Audiobooks Narrated by John Rayburn

The Book of Dragons

It wouldn’t be out of line to call this book a great world of pretend. It is actually eight short stories that are clever and magical, as well as frightening at times. For example, a fierce dragon crawls out of the dungeons of a castle and seems to be aiming at eating an entire nearby village. The wild beast frightens a poor blacksmith who has the sense and ability to trick the ferocious animal and save the town and its people. One of the classic tales tells of a princess who has a heart of gold which gives her immunity to being eaten by any attacking dragon. You’ll learn about Elfin, a clever pig keeper who wins the heart of the lovely princess. The storyteller, Edith Nesbit, was born in 1858 in what is now Greater London. She had the imaginative foresight to concoct tales that often found her called the creator of modern children’s fantasy. Her imagination attracted children of her time and involved them in what seemed to be a real world filled with unexpected adventures. Her powers of invention brought us the magical stories we’re about to hear.

Edith Nesbit (Author), John Rayburn (Narrator)

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The Boxcar Children

The author of this story was a first grade school teacher, so she knew about the trials and tribulations of the young, although nothing like this. It was a sad and frightening situation for four orphaned children, brothers and sisters, two boys and two girls. Their parents were dead, and they were afraid of perhaps having to live with their grandfather. Why they were afraid isn’t explained; they had never met him, but he’s said to be a meanie. At any rate, after first sleeping in the woods during a bad storm, the children have a dire want and need of something for better shelter. Luckily, one of the girls finds an old railroad boxcar abandoned in the woods and sitting on old rails. It’s certainly better than nothing, so they move in and essentially create a new home. All they have is four dollars, a few towels, and only a few other small items. When Henry, the oldest at fourteen, gets a job with a town doctor, the physician finds out about their predicament and sets the record straight about their grandfather. Mr. Alden, as it turns out, is a billionaire, lives in a fancy mansion, and solves the problem for the youngsters. After they move in with him, he moves the boxcar to his garden for their playhouse and, as you will now hear, it is certainly an all-around happy ending.

Gertrude Chandler Warner (Author), John Rayburn (Narrator)

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Fairy Tales by Mother Goose

A seventeenth-century writer named Charles Perrault was sometimes called Mother Goose, an imaginary author of fairy tales. His early material was inspired and derived from earlier folk tales that he greatly embellished and improved. The Mother Goose creation was actually based on European popular tradition. She was never identified as an actual person but instead was merely a way of calling attention to popular and rural storytelling. The tales most often ended with a moral, such as: "Good manners are not easy/ They need a little care,/ But when we least expect it/ Bring rewards both rich and rare." One of the most popular versions of the long-ago tales was "Cinderella," and Perrault made several modifications to the original, these including the pumpkin carriage, fairy godmother, and the initial mention of the "glass slippers." This collection includes that story, along with other such known favorites as "Sleeping Beauty," "Little Red Riding Hood," "Blue Beard," and "Puss in Boots," along with such lesser known fairy tales as "The Ridiculous Wishes," "Little Thumb," "Ricky of the Tuft," "Griselda," and "Donkey Skin." Some of the stories were told similar to the style in which they had been written well more than three hundred years ago, with revisions in the telling over the years. Listen now and enjoy.

Charles Perrault (Author), John Rayburn (Narrator)

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Tom Swift and His Electric Runabout

Three very successful series of stories aimed at children and teens were created by a man who had a book packaging house and didn't want to cause confusion. So, none of the stories ever had his name on them. Instead, Edward Stratemeyer hired several writers and provided them with story ideas that were then published under the pseudonym Victor Appleton. They were tales of the adventures of a teenager named Tom Swift. He was portrayed as a youngster who didn't have a lot of formal education but was inventive and science minded. This led to more than one hundred volumes with a variety of broad-ranging adventures and creative ideas placing emphasis on invention, science and technology. Stratemeyer later came up with successful stories about The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew. It is said the fertile Stratemeyer imagination often found him jotting down a short page of notes involving plots and assigning a stable of about a half-dozen writers to fill in the blanks. The Hardy Boys were amateur detectives often able to solve various cases when solutions eluded grownup professionals. First appearance of the female counterpart Nancy Drew series first appeared in 1930 and ran for nearly three-quarters of a century. We listen now to Tom Swift with one of his top inventions.

Victor Appleton (Author), John Rayburn (Narrator)

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The Wind in the Willows

This is a classic fantasy story about four animals who behave like humans. They talk, philosophize, and emphasize friendship but also keep their animal habits. They are Mole, Rat, Toad, and Badger. There are some adult books read by children and some children's books read by adults. However, this one appeals to both because it stresses a main theme of doing your best at all times, forgiving others, and setting a goal to make the world a better place. It is based in an English countryside with wonderful descriptions that make you feel as though you're there with them. It has a wonderful read-and-listen-aloud feeling with good humor and imagination. We invite you to join us.

Kenneth Grahame (Author), John Rayburn (Narrator)

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The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Back in 1900 author L. Frank Baum says he wrote The Wonderful Wizard of Oz to please children of his time. He called it a modernized fairy tale, totally unlike older stories often filled with blood-curdling events. He left out the heartaches and nightmares. He pointed out that youngsters have long had a love of fantastic stories, but times change and they look forward more to entertainment that still has the wonderment and joy of time gone by. His fantastic creation of "Oz" provides exactly that.

L. Frank Baum (Author), John Rayburn (Narrator)

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The Little Lame Prince

This story is about the birth of a prince. He was actually in line to be the next king replacing his father. However, he was accidentally injured at his christening, was crippled, and couldn't walk. He was banished by an evil uncle, who usurped the throne. The little prince became unhappy and worried, but his discomfort was eased by his magical fairy godmother, and he eventually took over the monarchy he had been born to govern.

Dinah Maria Mulock Craik (Author), John Rayburn (Narrator)

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