Classic Childrens Literature

Russell Tovey reads the story of the handsome and spirited horse, Black Beauty. 'I hope you will grow up gentle and good, and never learn bad ways; do your work with a good will, lift your feet up well when you trot, and never bite or kick...' So says Black Beauty's mother when he is a very young colt, and he never forgets her advice. This is the story of the horse's adventures and the disappointments and joys that surround him, from his carefree early days on an English farm with his mother, to his difficult life pulling cabs in London and finally his happy retirement in the country.

Have you ever wished that instead of having to do your chores all by yourself, someone - or something - would help you get them done faster? That's exactly the way the sorcerer's apprentice felt one day when the sorcerer left him all alone to clean the castle - so he tried to do some magic of his own and ended up in a bubbly mess! Ultimately, the young apprentice found that passion and hard work, tempered with patience and discipline, can make the most magical dreams come true.

Frank tends the garbage heap in the monster realm, just on the other side of the human world. In his spare time, he builds inventions out of garbage scraps. One of his inventions is of a human-inspired robot, with a stained T-shirt as the body. But Frank can’t seem to get the robot to work. One strange night, a bolt of lightning transforms the invention into a real human child!

Recently orphaned, young Rose Campbell is sent to the "Aunt Hill", where Uncle Alex, her six aunts, and seven boy cousins live in noisy confusion. It is nothing like the quiet girls’ boarding school that has been Rose’s home for the past year. Surrounded by a bewildering array of pets, relatives, and unfamiliar foods, the fragile girl wonders if she will ever get used to this new life. Fortunately, Uncle Alex is her guardian. He keeps the aunts from coddling her too much, and makes sure that she has plenty of time to play outside with her cousins.

“Something good” is exactly what Tyya, Andrew and Julie want to put into their shopping cart. Tyya’s dad won’t buy anything good at the store—no ice cream, no candy, no cookies. But when the saleslady puts a price sticker on Tyya’s nose, Daddy is finally forced to buy something good.

When Jule Ann goes outside in her brand-new clothes, a mud puddle jumps on her and gets her completely dirty. The mud gets in her ears, eyes, and even her mouth. Jule Ann’s mother scrubs her clean and puts her in new clothes, but every time Jule Ann ventures out, the mud puddle finds her and pounces. Finally, Jule Ann has had enough: clutching two bars of smelly yellow soap, she heads outside one more time....

Young Huck is an industrious, fiercely independent boy who escapes his abusive, drunken father and sets out on an unforgettable journey down the Mississippi River. Enjoying his freedom, he befriends a kindhearted slave named Jim, whose suffering teaches Huck powerful lessons about racism, personal liberty, and the complexities of life.

"Last stop! Everybody out!" Jonathan is trying not to make a mess, but someone has put a subway station in his apartment. So Jonathan goes to City Hall to fix the computer.

Join Mr Phileas Fogg and his loyal servant Passepartout as they race across the globe to win a daring bet in just 80 days.

As a boy, every Christmas Eve, my Scottish father, Big Don, introduced my brothers, sister and I to the spirit of Santa Claus by reading aloud "'Twas the Night Before Christmas". Inspired by this wonderous experience as a child, I have continued this family tradition by reading it to my own lovely children. I am forever grateful to Big Don for sharing his incredible gift for storytelling and hope that in some small way I may inspire your children to awaken their belief in Santa through my reading of this classic Christmas poem, written in 1822. Happy Christmas to you all!

From the renowned author Jack London comes two classic adventure stories about primitivism, nature, and early 20th-century life. Seen through the eyes of two dogs, their stories are distinct yet share similarities, and they have cemented London as a literary genius and writer. Including complex themes such as morality and redemption, Jack London’s classic works have stood the test of time and remain central examples of literary fiction, a must-hear for anyone interested in the brilliant works of the past.

Set 10 years after Little Men, Jo's Boys revisits Plumfield, the New England school still presided over by Jo and her husband, Professor Bhaer. Jo's Boys — including sailor Emil, promising musician Nat, and rebellious Dan — are grown. Jo remains at the center of this tale, holding her boys fast through shipwreck and storm, disappointment...and even murder.

None of the kids in her class wear a ponytail, so Stephanie decides she must have one. The loud, unanimous comment from her classmates is: “Ugly, ugly, very ugly.” Steadfast, when all the girls have copied her ponytail, she resolves to try a new style. With true Munsch flair, each of Stephanie’s ponytails is more outrageous than the last, while the cast of copycats grows and grows.

Harry Gruber plays the role of Scrooge in his school's production of A Christmas Carol, and he is extra nervous about tonight's performance because his father is in the audience - not away for business, as usual. Will the story's message of Christmas cheer and the redemptive power of love reach his father's distracted Scrooge heart?

Peter Jeffrey reads three of Rudyard Kipling's original classic short stories. Abandoned in the Indian jungle and rescued by a wolf pack, the man-cub Mowgli is educated in the ways of the jungle by Akela the Wolf, Baloo the Bear, Bagheera the Black Panther and Kaa the big Rock Python. They teach him to hunt and protect him from Shere Khan, the ever-present Bengal Tiger. As Mowgli grows up, the powers of pack leader Akela wane and Shere Khan persuades the younger wolves to attack the man-cub.

Anne Shirley’s adventures continue with new friends and a new setting as she fulfills her lifelong dream of attending college. Phillipa Gordon, Aunt Jamesina, Roy Gardner, a houseful of cats, and others become beloved friends. Through both wonderful and painful years at Redmond, Anne comes to an important realization about love that changes the course of her life.

Twain's classic tale of a young boy and his runaway slave friend, Jim, is still one of the best novels about human nature ever written. Readers will delight in the many wonderful episodes, including a deadly feud, the comic grumblings of the Duke and the King and Tom Sawyer's grand scheme to rescue Jim from captivity.

Part lawman, part tracker and part magician, the Wardens are monster-hunters - tasked with protecting the people from the various, nightmarish creatures that have invaded the world of men. However, despite being descended from a long line of Wardens, 16-year-old Errol Magnus believes it to be the absolute worst job on the planet: How could a single occupation simultaneously be the most boring, abominably stupid, and extraordinarily dangerous profession imaginable?

Beatrix Potter's amazing universe of animals dressed in human clothing has taught and entertained children for over a century. This volume brings together 21 of Potter's tales and verses in one audiobook. Hear Peter Rabbit outwit old Mr. McGregor, and Squirrel Nutkin come within a tail's length of being an owl's dinner. Listen as a family of mice save the kind tailor of Gloucester, and as Peter and Benjamin Bunny battle a barn cat. Learn how one fierce rabbit is set on the road to honesty.

In this, the second book in the series, the heart-stopping adventures of the Black Stallion continue as Alec discovers that two men are after the Black. One claims to be the Black's rightful owner, and one is trying to kill the beautiful steed. An Arab chieftain proves his ownership of the Black and takes him away, but Alec is determined to find his horse again. Following the pair to Arabia, Alec encounters great evil and intrigue, as only a horse as spectacular as the Black could inspire.