Beauty is the suspenseful and deeply moving account of a horse's experiences at the hands of many owners - some, sensitive riders who treated him gently; others, cruel drivers who thoughtlessly inflicted lasting damage.

Clifford has a good heart, but whenever he tries to do good deeds for others, they always seem to backfire. After many failed attempts, Clifford gives up and goes home. But on the way back, he manages to save two children from a burning house, and then put out the fire. Finally, Clifford is a hero!

She was about twenty, with long blond hair, and her body was found a few days after she fell from the cliffs to her death on the rocks below. No one identified her; no one reported a missing girl. All the police knew was her rough age, that she’d had a child recently, and that she was very...

Officer Buckle knows more about safety than anyone in the town of Napville. But whenever he tries to share his safety tips, nobody listens - until the day the Napville Police Department buys a police dog named Gloria, who has her own way of demonstrating safety tips.

To keep from being eaten, a resourceful inchworm measures a robin's tail, a flamingo's neck, a toucan's beak, a heron's legs, and a nightingale's song.

A moving musical score helps bring to life this unforgettable story from Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book.

First published in 1908, The Wind in the Willows is a children's novel by Kenneth Grahame. Alternately slow moving and fast-paced, it focuses on the friendship between four animals in a pastoral version of Edwardian England. The novel is notable for its mixture of mysticism, adventure, morality, and camaraderie, and celebrated for its evocation of the nature of the Thames Valley.

Doctor Dolittle, a little, lovable, old doctor, has so many animal pets spread throughout his house and garden that patients will not come to him anymore. As a result, he becomes poorer and poorer. But he occupies nearly all of his time as the animals' doctor, and soon discovers that he can talk to the animals; Jip the dog, Dab Dab the duck, and Polynesia the parrot.

Come on a merry adventure down the jolly highway! Join the unquenchable Toad, the kindly Mole, the steadfast Water Rat, and the irascible Badger in their spectacularly charming adventures along the waterfront. Each character is brought to life in this enchanting presentation of Kenneth Grahame’s seminal work of fantasy fiction. Don’t miss it!

A brilliant collection of bestselling stories from Julia Donaldson and friends. Read aloud by stars Alexander Armstrong, Floella Benjamin, Noma Dumezweni, Justin Fletcher, Lauren Laverne and Imelda Staunton. Perfect for listening to at home, in the car, at bedtime or any time at all! Help solve...

When barbarians invade Rome, Miranda the cat and her daughter Punka must find a safe place to hide from the chaos. They make their way through the burning city, collecting motherless kittens as they go. At last they reach the Colosseum, but even there, danger lurks! How these fortunate felines survive to become the noble ancestors of the cats of modern Rome is all due to the cleverness of the cat they come to call Miranda the Great, Queen of the Colosseum!

Winnie-the-Pooh is a classic installment in the lives of children. Join Winnie, Christopher Robin, and all of their friends as they have a run-in with a Woozle, search for Eeyore's lost tail, and meet a Heffalump!

No thanks to his naughty cat Simpkin, the tailor of Gloucester has no more twisted silk thread to finish the coat he has promised the mayor for his wedding on Christmas day. With the help of some special friends, the tailor finds that a kind favor is returned.

Established early in the last century as a memorial to O. Henry, this annual collection has consistently offered a remarkable sampling of contemporary short stories. Each year stories are chosen from large and small literary magazines and a panel of distinguished writers is enlisted to award the...

It rains and it rains and it rains … and the woods begin to flood. Piglet is trapped in his tree house, and it is up to Pooh to rescue him.

Five tales which range from the jungles of India to the frozen emptiness of the North... In all of them, Kipling's extraordinary powers of description and ability to identify with human aspiration and animal survival are vividly shown. Rikki-Tikki-Tavi must battle with Nag, the cobra, in his territory; Toomai has a unique glimpse of the elephant world, Kotick, the White Seal, searches for sanctuary, while Kotuko has to find food for his starving Eskimo village. Above all, Kipling's love of life in all its variety shines through.

The three bears learn a valuable lesson about locking their door. They take a stroll while their breakfast cools, and return to find an intruder has been there - an intruder with little golden curls and very bad manners.