Bunny Brown and His Sister Sue were featured in a series of 20 books for young children published by the Stratemeyer Syndicate from 1916-1930. In this adventure, first published in 1920, Bunny and Sue lose a valuable possession belonging to their mother. They have many adventures and misadventures during a family boating vacation to Christmas Tree Cove.
Years ago, a manufacturer built a great dock, jutting out from and then turning parallel to the shore of a northern Michigan town. The factory was abandoned, and following the habits of small towns, the space between the dock and the shore became "The Cinder Pond." Jean started life in the colony of squatters that came to live in the shanties on the dock, but fortune, heroism, and a mystery combine to change her fortunes and those of her friends near the Cinder Pond. (Advertising material from the publisher, 1915)
More than one girl who reads this story will envy Jeanne her queer little home out on the end of the old dock in Lake Superior. It must indeed have been a fascinating place to live, but Jeanne's father, a gentleman himself, wanted her to grow up to be a lady, so she was sent away to be trained and educated among strangers. They were her own relatives, but they could never be anything but strangers to her, for they had no love in their hearts for the little girl who had come to make a home with them. Only her grandfather learned to love her, for she filled a bright place in his lonely life, and the story tells how he showed his feeling for her and how she was able to go back to Cinder Pond to help her little stepbrothers and -sisters. (Book Review Digest, vol. 11, 1916)
An interesting story of a little French girl, who lived with her step-family on a dock near the Cinder Pond and who after several trying experiences finds a good home and real joy in helping care for her several step-brothers and sisters. Though reason for the marriage of Jeannette's father to a shiftless, but kindly Irish woman is unnecessarily emphasized, the story is a very usable one, stamped with Jeanne's friendliness and sincerity. (The Booklist, vol 12, Oct. 1915--July, 1916)
Flora Lee's birthday came in July. Her mother wished very much to celebrate the occasion in a proper manner. Flora was a good girl, and her parents were always glad to do any thing they could to please her, and to increase her happiness.
Little Rosanna Horton was a very poor little girl. When I tell you more about her, you will think that was a very odd thing to say.
She lived in one of the most beautiful homes in Louisville, a city full of beautiful homes. And Rosanna's was one of the loveliest. It was a great, rambling house of red brick with wide porches in the front and on either side. On the right of the house was a wonderful garden. It covered half a square, and was surrounded by a high stone wall. No one could look in to see what she was doing. That was rather nice, but of course no one could look out either to see what they were doing on the brick sidewalk, and that does not seem so nice. There were children all along the street: little girls playing dolls on front doorsteps and other little girls walking in happy groups or skipping rope. Boys on bicycles circled everywhere and shouted to each other. They made a short cut through one of the poor sections of the city. Here it was the same: children everywhere, all having the best sort of time. They were not so well dressed, that was all the difference. They had the same carefree look in their eyes. Rosanna gazed out wistfully, longingly.
And now you surely guess why Rosanna, with her beautiful home, her pony and her playhouse, her lovely garden, and her room full of pretty things, still was so very, very poor.
Rosanna did not have a single friend.
The scene of this story is laid in Kentucky. Its heroine is a small girl, who is known as the Little Colonel, on account of her fancied resemblance to an old-school Southern gentleman, whose fine estate and old family are famous in the region.
Rosalie is the daughter of a traveling theater master and is envied by many young girls as she appears to live a life full of glamour, glitz, and glory. But beneath the happy smiling face is a hurting heart, a deep sorrow for her dying mother, and a wretched life. Follow Rosalie as she learns of the Good Shepherd who loves and cares for her, and begins to trust Him for daily strength.
Brave, adventurous and loyal, recently-orphaned Ruth Fielding is sent to live with her estranged Uncle Jabez at the Red Mill in Cheslow, New York. A new town means making new friends, and the teenage Ruth quickly befriends the children of a wealthy merchant. But as the relationship between her and her uncle becomes strained and she attempts to become friends with a very disagreeable girl, will Ruth's cheery disposition be enough to get her through?
This is the first of the Ruth Fielding series, with follows Ruth and her friends from adolescence into early adulthood.
"Bunny! Bunny Brown! Where are you?" Bunny's mother stood on the front porch, looking first in the yard, then up and down the street in front of the house. But she did not see her little boy. "Sue! Sue, dear! Where are you, and where is Bunny?"Again Mrs. Brown called. This time she had an answer. "Here I am, Mother. On the side porch." A little girl, with brown eyes, came around the corner of the house. By one arm she carried a doll, and the doll was "leaking" sawdust on the porch. Mrs. Brown smiled when she saw this." Bunny, six, and his sister Sue, five, really, REALLY want to visit grandpa's farm!
“As Little Susy had a kind mamma to take care of her, you will, perhaps, wonder why God gave her also, a great many servants of her own. He gave her so many, that you might spend your whole life in reading about them. But I shall tell you of only a very few, and then you can ask your mamma to talk to you about the others. For the little servants Susy had, you have, too.” - from the first chapter
Sisters Margaret and Frances wait for their younger brother Edward to go for a nap before embarking on the adventure of trying to stand on the heads of their shadows. Daddy sees them and encourages them to chase further adventures of childhood, little suspecting where they will take them.
Tenth in a series of 12 Make Believe Stories, this charming tale of a Christmas toy bear and its adventures is an old fashioned delight.
Another Sleepy Time Tale from Arthur Scott Bailey, this time Nimble Deer is the focus of the story and how he was such a tiny, frail, spotted baby when he was born that his mother was worried that he might not survive life in the woods and swamps in Pleasant Valley beneath the Blue Mountains.
He found the word for her, and she read with difficulty, 'Trouble, distress, great affliction.'
'Do they all mean tribulation?' she asked.
'Tribulation means all of them,' was the answer.
'And can children have tribulation, Mr. Roper?'
'What do you think?'
'I must have it if I'm to get to heaven,' she said emphatically; and then she left him, and the young man repeated her words to himself with a sigh and a smile, as he replaced the book in its resting-place.
Little Betty is lonely being the "odd" one . . . her older siblings are paired up and so are her younger brothers. As Betty seeks the companionship of older people, she slowly begins to turn their hearts toward God. All the while she longs for "tribulation", having learned that she "must have it if I'm to get to heaven".
The Bobbseys are home from their adventure on the houseboat and now they're off to visit their cousins at Meadow Brook Farm. But they haven't even arrived before they encounter a runaway boy, a runaway dog, and a runaway ram! Meadow Brook proves even more exciting, what with wild animals, a missing twin, and even acting in a movie. It's the Bobbsey twins on another delightful adventure!This the 7th in the Bobbsey Twins series, which were published by the Stratemyer Syndicate under the house pseudonym of Laura Lee Hope.
Hal and Mabel's Daddy knows everything - how a thermometer works, what makes a car go, why we get warm when we run. It's a cold and icy evening after school and Daddy has a secret but what is it? And what is in the mysterious packages he has for the children? The "Daddy" stories were originally published as part of the 'bedtime stories' of the Newark News.
As Jean Craig finished her training and prepared for graduation, illness struck—first in her own family, and later in epidemics that swept the village of Elmhurst. It was with a deep feeling of satisfaction that Jean was able to give trained and efficient aid at the hospital. It was with equal satisfaction that she watched romance blossom between Dr. Benson, the fresh young intern, and Eileen Gordon, the new Supervisor of Nurses, and discovered that her sister Kit was practically engaged. But the joy of the family reached a new peak when Doris, the youngest daughter, won a music scholarship. Jean Craig, Graduate Nurse is another heartwarming and happy story about the Craigs of Elmhurst.
Bobby is a little orphan boy of about 5 who discovers he has somehow lost his 'birfhday' and decides to go looking for it. This epic quest takes him into strange places and meetings with people who are sometimes scoffing, but mostly kind and helpful to the small tot. Does he find his birfday? Well I can't tell you that, you will just have to listen. If you like warm, sweet stories with a great ending, this is for you! A delightful tale full of whimsy and fun.
The sweet story of a five year old boy named Bobby, who is an orphan. When Bobby learns that other children have birthdays, he goes hunting to find his. Go with him and meet the Man with the Pocketful of Quarters and the Lady who Likes Little Boys and learn how he finds his birthdays and a family besides!
Lucy and Dora are so excited to learn they will be sleeping in a tent at the beach! Then Mother and Uncle Dan tell them that their kitten, Timmy is not invited, and Father says he might even run away. Arrangements must be made for Timmy... but will he agree to their plans? This charming story follows two sisters over the course of about a year and the things that they do with their family. The Chinese kitten is a part of an old chess set that the girls get from their aunt because one of the girls lost her necklace (a silver bear) during a camping trip. Lots of working on needle point, washing dishes, going to school, and different holidays and what they do during them.
Number 5 in the Bunny Brown series. This charming volume sees Bunny Brown, his sister Sue, their parents, Uncle Tad, and Bunker Blue (along with faithful dog Splash!) camping for the whole entire summer! There are adventures, mysteries, "marshmallow candy" roasts, and missing pies, and there is always LOTS of fun following the two siblings!
The Wind in the Willows is a classic children's book--enjoyed by all ages!--by British novelist Kenneth Grahame, first published in 1908. Begun as letters to his 7-year-old son Alistair and later developed into a novel, it tells the adventures of animals Mole, Rat, and Toad, who dwell, along with Badger, Otter, and other animals, in the riverbank, fields, and woodlands of the English countryside. Best friends Mole and Rat, along with Badger, are continually rescuing Toad from his scrapes. An encounter with nature god Pan lends a special magic to this tale.
In 2011, I recorded this delightful reading by my friend Sarbaga Falk. We made presents of the recordings for Sarbaga’s family and our friends and their children and grandchildren; and had it in mind to put it on LibriVox. Shortly after we recorded Wind in the Willows, Sarbaga was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s, which worsened until she passed away in February 2020.
Sarbaga loved tales, jokes, and stories, and she would no doubt be tickled to listen to this wonderful tale told in her own inimitable and expressive voice. This stands as a fitting tribute to our dear friend, as she continues to delight us all.
This story is about an American lad of 7 years old who lives with his young widowed mother in New York. He spends his days with his friend the grocery man Mr. Hobbs, the boot black Dick, and other young lads from his town. His best friend is his mother, whom he calls dearest, because that is what his papa used to call her. Cedric has curly blond hair, a sturdy young body, and a beautiful face that is only matched by his sweet temperament. He is always thinking of others and what they might need.
One day, an English lawyer comes to Cedric's house with news that will change his young life forever. Cedric's papa was the son of a great Earl in England. The earl has lost all three of his sons and is now looking for his heir. He is a crusty old gentlemen with a hard, cold heart. He has spent his life chasing after his own pleasures and not caring one mite for the needs of others, especially the needs his tenantry. He is extremely prejudiced against Americans and was outraged when his youngest son married an American woman. His proud heart views with disgust his young heir before he even meets him, expecting him to be rude, uneducated, and selfish. Little does he know that the meeting of the Earl of Dorincourt with little Cedric is destined to change his life forever.
The Bobbsey Twins are the principal characters of what was, for many years, the Stratemeyer Syndicate's longest-running series of children's novels, penned under the pseudonym Laura Lee Hope. The first of 72 books was published in 1904, the last in 1979. The books related the adventures of the children of the middle-class Bobbsey family, which included two sets of fraternal twins: Bert and Nan, who were 12 years old, and Flossie and Freddie, who were six.
The Little Kentucky "Colonel," so much of a favorite with young readers, has reached the age for interest in other people's love affairs. The main action of this new page of happenings in the life of Lloyd Sherman centers about a southern wedding, so perfectly arranged as to give the impression that everything "bloomed into place." (Book Review Digest, Vol. 2 - 1906)
Lisbeth Longfrock - (Sidsel Sidsærkin in its original Norwegian) was seen by the author as a book written for adults, telling the story of a young girl growing up in a farming district in a steep-sided Norwegian Valley. First written when the author's daughter was 8 years old so she would know about his childhood spent in similar surroundings, living on a farm and spending summer in charge of the cows and goats on the mountain pastures.
The Peppers are a family of three boys, two girls, and Mamsie. They are poor, living in their "Little Brown House", but they always manage to be happy. This book comprises the adventures of Joel, the middle Pepper child and the most mischievous. Among other things, Joel encounters a snake, a thief, and a nail pile; puts on a circus; rides on a stagecoach; and gets into a fight on Strawberry Hill!
“When Captain Carey went on his long journey into the unknown and uncharted land, the rest of the Careys tried in vain for a few months to be still a family, and did not succeed at all. They clung as closely to one another as ever they could, but there was always a gap in the circle where father had been….. The only thing to do was to remember father's pride and justify it, to recall his care for mother and take his place so far as might be; the only thing for all, as the months went on, was to be what mother called the three Bs -- brave, bright, and busy."
From the author of Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, this book tells the story of a widow and her four children, forced to leave their home due to financial difficulties, and move to the “Yellow House” in turn of the century Beulah, Maine. The Disney movie “Summer Magic” starring Hayley Mills was loosely based on this book.
Pixie is older, her world becomes wider. The stories of her sister Bridgie and her brother Jack emerge, and also that of an intriguing neighbor, Miss Sylvia Trevor.
Lloyd Sherman, the "Little Colonel", is a girl of eleven whose mother invites three other girls to spend a month with Lloyd in her beautiful home in Kentucky. The children come from very different homes, but fall into the new ways very readily. The account of their escapades will amuse young readers. A bit of disobedience on the part of one spoilt girl leads to something of a tragedy, in which Betty, the nicest of the children, is the sufferer.
This series for girls from the early 1900’s, begun in “The Little Colonel”, and continued in “The Gate of the Giant Scissors” and “Two Little Knights of Kentucky”, is picked up again in this volume, with the return of several of the characters from those books.
Mary Louise is a girl who lives with her mother and grandfather. Ever since she was small, every little while they have had to pack up and move. Why? What is the secret about her grandfather?
This is the touching and endearing story of Little Meg and her trials and difficulties as she does her best to look after 'her children' after their mother dies.
Father is away at sea and is expected every day, but when father's ship comes in he is not aboard! With the help of her new friend and neighbour Kitty, she finds out that he was 'took bad' on the other side of the world, who knows when or if he will ever make it back. Meanwhile, Little Meg must take care of Robby and baby. There are better days and worse days. There is the wonderful trip to Temple Gardens and the difficult process of pawning away their best clothes so Meg can buy food and coal. But through everything, Meg's simple childlike faith in God carries her through as each of her prayers are faithfully answered and a happy ending comes in sight! (fiddlesticks)
Little Prudy’s Sister Suzy is the second book in the Little Prudy series. It follows three sisters, aged 3 to 8, through the Christmas break and the following months as they get into all kinds of situations.
Teddy is a little boy who cares about his father's button more than anything in the world. He wants to be in the Queen's army when he grows up, but his pastor tells him how he can be a soldier in God's army while he is still young. Teddy has many ups and downs as he tries to be a good soldier for his Captain, Jesus Christ.
Bunny Brown and his little sister, Sue, have been having adventures and fun, and getting into scrapes, since the early 1900s. From Chapter One: "Bunny Brown and his sister Sue were at Camp Rest-a-While with their father and their mother. They had come from their home in Bellemere to live for a while in the forest, on the shore of Lake Wanda, where they were all enjoying the life in the open air. They had journeyed to the woods in an automobile, carrying two tents which were set up under the trees. One tent was used to sleep in and the other for a dining room. There was also a place to cook..." This is Volume 6 of the Bunny Brown series.
This book contains racial prejudices that were once commonplace. They are retained, as originally written in this recording, because to do otherwise would be to deny they existed.
This delightful little book is another in the "Our Little Cousin" series that offered American children insight into what their young counterparts in other lands were like; the games they played and the life they lived.
Dawn (also known in England as "Keith’s Dark Tower"), was published in 1919, and is set during World War I. Keith Burton is going blind. It is hard for him and his family. Most of the book deals with their ways - right and wrong - of dealing with the situation. At the end, Keith finds pride in helping blind solders.
Eleanor H. Porter was a writer of many popular children’s books and novels, including the Pollyanna and Miss Billy series, as well as Just David, Oh, Money! Money! and more.
In the previous book in this series, Lloyd was the maid of honor, but now it will be the Little Colonel's turn to be the bride. But who will be the groom? Will it be one of our old friends from previous books such as Malcolm MacIntyre, Rob Moore, Alex Shelby, Phil Tremont, or Jack Ware . . .or perhaps a new Knight that comes riding!
Johanna Spyri’s classic story of a 5 year old little Swiss orphan who is heartbroken when she must leave her beloved grandfather and their happy home in the mountains to go to school and to care for an invalid girl in the city. It was written as a book "for children and those who love children" ( phil chenevert and the author)
Jerusha Abbott was brought up at the John Grier Home, an old-fashioned orphanage. The children were wholly dependent on charity and had to wear other people's cast-off clothes. Jerusha's unusual first name was selected by the matron off a grave stone, while her surname was selected out of the phone book. At the age of 18, she has finished her education and is at loose ends, still working in the dormitories at the institution where she was brought up.
One day, after the asylum's trustees have made their monthly visit, Jerusha is informed by the asylum's dour matron that one of the trustees has offered to pay her way through college. He has spoken to her former teachers and thinks she has potential to become an excellent writer. He will pay her tuition and also give her a generous monthly allowance. Jerusha must write him a monthly letter, because he believes that letter-writing is important to the development of a writer. However, she will never know his identity; she must address the letters to Mr. John Smith, and he will never reply.
Jerusha catches a glimpse of the shadow of her benefactor from the back, and knows he is a tall long-legged man. Because of this, she jokingly calls him "Daddy Long-Legs." She attends a women's college, but the name and location are never identified; however, men from Princeton University are frequently mentioned as dates, so it is certainly on the East Coast. The college is almost certainly based on the author's alma mater, Vassar College, judging from college traditions mentioned. She illustrates her letters with childlike line drawings, also created by Jean Webster.
Jo’s little men and women are grown up and entering new stages of life. Along with discovering their individual niches, there are lots of lessons to study, plays to perform, and parties to attend… and love is undeniably in the air. When three of Jo’s most beloved boys embark on journeys of their own, they encounter some of the most difficult challenges ever faced in their young lives. Meanwhile, back at home, Jo and her family must be strong when they receive the news that not all three of the boys may return. Will Emil, Nat, and Dan find their way home to Plumfield?
Find out in Jo’s Boys, the final installment of the Little Women trilogy by Louisa May Alcott.
Join the endearing May family in small-town England as each member lives through some pivotal years. How will they face the changes that shake their family to the core?To quote the preface: "It would beg to be considered merely as what it calls itself, a Family Chronicle—a domestic record of home events, large and small, during those years of early life when the character is chiefly formed, and as an endeavour to trace the effects of those aspirations which are a part of every youthful nature."The following cast list (including nicknames) may be helpful when first meeting the large May family. Parents: Dick and Maggie, Children: Richard (May), Margaret, Flora, Norman (June), Ethel, Harry (July), Mary, Tom (August), Blanche, Aubrey, Gertrude Margaret (Daisy)
After her famed book "Anne of Green Gables," Lucy Maud Montgomery continued her stories in "Chronicles of Avonlea" followed by "Further Chronicles of Avonlea." The book includes fifteen short and entertaining, funny, and romantic stories. She brings back old characters such as Anne, Rachel Lynde, and Matthew Cuthbert, although most of the stories are focused around new characters living in Avonlea.
Elizabeth Ann is a timid, sickly little girl who lives with her Aunt Frances and her Great-Aunt Harriet. When Great-Aunt Harriet becomes ill, poor little Elizabeth Ann is sent to live with the much-feared Putney cousins, whom, as Great-Aunt Harriet said "Such lack of sympathy, such perfect indifference to the sacred sensitiveness of child-life, such a starving of the child-heart ... No, I shall never forget it! They had chores to do ... as though they had been hired men!" But to the Putney cousins in Vermont Elizabeth Ann has to go. And there, with her Uncle Henry, Aunt Abigail and Cousin Ann, she grows strong and well and happy and, most importantly, learns to think for herself, and truly becomes Understood Betsy. (summary Kymm Zuckert)
Sickly and sheltered, nine-year-old Elizabeth Ann is horrified to hear she must be sent away to live with the "Putney cousins." According to Aunt Harriet, these mysterious relations are cold-hearted, stiff-necked, as well as heavy-handed when it comes to the delegation of children's chores. But what will life at the Putney farm truly have in store for Betsy?
The adventures of Lucy, Emily and Henry are described in this short novel, written and set in Regency England. Their naughtiness, their activities and their interactions with the children next door; Miss Augusta and Charles Trueman, are all delightfully described. Their daily lives are an insight into childhood and the family and religious values at the time - each chapter has a moral lesson, and the good end happily, while the bad get what they deserve.
This book is a collection of short stories from India.
This charming book has many stories that deal mostly with the holiday of Thanksgiving, perfectly suited for family listening and reading. and gathers in one volume tales of tasty turkeys, festive parties, generous gestures, and holiday cheer. The stories featured include works by such writers as Harriet Beecher Stowe, George Eliot, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and others. So if you want to listen to some great stories that bring out gratitude for life and a thanksgiving attitude, here are a bunch of the best.
Magic wishing emeralds mysteriously arrive in the little kingdom of Skampavia. King Skamperoo immediately confiscates them and wishes to become the Emperor of Oz, with his magic horse Chalk as his advisor. All the residents of Oz are enchanted to forget Ozma and their own rulers, except for Dorothy and Pigasus the flying pig. Can Dorothy and Pigasus break the enchantment and rescue Princess Ozma? Will they forge an unlikely alliance with the Gnome King? And who is the real owner and possessor of the secret of the wishing emeralds?
The Wishing Horse of Oz is the twenty-ninth in the series of Oz books created by L. Frank Baum.
The Five Little Peppers are off to school - Joel and Davie at a boys' boarding school, Polly, Phronsie and Ben at home. At first the storyline shifts between the boys and the girls, until the boys come home for the holidays and all the children are caught up in plans to help the poor family of a brakeman who was killed in an accident. Meanwhile Polly struggles to keep Jasper's friend from being expelled, Phronsie has a frightening accident and Ben works hard to repay Mr. King. It's another heart-warming tale from the author of Five Little Peppers and How They Grew!
When a neighbor brings word that Grandma is sick, Mr. and Mrs. Bassett hurry off to tend to her, leaving their seven children to prepare for Thanksgiving on their own. The story of the adventures of Eph, Tilly, Prue, Seth, Sol, Roxy, and Rhody Bassett as they go sledding, face bears, tell old stories, and wrestle with plum puddings is a holiday treat fit to make anyone stop and count their own blessings.