Young Arabel's life is changed forever when her father, a taxi driver, brings home an injured bird he finds in the street. This wacky raven eats everything in sight, answers the telephone by squawking "Nevermore!" and causes chaos wherever he goes--but Arabel loves her new feathered friend, whom she names Mortimer. Set in a small quaint village outside London more than half a century ago, young listeners will find great pleasure in these high-spirited engaging stories with uniquely hilarious and witty situations. Fans of these classic stories will picture an adorable raven squawking "nevermore" every time they hear a phone ring, and the thought of this crazy bird will forever be a delightful reminder!
Here are eight gloriously imaginative stories for eight satisfying sessions of bedtime reading. There's a flying apple pie, a cat that's bigger than an elephant, a house that lays an egg, storybook animals that leap out of their books at night, and a wealth of other wonderful characters and ideas, all with the colorful, dreamlike quality of the very best fairy tales. Joan Aiken's delicious prose is a joy to read aloud to very young listeners yet simple enough for the independent reader to savor on his or her own. Kevin Hawkes's illustrations nearly 60 of them capture with great flair and fun the magical adventures and the triumph of the good over the bad.
Wicked wolves and a grim governess threaten Bonnie and her cousin Sylvia when Bonnie's parents leave Willoughby Chase for a sea voyage. Left in the care of the cruel Miss Slighcarp, the girls can hardly believe what is happening to their once happy home. The servants are dismissed, the furniture is sold, and Bonnie and Sylvia are sent to a prison-like orphan school. It seems as if the endless hours of drudgery will never cease.With the help of Simon the gooseboy and his flock, they escape. But how will they ever get Willoughby Chase free from the clutches of the evil Miss Slighcarp?
Young Arabel's life is changed forever when her father, a taxi driver, brings home an injured bird he finds in the street. This wacky raven eats everything in sight, answers the telephone by squawking "Nevermore!" and causes chaos wherever he goes--but Arabel loves her new feathered friend, whom she names Mortimer. Chaos follows Mortimer, the zany and impulsive raven, wherever he goes and the Jones family is not the same after young Arabel Jones discovers Mortimer in the family's fridge early one morning. The Jones family's affection for this odd pet is silly and outrageous, making for ridiculous adventures and wacky situations between a quirky but loving family and their outrageous black pet raven. Set in a small quaint village outside London more than half a century ago, readers will enjoy the old-fashioned British dialogue and wonderful descriptions of the place Mortimer quickly calls home in Rumbury Borough. A typical English supper at the Jones' house is mince pies, cheese patties, tomatoes, and chips. Arabel's weight is measured in stones. Mrs. Jones considers her nieces and nephews to be "a spoiled lot." Babies are pushed about in prams, and soot from the family's heating system falls into the hearth whenever Mortimer flies up into the chimney. Children (and their adult reading partners) will find great pleasure in these high-spirited engaging stories because the text is rich with wonderfully descriptive phrases as well as uniquely hilarious and witty situations. Fans of this classic story will picture a hairy-beaked raven squawking "nevermore" every time they hear a phone ring, and the thought of this crazy bird will be a delightful reminder of this fabulous story.
Arabel Jones and her pet raven, Mortimer, find adventure wherever they go. In this silly sequel to "Arabel's Raven," when they take a cruise, Mortimer floats out to sea on a grand piano. When they go to the zoo, Mortimer tries to get even with three giraffes that stole his doughnuts. Even at home, there's an excitement when the rambunctious raven flies away with a priceless treasure that was buried at their local park--King Arthur's sword! Arabel tries to keep her peculiar pet under control, but sometimes that's just impossible! One thing is for sure: Life is never dull with Mortimer around!
