Audiobooks Narrated by Robert Bethune

Rudyard Kipling Tales of the Jungle

In these two tales drawn from the magical world of the jungles of India, Rudyard Kipling explores issues of good and evil, courage and honor, materialism and spirituality. In "The King's Ankus", the wolf-boy Mowgli confronts a treasure made long ago by humankind--treasure for which humankind will kill, and kill, and kill again. In "The Miracle of Purun Bhagat", a man who has known wealth, and power, and great responsibility casts all that aside for the humble life of a wandering beggar-priest--until circumstances bring him once more to take command and save life. A Freshwater Seas production.

Rudyard Kipling (Author), Robert Bethune (Narrator)

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Rudyard Kipling Tales of the Elephant

Three stories by Rudyard Kipling, all about the marvelous nature of elephants. In "The Elephant's Child", we learn how the elephant got his trunk--one of the favorite tales from the Just-So Stories. In "Moti Guj, Mutineer," we learn what happens when an elephant has made a bargain--and humans have failed to do their part! In "Toomai of the Elephants," we learn how a special child and his relationship to a special elephant allow him to see something no one in the world has ever seen before. These marvelous stories, told with wit and wonder by Rudyard Kipling, are for young and old of all ages. A Freshwater Seas production.

Rudyard Kipling (Author), Robert Bethune (Narrator)

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Dulce Domum, Gift of the Magi, Christmas Morning

Here are three of the most wonderful Christmas stories ever written, presented for you on one disk along with two short pieces that just can't be left out of any Christmas collection worth it's salt. "Dulce Domum," from The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame Rat and Mole find Christmas in Mole's old home, and deepen their friendship along the way. Grahame's characters are sweet and sad, and happy in the end just in having what they have and being what they are. "Yes, Virginia, There Is A Santa Claus," from The New York Sun, by Francis P. Church Another absolute classic; it's really about what happens when a cynical old newspaperman encounters the need for Christmas in the innocent question from a young girl's heart. Gift of the Magi, by O. Henry It's one of the most famous Christmas stories ever, and rightly so. As O Henry himself put it, "I have lamely related to you the uneventful chronicle of two foolish children in a flat who most unwisely sacrificed for each other the greatest treasures of their house. But in a last word to the wise of these days let it be said that of all who give gifts these two were the wisest." "The Night Before Christmas," by Clement Clarke Moore. "The Night Before Christmas"--which really isn't that; it's real title is "A Visit From St. Nicholas"--is another classic no Christmas anthology could do without. Mom and Dad wake up when they hear the reindeer coming, and can hardly believe their eyes! "Christmas Morning," from Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott At Christmastime, Meg, Jo, Amy and Beth learn to share their Christmas joys and fun with others, and along the way, have a wonderful time doing it. A Freshwater Seas production.

Various Authors (Author), Robert Bethune, Susie Berneis (Narrator)

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Told After Supper

There's a long tradition of English Christmas stories, sometimes serious, sometimes humorous, often revolving around ghosts and apparitions. Dickens drew on it in a serious vein in A Christmas Carol; here Jerome K. Jerome tells hilarious stories from around an English Christmas fireside. A few selected Christmas poems and stories rounds out the program, including the classic story of the Nativity from the Bible. "Told After Supper," by Jerome K. Jerome: This is a wonderful spoof of the grand old English tradition of telling ghost stories at Christmas--a tradition Charles Dickens made fine use of in A Christmas Carol and other stories. Only in Jerome's work, everything goes hilariously wrong, and the narrator of the story even winds up wandering around on the streets drunk as a lord, somewhat incompletely dressed! "Christmas Trees", by Robert Frost: In this early poem, we hear Frost's dry, matter-of-fact New England voice making "a simple calculation" about "Christmas trees I didn't know I had." "Mistletoe", by Walter de la Mare: A dreamlike experience of a gentle touch from a special person late in the night on Christmas is as fine a piece of dreamland as one could wish. "Ring Out!", by Alfred Lord Tennyson: A passionate appeal that the new year may be better than the old. "The Three Kings", by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: The majesty and indeed the worldly wisdom of the three who came to give great gifts to the infant in the manger has never been better expressed. Luke 2:1-20 (King James version): In the beautiful language of the King James Bible--the only successful contribution to literature ever made by a committee--we hear not only how a babe was born, but how his mother came to believe great things of him. A Freshwater Seas production.

Jerome K. Jerome (Author), Robert Bethune, Susie Berneis (Narrator)

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A Christmas Carol

"There is no doubt that Marley was dead. This must be distinctly understood, or nothing wonderful can come of the story I am going to relate." This presentation of the beloved tale tells he classic story of the long night Ebenezer Scrooge spend with the ghosts of Christmas, the lessons it taught him, the change it made in his life, and the joy it brought to him and all who knew him. It tells the story the way Dickens wrote it, including scenes and descriptions other versions skip over. On this recording, the story is not merely read, it comes alive in voices and music. It is fully performed by The Voices of Freshwater Seas, a large group of skilled actors, underscored with arrangements of over a dozen different seasonal songs and carols and enhanced with both seasonal and ghostly sound effects. Two narrators trade voices back and forth in the beginning, then one voices performs the passages where Scrooge is communing with the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future, and theother performs the parts where things are going on in the real world--or at least the real world as you and I know it! All the major speaking roles are performed by a full cast of wonderful voices for all the characters. You're sure to get a kick out of them! In addition to a full cast of voices, there is also a full musical underscoring from The Tintinnabulum Project performed on many kinds of melodic percussion. The bells of Christmas, and the chimes as well, have never rung out so sweetly as they do here, enriching and accompanying Dicken's words. A Freshwater Seas production.

Charles Dickens (Author), Robert Bethune, Susie Berneis (Narrator)

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