Showing results by narrator "John McDonough" in All Categories

The old witch wants a pumpkin pie. First she plants a pumpkin seed. She weeds and waters and waits. A tiny sprout pokes through the ground, and soon a small pumpkin appears. It grows, and it grows some more. When Halloween is only hours away, the witch decides it is finally time to bake the pie. But first she must somehow pull the huge pumpkin off the vine.

Newbery medal-winner and recipient of the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award, Cynthia Rylant instills gentle humor into this cozy listen. When Mr. Putter goes outside without a hat on, he catches a cold. Tabby tries to make Mr. Putter feel better, but "colds aren't so much fun when you're old." Yet his neighbor Mrs. Teaberry and her dog Zeke know just the thing to help Mr. Putter recover.

While bird-watching in Nowhere Land, Ferocious Beast, Maggie, and Hamilton Hocks are stopped in their tracks. Before them, a most amazing sight: a rabbit struggling to dig up a carrot! "Why is that so amazing" you ask? Well, it’s the carrot of all carrots, the most enormous carrot of all time! Nedley the rabbit refuses their offer of help, even as he grows grumpier with each shovelful of dirt. Soon realizing that there is no way he can accomplish such a humongous task on his own, he accepts help.

Have you ever wondered what makes popcorn pop? One second a kernel is sitting there, tiny and hard as a rock. Next thing you know, it bursts into a fluffy and delicious snack. If you’re curious about this or any of the other mysteries surrounding us every day, then What Makes Popcorn Pop? is the audiobook for you. For example, if salt isn’t hot, then how come we use it to melt ice in the winter? Where exactly does wind come from, and how come we can’t see it? Why is the sky blue?

Karen Kingsbury, author of 24 books, has warmed the hearts of millions with her tales of miracles. Gideon's Gift captures a Christmas miracle that touches a frail young girl and a gruff homeless man.

Open your eyes to one of the greatest naturalist writers of all time with these two short stories by William H.H. Murray. These stories, featuring John Norton, the trapper, were so well loved, that Murray performed them more than 500 times, on book tours in New England and New York. Written at the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, Murray’s stories of the Adirondack wilderness of the 1860s made outdoor activities like hiking and camping popular for the first time.

A vague jealousy, one of those dormant jealousies which grow up between brothers or sisters and slowly ripen till they burst, on the occasion of a marriage perhaps, or of some good fortune happening to one of them, kept them on the alert in a sort of brotherly and non-aggressive animosity. They were fond of each other, it is true, but they watched each other. Pierre, five years old when Jean was born, had looked with the eyes of a little petted animal at that other little animal which had suddenly come to lie in his father's and mother's arms and to be loved and fondled by them.

Each year along the Eastern seacoast, the wild ponies of Assateague Island are driven across a narrow strip of ocean to Chincoteague. There the shaggy, untamed ponies are sold. When young Paul and Maureen Beebe rescue a drowning newborn foal, they take her home to nearby Pony Farm. Now the foal has grown into their free-spirited pony, Misty, and has been the subject of a popular children's book.

In this first part of her Gothic mystery trillogy, best-selling author Joyce Carol Oates introduces Xavier Kilgarvan, a romantic hero and amateur detective. He must discover who has murdered an innocent babe while it slept in his mother’s arms. This turn-of-the-century tale of monstrous deeds and heart-stopping suspense will leave you eagerly looking for the next Kilgarvan case.

Guy de Maupassant is revered for his naturalistic fiction, which brilliantly captures flesh-and-blood characters as it evokes the most telling details of everyday life. Considered one of the finest French novels ever written, Bel Ami follows journalist Georges Duroy and his increasing stature among the Paris elite. With an immense thirst for power, Georges is not above an almost gleeful use of wealthy mistresses to achieve his ends.

Hoffmann, among the greatest and most popular of the German Romantics, is renowned for his humorous and sometimes horrifying tales of supernatural beings. This selection, while stressing the variety of his work, focuses on those stories in which the real and the supernatural are brought into contact and conflict. This new translation includes The Golden Pot, The Sandman, Princess Brambilla, Master Flea, and My Cousin's Corner Window.

In Red Mutiny, Neal Bascomb turns his attention to the legendary uprising aboard the Russian battleship Potemkin in 1905. After they are served rancid meat, 600 sailors rebel. Their violent struggle against oppression and hopelessness comes to symbolize the core ideals of the Russian Revolution.

For thousands of years, the notion of dragons has struck fear in the hearts of men and women all over the world. The ancient Egyptians believed there was a dragon of darkness that attacked the sun god each day, and in Norway people thought that a dragon gnawed at the roots of the tree that sustained all life on Earth. Around the globe, dragons have been depicted as everything from massive, winged, fire-breathing creatures to beasts sporting a camel’s head, deer’s horns, rabbit’s eyes, and eagle’s claws! Dragons might hoard treasure in caves, or they might be responsible for floods and the death of livestock.

Andrew Thale is not exactly thrilled when his overbearing father sends him on an errand to assess the property inherited from an eccentric aunt. Andrew is intrigued though, when he finds the house fully occupied. Its odd and interesting residents have a calming effect on him, especially the beautiful young woman named Tarragon. But his arrival seems to have set a series of mysterious events into motion. Narrator John McDonough’s engaging performance lets you share in the excitement and camaraderie.

While civil war looms in Oz, a tetchy oracle named Yackle prepares for death. Before her final hour, a figure known as Brrr - the Cowardly Lion - arrives searching for information about Elphaba Thropp, the Wicked Witch of the West. Abandoned as a cub, his path from infancy is no Yellow Brick Road. In the wake of laws that oppress talking Animals, he avoids a jail sentence by agreeing to serve as a lackey to the warmongering Emperor of Oz.

In this delightful tale by Newbery Award winner Cynthia Rylant, Mr. Putter doesn't share Mrs. Teaberry's enthusiasm for a class on 100 ways to cook beans. And yet - finding it hard to say no to his kind friend - he attends the class with her anyhow, expecting to be bored.

The New York Times best-selling children’s author Karma Wilson has won many prizes such as the National Parenting Publications Children’s Resource Gold Award. Her story Bear Wants More is a Children’s Book-of-the-Month Club Featured Selection. It’s springtime and Bear is waking up from his winter nap. He hasn’t had any food in a long time. Bear is HUNGRY! John McDonough’s exuberant narration will be loved by all young listeners hungry for a good story.

In their 14th adventure, Mr. Putter and Tabby spend a lovely morning eating apple jam and raisin crumpets when suddenly Mr. Putter remembers it's his birthday. He decides to celebrate by inviting Mrs. Teaberry over for tea, but Mrs. Teaberry keeps calling to delay her visit. Will she make it before it is tomorrow - and someone else's birthday?

Martin Arrowsmith is fascinated by science and medicine. As a boy, he immerses himself in Gray’s Anatomy. In medical school, he soaks up knowledge from his mentor, a renowned bacteriologist. But soon he is urged to focus on politics and promotions rather than his research. Even as Martin progresses from doctor to public health official and noted pathologist, he still yearns to devote his time to pure science.

It's summertime, and Mr. Putter and Tabby are tired of being hot. Their neighbor Mrs. Teaberry and her dog Zeke are sweaty, too. Maybe a trip to the pond will cool them off. Mrs. Teaberry packs a lunch of apple tea, tomato sandwiches, and kiwi salad. Mr. Putter likes her funny food. When they get to the pond, they rent a boat and find a shady spot for a picnic. They share tall tales while they eat. Mr. Putter tells about the time he won a worm race.