Showing results by narrator "Rebecca A. Reynolds" in All Categories

“To help mother”: that was the goal of each and every one of the five Pepper children. Yet even as “Mamsie” struggles hard to feed and educate her brood, she still manages to fill the house with joy. The adventures of this poor but loving family - Ben, Polly, Joel, Davie, and the adored youngest, Phronsie - have charmed young listeners for more than a century. Overflowing with warmth, suspense, and many delightful surprises, this classic remains as compelling as ever.

Here come the animals! From Rudyard Kipling’s most popular Just-So Stories to Jack London’s “Brown Wolf”, this collection features some of the best-loved animal tales of all time. They include Kipling’s “How the Elephant Got His Trunk”; Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Wild Swans”; Mark Twain’s “A Dog’s Tale”; Harriet Beecher Stowe’s “The Squirrels That Live in a House”, and more.

One boy, penniless and in rags, forced to beg in the street. The other, a king's son, coddled and given all he could want. What happens when the two boys change clothes and places, and each one learns how the other half lives? Mark Twain's satirical and suspenseful novel about the thin line that separates prince and pauper is a perennial favorite.

"Once you start looking for the happy things, you don't think about the bad ones as much." That's the joyful way Pollyanna sees the world: No matter what happens, she plays her "Just Be Glad" game and finds the sunny side of any situation. But when she's orphaned and forced to live with her rigid Aunt Polly, will high-spirited Pollyanna succeed in melting her aunt's cold heart?

Mischievous, lazy, and full of tricks, the puppet Pinocchio causes trouble for his creator, Geppetto, almost as soon as he comes to life. Yet, more than anything, this naughty and playful creature wants to become a real boy. To make his dreams come true, he must prove himself worthy. Come along on Pinocchio's amazing journey as he learns - the hard way - what it means to be honest, kind, and, above all, human.

After a thousand years of war, the Mishnese and Karupta have made peace by wedding the Mishnese princess royal to the Karupta crown prince. Their son whose birth was foretold 10 centuries ago is destined to rule the entire planet and end the wars forever. But the princess and the baby have died during childbirth or so it was said. In the meantime, a strange half-breed infant boy is left at an orphanage with a purse full of gold coins.

Mary Shelley’s tragic story of a scientist who created a monster is perhaps even more compelling and meaningful today than when it was written nearly two centuries ago. From the bits and pieces of dead bodies, and the power of electricity, the brilliant Victor Frankenstein fashions a new form of life—only to discover, too late, the irreparable damage he has caused.

Dracula, that compelling creature of the night, continues his neck-biting ways in a version of the novel that children will devour. Moving from Transylvania to London, the timeless vampire serves up thrills and chills as he imprisons and terrorizes the innocent Jonathan Harker, and then goes after his fiancée, Mina, and her friend, Lucy. From creepy, insect-eating Renfield to Dr. Van Helsing - who valiantly fights Dracula’s evil - the characters and drama are spellbinding.

Classic Starts: The stories are abridged; the quality is complete. Classic Starts treats the world's beloved tales (and children) with the respect they deserve. Here is the ultimate dog story, one filled with emotion, adventure, and excitement. During the Gold Rush, Buck is snatched away from his peaceful home and brought to the harsh and bitter Yukon to become a sled dog. Will he adapt, and learn to trust men?

“All children grow up. All except one.” That special child is Peter Pan, and since making his debut on the stage in 1904, this eternal youth has carried boys and girls off to magical, marvelous Neverland. It’s a trip that all kids want to make, and with this easy-to-understand version of the classic, everyone can fly “second to the right, and straight on till morning” with Peter. Along with Wendy, John, and Michael Darling, they’ll meet the fairy Tinkerbell, the Lost Boys, and the menacing Captain Hook.

Lucy Maud Montgomery's classic tale, with its engaging heroine and evocative description of the Prince Edward Island landscape, never fails to delight youngsters. When Matthew Cuthbert goes to the train station to pick up the orphan he and his sister Marilla plan to adopt, he expects to meet a boy who can help on the family farm. Instead it's Anne - a talkative, dreamy, red-haired, freckle-faced 11-year-old little girl who transforms the Cuthberts' life forever and fills it with love and joy.

Poor Sara Crewe. Once upon a time her beloved father pampered and adored her. But ever since he died, leaving her alone and penniless, she's been caught in the cruel clutches of Miss Minchin, the headmistress at the Select Seminary for Young Ladies, where Sara once studied. But no matter how terrible things get, Sara always has her imagination and goodness of heart to carry her through. This timeless tale of a poor orphan has won children's hearts for a century - and continues to be a favorite.

Not often thought of as a romantic, Poe nonetheless captured the beauty of love in many of his works. In this collection, Poe offers his short poem, aptly titled, "Romance", followed by three short stories, "Morella", "Eleonora", and "Ligeia", ending with the poem, "Annabel Lee".

When Heidi's Aunt Dete brings the orphaned girl to live with her grandfather, no one can imagine the bitter, solitary old man caring for a child. But, to everyone's surprise, the two grow to love each other - and Heidi blossoms in her new home. Johanna Spyri's charming story - and spirited heroine - have won children's hearts for more than a century.