BBC Classics Children’s Library

Nov 21, 2024 5:06 PM

Author:Lewis Carroll,Kenneth Grahame,E Nesbit,Rudyard Kipling,The Brothers Grimm,Hans Christian Andersen,Louisa May Alcott,Oscar Wilde,Joseph Ayre,Sam Dale,Carolyn Pickles,Kenny Blyth,Catherine Cusack,Tony Turner,Sarah Ovens,Shaun Mason,Full cast

An irresistible anthology of folklore, fables and perennial favourites, including four novels and 17 short stories

This superlative collection of children's stories brings together a feast of fantastic fiction, read in full by a host of top narrators and with a comprehensive track listing for ease of listening. Comprising everything from fairytales for little ones to thrilling adventures for pre-teens, these unabridged readings are ideal for families to keep, treasure and dip into as their children grow.

Listed by suggested age range and with track numbers provided, the stories are as follows:

Ages 4+

1-12 Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (read by Carolyn Pickles)

13 Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter (read by Jonny Holden)

14 The Elves and the Shoemaker by the Brothers Grimm (read by Sam Dale)

15 Too Clever By Half by E Nesbit (read by Helen Capp)

16 Tom Thumb by the Brothers Grimm (read by Shaun Mason)

Ages 7+

17-25 The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame (read by Michael Bertenshaw)

26 How the Camel Got His Hump by Rudyard Kipling (read by Kenny Blyth)

27 The Emperor's New Clothes by Hans Christian Andersen (read by Shaun Mason)

28 The Raspberry Worm by Zacharias Topelius (read by Debbie Korley)

29 The Tongue Cut Sparrow by Yei Theodora Ozaki (read by Sean Baker)

30 The Elephant's Child by Rudyard Kipling (read by Tony Turner)

31 The Magic Bed by Hartwell James (read by Chris Pavlo)

32 How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin by Rudyard Kipling (read by Tony Turner)

33 The Tortoise and the Rain by MI Ogumefu (read by Kenny Blyth)

34 The Baba Yaga by Katharine Pyle (read by Susan Jameson)

Ages 9+

35-41 The Call of the Wild by Jack London (read by Joseph Ayre)

42 Finn and the Scottish Giant by Harold F Hughes (read by Paul Hickey)

43 The Children's Joke by Louisa May Alcott (read by Catherine Cusack)

44 The Ants and the Treasure by MI Ogumefu (read by Kenny Blyth)

45 The Happy Prince by Oscar Wilde (read by Tony Turner)

46-59 The Railway Children by E Nesbit (read by Sarah Ovens)

Production credits

First broadcast on BBC Sounds, 21 December 2018-1 November 2019

Produced by Simon Richardson (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, The Tortoise and the Rain, The Elephant's Child, The Ants and the Treasure, How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin, How the Camel Got His Hump, The Elves and the Shoemaker, The Happy Prince), Karen Holden (The Wind in the Willows), Martha Littlehailes (The Call of the Wild), Anne Bunting (The Railway Children), Anne Isger (Too Clever By Half, The Tongue Cut Sparrow, The Emperor's New Clothes, The Children's Joke, Finn and the Scottish Giant) and Mabel Wright (Tom Thumb, The Raspberry Worm, The Magic Bed, The Baba Yaga, Peter Rabbit)

The Raspberry Worm edited by Andrew Lang

Reviews

Another exquisite, clothbound tale from Coralie Bickford-Smith... [her] illustrations are so vivid and patterned, reminiscent of traditional African wax prints, that each page feels alive. The night-time stars and fireflies sparkle, though there's no glitter or foil used, while elsewhere the text swoops bird-like across the page

—— Observer

Depicts nature at its most majestic and tells a lovely fable about belonging

—— Financial Times

Never have the woods looked more beautiful than in this exquisite new fable about growing up, exploring the world and understanding where you belong

—— Angels and Urchins Magazine

Heart-warming . . . a celebration about the world around us and the importance of the natural world at a time when we need it the most

—— Creative Review

Wonderful, poetically told . . . beautifully designed on the page to match the spirit of the words, tells of the importance of shelter and its power to encourage confidence and tolerance as well as empowering development and independence. The interdependence of the bird and the tree in this story is a beautiful telling of a universal theme

—— Julia Eccleshare , LoveReading

Magical ... an ode to nature

—— Best Children's Books of 2020 , Observer

This is a very special story

—— Sloan magazine

An enchanting tale, full of nostalgia and warmth, bringing a classic character to a new generation of readers

—— The Big Issue

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