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Books in BBC Children's Classics series

  • Two Little Savages

    Ernest Thompson Seton

    Paperback (Dover Publications, Nov. 24, 2011)
    This is one of the great classics of nature and boyhood by one of America's foremost nature experts. It presents a vast range of woodlore in the most palatable of forms, a genuinely delightful story. It will provide many hours of good reading for any child who likes the out-of-doors, and will teach him or her many interesting facts of nature, as well as a number of practical skills. It will be sure to awaken an interest in the outdoor world in any youngster who has not yet discovered the fascination of nature.The story concerns two farm boys who build a teepee in the woods and persuade the grownups to let them live in it for a month. During that time they learn to prepare their own food, build a fire without matches, use an axe expertly, make a bed out of boughs; they learn how to "smudge" mosquitoes, how to get clear water from a muddy pond, how to build a dam, how to know the stars, how to find their way when they get lost; how to tell the direction of the wind, blaze a trail, distinguish animal tracks, protect themselves from wild animals; how to use Indian signals, make moccasins, bows and arrows, Indian drums and war bonnets; how to know the trees and plants, and how to make dyes from plants and herbs. They learn all about the habits of various birds and animals, how they get their food, who their enemies are and how they protect themselves from them.Most of this information is not generally available in books, and could be gained otherwise only by years of life and experience in suitable surroundings. Yet Mr. Thompson Seton explains it so vividly and fully, with so many clear, marginal illustrations through the book, that the reader will finish "Two Little Savages" with an enviable knowledge of trees, plants, wild-life, woodlore, Indian crafts and arts, and survival information for the wilds. All of this is presented through a lively narrative that has as its heroes two real boys, typically curious about everything in the world around them, eager to outdo each other in every kind of endeavor. The exciting adventures that befall them during their stay in the woods are just the sort of thing that will keep a young reader enthralled and will stimulate his or her imagination at every turn.
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  • The Yellow Fairy Book

    Andrew Lang, H. J. Ford

    Paperback (Dover Publications, June 1, 1966)
    The Yellow Fairy Book is a wonderful collection of tales from all over the world. There are such familiar old favorites as the "Story of the Emperor's New Clothes," "The Tinder-box," "How to Tell a True Princess," and "The Nightingale." There are less familiar tales by Madame d'Aulnoy and from the collections of Andersen and Grimm. Many tales come from Hungary, Poland, and Russia, and there are German, French, and English stories, too. There are traditional tales of the American Indians, and three others come from Iceland.All in all, this collection contains 48 stories, all narrated in the clear, lively prose for which Lang was famous. Not only are Lang's generally conceded to be the best English versions of standard stories, his collections are the richest and widest in range.
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  • Norby the Mixed-Up Robot

    Janet Asimov, Isaac Asimov

    Paperback (Dover Publications, Jan. 14, 2010)
    Meet Norby β€” he wants to help, but he's one mixed-up robot! When Space Academy cadet Jeff Wells needs tutoring for his course in Martian Swahili, he goes looking for a robot teacher. Norby possesses not only the usual robot skills but also an extraordinary array of powers, including antigravity and hyperspace capabilities. He's just a little fuzzy on how to use his gifts! Together, the boy and the robot must figure out a way to foil a sinister plot involving Ing the Ingrate, would-be Emperor of the Universe.The first book of TheNorby Chronicles, this novel was written by Janet Asimov and her husband, Isaac Asimov β€” the author of I, Robot and many other robot stories. It's a great way to introduce young readers to the thrills of science fiction.
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  • The Peterkin Papers

    Lucretia P. Hale

    Paperback (Dover Publications, July 22, 2009)
    Meet the Peterkins, a lovable crew with a notable lack of common sense. These comic tales chronicle their roundabout attempts to solve simple, everyday problems. Cheerful and energetic, the close-knit family of eight resides in a village near Boston. They play their piano from the front porch because the movers left it with the keyboard facing the parlor window, and they're ready to raise the ceiling to make way for a towering Christmas tree. Only the timely intervention of "the wise old lady from Philadelphia" keeps them from acting on their more elaborate madcap schemes.Author Lucretia Hale, sister to writer and cleric Edward Everett Hale, helped break new ground in children's literature by writing stories to amuse young people rather than instruct or uplift them. These tales first appeared in 1867 in a popular children's magazine of the era, and in the course of a decade, the Peterkins became a household word. "The years pass them along to every new generation," noted Harper's Bazaar, "with the hint that human nature is about the same everywhere and all the time." Hailed by The New York Times as "a masterpiece" and graced with 153 delightful black-and-white illustrations, this book offers a glimpse of nineteenth-century New England life that charms readers of all ages
  • The Adventures of Lewis and Clark

    John Bakeless

    Paperback (Dover Publications, March 4, 2002)
    In 1803, when the United States purchased the Louisiana Territory from France (for a scant $15 million), it doubled the size of the young country. Stretching north from New Orleans to the Canadian border and westward from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains, the area contained over 800,000 square miles. That same year, President Thomas Jefferson designated two young men β€” Meriweather Lewis and William Clark β€” as leaders of an expedition to explore this vast new acquisition, as well as other lands of the West. In the spring of 1804, the two men and an intrepid band of hunters, carpenters, gunsmiths, and blacksmiths, known as the "Corps of Discovery," embarked on a perilous journey that would truly give meaning to the term "Wild West." In this exciting, action-packed young reader's edition, based on the author's acclaimed earlier study of the two great American explorers, historian John Bakeless chronicles the daily challenges these men faced β€” from encounters with indigenous people, snake-infested waterways, prairie fires, floods, heat, and thirst, to illness, famine, and frigid mountain passes. The result is a saga of epic proportions, an amazing story of courage and determination sure to delight readers with its authenticity and vivid, dramatic style. It's a "thrilling account of one of the most magnificent expeditions in all history . . . absorbing and inspirational from start to finish." β€” New York Times Book Review.
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  • The Story of King Arthur and His Knights

    Howard Pyle

    Paperback (Dover Publications, June 1, 1965)
    In this enchanting version of the story of King Arthur, the renowned American illustrator and storyteller Howard Pyle displays his unique talent for capturing and stimulating the imaginations of the young. Inventively retold and vividly illustrated, these stories describe the perilous and thrilling adventures of King Arthur and his knights in that glorious age of chivalry and honor. After showing how Arthur established his right to the throne by drawing the sword from the anvil, the author then relates the story of Arthur's battle with the Sable Knight and his securing the sword Excalibur ― "the most beautiful and the most famous sword in all the world." He tells of Arthur's confrontations with the Duke of North Umber and Sir Pellias, describes King Arthur's wooing and wedding the Lady Guinevere, and tells of the establishment of the Round Table. Tales are told, too, of Arthur's knights, including Merlin the Wise, Sir Pellias (or the Gentle Knight) and of course, Sir Gawaine. One of the key points in the book is Arthur's search for the answer to the riddle "What is it that a woman most desires?" with his life at stake. This is the definitive children's version of the Arthurian legend, for generations a special favorite with youngsters of all ages. Its reputation, richly deserved, rests as much upon the illustrations as on the delightful tales themselves. And no wonder, for as an illustrator of children's books, Pyle had no peer. Bold and unforgettable as only Pyle's skilled hand could make them, these drawings convey at a glance the whole aura of that splendid age and help to make this a book that boys and girls will cherish for years to come. These stories have inspired numerous film adaptations, including the 2017 release King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, directed by Guy Ritchie and starring Charlie Hunnam, Jude Law, Eric Bana, Djimon Hounsou, and Annabelle Wallis.
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  • The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle

    Hugh Lofting

    Paperback (Dover Publications, June 4, 2004)
    Together with Jip the Dog, Polynesia the Parrot, and 9-year-old Tommy Stubbins, the good doctor sets off in search of a missing colleague. This Newbery Medal–winning adventure recounts the hunt for Long Arrow, the world's greatest naturalist, in treks that range from the Mediterranean and South America to the bottom of the sea. Thanks to the doctor's gift for conversing with animals, the travelers find a solution to every challenge, including a curious encounter with a sea monster and a shipwreck on a mysterious island. "Any child who is not given the opportunity to [meet Doctor Dolittle] and all of his animal friends will miss out on something important." β€” Jane Goodall, wildlife biologist and author
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  • A Child's Garden of Verses

    Robert Louis Stevenson, Success Oceo

    Paperback (CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, Sept. 11, 2016)
    Classics for Your Collection:goo.gl/U80LCr---------A Child's Garden of Verses is a book of poems that captures the adventure and imagination of childhood. This book is a collection of his poems about the joys of author Robert Stevenson's (Treasure Island and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde fame author, among other popular books he wrote) childhood. Stevenson cannot simply sit quietly on a shelf. His works beg to be lifted and opened for new worlds to discover. As a child, he was lonely and ill and many of the poems in this collection for children exude that sense of isolation. This poetry book is so very simple, yet so very charming. The topics are all things that children would want to read about, which makes for a very fitting title. Stevenson explores the mind of a child so very well.If you want a book of traditional poetry, the kind the politicians and educationalists and general old old persons are always complaining that no one reads or writes these days, this would be the one.So beautiful and childlike, not in the simplicity of the poems but in Stevenson's incredible way of showing the mind of a child. These are poems for any child . These are poems of imagination and play. These are poems from a child's view point written by a man of great literary talent. These are poems you can read over and over to a child or read just for the sheer pleasure by yourself. These are poems of beauty and childhood.This book is the favorite book of poetry for many, children and adults alike, and it has served many, many for generations and has withstood the test of time.A wonderful collection and addition to your library, happiness and inspiration!Scroll Up and Grab Your Copy!
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  • The Call of the Wild: A BBC Radio Full-Cast Dramatisation

    Jack London

    Audio CD (BBC Audio, May 1, 2019)
    A BBC radio full-cast dramatisation of this much-loved classic adventure about a dog named Buck.In Yukon, Canada during the 1890s Klondike Gold Rush, strong sled dogs were in high demand. Buck is stolen from his comfortable home in California and sold into service as a sled dog in Alaska. He becomes progressively feral in the harsh environment, where he is forced to fight to survive and dominate other dogs. Sold to a group of inexperienced gold hunters, he is eventually saved by John Thornton, with whom he forms a deep bond. Exciting and action-packed, The Call of the Wild explores the timeless relationship between man and dog, and the draw of primitive instincts that pull Buck away from humanity towards the wilderness.Starring Robert Jack, Finn Den Hertog, Robin Lane, Nick Underwood and Melody Grove.
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  • The Lilac Fairy Book

    Andrew Lang

    Paperback (Dover Publications, June 1, 1968)
    "Admirable series of photographic reprints of the first editions. . . . Altogether very good value." β€” New York Review of Books. Over 30 tales from Portugal, Ireland, Wales, and points East and West, among them "The Brown Bear of Norway," "The Enchanted Deer," "The Story of a Very Bad Boy," and "The Brownie of the Lake." 51 illustrations.
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  • The Highwayman

    Alfred Noyes, Charles Keeping

    Paperback (Oxford University Press, March 1, 2015)
    "The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor,And the highwayman came riding-Riding-riding-The highwayman came riding, up to the old inn-door."In Alfred Noyes's thrilling poem, charged with drama and tension, we ride with the highwayman and recoil from the terrible fate that befalls him and his sweetheart Bess, the landlord's daughter. The vivid imagery of the writing is matched by Charles Keeping's haunting illustrations which won him the Kate Greenaway Medal. This new edition features rescanned artwork to capture the breath-taking detail of Keeping's illustrations and a striking new cover.
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  • The Water Babies

    Charles Kingsley

    Hardcover (Houghton Mifflin Company, March 15, 1915)
    First edition of this children's classic. Lovely illustrations by Mabel Lucie Atwell.