HEROESAND HEROINESfromclassic talesExtractsfromPinocchio• Peter Pan • King Arthur • Tales from the Norse LegendsAnneof Green Gables • The Railway Children • Kidnapped and othersIntroduced by BenjaminSoames Excitingexcerpts from some of the best classic stories for youngerlisteners,presented with classical music and, often, sound effects, tobringthe characters vividly to life. Here is Mowgli, Anne of Green Gables, PeterPan, Pinocchio, Odysseus, the monster wolf Fenrir and Tom Sawyer - getting inand out of scrapes. Before each excerpt is an introduction, setting the scene. Introductionby Benjamin Soames PINOCCHIOby Carlo CollodiReadby John Sessions Pinocchiois a wooden puppet that, to the surprise of his maker, thewood-carverGepetto, comes to life and proceeds to have the most astonishing adventures. Heis a naughty, mischievous puppet who is full of good intentions but wantseverything, and lets nothing stand in his way. He knows that Gepetto loves himlike a son, and is aware that he is hurting him, but he just can’t seem to stayout of trouble… PETERPAN by J.M. BarrieReadby Samuel West Thestory of the little boy who refused to grow up has captured theimaginationof generations of children (and the adults they grew into) since itspublication in 1904. PeterPan flies in through the bedroom window one night and teaches Wendy, John andMichael to fly. He lures them away from their home and parents and takes themaway to endless adventures in the magical Neverland, where they meet the wickedcaptain Hook and a host of other characters. THERAILWAY CHILDREN by E. NesbitReadby Eve Karpf, Delia Paton, Robert Benfield, Sarah Corbett, Thomas Martin &Nicola Grant WhenRoberta, Peter and Phyllis’ father is arrested for a crime he did not commitand they have to start a new life in the country, they fear the happy times aregone forever. Little do they expect the exciting adventures and the new friendsthat await them. By the end they have learned more about life and themselvesthan they had ever dreamed possible. Thisfull-cast, dramatized version of E. Nesbit’s children’s classic by Anna Brittendelightfully brings to life the adventures of The Railway Children. ANNEOF GREEN GABLES by L.M. MontgomeryReadby Liza Ross Eleven-year-oldorphan Anne Shirley has red hair, a vivid imagination and cannot stop talking.Quite a shock for old Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, who wanted a boy to helpthem on the farm... Anne is soon the talk of the town with her funny ways andendless adventures, but it is not long before she has won the hearts ofeveryone. Thisclassic story is set in Canada at the beginning of the 20th century and is oneof the most enduring favorites of children’s literature. THEADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER by Mark TwainReadby Garrick Hagon TheAdventures of Tom Sawyer is the story of a boy’s adventures growing up in asmall town on the banks of the Mississippi river over a hundred years ago. Thecheerful, adventurous hero plays truant to form a pirate band and, togetherwith his best friend, Huckleberry Finn, finds fun and excitement, and buriedtreasure, along the shores of the great river. FRAMEDIN A FIRST STORY (Anon)DAHNTHE PLUG’OLE (Anon)Readby Anton LesserMATILDA(Belloc)Readby Ann HarveyfromTHE PIED PIPER OF HAMELIN AND OTHER FAVORITE POEMSSelectedby Jan Fielden & John Mole Thischarming collection of 60 of the finest and most entertaining poems, chosen andread for younger listeners, uses highly vivid images,entertaininganimal characters, magical landscape, and humorous adventures to capture theattention and delight listeners of all ages, and will remain in their memoriesuntil passed on to another generation in the years to come. Theworks of Edward Lear, William Blake, Lewis Carroll, Samuel TaylorColeridge,William Butler Yeats, William Wordsworth, William Shakespeare, Robert LouisStevenson, Rudyard Kipling, A.A. Milne, and so many others - over 40 poets inall - compliment The Pied Piper of Hamelin by Robert Browning, recorded in itsentirety. ALICE’SADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND by Lewis CarrollReadby Fiona Shaw Alice’sadventures, funny, inventive and disturbing, have fascinated and delightedchildren and adults alike since their publication. The fantasy worlds in whichshe finds herself introduce her to characters as varied and well known as theWhite Rabbit, the Mad Hatter, the Queen of Hearts and the Cheshire Cat... TALESFROM THE NORSE LEGENDS by Edward FerrieReadby Benjamin Soames Thetales of the Norse gods, of the giants, demons, trolls and dwarves still havethe power to fascinate more than a thousand years after they were first told.Here are the stories of the one-eyed god Odin, the all-seeing, who from histhrone in Asgard the home of the gods, has to prepare for Ragnarok, the finalconflict between good and evil. There are tales too of Tyr the god of war, ofthe cunning Loki; of Thor the mighty thunder god and a host of others. Theseretellings of the old tales are given extra dramatic perspective by the musicof Mahler, Grieg, and Smetana. They come to life as never before… KINGARTHUR AND THE KNIGHTS OF THE ROUND TABLE by Benedict FlynnReadby Sean Bean Thesestories are about how, many years ago, Arthur, the once and future King ofEngland, set out to save his country from the troubles that plagued it, aidedby the brave knights of his Round Table, and the most famous sword in theworld, Excalibur; How Merlin the Wizard fought against the wicked Morgana leFay’s enchantments; and how Arthur loved and lost the beautiful Guinevere, hisQueen. THEADVENTURES OF ODYSSEUS by Benedict FlynnReadby Benjamin Soames TheOdyssey is the story of what happened after the Trojan War whenOdysseus,the most cunning of all the Greek heroes, left Troy and made his way back hometo his wife Penelope and his son Telemachus. It was first told by a poet namedHomer nearly three thousand years agoand is retold in this new version especially for younger listeners. KIDNAPPEDby Robert Louis StevensonReadby John Sessions Whenthe naive David Balfour sets out on his quest for a long lost relative, aterrifying chain of events is set in motion. He is plunged into a world of infamyand violence from which there seems no escape, until, that is, he meets theenigmatic and valiant Highlander, Alan Breck... Firstpublished in 1886, Kidnapped has long been regarded as a children’s classic,yet finds favor amongst readers of all ages. THEJUNGLE BOOKS by Rudyard KiplingReadby Madhav Sharma Childrenand adults alike have loved Kipling’s tales of Mowgli and hisexcitinglife in the Indian jungle ever since their publication in 1895.Mowglithe ‘man-cub’ must learn to fend for himself against terrible foes like ShereKhan the tiger, but he can always call upon his friends Baloo the Bear,Bagheera the Black Panther and Kaa the Rock Python from whom he learns the Lawof the Jungle… GRIMM’SFAIRY TALES by The Brothers GrimmTheFrog Prince • Bearskin • The Elves and the Shoemaker • Snow White • Hansel andGretel The Golden Goose • The Dancing Shoes • Tom Thumb • Rumplestiltskin LittleRed Riding Hood • The Fisherman and His Wife • Cinderella • The Little TailorReadby Laura Paton Hereare some of the most enchanting fairy stories of all time. The Brothers Grimmconjure up a world of fantasy, hope and good fortune where the princess meetsand marries the right prince (even if he was once a frog), and where the cruelwitch, the arrogant wife and the greedy wolf get their just rewards. Itis a magical world which we must all inhabit at one time in our lives and whichare as important in this computer age as ever before. ABOUTTHE READERS Introducedby BENJAMINSOAMESTalesfrom the Norse Legends • The Adventures of Odysseus. BenjaminSoames trained at LAMDA, he has appeared in the television series Sharpe andAbsolutely Fabulous as well as the films Heavy Weather and England, My England.He toured worldwide in the acclaimed Cheek By Jowlproductionof Measure For Measure. SEANBEANKingArthur and the Knights of the Round Table SeanBean is known for his major roles in films such as Goldeneye, When SaturdayComes, Patriot Games and Anna Karenina, and for his television roles in theSharpe series, Lady Chatterley, Clarissa and A Woman’s Guide to Adultery. Histheater credits include Romeo and Juliet and Fair Maid of the West for theRoyal Shakespeare Company. GARRICKHAGONTheAdventures of Tom Sawyer GarrickHagon appeared in many films including Batman, Cry Freedom, Star Wars, Anthonyand Cleopatra and Fatherland. His television credits include A Perfect Spy,Henry V, The Chief and Love Hurts. In London’s West End he played Chris Kellerin All My Sons and he reads frequently for the BBC. ANNEHARVEYThePied Piper of Hamelin and Other Favorite Poems AnneHarvey is a poet, anthologist, adjudicator and broadcaster well known for herpoetry readings both on stage and radio. She is the director of Pegasus, thetheater company, which tours literature-based programs and presents a programbased on the works of Christina Rossetti. ANTONLESSERThePied Piper of Hamelin and Other Favorite Poems AntonLesser has played many of the principal Shakespearean roles for the RoyalShakespeare Company and performed contemporary drama, notably The BirthdayParty by Harold Pinter. Appearances on television include The Cherry Orchard,The Mill on the Floss and The Politician’s Wife. LAURAPATONGrimm’sFairy Tales LauraPaton trained at LAMDA where she won the St. Phillip’s Prize forPoetryand the Michael Warre Award. She has toured the UK extensively in productionsas varied as The Two Gentlemen of Verona and Oscar Wilde’s Salomé. LIZAROSSAnneof Green Gables LizaRoss has appeared on stage in the West End and in repertory across the UK,including Wings and The Front Page at the Royal National Theatre. She has mademany television appearances including After the War, Poor Little Rich Girl,Two’s Company and The Month of the Doctors. Her film work includes Batman andThe Shadowchasers and she has worked extensively as a voice artist. JOHNSESSIONSKidnapped• Pinocchio JohnSessions is a highly versatile actor and comedian, well known for his comicwork in films such as My Night with Reg, In the Bleak Midwinter and The PopeMust Die. He is a familiar figure on television in shows such as Whose Line IsIt Anyway?, The New Statesman and Spitting Image. MADHAVSHARMATheJungle Books MadhavSharma made his professional acting debut with the Shakespeareana InternationalCompany touring such places as India, Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong. Heworks extensively on stage, screen and radio in the UK where he now resides. Hewas recently seen in Tom Stoppard’s Indian Ink. FIONASHAW Alice’sAdventures in Wonderland Fiona Shaw has won the Olivier Award for Best Actressfour times, as well as a clutch of other awards for her roles in As You LikeIt, Electra, The Good Person of Sechuan, Hedda Gabler and Machinal. Herinterpretation of Richard II was widely acclaimed, as is her work in films suchas My Left Foot, Jane Eyre and Anna Karenina. SAMWESTPeterPan SamWest was widely praised for his performance as Leonard Bast in the Merchant Ivoryfilm, Howard’s End. Other film credits include Carrington and Reunion, and hehas been seen on television in Persuasion and Heavy Weather. Theatricalroles have included Valentine in Arcadia and Algernon in TheImportanceof Being Earnest.