Henry and his slobbering dog Mudge are visiting Great-Grandpa Bill, who lives in a house with lots of other grandpas. Henry likes the grandpas because they play checkers and rock in rocking chairs. Mudge likes them because they feed him mint candies. When Henry and Mudge leave the house to go exploring, they find a beautiful swimming pond. They come back to let everybody know, and soon all the grandpas want to go swimming. Henry's father says, "We'll have to go in our Skivvies." Before long they are all enjoying a nice day of swimming in their underwear! Henry and Mudge and the Great Grandpas won the first-ever Theodor Seuss Geisel Award for a distinguished beginning reader book. Newbery Medalist Cynthia Rylant has charmed countless children-and their parents-with this gently humorous series, and Recorded Books offers a large selection of Henry and Mudge's tales.
Ophie Peeler has always considered herself to be a Dorothy type, a girl destined for a glamorous adventure. . .someday. . .somehow. . .somewhere. And her life in fun and sunny California seemed to have an Oz-like magic. She was in every play, she sang "Over the Rainbow" to a packed school auditorium, and she had Lizzy, the best best friend ever.
But now Ophie has moved to Oregon. No glamour, no magic, and no Lizzy. Just this weird girl, Brittany Borg, who seems to have stuck herself to Ophie (and who calls her "Hey, Peeler"!).
Why oh why can't life ever be like it is in the movies?
Travis Tacey is in a peck of trouble. His mother is hospitalized from a serious accident and his father, lost in a haze of grief, has focused his anger and guilt on his oldest son. Which is why, at age fourteen, Travis finds himself out of a home and on the road in New York State's Adirondack Mountains.
With no more than a few dollars, a change of clothes, and his great-great-great grandfather's guitar, Travis wonders how he is going to survive. But the world is not always cruel, as Travis discovers when he is befriended by guitar-maker Scott McKissack and realizes that with luck, and music, he might even be able to reunite his shattered family.
Richly populated with vivid and endearing characters, resonating with a love of music, this recording of MJ Auch's novel will speak (and sing) directly to the hearts of listeners of all ages.
Alexander McCall Smith, New York Times best-selling author of the acclaimed #1 Ladies' Detective Agency) series, captures the hearts and imaginations of young listeners with the unique and tender tale of Akimbo and his lion, Simba. When Akimbo and his park ranger father accidentally capture a lion cub, Akimbo decides to name it Simba and care for it. The two soon become inseparable. But when Simba grows too big, Akimbo must make the right choice for his wild friend. "Akimbo emerges as a brave, caring protagonist who faces dilemmas and danger in the service of the animals and people he loves."-Booklist
When Billy Pickles' dad leaves home to live in New York, he gives Billy a moneybox. Billy's not sure where to put in the money, and not sure why his dad has left.
Then Billy goes to New York to visit his father and his Italian grandmother, and discovers the secret of his magic moneybox. In a wonderful adventure, he takes Mighty Mamma on a helicopter ride, cracks open a safe, solves a kidnap mystery - and gets to know his dad again.
Read by Andrew Sachs
(P)2004 Orion Publishing Group.Ltd
Josie Jenkins, aged eight and three quarters, can do a few tricks, but she astonishes herself and everyone else when she finds she can lift a table, a car and even a bus with no effort at all. Josie becomes famous, and Mr Two Suit sweeps in with a contract and swoops the whole family off to New York. How Josie copes with fame and fortune, and with the loss of it when she wakes up one day to find she can't do her trick any more, makes a story of enormous charm, with a tiny, modest and sensible heroine you have to cheer for.
Read by Emilia Fox
(P)2004 Orion Publishing Group.Ltd
One day the Fat Fairy turns up at Thomas Top's house to grant him a birthday wish. Thomas can't think what to ask for, so he wishes he could fly. That's how Thomas goes from being just an ordinary boy whom no one notices to being the most popular boy in the school. But it makes him sad that grown-ups can't see the wonderful things he can do. His flying gets him suspended from school, and that makes life at home much worse, because his dad gets so cross and it makes his mum miserable. But then the Fat Fairy turns up again, and with help from her and Thomas's new friend Mr Vinnie, a retired painter and decorator who has been flying since he was Thomas's age, everything changes.
This is an enchanting story in which an unconfident child discovers a special gift that brings him joy and heartache. The magic of the words, the humour and poignancy of the story and the wonderful characters, are all enhanced by the author's own delightful drawings.
Read by Andrew Sachs
(P)2004 Orion Publishing Group Ltd
When his parents are lost in space, Sam is left, heartbroken, in the care of the horrible Hilda Hardbottom. Then he finds a tiny spaceship in the cabbage patch and meets a little alien called Splodge. How Splodge makes him invisible, and how Sam uses his new talent in his darkest hour, makes a touching and extremely funny story with lovely memorable characters.
Read by Andrew Sachs
(P)2004 Orion Publishing Group.Ltd
Ruby Genie is an orphan. Everyone expects her to have the same fantastic magical powers as her famous parents did, but Ruby can't do any magic at all - or so she thinks. and feels a complete failure. Then she begins to get smaller . . . and smaller . . . and smaller.
With a cast of unforgettable characters such as the self-important magician the Great Alfonso, and Aunt Hat the kindly lady conjuror who is hopeless at doing tricks, this wonderful story is full of adventure and shows how a little girl who is so tiny that she fits into a handbag can still be clever and brave and find people to love and value her.
Read by Emilia Fox
(P)2004 Orion Publishing Group.Ltd
It is Midsummer's Eve. Blossom, the Royal Dressmaker, and her assistants Nightwing, Fancy, Trip and Pod are hard at work making the Fairy Queen's new dress for the Midsummer Ball. To pass the time, they take turns telling stories - stories no human child has heard before:
* The Seahorse and the Kelpie King
* When I was a Tooth Fairy
* Princess Curly Long Locks
* The Shoemaker and the Robber Elves
* One Pumpkin, Five Dears and Three Good Wishes
(P)2004 Orion Publishing Group.Ltd
Fourteen-year-olds Elliot and Vincent live worlds apart, but both dream of a better life. Learning to run the Montana ranch that he will some day inherit, Elliot dreams of being an astronaut. In Africa, Vincent must deny his thirst for knowledge of the world beyond his village in order to become a Masai warrior. Forced to quit school, his only link to the outside world is a short wave radio. The boys find each other when NASA chooses Elliot to be its first Junior Astronaut. As Elliot hurtles through space over Africa, Vincent picks him up on the short wave radio. At first their communications, monitored by the news media, are fraught with misunderstanding. But as they learn about each other's culture, their friendship captures the world's attention and promises hope for the future. George Guidall's narrative expertise instantly gets listeners involved in this fast-paced coming-of-age tale. They are sure to absorb its inspiring message about the value of communication among cultures.
First published in 1984, a picture book in which the Little Mouse will do all he can to save his strawberry from the Big, Hungry Bear, even if it means sharing it with the reader. The Little Mouse and the Big Hungry Bear are known and loved by millions of children around the world. Little Mouse loves strawberries, but so does the bear... How will Little Mouse stop the bear from eating his freshly picked, red, ripe strawberry.
A Child's Play audio production.
