Humorous Nature

Out of the gate and off for a walk went Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy. Ever since Hairy Maclary first trotted out of the gate and off for a walk, he has been adored by millions of children and adults all over the world. For the very first time, Lynley Dodd's 10 classic stories starring Hairy Maclary are brought together in this audio treasury, with each tale specially introduced by Lynley Dodd herself.

Happy the Lab is back on the ranch, and it looks like he’s up to his usual good-natured, bumbling ways! And, it just so happens that he has wandered onto Hank’s ranch on a particularly exciting day: rain has finally come to their drought-stricken land, and - what’s even more exciting - radio reports claim that there’s a mountain lion on the prowl in their area! As the day unfolds, it appears that the mountain lion report was bogus, which is a good thing, since Hank already has his paws full surviving a bout of food-poisoning and a treacherous investigation of the machine shed.

When Deputy Kile calls in a favor and recruits Slim to help him round up some escaped goats that have made their way onto the ranch, a hilarious rodeo ensues!

In this series opener, Koko Dodo the cookie chef has a big problem. Today is the day of the royal cookie contest, and someone has stolen his top-secret fudge sauce! Luckily, a spy enters the scene just in time (or rather, crashes in on her roller skates): Didi Dodo! This might be Didi's first case ever, but she has a daring plan to help Koko. Koko would prefer a safe, simple, sure-to-work plan, but without another option, he and the amateur sleuth take off on a wacky caper full of high-speed chases and big belly laughs....

Boy and fly meet and so begins a very funny friendship in this tale filled with hyperbole, puns, and slapstick from Tedd Arnold.

When Junior brings home the classroom hamster, Scooty, he decides to build the best hamster tunnel ever. But when Scooty goes missing, all evidence points to Mud. In the meantime, Mad Mary is missing, too - although Maggie and Ralphie find her bag and cane near the highway. Have Scooty and Mad Mary been kidnapped - or worse? With a mystery around every bend, it’s going to be anything but an ordinary weekend with the Blossoms!

What’s Mac B.'s newest top-secret mission? Travel to Iceland and retrieve the ravens that were stolen from the Tower of London...before Britain is ruined. In Iceland, he discovers secret submarines, hungry polar bears, mysterious blueprints...and his old archnemesis! Is the KGB man behind this birdnapping? Can Mac get the ravens to safety? It's time for an epic top-secret smackdown between these two secret agents!

When Hank makes the mistake of asking Drover what he's doing, Drover reveals his observation that the moon looks like a cookie! After some highly scientific discussion and calculations, Hank and Drover agree that the moon is a cookie, not swiss chesse. And, when Loper sets down Sally May's picnic basket, which contains some oatmeal raisin cookies, the plot thickens, and Hank realizes the cookie moon was a sign that he should...you'll never guess what!

J.J. Tully is a former search-and rescue dog who is trying to enjoy his retirement after years of performing daring missions saving lives. So he's not terribly impressed when two chicks named Dirt and Sugar (who look like popcorn on legs) and their chicken mom show up demanding his help to track down their missing siblings. But driven by the promise of a cheeseburger, J.J. begins to track down clues.

When a enemy spy disguised as a chicken sneaks on the ranch, it's going to be a wild day for Hank. Will Hank be able to protect the ranch and some newfound valuables of his? But Hank's biggest challenge will be whether he and Drover can lead a rescue to save Slim from his ride on a runaway windmill!

Paddington doesn't intentionally turn his friend's wedding into an uproar by getting the wedding ring stuck on his paw. Nor does he plan for Mr. Curry to slip on his marmalade sandwich in the middle of an important golf shot. But these sorts of things and more just happen when Paddington goes to town.

Welcome back to Deckawoo Drive for a sixth endearing installment in the companion series to Kate DiCamillo's New York Times best-selling Mercy Watson books. Frank Endicott is a worrier. He worries about lions, submarines, black holes, leprosy, and armadillos. He lists his worries alphabetically in a notebook and suffers vivid nightmares that even a certain neighborhood pig can't dispatch. When he accompanies Eugenia Lincoln on an errand to duplicate a key at her favorite dark and dusty thrift shop, Frank earns fresh cause for alarm.

Motor Mouse is a busy little mouse, between driving his delivery car, eating cake, and visiting with friends. Come along with him on his adventures! In "The Friday Cake Day", Motor Mouse and his friend Telly have been looking forward all week to their Friday tradition of eating cake. But when Friday arrives, the Cake Shop is closed. This is not acceptable! In "Going for a Look-About", Motor Mouse hires a cab. In "Front Row at the Picture Show", Motor Mouse and his brother, Vincent, are going to a movie.

The holidays are coming and Humphrey is unsqueakably excited. He loves to hear about all the different ways his friends in Room 26 celebrate and to watch them make costumes and learn songs for the Winter Wonderland pageant. (He even squeaks along!) But with so much to do, will the holidays go according to plan? Do-It-Now-Daniel is having trouble practicing, Helpful-Holly can't stop worrying about making presents for her friends, and Humphrey still has to find a gift for Og!

Things are not looking good for Zoe. Her stepmother Sheila is so lazy she gets Zoe to pick her nose for her. The school bully Tina Trotts makes her life a misery - mainly by flobbing on her head. And now the evil Burt from Burt’s Burgers is after her pet rat! And guess what he wants to do with it? The clue is in the title....

Trap Stilton is really trapped! He's caught in Count von Ratoff's castle and it's up to Geronimo to save him. Scamper alongside Geronimo on a journey through Transratania that is guaranteed to make your whiskers stand on end. Mice of all ages will enjoy this entertaining read.

Oh no! Pete the Kitty has a tummy ache. Good thing his dad knows just what to do. It’s time to go to the doctor! Except Pete may be a teensy-weensy bit nervous about his first visit to the doctor. With the help of his dad, Pete discovers the doctor isn’t scary. Beginning listeners will easily relate to Pete the Kitty as he overcomes his fear of going to the doctor's office.

After the holidays, Humphrey is shocked by a big surprise in Room 26—a new class pet! Humphrey tries to be welcoming, but Og the frog doesn't respond to any of his friendly squeaks or visits (remember, he has a lock-that-doesn't-lock). Plus, the students are so interested in Og, they almost stop paying attention to Humphrey altogether. Humphrey doesn't like the mad-bad-sad feelings he's had since Og came, but luckily he still gets to have adventures with different kids on the weekends. Friendship can be tricky, but Humphrey is an intrepid problem-solver.

Featuring Margaret MacDonald's storytelling accompanied by Richard Scholtz's autoharp and dulcimer, this recording is full of lively, playful fare. These selections are ideal for expanding into song, dance, and creative drama. Includes stories adapted from MacDonald's picture books, Fat Cat (Denmark) and Mabela the Clever (Limba, Sierra Leone), as well as several from her resource collection Shake-it-up Tales.

Award-winning Karma Wilson, author of Bear Snores On, has created the delightful Hilda Hippo - a hippo who loves to dance despite all the noise she makes while doing so. It’s just that the Ka-bump! Ka-bump! Crash! Crash! Crash! noises disturb her jungle friends. Maybe Hilda could take up knitting? But knitting doesn’t quite suit the would-be ballerina. Perhaps she and her friends can find some sort of compromise!