The stories in this anthology illustrate many of the qualities of the wise woman, offering listeners of all ages a new perspective on the grandmother character that is usually presented in fairy tales as either menacingly evil or dim-witted and useless. With spirited grandmothers from as far afield as Senegal and Sweden, all of these tales are rich with humor, action, and suspense.

This delightful collection of folktales from around the world includes favorites like "The Three Billy Goats Gruff" (Norwegian) as well as less familiar stories such as "The Blue Coat" (Jewish) and "The Sweetest Song" (African-American). With almost 20 years of storytelling under his belt, Hugh Lupton is the perfect choice for narrating this wide-reaching anthology. Spark your children's imaginations with his lively performance!

Professional faerie and storyteller Tanya Robyn Batt lifts the veil between the faerie world and our own, introducing a variety of faerie folk through stories, poems, and snippets of lore from Britain and Ireland. Introductions to each story are filled with fascinating historical and literary details about faerie customs, among the shower of pixie dust, glittery stars, and fluttery dragon flies.

Heave ho, me hearties! This spirited collection will inspire all young pirates to set sail to faraway islands and seek adventures on the high seas. Master storyteller Richard Hope recounts the swashbuckling adventures of pirates from all over the world in a collection that is brimming with the perils and drama of life on the high seas.

Lose yourself in the world of the equestrian with this unique anthology of stories about magical, mystical, and memorable horses. Bringing together stories from many different traditions and containing fascinating notes about the different breeds, this unabridged program is guaranteed to become a much treasured volume in any child's collection. A must for horse lovers everywhere!

Internationally acclaimed Irish folksinger Maura O'Connell narrates seven of the brightest jewels from the Irish storytelling tradition in this magnificent, unabridged recording of Malachy Doyle's Tales from Old Ireland. With its captivating language, larger-than-life characters, dramatic landscapes, and magical happenings, this enchanting collection of favorite Irish folk tales will transport listeners to another world for many happy hours.

Sam Gribley is terribly unhappy living in New York City with his family, so he runs away to the Catskill Mountains to live in the woods - all by himself. With only a penknife, a ball of cord, 40 dollars, and some flint and steel, he intends to survive on his own. Sam learns about courage, danger, and independence during his year in the wilderness, a year that changes his life forever.

Inside every little girl lives a radiant princess, but all princesses have challenges to face, and this captivating collection of stories shows us what it means to become a true princess. Margaret Wolfson's dramatic narration is sure to make this romantic and spirited collection of princess stories from around the world a favorite with every little girl who dreams of becoming a princess herself.

The BFG is no ordinary bone-crunching giant. He is far too nice and jumbly. It's lucky for Sophie that he is. Had she been carried off in the middle of the night by the Bloodbottler, or any of the other giants - rather than the BFG - she would have soon become breakfast. When Sophie hears that the giants are flush-bunking off to England to swollomp a few nice little chiddlers, she decides she must stop them once and for all. And the BFG is going to help her!

Watch the curtain rise on these dramatic and beautiful ballets. The stories in this collection feature magic and comedy, drama and adventure, and are accompanied by a brief history of classical ballet, as well as historical details of the composition, choreography and early performances of each ballet.

When mystery author D. B. Ziegler is late delivering her book, Abi Schore steps in to help. Surely she can give her favorite author moral support over the holiday break and get the manuscript to her boss at Tea & Sympathy Publishing in time for the new year. When Abi shows up on Ms. Ziegler’s doorstep bearing holiday treats, she’s met by the author’s handsome grandson Dov, who reveals a startling plot twist. His grandmother isn’t able to finish the book and Dov promised he’d complete it so fans won’t be disappointed—a task that’s harder than he ever imagined.

Two little girls stand with their heads bowed in my living room. I’m told they’re my granddaughters. Daisy is nine, and Alice seven. Daisy is the spitting image of her mother. This is the first time I’ve met them since my daughter and I fell out after she married that waste of space, Vince. They’ve come to live with me because their mother — my daughter — was murdered. In her own home while they slept close by. I think Vince killed her. But the police can’t prove it. I’ve always known he was no good. He treated my daughter like dirt. I said he’d cheat on her — but she wouldn’t listen.

There's no place like home for the holidays ... especially for Lesley Carver. Life in the big city just wasn't her jam and now she's back in Hickory Falls, working at the family diner and helping her mom after she took a tumble. Lesley longs to build a life here, working at the cafe, selling her handmade ornaments and ... er, apparently reviving her high school crush on her best friend’s older brother. Only one problem, her mom wants her to leave Hickory Falls far behind.

Tilly Farriday isn’t feeling very jolly this season. Recently divorced and broke, she’s squatting in one of her rental agency’s properties until her new home is ready. The sprinkles on top of the burnt Christmas cookie that is her life? The new owner shows up early, forcing Tilly to hide in the attic to save her job…and what remains of her dignity.

First published in 1843, it tells the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, a mean and unpleasant man who dislikes people generally and Christmas especially. One Christmas Eve he is visited by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley and the spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come and given a glimpse of the many homes and lives which Scrooge has touched in his wretched life to date. After their visits, Scrooge is transformed into a kinder, gentler man.

It’s 1984, and life has changed beyond recognition. Airstrip One, formerly known as Great Britain, is a place where Big Brother is always watching, and nobody can hide. Except, perhaps, for Winston Smith. Whilst working at the Ministry of Truth, rewriting history, he secretly dreams of freedom. And in a world where love and sex are forbidden, where it’s hard to distinguish between friend and foe, he meets Julia and O’Brien and vows to rebel.

Clark Griswold was onto something...at least with his annual holiday meltdown. And since the last three weeks of my life have been riddled with humbug—another breakup, a broken toe, an office promotion I deserved and didn’t get—I’m not at all in the mood to celebrate nor have the happ, happ, happiest Christmas EVER.

My fiancé brought me tea and scrambled eggs in bed that morning, and we snuggled together, talking about buying our rings, and about our perfect wedding next year. Then we headed into town. He held my hand and gazed at the ring I liked best, a smile spreading slowly over his face. Then a glass of bubbly to celebrate. I felt flushed, excited and ready for the rest of my life with the man I loved. We race to get on the train home. It screams to a halt and I run towards its open doors. Made it. I think he’s right behind me — but when I turn around, he’s gone.

Lucas knows the perfect night entails just three things: video games, wine, and pad thai. Peanuts are a must! Other people? Not so much. Why complicate things when he’s happy alone? Then one day the apartment board, a vexing trio of authority, rings his doorbell. And Lucas’s solitude takes a startling hike. They demand to see his frying pan. Someone left one next to the recycling room overnight, and instead of removing the errant object, as Lucas suggests, they insist on finding the guilty party. But their plan backfires. Colossally.

Johnnie Rico never really intended to join up—and definitely not the infantry. But now that he’s in the thick of it, trying to get through combat training harder than anything he could have imagined, he knows everyone in his unit is one bad move away from buying the farm in the interstellar war the Terran Federation is waging against the Arachnids. Because everyone in the Mobile Infantry fights. And if the training doesn’t kill you, the Bugs are more than ready to finish the job.