Showing results by publisher "Spoken Realms" in Anthologies & Short Stories

Famed author E. Nesbit ( The Railway Children) brings 20 of Shakespeare's plays to life in language that children can understand. They are entertaining narratives that describe the Bard's main characters and often intricate plots. Each story provides a concise overview for anyone about to experience a Shakespeare play for the first time.

Taken from Carl Sandburg's Rootabaga Pigeons book, "How Dippy the Wisp and Slip Me Liz Came in the Moonshine Where the Potato Face Blind Man Sat with His Accordion" takes us into the nonsense world Sandburg created for his daughters.

Peter Rabbit has a great deal of curiosity. He always wants to learn more about his neighbors. In this collection of 16 short stories, Peter often visits Grandfather Frog to learn more about his neighbors. For instance, Peter wants to know why Striped Chipmunk has such beautiful stripes. Peter would like to know if Buster Bear has a tail. Since Grandfather Frog has lived a long time, he is willing to tell stories to Peter and his friends about how some of these things happened (according to Grandfather Frog).

Blacky the Crow is a mischief maker. He has very sharp eyes and sees things he shouldn't. They often get him into trouble. Blacky loves eggs. One day he discovers that Hooty the Owl and Mrs. Hooty have laid eggs in a nest when there is still snow on the ground. Blacky devises a plan with his fellow crows to steal them. Later, we find out that Blacky has a good side too. As with all Thornton W. Burgess books, there are positive messages for young listeners.

Just So Stories is a collection of stories written by Rudyard Kipling in 1902. He developed them during one of his many journeys to Africa. He told children wonderful accounts of how the animal kingdom's eccentricities came about. The collection of stories came to be known for their wordplay and insistence of placing the wisdom of children at the heart of his stories.

This delightful story tells of the Little Bun Rabbit who is befriended by Dorothy, a little girl. She knows the rhyme and asks the little rabbit about it. Bun Rabbit tells her that indeed, he sees Santa every year as he drives by in his sleigh loaded with toys. One year Santa stopped to talk with him and ask if he would come to his workshop at the North Pole so he could use him as a model to make toy rabbits for little babies. He agrees and this is his exciting adventure with Santa. That is why so many stuffed bunny rabbits are made and given at Christmas to be loved by children everywhere.