Books in Learn to Read - Children's Classics series

It was a beautiful spring morning. The birds were singing, the grass was growing and small creatures were busy everywhere, filling the air with the gentle buzzing, rustling song of life returning after winter... Farmer Pettson begins to sow his vegetables and because Findus does't like vegetables he decides to plant one of his meatballs instead. However, keeping the vegetable garden safe from the farm animals proves a hard task for Findus and Pettson. (Ages 3–8 years)

Every day at four o'clock in the morning, Findus likes to jump up and down on his bed. He wakes Pettson, who tells him to stop. Because cats really need their early morning exercise, Findus decides to find a house of his own where he can jump and bounce when he likes. But jumping on beds is one thing...living without Pettson is quite another. (Ages 4 to 7 years)

Tom Thumb – By Richard Johnson - Learn to Read - Children's Classics. In the days of King Arthur, Merlin, the most learned enchanter of his time, was on a journey; and, being very weary, stopped one day at the cottage of an honest ploughman to ask for refreshment. The ploughman's wife, with great civility, immediately brought him some milk in a wooden bowl, and some brown bread on a wooden platter. Merlin could not help observing, that, although every thing within the cottage was particularly neat and clean, and in good order, the ploughman and his wife had the most sorrowful air imaginable. So he questioned them on the cause of their melancholy, and learned that they were very miserable because they had no children. The poor woman declared, with tears in her eyes, that she should be the happiest creature in the world if she had a son, although he were no bigger than his father's thumb. Merlin was much amused with the thoughts of a boy no bigger than a man's thumb, and, as soon as he returned home, he sent for the queen of the fairies (with whom he was very intimate), and related to her the desire of the ploughman and his wife to have a son the size of his father's thumb. The queen of the fairies liked the plan exceedingly, and declared their wish should speedily be granted. Accordingly the ploughman's wife had a son, who in a few minutes grew as tall as his father's thumb.

Beauty and the Beast by Madame Gabrielle de Villeneuve - Translated by Peter G. Thomson - Learn to Read - Children's Classics. There was once a very rich merchant, who had six children, three boys and three girls. As he was himself a man of great sense, he spared no expense for their education, but provided them with all sorts of masters for their improvement. The three daughters were all handsome, but particularly the youngest: indeed she was so very beautiful that in her childhood every one called her the Little Beauty, and being still the same when she was grown up, nobody called her by any other name, which made her sisters very jealous of her. This youngest daughter was not only more handsome than her sisters, but was also better tempered. The two eldest were vain of being rich, and spoke with pride to those they thought below them. They gave themselves a thousand airs, and would not visit other merchants' daughters; nor would they indeed be seen with any but persons of quality. They went every day to balls, plays, and public walks, and always made game of their youngest sister for spending her time in reading, or other useful employments. As it was well known that these young ladies would have large fortunes, many great merchants wished to get them for wives; but the two eldest always answered that, for their parts, they had no thoughts of marrying any one below a duke, or an earl at least. Beauty had quite as many offers as her sisters, but she always answered with the greatest civility, that she was much obliged to her lovers, but would rather live some years longer with her father, as she thought herself too young to marry.

The story of Heidi was written over one hundred years ago, however, it is far from a period piece. In the Swiss Alps, where it is set, a hundred years is just the blink of an eye. We see in her the daughter that every mother dreams of having and every little girl dreams of being. Her presence makes us happy, and so her story has endured. This deluxe Children’s Classic edition is produced with high-quality, leatherlike binding with gold stamping, full-color covers, colored endpapers with a book nameplate. Some of the other titles in this series include: Anne of Green Gables, Black Beauty, King Arthur and His Knights, Little Women, and The Secret Garden.