Classics Animal Stories

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.

Given as a Christmas gift to a young boy, the Velveteen Rabbit lives in the nursery with all the other toys, waiting for the day when the boy will choose the wisest resident of the nursery, who reveals the goal of all nursery toys: to be made "real" through the love of a human.

In The Adventures of 'Unc Billy Possum, 'Unc Billy is a new arrival in the Green Forest. He finds he is lonesome in his new home. His almost uncontrollable urge for fresh eggs gets him in trouble with Farmer Brown's boy, and he soon discovers that he has good friends in the Green Forest.

A Heron speaks as if he's a human being, thinking more about everything that he sees and he tries to figure out the truth about existence.

An entertaining selection of some of Potter's best loved animal tales.

Doctor John Dolittle is a physician living in England who loves animals. He acquires many animals in his small home, but the volume of animals causes his human patients to be uncomfortable and seek out other practitioners. Doctor Dolittle does the most sensible thing in that situation - learns to speak to the animals from his pet parrot and takes up veterinary medicine instead of human medicine.

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...

Increasingly alienated from his widowed father, Vernon joins his friends in ridiculing the neighborhood outcasts: Maxine, an alcoholic prone to outrageous behavior, and Ronald, her retarded son. But when a social service agency tries to put Ronald into a special home, Vernon fights against the...

Presented here are three of the most popular children's books of all time: A.A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh, Ruth Stiles Gannett's My Father's Dragon, and Hugh Lofting's The Story of Doctor Dolittle.

An enchanting collection of stories from the heartland of India Ruskin Bond’s simple characters, living amidst the lush forests of the Himalayan foothills, are remarkable for their quiet heroism, courage and grace, and age-old values of honesty and fidelity. Residents of nondescript villages...

Audrey Whitticomb has nothing to fear. Her mother is the superhero Morning Star, the most deadly crime fighter in the Twin Cities, so it's hard for Audrey not to feel safe. That is, until she's lured into the night by something human and not human—something with talons and teeth, and a wide...

In this entertaining collection, dogs of all kinds are brought to life. Working dogs, dogs who are mistreated by humans, dogs who save lives and the ones that make us laugh; they all leap and bound in stories by our most accomplished writers, including Mark Twain, Virginia Woolf, Jack London and Jerome K. Jerome.

Goldilocks is a princess so beautiful that a King falls in love with her at the mere sight of her picture; he then sends a prince to bring her back to him, so as to marry her. But the Prince, who goes by the name of Charming, will be the one winning the heart of the damsel despite himself.

Destiny and darkness collide in this romantic, sweeping new fantasy series from New York Times bestselling author Sophie Jordan, perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Leigh Bardugo. Seventeen years ago, an eclipse cloaked the kingdom of Relhok in perpetual darkness. In the chaos, an evil...

In these selections, an animal plays an important role in the action or plot of the story. The animals in these stories are real or are stand-ins for humans: Sredni Vashtar by Saki (H. H. Munro) Kholstomer, The Story of a Horse by Leo Tolstoy A Dark-Brown Dog by Stephen Crane Kashtanka by Anton Chekhov The Cat That Walked By Himself by Rudyard Kipling The Black Cat by Edgar Allan Poe The Fly by Katherine Mansfield The Boar-Pig by Saki (H. H. Munro) The Tiger Guest by Pu Songlbying Jackals and Arabs by Franz Kafka

Margery Williams' classic story about a toy rabbit who longs to become real is a treat for listeners of all ages. This full-cast performance brings this timeless tale to vibrant life.

When Black Beauty is just a foal, his mother tells him to be gentle and good, hard-working and obedient to his humans always. Beauty's first job, as carriage horse to Squire Gordon, rewards his good behavior. But when the Gordons fall on hard times, Beauty is sold to an estate whose mistress insists on the bearing rein, a device that forces a horse's head into an uncomfortable but chic position. After scarring his knees in a fall, Beauty is sold once again, to a hard life in a livery stable.

"A Horse's Tale" (1907) is a novel by Mark Twain, written against bullfighting. A classic humorous tale as told from the point of view of horse in the wild, wild west. "I am Buffalo Bill's horse. I have spent my life under his saddle - with him in it, too, and he is good for two hundred pounds, without his clothes; and there is no telling how much he does weigh when he is out on the war-path and has his batteries belted on. I am his favorite horse, out of dozens.

A young mongoose protects his human family from two murderous cobras. English Nobel laureate Kipling's best story from The Jungle Book collection, "Rikki Tikki Tavi" has been adapted many times to film and television.

Black Beauty is brought to life in this evenly paced, and easy to listen to audio drama. A subtle blend of music and sound effects immerses you into the atmosphere and many characterizations. Enjoy following the adventures of this noble young horse through a rich mix of 19th-century life in England, to happy endings in his last home.