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Little Women (Bantam Classic) by Louisa May Alcott School & Library Binding from San Val ISBN: 0881030899 HarperCollins is proud to present its new range of best-loved, essential classics. 'Wouldn't it be fun if all the castles in the air which we make could come true and we could live in them?' A heart-warming tale of love, sisterhood and hardship during the New England Civil War, Little Women tells the story of the lovable March family. Meg, Beth, Jo and Amy try to support their mother at home while their father is away at war and enter into various scrapes and adventures as they do so. Alcott beautifully interweaves bad times and good as her characters struggle with the trials and tribulations of growing up and their relationships with one another.

The Secret Garden (HarperClassics) by Frances Hodgson Burnett Paperback from HarperCollins Media Published: 1998-03-06 ISBN: 006440188X "One of th' gardens is locked up. No one has been in it for ten years." When orphaned Mary Lennox comes to live at her uncle's great house on the Yorkshire Moors, she finds it full of mysterious secrets. There are nearly one hundred rooms, most of which are locked, and the house is filled with creepy old portraits and suits of armor. Mary rarely sees her uncle, and perhaps most unsettling of all is that at night she hears the sound of someone crying down one of the long corridors. The gardens surrounding the odd property are Mary's escape and she explores every inch of them--all except for the mysterious walled-in, locked garden. Then one day, Mary discovers a key. Could it open the door to the garden? Mistress Mary is quite contrary until she helps her garden grow. Along the way, she manages to cure her sickly cousin Colin, who is every bit as imperious as she. These two are sullen little peas in a pod, closed up in a gloomy old manor on the Yorkshire moors of England, until a locked-up garden captures their imaginations and puts the blush of a wild rose in their cheeks; "It was the sweetest, most mysterious-looking place any one could imagine. The high walls which shut it in were covered with the leafless stems of roses which were so thick, that they matted together.... 'No wonder it is still,' Mary whispered. 'I am the first person who has spoken here for ten years.'" As new life sprouts from the earth, Mary and Colin's sour natures begin to sweeten. For anyone who has ever felt afraid to live and love, The Secret Garden's portrayal of reawakening spirits will thrill and rejuvenate. Frances Hodgson Burnett creates characters so strong and distinct, young readers continue to identify with them even 85 years after they were conceived. (Ages 9 to 12)

[no image] Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte Library Binding from Steck-Vaughn ISBN: 0817211284  The story of Cathy Earnshaw and the wild Heathcliff as they fall in love on the Yorkshire moors spans three generations and is seen through the eyes of the narrators Lockwood and Nelly Dean. Emily Bronte tells of the passion between Cathy and Heathcliff with such vivid intensity that her tale of tragic love has gripped readers for over 100 years.

The Jungle Books (Oxford World's Classics) by Rudyard Kipling Paperback from Oxford University Press, USA ISBN: 0192835033 The Jungle Books, regarded as classic stories told by an adult to children and best known for the "Mowgli" series, also constitutes a complex literary work of art in which the whole of Kipling's philosophy of life is expressed in miniature. The stories, a mixture of fantasy, myth and magic, are underpinned by Kipling's abiding preoccupation with the theme of self-discovery and the nature of the "Law." No child should be allowed to grow up without reading The Jungle Books. Published in 1894 and 1895, the stories crackle with as much life and intensity as ever. Rudyard Kipling pours fuel on childhood fantasies with his tales of Mowgli, lost in the jungles of India as a child and adopted into a family of wolves. Mowgli is brought up on a diet of Jungle Law, loyalty, and fresh meat from the kill. Regular adventures with his friends and enemies among the Jungle-People--cobras, panthers, bears, and tigers--hone this man-cub's strength and cleverness and whet every reader's imagination. Mowgli's story is interspersed with other tales of the jungle, such as "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi," lending depth and diversity to our understanding of Kipling's India. In much the same way Mowgli is carried away by the Bandar-log monkeys, young readers will be caught up by the stories, swinging from page to page, breathless, thrilled, and terrified. (Ages 9 to 12)

White Fang (Scribner Illustrated Classic) by Jack London Hardcover from Atheneum ISBN: 0689824319   Even as a pup, he is different from his brothers: A large gray cub among a litter of red-haired puppies, with a quicker bite and heavier paw. When he leaves the protection of his snug cave, he and his mother are captured by the fire-making gods -- man-animals who live in teepees, and who determine that the pup is half-dog, half-wolf, and name him White Fang. White Fang finds himself relentlessly tormented by the tribe's domestic dogs, and quickly learns to surpass them in cunning and viciousness. His brutality is encouraged even further when he is sold to a sadistic man who takes advantage of the dog's massive size and tremendous strength to pit him in to-the-death dog fights. White Fang is driven near mad, until a young man comes along who offers him kindness and friendship. But friendship is something White Fang doesn't understand...yet. Jack London's adventure masterpiece is not only a vivid account of the Klondike gold rush and North American Indian life, it is an intriguing study of the effects of our environments in forming who we are. Caldecott winner Ed Young's exquisite illustrations bristle with energy in their portrayal of an angry young wolf struggling with the loss of wild independence that is his birthright, but gaining a new freedom through a profound and unconditional love.

Japanese Fairy Tales (Tuttle Classics) Paperback from Tuttle Publishing ISBN: 4805308818 The rich world of Japanese fantasy is very apparent in Japanese Fairy Tales, a compilation of twenty-two favorite stories from the land of the rising sun. A fantastic selection of ghouls, goblins and ogres; sea serpents and sea kings; kindly animals and magic birds; demons and dragons; princes and princesses hide within these pages. Included are such favorites as "Momotaro, or the Story of the Son of a Peach", "The Jellyfish and the Monkey", "The Mirror of Matsuyama" and "The Bamboo Cutter and the Moon Child", along with several lesser-known stories like "The Stones of Five Colors and the Empress Jokwa."

[no image] Popular Tales from the Norse by Peter Christen Asbjornsen, Jorgen Moe Hardcover from Bodley Head Children's Books ISBN: 0370011171 So he put the quern on the table, and bade it first of all grind lights, then a table-cloth, then meat, then ale, and so on till they had got everything that was nice for Christmas fare. He had only to speak the word, and the quern ground out what he wanted. The old dame stood by blessing her stars, and kept on asking where he had got this wonderful quern, but he wouldn't tell her.

Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson Paperback from Washington Square Press ISBN: 0671471880  Set mainly in the Scottish Highlands in the years following the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745, this story follows the fortunes of the young David Balfour as he endeavours to claim the inheritance of which he has been cheated by his scheming Uncle Ebenezer.

Sleeping Beauty (Everymans Childrens Library) by C S Evans Paperback from Random House Childrens Hardbks ISBN: 1857159209 A series with silk-ribbon markers and headbands, gold stamping on front and spine, and the original colour illustrations on the jackets. First published in 1919, this version of the story of the Sleeping Beauty was written specially for Arthur Rackham, whose silhouette drawings are reproduced here.

The Secret Garden (Story Theatre for Young Readers Series) Audio Cassette from Monterey Soundworks ISBN: 1569945101 Generations of children have treasured the story of Sara Crewe, the little girl who imagines shes a princess in order to survive hard times at Miss Minchins London boarding school. Now, this classic novel is available in two beautiful new collectors editions. With Tasha Tudors enchanting black-and-white illustrations, and lovely details like a satin ribbon marker and glorious full-color plates in the hardcover, these new editions of A Little Princess are must-haves for anyone who wants to rediscover the magic of this beloved story.

 
 

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