Classic Adaptation

Geoffrey Chaucer, born around 1340, was the first great English poet. The immense popularity of the "Canterbury Tales" is shown by the number of manuscript copies still in existence. It was one of the first books printed in England. The vividness with which the author describes scenes and events and people, as if he had them before his eyes, is one of his greatest charms as a writer. Those who know him best, place him second only to Shakespeare as a writer of delightful English.

On the birth of Princess Aurora, an evil fairy places a curse on her and declares that before the sun sets on her 16th birthday, she will die by pricking her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel. To protect her from the evil spell, the king agrees to place Aurora in the care of three spirited good fairies who live in a cottage in the woods. One of the fairies conjures a spell so Aurora will fall into a deep sleep instead, to be awakened only by a kiss from her true love.

Three theatrical adaptations of ancient stories: Agamemnon A queen, her son, and his teacher await the return of their king after ten years of brutal war. Gilgamesh The oldest story in the world, in which a king finds and loses a great friend, and then sets off in search of an answer to the question of eternal life. The Golem In 17th-century Prague, a rabbi and his family turn to ancient mysticism in a desperate attempt to protect their community from approaching violence.

This sparkling sequel to the beloved Little Women follows the grown-up and married Jo, mistress of Plumfield, a school for boys (and a few girls, too). The fun begins with a new arrival, Nat Blake; it is through his eyes that we first meet Plumfield’s lively residents and experience the cheerful confusion that reigns in the welcoming home. Fans of the first book will happily greet these wonderful characters...and renew their acquaintance with such old favorites as Laurie and Meg.

What if Edgar Allan Poe's masterpieces happened in our world? Step into five chilling retellings that transport Poe's most terrifying tales into the 21st century, where ancient horrors take on frightening new forms. From sterile hospital corridors to corporate boardrooms, from contaminated mansions to digital graveyards, these stories prove that the human capacity for guilt, obsession, and revenge transcends any era. "The Monitor" - A night-shift nurse's paranoia spirals into murder, where the tell-tale heart becomes the relentless beeping of medical equipment, and guilt echoes through ...

Paul Bunyan, Pecos Bill, and Davy Crockett are some of the roughest, toughest characters to ever blaze the frontier. Clever as the crack of a whip and strong as a wildcat, these tall-tale heroes each left a legacy of larger-than-life deeds that has captured the American imagination for over a century. Three rib-tickling tracks tell the whole story -- believe it or not.

At 17, Anna K is at the top of Manhattan and Greenwich society (even if she prefers the company of her horses and dogs); she has the perfect (if perfectly boring) boyfriend, Alexander W.; and she has always made her Korean-American father proud (even if he can be a little controlling). Meanwhile, Anna's brother, Steven, and his girlfriend, Lolly, are trying to weather a sexting scandal.

The Secret Garden Revisited is a reimagining of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s children’s novel. Burnett’s book tells the story of Mary, a young, privileged girl living in India who is orphaned when her parents die. On her uncle’s estate in England, she discovers a sickly boy and a secret garden. Frances Hodgson Burnett’s book and my adaptation appeals to its audience in different ways. The Secret Garden's theme is a child’s search for happiness. Secondary themes include child neglect, the power of hope and love amid death. Friendship, self-reliance, and coming-of-age challenges in ...

Award-winning narrator and comedienne Alison Larkin brings A. A. Milne’s beloved book of poetry, When We Were Very Young, to a new American audience. Exclusively for this Audible edition, the poems are followed by chapter one from Larkin's acclaimed audiobook recording of Winnie-the-Pooh, by A. A. Milne.

The story of noble Black Beauty is one of the most popular children's books of all time. In this sensitive children's adaptation, Beauty movingly describes the friends, people, and places - good and bad - that he encounters in the course of his dramatic life as he is passed from master to master.

DK Audio presents the beautifully adapted and sound-designed audiobook of J. M. Barrie's Peter Pan, the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up. Originally introduced in 1902 in another Barrie novel, The Little White Bird, Peter's story was expanded as a stand-alone novel in 1911 and since then has been memorably adapted for the movies, for television, and for the stage. Retold from the original by Michael Johnstone.

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.

This is the story of unlikely heroine Ophelia Jane Worthington-Whittard who doesn't believe in anything that can't be proven by science. She and her sister Alice are still grieving for their dead mother when their father takes a job in a strange museum in a city where it always snows. On her very first day in the museum Ophelia discovers a boy locked away in a long forgotten room. He is a prisoner of Her Majesty, the Snow Queen. And he has been waiting for Ophelia's help. As Ophelia embarks on an incredible journey to rescue the boy everything that she believes will be tested.

The Great Reawakening did not come quietly. Across the country and in every nation, people began to develop terrifying powers - summoning storms, raising the dead, and setting everything they touch ablaze. Overnight the rules changed...but not for everyone. Colonel Alan Bookbinder is an army bureaucrat whose worst war wound is a paper cut. But after he develops magical powers, he is torn from everything he knows and thrown onto the front lines.

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.

From realizing that there is no “right” way to live to respecting our planet and learning what really makes someone a winner, the messages at the heart of Natalie Portman’s Fables are modern takes on timeless life lessons. Told with a playful, kid-friendly voice, Portman’s insightful retellings of The Tortoise and the Hare, The Three Little Pigs, and Country Mouse and City Mouse are ideal for listening and are sure to become beloved additions to family libraries.

Three men, two very different sisters, and not enough jobs. After the death of their father, Helen and Julia Andris find themselves with no income and university studies to finish in subjects that have little use in the modern world. Their family is a jigsaw of highly contrasting and frequently clashing personalities. And the men they fall in love with have work and family problems of their own. C J Martin reinterprets Jane Austen’s beloved Sense and Sensibility for the twenty-first century. With evocative settings in urban and country Australia, careful crafting of plot and an empathetic...

Con el travieso ingenio de un lobo feroz, Roald Dahl reinventa seis de sus cuentos favoritos. ¿Sabías que Blancanieves era la jefa de una banda de enanos apostadores? ¿Que Caperucita coleccionaba abrigos de piel de lobo? ¿Y que el lobo feroz pretendía hacer volar la casa de los tres cerditos... con dinamita?

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?

Some stories are so timeless we can't wait to share them with our children. You'll find five such classics in this collection from PlainTales, including the tales of the naughty Gingerbread Boy, the clever Billy Goats Gruff, the enchanted Frog Prince, the stalwart Little Red Hen, and the courageous Bremen Town Musicians. All are told with simple, engaging language perfect for the littlest listeners.