Showing results by narrator "John McDonough" in All Categories

Life is hard for 12-year-old Lucas. First Uncle Asa dies of consumption, then Lizy and Pa. Now Mama is sick. And Lucas is the only one left to take care of her and their Connecticut farm. By the time his neighbor tells him of a strange, new cure, it is too late - Mama has just died. Reeling with sorrow, Lucas wanders until he sees a "help wanted" sign for a doctor's apprentice. He feels better while he is helping to pull teeth, visit the sick, and bury the dead.

Danny is a paisano, descended from the original Spanish settlers who arrived in Monterey, California, centuries before. He values friendship above money and possessions, so when he suddenly inherits two houses, Danny is quick to offer shelter to his fellow gentlemen of the road. Together, their love of freedom and scorn for material things draws them into daring and often hilarious adventures. That is, until Danny, tiring of his new responsibilities, suddenly disappears.

Mr. Putter and his fine cat, Tabby, love reading their favorite books over and over. So when Mr. Putter sees a sign at the library that says “Read Aloud with Your Pet at Story Time,” he signs up! But then Mr. Putter's friend and neighbor, Mrs. Teaberry, wants to join. If Mrs. Teaberry reads aloud at the library with her good dog, Zeke, who knows what will happen? With Zeke up to his usual tricks, story time might get too exciting!

A play date with a girl? Froggy is horrified! What will his friends say? But when Dad bribes him with the promise of a movie outing, Froggy has to agree, even if he won't sit next to Frogilina. She might try to kiss him. EEWW! This could be the worst play date ever. Children have enjoyed the misadventures of trouble-prone Froggy in more than twenty books. Froggy just never learns--and that's why we love him!

This is the riveting true story of grave robbers who discovered and plundered Sipan Temple, and Dr. Walter Alva, the resourceful, strong-willed archaeologist who attempts to excavate the remains of the site while under siege by smugglers and collectors. Archaeology buffs as well as adventure-novel listeners will delight in this true-crime thriller.

Mr. Putter and his fine cat, Tabby, love to take naps - too many naps. What they need is a sport! Luckily, Mrs. Teaberry and her good dog, Zeke, know of a baseball team they can join. It's not long before Mr. Putter is ready to play ball, but will his creaky knees cooperate? And can Zeke avoid wreaking havoc on the field? Win or lose, this baseball team will never be the same!

Froggy has a ball visiting Grandma! When Froggy and his family go to visit Grandma, they look forward to all kinds of fun: a baseball game, a trip to the amusement park, a visit to the museum to see the Frogga Lisa. But best of all is cooking with Grandma and learning to make her specialty, spaghetti with fly sauce. Froggy's antics everywhere he goes will delight his many fans. Froggy Goes to Grandma's is the 28th book about lovable, well-intentioned Froggy.

Rescue thought he'd grow up to be a Seeing Eye dog - it's the family business, after all. When he gets the news that he's better suited to being a service dog, he's worried that he's not up to the task. Then he meets Jessica, a girl whose life is turning out differently than the way she'd imagined it, too. Now Jessica needs Rescue by her side to help her accomplish everyday tasks. And it turns out that Rescue can help Jessica see after all: a way forward, together, one step at a time.

Froggy wants to win a big prize in the marching band contest at the Apple Blossom Parade, so he flops up to the attic to find his dad’s old saxophone. As they practice for the contest, Froggy and his friends learn the three most important marching band rules: Don’t look left. Don’t look right. And don’t stop for anything! But will these rules really help Froggy and his friends win the big prize?

Marlena de Blasi, best-selling memoirist of A Thousand Days in Venice, makes her remarkable fiction debut with this poignant tale. Deemed an illegitimate child by her royal Polish family, Amandine is abandoned as a baby at a French convent. As she grows, Amandine struggles to accept her orphaned state. She longs to put together the missing pieces of her identity, but as World War II engulfs Europe, her time to find answers may be running short.

As detective Xavier Kilgarvan sorts through clues and rumors, facts and fantasy, he is united with his beloved Perdita in a perilous challenge - the case of The Bloodstained Bridal Gown. Twelve years after solving the mystery of The Devil’s Half Acre, Xavier has received an urgent plea for help. A young minister and a woman from his parish have been murdered. Their torn bodies are found in an oddly suggestive position: leaning tenderly upon each other on a sofa in the rectory. Yet something even stranger is discovered upstairs....

For thousands of years, the notion of dragons has struck fear in the hearts of men and women all over the world. The ancient Egyptians believed there was a dragon of darkness that attacked the sun god each day, and in Norway people thought that a dragon gnawed at the roots of the tree that sustained all life on Earth. Around the globe, dragons have been depicted as everything from massive, winged, fire-breathing creatures to beasts sporting a camel’s head, deer’s horns, rabbit’s eyes, and eagle’s claws! Dragons might hoard treasure in caves, or they might be responsible for floods and the death of livestock.

Mr. Putter wants Mrs. Teaberry's birthday to be extra special this year. So how about a trip to the conservatory to see the beautiful trees and plants and flowers? It will be heavenly. And it is! Mr. Putter and Tabby and Mrs. Teaberry and Zeke sniff the air. They smell the roses. They learn the plant facts. It's the perfect celebration...until Zeke finds the banana tree.

The cod is a large, ugly fish that spends its life with its big mouth wide open for food. For centuries, so many cod lived in the Atlantic Ocean they couldn’t swim without bumping into each other. They were so plentiful that they became the most important fish in many cultures. Best-selling author Mark Kurlansky brings history to life with this entertaining story of how a single fish changed the world.

The green leaves on the trees are changing to red and gold. A chilly wind blows from the north. Mrs. Cottontail and her littlest rabbit watch a flock of wild geese in the sky. “Cold winter days are near,” she tells him. All through the woods, creatures of every size are busy. Squirrels are storing acorns and seeds under logs. The ground hog is growing a warm fur coat. The blue bird begins his long trip south. They must hurry—soon the big snow is coming.

Froggy can’t wait to get to his friend Max’s house for their sleepover. So he packs everything in his big sack and flop flop flops over. But there are scary noises at Max’s. And when they go back to Froggy’s house, Max gets a stomachache. With all this shlooping back and forth, will they ever get to sleep? Jonathan London’s award-winning Froggy books are always a hit with kids, and John McDonough expertly narrates Froggy’s fun sound effects.

Cynthia Rylant explores the beauty and tenacity of life. Life begins small, then grows. There are so many wonderful things about life, both in good times and in times of struggle. Through the eyes of the world's animals - including elephants, monkeys, whales, and more - Cynthia Rylant offers a moving meditation on finding beauty around us every day and finding strength in adversity.

Recipient of a 1993 Newbery Honor, this novel is an achingly beautiful, powerfully rendered journey through childhood that is not to be missed.

Family memoirs and previously unpublished material provide the backdrop for this poignant portrait of a man whose heroic idealism inspired a nation. Edward Renehan's graceful prose allows listeners a close-up look at an entire family of larger-than-life heroes. Theodore Roosevelt taught his sons that wealth and influence were inextricably bound up with a duty to defend democracy to the death. His own exemplary conduct in the Spanish-American War helped win the war for the United States.

While desperately seeking income as a photographer, Dylan Cooper befriends art gallery assistant Grace MacVicar. So well do the two get along that Dylan begins to harbor hopes for the future. But at the premier of his photographic exhibition, he is shocked to see Grace arm-in-arm with a well-dressed gentleman. Feeling foolish and bewildered, Dylan ponders two painful questions: Why did Grace encourage his romantic aspirations? And who is this dashing stranger?