Following Sterling's spectacularly successful launch of its children's classic novels (240,000 books in print to date),comes a dazzling new series: 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.
Black Beauty is the classic horse story, a beautiful and touching tale told by the title character himself. Set in Victorian London, it follows Beauty's life and changing fortunes as he moves from owner to owner. As the horse encounters new experiences and new friends who reveal their own histories, the story quietly paints a fascinating portrait of how animals were treated during that era.
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Told from the perspective of a horse, Black Beauty (1877) dives into the topic of animal rights like no other novel. Black Beauty is raised by a caring mother on an idyllic farm, not knowing that he will never be as free again. Tossed from owner to owner, he encounters mistreatment in many forms, but luckily, his journey is not without love either. Being herself an invalid, author Anna Sewell (1820-1878) seemed particularly aware of the importance of kindness toward all living creatures. She wrote Black Beauty – her only novel – in the final years of her life, and lived just long enough to see its positive reception. In the years after her death, Black Beauty would become the foundation for change in horse welfare in both England and the US.
The adventures of Black Beauty is a story that few of us will forget and one that deserves the popularity it has known through many generations.
Black Beauty is the autobiography of a courageous horse who was often badly mistreated. When first published, it was an immediate success. Anna Sewell died knowing that her book had indeed encouraged people to treat animals less cruelly.
Anna Sewell was born in Yarmouth, England in 1820. When she was fourteen she sprained her ankle running down a steep road. She was never able to walk upright again, but she could still ride the horses she loved so much. A friend said that Anna didn't use the reins, but would guide the horses by talking to them. When she was fifty, Anna was confined to bed and it was while she was bed-ridden that she wrote Black Beauty 'to induce kindness, sympathy, and an understanding treatment of horses.' She died in 1878 at the age of fifty- eight, one year after Black Beauty, her only book, was published.
Kate Redding is an accomplished actress and narrator, having narrated hundreds of books. In this wonderful narration she lets us know that Black Beauty is one of her favorite children's stories.
This classic story follow Black Beauty through his many owners—some good but mostly bad until Black Beauty is retired to the home of his original groom.
Black Beauty: His Grooms and Companions, the Autobiography of a Horse is an 1877 novel by English author Anna Sewell. It was composed in the last years of her life, during which she was bedridden and seriously ill. The novel became an immediate best-seller, with Sewell dying just five months after its publication, but having lived long enough to see her only novel become a success. With fifty million copies sold, Black Beauty is one of the best-selling books of all time.
While forthrightly teaching animal welfare, it also teaches how to treat people with kindness, sympathy, and respect. In 2003, the novel was listed at number 58 on the BBC's survey The Big Read. It is seen as a forerunner of the pony book.
Una aventura de Roald Dahl, el gran autor de la literatura infantil.
Billy vive en una casita cerca de un misterioso bosque al que su madre le ha prohibido acercarse. Pero, un día, decide explorarlo por su cuenta.
¿Qué pasará? ¿Estará el bosque repleto de terribles monstruos y bestias salvajes, o descubrirá un mundo maravilloso?
Penguin presents the audiobook edition Billy and the Minpins by Roald Dahl, read by Bill Bailey.
Billy's mum says he must never go out through the garden gate and explore the dark forest beyond. So, one day, that's exactly what he does! There he meets the Minpins, tiny tree-dwelling people whose children are the size of matchsticks. They live in fear of the terrible, galloping GRUNCHER. Will it gobble Billy too - or can he find a way to defeat the hungry beast?
''Oh, this indigent family of ours! I certainly must bestir myself and do something to support it,' said Betty Baird, airily, to her mother, yet looking determined, and straightening herself up among the cushions piled high on the broad window-seat in her room.'
Betty is back home with her parents on Long Islands, when she discovers her father is struggling to pay back the mortgage. She decides to help. But can a young girl in 1907 earn enough money to make a difference? And does Betty have the spirit and determination to stick with her plans, even when others try to discourage her?
The audiobook version of this novel is narrated by Holly Jenson, the author great grand niece.
Betty Baird, the daughter of Doctor Baird, a Presbyterian minister of the village of Weston, is sent away to the Pines, a boarding school. At first, she is ridiculed by the more popular, and wealthier girls. But soon, Betty charms them with her unique and captivating personality, and she and her new friends go on many lighthearted adventures.
This is the first volume in Anna Hamlin Weikel’s Betty Baird series, which was extremely popular among young girl in the early 1900s.
The audiobook version of this novel is narrated by Holly Jenson, the author's great grand niece.
Carolyn Haywood's Betsy series has become a timeless classic. She cleverly depicts amusing situations in which children develop lasting relationships including the fourth-grade adventures of Betsy and Billy. The boys decide to form a football team, but they have a big problem-no football! And, they have no money to buy one. They don't want any girls on the team, but Betsy has a plan for changing their minds. The team is pretty desperate, but Betsy saves the game. Through it all, Betsy and Billy remain the best of friends.
Discover Slavic culture with two ancient tales from the Eastern European world. The Twelve Months is a story about persistence, not unlike our Cinderilla, but set in a fantastic world where seasons are all and winter, deadly. The Two Brothers is a tale about justice in a world where money corrupts easily. Enjoy these ancient tales from a faraway land, recorded by the best storytellers in a warm and lively way.
Discover Slavic culture with two ancient tales from the Eastern European world. The Twelve Months is a story about persistence, not unlike our Cinderilla, but set in a fantastic world where seasons are all and winter, deadly. The Two Brothers is a tale about justice in a world where money corrupts easily. Enjoy these ancient tales from a faraway land, recorded by the best storytellers in a warm and lively way.
