Showing results by publisher "Spoken Realms" in Animal Fiction

Originally published in 1922, this classic children’s story tells the tale of a plush toy rabbit who was loved by a boy. Toys who are deeply and truly loved can become real. Listen and you will discover why one rabbit’s journey has filled hearts and captivated imaginations for 100 years. This story, told by narrator April Doty, will be played again and again at bedtime.

Many of his animal friends consider Grandfather Mole to be strange. It is not that he is strange but rather quite different from most of them. Grandfather Mole spends most of his time in his favorite place, underground. He loves digging and nature has equipped him with the body, legs, and feet to dig. Surprisingly, he can also swim quite well. Because Grandfather Mole spends so much time underground, he has very poor eyesight and hearing.

Chirpy Cricket loves to fiddle. He thinks everyone he meets should. However, as Chirpy meets other critters near Farmer Green's house, he learns that not everyone who fiddles sounds the same as he does. Along the way, he meets some strange crickets like the Mole Cricket who never comes above ground. Or the Cricket Frog who chirps like cricket but is really from the frog family. (Did you know there are over 900 species of crickets?) We also learn about some of the predators of crickets and how they hunt. But mostly, this story is about Chirpy.

Punk, the dog; Ponk, the duck; and Pink, the pig help Mrs. Tubbs after she is forced to leave her home. This charming story was written by Hugh Lofting, the Newberry Award-winning author of the Doctor Dolittle series.

Washer is a baby raccoon, who along with his brother's play together. One day Washer is playing with some sticks near a waterfall. He leans too far in and falls into the water. Luckily he is able to pull himself up onto a large branch going over the waterfall. His mother hears his cries but by then, Washer is over the falls and all raccoons fear he has perished. No raccoon has ever survived going over the falls. Washer manages to swim to shore but captured by Sneaky the Wolf and carried back to his den.

"The Tale of Ferdinand Frog" is a somewhat short story about a typical frog who has an amazingly wide mouth and queer, bulging eyes. Ferdinand is somewhat unflappable and hard to anger. Like many of Bailey's characters, he believes that others need to able to do the things he does. Like all frogs, his tongue is attached at the front so he can catch insects and Ferdinand doesn't understand why other's tongues aren't attached like his.

Androclus, a runaway Roman slave, befriends a lion with a thorn in his paw. They meet again in a Roman arena where the attraction consists of watching a lion devour a human. Gratitude is the sign of noble souls.

Farmer Brown's boy Tommy discovers an old gray stone in the pasture that magically transforms him into whatever animal he wishes to be. He shares adventures with Danny Meadow Mouse, Peter Rabbit, Old Mr. Toad, Paddy the Beaver, and others. Initially, Tommy believes that life for his furry friends is one big happy lark. But he quickly learns that life can be difficult for Mother Nature's furry creatures.

Paddy Muskrat lives in the millpond near Farmer Green's house with his wife, Mrs. Paddy Muskrat. He tends to get into trouble by saying and doing things that others do not understand, which occasionally causes problems with Mrs. Paddy. For example, when Paddy says he has fish to fry, which means he is very busy, others in the millpond interpret his words to mean it is eating fish they believe belong to them. Patty believes the millpond belongs to him and is never happy when others come to swim in it, especially Johnny Green and his friends.

Reddy Woodpecker is new to Pleasant Valley. Flying over Pleasant Valley one day, he decided to land and decided that it would be a good place for him to live. Reddy was strange to his new neighbors and some were rude and did not make him feel welcome but Reddy took it all in stride. As with all of Arthur Scott Bailey's animal stories, there are lessons to be learned about real life. For example, when Reddy met Cuffy Bear and they went hunting for grubs together, we learn about greed. Children are also introduced to new and different kinds of birds and their nesting and eating habits.

Spot is a farm dog. His master is Johnny Green, son of Farmer and Mrs. Green. As with many dogs, Spot manages to get into his share of scrapes. He has run-ins with some of the farm animals, most notably Miss Kitty Cat. Miss Kitty Cat and Spot have their battles, and Spot has the scars on his nose to prove it. Miss Kitty Cat would be happy if Spot were not on the farm at all. Henrietta Hen and Turkey Proudfoot are also not very fond of Spot. Spot wants to be included in most of the Green family's activities, and this leads to some interesting problems for them and Spot.

Solomon Owl lives in Pleasant Valley. As with most owls, he is a loner. He doesn't have many friends and instead, often sees others smaller than him as food rather than friends. We discover how Solomon deals with other animals in the Pleasant Valley woods such as Mr. Frog the Tailor, Cousin Screecher, Fatty Coon, Mr. Crow, noisy Jasper Jay, and Aunt Polly Woodchuck the herb doctor. The characters in Bailey's books can be grumpy and predatory and will bite when aroused. Traditional virtues - honesty, reliability, loyalty, perseverance - are encouraged and rewarded.

Mr. Jeremy Fisher, an adventurous frog, decides to go fishing in the rain at a nearby pond, hoping to catch some minnows to share with his friends, Mr. Alderman Ptolemy Tortoise and Sir Issac Newton. What he catches instead nearly finishes him.

The sequel to Beatrix Potter's The Tale of Peter Rabbit. Peter Rabbit's cousin, Benjamin Bunny, takes Peter on an adventure to retrieve Peter's shoes and coat from Mr. McGregor's garden scarecrow. As they try to accomplish this, they encounter a cat and Benjamin's father.

Beatrix Potter's delightful retelling of the famous Aesop fable. In Potter's version, little Timmy Willie, a country mouse, accidentally hops a ride into town in a vegetable hamper. There he meets Johnny Town-Mouse, a sophisticated city resident, and all his friends. Adjusting to the great differences between his home life and the city living conditions proves challenging for little Timmy Willie. Adjusting is similarly challenging when Johnny Town-Mouse comes to visit Timmy Willie in the country.

Beatrix Potter's first storybook and an immediate success. Peter Rabbit is the naughty little son of Mrs. Rabbit and his sisters, Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cottontail. Ignoring his mother's orders, Peter invades Mr. McGregor's garden. Soon Mr. McGregor spots him and the chase is on. Will Peter escape with his clothes or even his life?

Several of Beatrix Potter's most famous animal tales together with some lesser known but thoroughly delightful ones. One is Potter's version of a famous Aesop fable. Three feature Peter Rabbit and his cousin, Benjamin Bunny. All take the listener on adventures in natural settings, as well as urban ones.

This charming tale has been enchanting children worldwide for many generations. Brought to life with clear articulation and a beautiful guitar, everyone will enjoy this updated creation. Music composed and played by award-winning acoustic guitarist Will McNicol.

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.

Mother West Wind's Animal Friends is the first in the series of Mother West Wind books by Thornton W. Burgess. In this book, we learn about the Merry Little Breezes of Mother West Wind, are introduced to Prickly Porky, and discover that Peter Rabbit tends to get into more trouble than he should. We also get more of Grandfather Frog's "when the world was young" fables. Like all Thornton Burgess books, there are good moral lessons for young readers and listeners. Each story is about five to 10 minutes in length which makes them ideal bedtime stories.