Books in Vintage Children's Classics series

Determined to improve his struggling family's financial situation, sixteen-year-old Tom Wade leaves England in 1860 and sets out for the untamed wilderness of the American Far West. Arriving in the small western outpost of Denver, Colorado to mine for gold, he soon encounters Native American warriors, takes part in big-game hunts, and learns how to survive a mountain winter with nothing but resourcefulness and perseverance.Young readers get valuable, exciting lessons in history from the "Prince of Storytellers," George Henty, in a grand adventure classic that weaves together the story of a teenaged, fictional hero and real-life episodes of exploration.

An instant bestseller when it was published in 1930, this glittering satire of Edwardian high society features a privileged brother and sister torn between tradition and a chance at an independent life. Sebastian is young, handsome, moody, and the heir to Chevron, a vast and opulent ducal estate. He feels a deep love for the countryside and for his patrimony, but he loathes the frivolous social world his mother and her shallow friends represent. At one of his mother’s decadent house parties, Sebastian meets two people who shake his sense of self: Leonard Anquetil, a lowborn arctic explorer, who questions his mode of living; and Lady Roehampton, a married society beauty with a string of lovers, who breaks his heart. When Sebastian reaches the brink of despair, it is his self-possessed younger sister, Viola, who opens for them both a gateway to another world.

"The book is one that horse lovers of every age cannot fail to enjoy." — The New York Times"Humorous, charming, National Velvet is a little masterpiece." — Time"Put on your not-to-be-missed list." — The New YorkerA butcher's daughter in a small Sussex town ends her nightly prayers with "Oh, God, give me horses, give me horses! Let me be the best rider in England!" The answer to 14-year-old Velvet Brown's plea materializes in the form of an unwanted piebald, raffled off in a village lottery, who turns out to be adept at jumping fences — exactly the sort of horse that could win the world's most famous steeplechase, the Grand National.Richly atmospheric of rural life in England between the World Wars, National Velvet has enchanted generations of readers since its 1935 debut. The heroine's grit and determination, backed by the support of her eccentric and loving family, offer an inspiring example of the struggles and rewards of following a dream.

Roberta, Peter, and Phyllis lead an ordinary suburban life with Mother and Father and trips to the zoo and the pantomime. But when Father is mysteriously taken away one night, everything changes. The children must move to the country, to a little white cottage near the railway line, where eventually they find that there are plenty of adventures to be had and friends to be made—including Perks the Porter and the Station Master himself. But the mystery remains—what has happened to Father, and will he come back? The story of Roberta, Peter, and Phyllis and their life in the country has never been out of print since it was first published in 1906. Charming, sentimental, and unforgettable, the novel retains all its enchantment and enduring appeal in this BBC Radio full-cast dramatization. 2 CDs. 1 hr 45 mins.

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)

In 1845, the American Transcendentalist philosopher Henry David Thoreau went to live in the woods near his hometown of Concord, Massachusetts. For over two years he resided there largely in solitary, in a small cabin built by his own hands. Walden is his personal account of this time, in which he documents both his passion for the landscape and wildlife of Walden Pond, and his philosophical and political motivations for rejecting the materialism which continues to define not only America, but much of the modern world.

In this powerful portrait of the self-making of an artist, Willa Cather created one of her most extraordinary heroines. Thea Kronborg, a minister's daughter in a provincial Colorado town, seems destined from childhood for a place in the wider world. But as her path to the world stage leads her ever farther from the humble town she can't forget and from the man she can't afford to love, Thea learns that her exceptional musical talent and fierce ambition are not enough. It is in the solitude of a tiny rock chamber high in the side of an Arizona cliff--"a cleft in the heart of the world"--that Thea comes face to face with her own dreams and desires, stripped clean by the haunting purity of the ruined cliff dwellings and inspired by the whisperings of their ancient dust. Here she finds the courage to seize her future and to use her gifts to catch "the shining, elusive element that is life itself--life hurrying past us and running away, too strong to stop, too sweet to lose." In prose as shimmering and piercingly true as the light in a desert canyon, Cather takes us into the heart of a woman coming to know her deepest self.

The daddy of all vampires, the Count who began it allHe is deathly pale. His fingernails are cut to sharp points. His teeth protrude menacingly from his mouth in clouds of rancid breath. Yet even Count Dracula's unnerving appearance and the frightened reaction of the local peasants fail to warn Jonathan Harker, a young man from England, about his host. Little does Jonathan know that this is a land where babies are snatched for their blood and wolves howl menacingly from the forest, where reality is far more frightening than superstition. What's more, it's going to be up to him to stop the world's most bloodthirsty predator.

In this delightful fantasy, we meet Queen Ann Soforth of Oogaboo and her army — sixteen officers and one private soldier — who set out to conquer the world. What follows is a series of exotic adventures in which the Shaggy Man attempts to find his long-lost brother, held captive by the Nome King. Tik-Tok, a curious mechanical man, agrees to assist Shaggy in his search, and Polychrome stops to play and suffers the awful fate of being deserted by her rainbow. You'll also meet Betsy Bobbin and Hank, a mule.Eventually, everyone comes together in the expedition to help Shaggy locate his misplaced sibling. Before they can do that, however, they must first overcome the Nome King, a tricky bit of business with many pitfalls. The Nome King's magic proves especially troubling. Thanks to some timely assistance from a quizzical character named Quox, the Nome King is defeated. After many diverting escapades, Shaggy's brother is found and the expedition arrives before the gates of the Emerald City. "Oz" lovers of all ages will delight in this charming flight of fancy, embellished with 93 illustrations by John R. Neill.

"Science fiction and space travel take a sprightly turn," declared Kirkus Reviews of this illustrated tale of a girl who tumbles to Earth from her father's spaceship. The young alien encounters a group of children eager to help her find her way home, but the kids will have to defy the unbelieving grown-ups.Years ahead of its time, Star Girl was originally published in the 1950s, when interest in space travel and extraterrestrials was approaching new levels. Since then, the book has become a beloved cult classic. This new edition offers the next generation of young readers an ideal introduction to the imaginative delights of science fiction.

Includes character guide, quiz, author info, springtime activities, and glossary"Ho! ho! I am the Toad, the motor-car snatcher, the prison-breaker, the Toad who always escapes!" Tired of spring cleaning, Mole ventures above ground into the warm sunshine, and happens upon his friend Ratty. Together they picnic on the sparkling, burbling river, brave the sinister Wild Wood in wintertime to visit the bad-tempered Badger, and take to the open road in a caravan with dear, silly old Toad. But when Toad's attention turns to motor cars, his reckless behavior goes from bad to worse. Badger, Rat, and Mole must save their friend from ruin, and Toad Hall from the clutches of the rascally Stoats and Weasels.