Classical Myth

Japanese culture has fascinated the West ever since the country’s doors opened up in the 1800s. In many ways, Japan has remained elusive, and people have travelled from all around the world to see for themselves how unique this nation remains. Another way of exploring this enigmatic culture is through its literature. The English language succeeds surprisingly well in revealing the Japanese sense of life.

"Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves", "Aladdin", "Sinbad the Sailor": These are just some of the strange and amazing stories that clever Scheherazade tells to captivate her husband, King Shahryar…and to save her own life. Each one is more fantastic than the last, filled with demons and dervishes, caliphs and genies, men transformed into dogs and monsters with eyes that glow. Like the king, children will find themselves enchanted by every tale.

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.

Exciting excerpts from some of the best classic stories for younger listeners, presented with classical music and, often, sound effects, to bring the characters vividly to life. Here is Mowgli, Anne of Green Gables, Peter Pan, Pinocchio, Odysseus, the monster wolf Fenrir, and Tom Sawyer getting in and out of scrapes. Before each excerpt is an introduction, setting the scene.

These two stories are folk tales from the Slavic world; discover the stories and culture from Eastern Europe to Central Asia, recorded by the best storytellers for the enjoyment of children and adults alike. We put together two of the most charming stories from the Slavic culture.

The retelling of an ordinary woman who had no voice in the literary classic of Beowulf. When a young girl’s life takes a crushing dark turn, she’s sacrificed to the dragon for shaming her community. Alone in the wild, she discovers special skills that enable her to survive, gives birth, and raises a child who has both physical and mental abnormalities. Grendel's Mother is an evocative story of a young woman whose life is shattered by circumstances beyond her control and paints a poignant picture of the history of one of the most infamous monsters of Norse mythology. - Amazon reader

Captivating the hearts and minds of kids and adults for generations, Aesop, a former Greek slave, developed simple and meaningful adventures featuring animals or insects to teach a moral standard or lesson for living. The most well-known and well-loved of Aesop's fables are included here.

Darkness threatens to overtake Earthsea: the world and its wizards are losing their magic. Despite being wearied with age, Ged Sparrowhawk - Archmage, wizard, and dragonlord - embarks on a daring, treacherous journey, accompanied by Enlad's young Prince Arren, to discover the reasons behind this devastating pattern of loss. Together they will sail to the farthest reaches of their world - even beyond the realm of death - as they seek to restore magic to a land desperately thirsty for it.

Alice is a skilled pre-teen secret agent, but when she joins the forces of Wonderland, she's in over her head. Nothing they do makes sense! Mr. White, the new boss, is always running late for something. Maddie makes wacky gadgets and hats but stops for tea every hour. And Alice's new partner, Kitty, literally disappears during their mission training. How can Alice sneak into the evil Queenie Hearts's garden party and stop her top-secret, world-ending plan amid all this madness?

First published by brothers Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm in 1812 as a collection of retold Germanic folk stories, this collection of such well-known fairytales as Rapunzel and Sleeping Beauty transports listeners to a realm where “Once upon a time” often ends up “happily ever after”…and where giants, princesses, kings and fairies pursue power, find true love, have all sorts of magical adventures — and in the process reveal multi-faceted truths about human nature.

When the Herons are caught in a massive storm at sea, they're blown far off course - so far that they wash up on the shores of a land to the west that Hal can't recognise from his maps. They sense they're being watched but don't encounter the locals until they have to rescue two children from a marauding bear. This action earns them the gratitude of the Mawagansett tribe, and the two groups finally meet. But the peace is short lived.

A golden statue comes to life and, with the help of a reluctant swallow, gives away everything he has. A fierce giant forbids children to play in his garden -- then realizes that only through sharing will spring ever come again. In these rich fables by Oscar Wilde, author of The Importance of Being Earnest, characters learn that kindness and giving are the greatest powers of all.

Presenting a delightful collection of children's favorite Mother Goose rhymes by Tomie dePaola. Young listeners and their parents will enjoy meeting up with familiar friends, including Old King Cole, Little Bo-Peep, Jack and Jill, and many more in an audiobook that is sure to be a story-hour favorite.

"What is your favorite story?" is the question children across the country often ask professional storyteller Pleasant DeSpain. As he attempts to answer, his list grows longer and longer, until he confesses he likes them all. An untiring researcher of oral traditions, DeSpain is known for his concise versions of world folktales specifically crafted for retelling.

Ever been lost and wanted to go home? Join Odysseus as he struggles to return to his family in this epic retelling of the adventures of The Odyssey Retold for a children's audience, Poetic Primer's The Odyssey, is filled with vibrant sound effects, music, and character voices while still maintaining the poetic format of the original work.

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?

Everyone loves a Princess story! This collection of ten classic fairy tales is sure to please any Princess, big or small. Includes Thumbelina, The Princess and the Frog, Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, The Princess and the Pea, The Little Mermaid, Rapunzel, The Wild Swans, Snow White and Rose Red, and Sleeping Beauty.

During an upturn in the economy, faced with a downturn in the soul buying business, The Devil resorts to telemarketing.

A selection of some of the most famous fairy stories which every child needs to foster their imagination. The following stories can be found on this title: "The Story of the Three Little Pigs", "The History of Dick Whittington", "Beauty and the Beast", "Goldilocks and the Three Bears", "Puss in Boots", "Jack and the Beanstalk", "Ali Baba", "The Brave Little Tailor", and "The Princess on the Glass Hill".

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.