Showing results by narrator "Tom S. Weiss" in All Categories

The Burgess Bird Book for Children introduces children to the fascinating subject of bird life in storybook fashion. Thornton Burgess uses Peter Rabbit as a means for younger children to learn about birds in the Green Forest and Green Meadows. On the journey through the book, Peter learns a great deal from sassy Jenny Wren and other neighbors. Listeners learn about common birds' physical appearance, eating, nesting habits, and songs and calls.

Minos is such a lovely planet, as the crew of the space cruiser Explorer discover. Not a thing seems wrong with it. Excepting the food perhaps. And a disease that really isn't. They are surprised to learn they are not the first humans to arrive on Minos. In fact, there is a small colony on Minos whose inhabitants have one odd detail in common, as the Explorer's crew is soon to discover.

Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer and musician of the Baroque period. He enriched established German styles through his skill in counterpoint, harmonic and motivic organization, and the adaptation of rhythms, forms, and textures from abroad, particularly from Italy and France. Bach's compositions include the Brandenburg Concertos, the Goldberg Variations, the Mass in B minor, two Passions, and over 300 cantatas of which around 200 survive.

While spending a holiday in a small Central American republic, Desmond Okewood of the Secret Service learns from a dying beachcomber of a hidden treasure. With the assistance of a millionaire, he sets out for Cock Island in the Pacific. To his astonishment he discovers that the Man with the Clubfoot, whom he had regarded as dead, has anticipated him.

The short story "Doctor" chronicles a fear of a virus that has already decimated one planet and is so deadly that there is no cure for it. Planets that are known to have chlorphage are quarantined from the rest of the galaxy. Unknown to others, a small girl who is infected manages to board an interplanetary ship and the ship's doctor tries to combat the virus.

A Guest of Ganymede is a tale of a scoundrel and a blind passenger who have discovered alien beings that can reverse human afflictions. The blind passenger has chartered a spaceship to take him to Ganymede where he hopes to have his sight restored. The rogue plans to steal the secret for reversing the afflictions and make himself rich beyond his dreams.

Happy Jack is a grey squirrel who lives in the Green Forest. Like most little creatures, he must fend for himself. Happy Jack has discovered a tree that chocked full of hickory nuts. He wants them to be all his own and believes the tree is his because he found the nuts. But his cousin Chatterer the Red Squirrel doesn't believe this. A loud quarrel ensures between the two along with a chase and suddenly the hickory nuts are gone! Where could they have gone?

Jerry Muskrat lives in the Smiling Pool along with many of his friends, including Grandfather Frog, Spotty the Turtle, and others. One day Jerry discovers there is something wrong with the Smiling Pool and the Laughing Brook that feeds it. Both are slowly disappearing. Jerry and his friends set out on a mission to determine what is wrong with the Smiling Pool and the Laughing Brook.

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.

Lightfoot the Deer is a story about animals in the Green Forest that are hunted in the fall. The story is mostly about Lightfoot, a male deer hunted by one hunter and describes how he tries to escape being shot. The story tells Lightfoot's encounter with another buck and a battle for territory and the lovely, Miss Daintyfoot. As with most Thornton Burgess books, young listeners learn valuable lessons about nature, wildlife, and positive morals.

Martin Luther was a German professor of theology, composer, priest, monk, and a seminal figure in the Protestant Reformation. Luther came to reject several teachings and practices of the Roman Catholic Church. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money, proposing an academic discussion of the practice and efficacy of indulgences in his 95 Theses of 1517.

Jimmy Skunk is slow and avoided by his neighbors because of the perfume that Mother Nature has given him for protection. But his perfume doesn't keep Peter Rabbit from playing a trick on both Jimmy and Reddy Fox. When Jimmy thinks Reddy has pulled the joke, Reddy gets a dose of Jimmy's perfume as punishment. Most folks think Reddy Fox deserves what he gets because he is always trying to catch and eat Jimmy's friends.

Sammy Jay is a blue jay who, like most blue jays, is mischievous. He delights in making trouble for other creatures of the Green Meadows and the Green Forest. Sammy really doesn't want to see them hurt, he just wants to make torment them. Enter Chatterer the Red Squirrel, who also lives in the Green Forest and can be as troublesome as Sammy Jay. In The Adventures of Sammy Jay, Chatterer and Sammy Jay match wits and show off their bad attitudes toward one another.

Paddy the Beaver is a newcomer to the Green Forest. The little people of the Green Meadows and the Green Forest are wary of strangers. They don't know what to expect of Paddy, especially when he starts building a dam and the water stops flowing to the Laughing Brook.

The year is 2232. Earth is grossly overpopulated. The nations of the world, working through the United Nations, have authorized a global bureau known as the Bureau of Population Equalization (Popeek), whose goal it is to relocate people from overcrowded areas to the less densely populated parts of the planet. A highly unpopular euthanasia program weeds out newborns who have may have defective genes and accelerates the death of the incurable.

The Adventures of Johnny Chuck tells the story of a feisty woodchuck named Johnny. Johnny decides he is unhappy with his home in the Green Forest and elects to venture into the wide, wide world. As he wanders he gets into a territory fight with another chuck, discovers a new home, learns there is some good in all, and discovers the most wonderful thing in the world.

In The Adventures of Peter Cottontail, Peter Rabbit doesn't like his name and tries to find another that has more prestige. His friends think he is silly and devise a scheme to show Peter the problem with changing his name. Peter learns his mistake and changes his name back.

Old Granny Fox was a wise old fox who lived with her grandson Reddy. Reddy is young and impulsive and gets into a great deal of trouble because of this. So Granny must teach him the lessons of nature if he is to survive. The practical lessons about theft, gratitude and kindness that Granny teaches Reddy, as in all Thornton Burgess books, promote these virtues to young children listening to this book.

In The Adventures of Bob White, we follow the tale of Mr. and Mrs. Bob White and their 15 young Bobs as they live and work on Farmer Brown's farm. Young Farmer Brown's boy learns a valuable lesson about how nature's animals can help on the farm as he watches the young Bobs grow and work. Moreover, he learns an important lesson about love and compassion.

Denton Cassal is a sales engineer on a sales trip to Tunney 21. His mission is to recruit an engineer for his company, Neuronics Inc., with the aid of an electronic implant called Dimanche. On the way, Cassal has a transfer point on the planet of Godolph. Unfortunately, his transfer doesn't go as smoothly as he wants, and he now seems stranded on Godolph. There is something strange about travelers on Godolph, as Cassal quickly learns.