Showing results by author "Kenneth Grahame" in All Categories

Presented here are three of the most popular children's books of all time: The Wizard of Oz, The Reluctant Dragon, and Five Children and It.

Is Wind in the Willows a great children’s book? Or a serious allegory for adults? Or a novel containing some of the most sensuous prose in the English language? Since Wind in the Willows continues to captivate our imaginations, perhaps the book’s power comes from its unique blend of all three of these qualities and more.

Here is the first of these beautiful tales, The Reluctant Dragon, wherein the main character - known only as "the Boy" - discovers a friendly dragon living outside his small village. When the villagers learn of the dragon's existence, they recruit St. George himself to slay the monster, prompting the Boy to intervene and try to save his friend. It is a sweet, uplifting fable of love and friendship for children of all ages and is presented here in its original and unabridged format.

This is a classic fantasy story about four animals who behave like humans. They talk, philosophize, and emphasize friendship but also keep their animal habits. They are Mole, Rat, Toad, and Badger. There are some adult books enjoyed by children and some children’s books enjoyed by adults. However, this one appeals to both because it stresses a main theme of doing your best at all times, forgiving others, and setting a goal to make the world a better place.

Grahame’s classic is a charming satirical tale of a young shepherd boy discovering a dragon on the Downs. Besides the literature loving dragon, it has a reasonable St George and tolerant townspeople. The brilliant conversations stand out for their arresting wit.

"The Reluctant Dragon" is an 1898 children's story by Kenneth Grahame, originally published as a chapter in his book Dream Days. It is Grahame's most famous short story, arguably better known than Dream Days itself or the related The Golden Age. It can be seen as a prototype to most modern stories in which the dragon is a sympathetic character rather than a threat.

Come on a merry adventure down the jolly highway! Join the unquenchable Toad, the kindly Mole, the steadfast Water Rat, and the irascible Badger in their spectacularly charming adventures along the waterfront. Each character is brought to life in this enchanting presentation of Kenneth Grahame’s seminal work of fantasy fiction. Don’t miss it!

When a dragon turns up in the English countryside, can the boy who befriends him help him avoid the threatened showdown with Saint George?

"Dream Days" is a collection of children's fiction and reminiscences of childhood written by Kenneth Grahame. A sequel to Grahame's 1895 collection "The Golden Age" (some of its selections feature the same family of five children), "Dream Days" was first published in 1898 under the imprint "John Lane: The Bodley Head". The first six selections in the book had been previously published in periodicals of the day - in the Yellow Book, the New Review, and in Scribner's Magazine in the United States.

"The only really living people are children," said Kenneth Grahame, and here the magical life of childhood is played out with vivid imagination as a group of children view themselves as the heroes and the adults in their world as "the Olympians".

Kenneth Grahame's 1898 children's story, "The Reluctant Dragon" (read here in its abridged version), is a lovely fable about a small boy's efforts to save the life of a large, lazy (self-professed), and droll blue-scaled dragon who prefers poetry to rampaging. Having taken up residence in a cave overlooking the beautiful English countryside, the dragon must contend with a challenge to fight none other than St. George, called by local villagers to slay the beast.

From the author of The Wind in the Willows comes this humorous tale of a poetic dragon who defies stereotypes with the help of a bright little boy and a certain English saint....

A poignant and profound collection of stories which explore the theme of childhood and a child's perspective on the world. "The Dabblers" by W. F. Harvey. "The Doll’s House" by Katherine Mansfield. "The Roman Road" by Kenneth Grahame. "The Sailor Uncle" by Mary Lamb. "The Egg" by Sherwood Anderson. "Gabriel-Ernest" by Saki. "A Child’s Revenge" by Paul Bourget. "The Apple Tree" by Katherine Mansfield. "A Falling Out" by Kenneth Grahame. "The Christmas Tree and the Wedding" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

A magical selection of stories for Christmas time

A haunting collection of unforgettable tales by great classic authors.

All roads lead to Rome. The young boy telling this story cannot quite comprehend this assertion - but of one road, he is certain it is true. The Knights' Road, as he and his friends call it. A road without hedges or ditches, a road that heads straight over the downs with a purpose. One day he will set off to Rome along this road... but for the moment his attention is arrested by an artist he meets on the Knights' Road. An artist who seems to know many strange and wonderful things...

Kenneth Grahame's wonderful and heart-warming story of a squabble between a brother and sister, and the extraordinary (if sometimes misguided) lengths the boy goes to, so that he can finally make peace with his wronged sibling.

An entertaining selection of stories to get you in the mood, including “The Gift of the Magi” by O.Henry, “The Reluctant Dragon” by Kenneth Grahame, “A Kidnapped Santa Claus”by L. Frank Baum and “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens.

Kenneth Grahame's classic tale of a young boy who discovers an erudite, mushroom-loving dragon living in the Downs above his home. The two become friends, but soon afterwards the dragon is discovered by the townsfolk, who send for St George to rid them of it. St George, by this time, is quite elderly and has little interest in slaying dragons, though he resolves to do it as it is his duty. The boy introduces St George to the dragon, and the two decide that it would be better for them not to fight.

Mr. Mole, Mr. Water Rat, and Mr. Badger are just a few of the animals that assume the roles of people in this charming, pleasant story for listeners of all ages.