Summary: The Five Little Peppers series was created by Margaret Sidney covering the life of five children with the surname Pepper. The Pepper children were very poor, and their widowed mother was left to raise them by herself. In order of age (descending), the children’s names were Ben (Ebaniezer), Polly (Mary), Joel, Davie, and Phronsie. Five Little Peppers and How They Grew is the first book in the series. (Summary from Wikipedia)
There are two other books available in this series:
Summary: This delightful novel begins when a family of five children moves from London to the English countryside. While playing in a gravel pit soon after the move, they discover an ancient and rather grumpy sand-fairy known as the Psammead, who agrees to grant one wish of theirs per day. The children’s wishes send them on adventure after adventure, but rarely turn out as expected. (Summary by Kara)
For this book’s internet archive file on Librivox, click here.
There are currently 6 parts of this book available on audio. This is Part 1: Stories of Explorers and Pioneers, from Leif Ericson to Sir Walter Raleigh. Page down to the bottom of this post for links to the other parts of this book.
To hear this book, click play on the box below, or click on the chapter titles throughout this post.
Summary from Librivox:
Our Island Story was first published in 1905 and became an instant classic. Beginning with the Romans and following the triumphs and foibles of the good, not so good and the downright despicable figures of history; we are treated to a dazzling montage of kings, queens, barons, knights, explorers, movers and shakers that have played a key role in the history of England.
Marshall freely mixes folk tale with historical fact and in so doing paints a very vivid picture of the past in a style reminiscent of all that is finest in the children’s story-telling tradition. This is the second section of that work and will carry you from the convoluted and bloody Wars of the Roses up to the death of Queen Victoria and the resolution of the Boer War.
Please be advised that this book was written in the early years of the 20th century and there will be words and phrases used then, in all innocence, that are considered politically incorrect in this age. It’s perfectly fine for children to listen to but please ensure there is someone on hand who can explain these terms in a mature fashion.(Summary by Jim, for Librivox.org)
These Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen were selected from the Junior Classics volume 1 by William Patten. The Junior Classics, Volume 1 by William Patten has over 14 hours of recorded material. To download the entire book to MP3, click here.
Translated into over 100 languages, The Pilgrim’s Progress is one of the most famous classics of literature. It is an allegorical novel, describing a Christian’s journey through life to reach heaven. Part 1 was written by John Bunyan in 1679 whilst he was imprisoned for conducting unauthorised religious services, whilst Part 2 was not written until 1684, and is not included in many versions of this text. This recording includes both parts, and inline scripture references. (Summary by Joy Chan for Librivox)