Doctor Dolittle, the man who can speak with the animals, is back home but running short of money to care for all the animals who need his help. He invites animals into his garden and encourages them to build their own societies and come and go as they please. This works very well. He has a mouse and rat town, a dog community, a burrow for badgers, and so forth. This does not make any money and only gets him into trouble with his neighbors. But the stories told by these mice and rats are entertaining and fun...

Full Revelations of a Professional Rat-Catcher, after 25 Years' ExperienceBy Ike Matthews. INTRODUCTION. In placing before my readers in the following pages the results of my twenty-five years' experience of Rat-catching, Ferreting, etc., I may say that I have always done my best to accomplish every task that I have undertaken, and I have in consequence received excellent testimonials from many corporations, railway companies, and merchants. I have not only made it my study to discover the different...

A few years ago, while recovering from an illness, I conceived the idea of writing some reminiscent lines on country life in the Wayne Highlands. And during the interval of a few days I produced some five hundred couplets,—a few good, some bad and many indifferent—and such speed would of necessity invite the indifferent. A portion of these lines were published in 1907. However, I had hoped to revise and republish them, with additions of the same type, at a later date as a souvenir volume of verses for those who spend the summer months among these hills—as well as for the home-fast inhabitants...

The Outline of Science was written specifically with the man-on-the-street in mind as the target audience. Covering scientific subjects ranging from astronomy to biology to elementary physics in clear, concise and easily understood prose, this popular science work is largely as relevant today as when first published in 1922. In this fourth volume , we learn about bacteria, luminous organisms and lower vertebrates as well as domesticated animals. Other chapters are devoted to ethnology, health, relativity theory and philosophy of science.

Jean-Henri Casimir Fabre was a French entomologist and author. He was born in St. Léons in Aveyron, France. Fabre was largely an autodidact, owing to the poverty of his family. Nevertheless, he acquired a primary teaching certificate at the young age of 19 and began teaching at the college of Ajaccio, Corsica, called Carpentras. In 1852, he taught at the lycée in Avignon.

Pinkie is one of a whole bunch of bunny brothers and sisters. Their mother, Mrs. Bunny, is a busy woman and often exasperated with the exuberance and energy of Pinkie. He is not a good student and is considered somewhat lazy but he is a good bunny at heart who loves his numerous brothers and sister bunnies. Follow him on just a few of his adventures and misadventures. - Summary by phil c

The 18th century book A Treatise on Modern Falconry is still one of the most quoted books in today's falconry community. The preface was possibly written by a Rev. A. Willis, ridicules "The Origin and Progress of Language," a publication shortly before his writing this book. The introduction to this book gives a historical account of the development of falconry from its beginnings long before the 9th century in the middle East to its apparent decline at the invention of the hunting gun. It also includes interesting facts about the practice of falconry in Persia and Hindostan, where falconry became (and in some parts of the Middle East still is) a sport and pastime of the upper classes...

Follow Roderick and his friends Wabi and Mukoki on their adventures in the pristine North. They fight voracious wolves, hostile natives, and the vicious elements of nature, while on the hunt. Getting more than they bargained for, they discover a mysterious cabin, and stumble upon a secret that has lain hidden for half a century. Full of twists and turns, danger and suspense, The Wolf Hunters, the prequal to The Gold Hunters, is an excellent read. (Introduction by Brian Adey)

Toby Tyler tells the story of a ten year-old orphan who runs away from a foster home to join the traveling circus only to discover his new employer is a cruel taskmaster. The difference between the romance of the circus from the outside and the reality as seen from the inside is graphically depicted. Toby's friend, Mr. Stubbs the chimpanzee, reinforces the consequences of what happens when one follows one's natural instincts rather than one's intellect and conscience, a central theme of the novel.

Everyone who has pets can tell great stories about them. This volume collects 15 stories for children about pets: not only cats and dogs, but lambs, crows, even lions! - Summary by Carolin

Several of La Fontaine’s fables, translated into English by W. T. Larned.

Bud Sloan was an orphan who had been 'sold out' of the orphanage to work on a farm once he'd been old enough to labor. The farm where he was to work was owned by an aging farmer and his wife who had raised a large family and were now left alone. One day, after his chores were done, Bud wandered into the woods nearby and with mouth agape, he noticed a newborn jet black fawn all alone and apparently confused in his new surroundings. Bud resolved that day that this baby fawn was just like himself, an orphan, and would be bound to him in spirit...

A fight in the Midwest leaves the dog's owner dead. He searches for a new friend and encounters Trading Jeff. Jeff is a traveling peddler. Beware, though, because life as a peddler isn't easy Join us for the adventures of Jeff and his dog in this delightful children's book. Summary by Adele de Pignerolles.

Old Joe was the biggest, fightingest, craftiest coon in the Creeping Hills. No one had ever been able to catch him; not even Precious Sue, a bluetick hound peerless in tracking down coons. But Harky felt that this autumn the hunting would be different. Old Joe was in for trouble. Precious Sue had a pup who looked like a natural-born coon hunter. With his web-footed paws he was as skillful in the water as any coon. And on land, Duckfoot had a nose that beat every other hound hollow. Harky had a few troubles of his own...

Bearing a striking resemblance to Aesop of Aesop's Fables fame, American author Joel Chandler Harris' Uncle Remus is also a former slave who loves to tell simple and pithy stories. Uncle Remus or to give it its original title, Uncle Remus: His Songs and His Sayings was published in late 1880 and received instant acclaim. The book was reviewed in hundreds of journals and newspapers across the country, leading to its immense success, both critical and financial. “Remus” was originally a fictional character in a newspaper column...

Uncle Remus' stories feature a trickster hero called Br'er Rabbit ("Brother" Rabbit), who uses his wits to slide out of trouble and gain the advantage over the slower witted other animals, many of whom are trying to eat him. Br'er Rabbit stories were mostly collected directly from the afro-american oral story-telling tradition and are said to be a direct interpretation of Yoruba tales of Hare. This book contains 11 unique stories and was the last one published before the author's death. (Introduction by Phil Chenevert)

That the little boy loved Uncle Remus and his stories was so obvious that the tale-spinning sessions began drawing additional listeners. Daddy Jack, an old "Africa man" visiting from down-state; Sis Tempy, the strong chief of the mansion's servants; and Tildy, a young and pretty servant-girl - all found their way to Uncle Remus' rude cabin when their duties or interests permitted, to sit around the hearth and hear the wonderful tales of the animals, and foremost among them, Brer Rabbit and Brer Fox...

Follow, “A Very Small Bunny Has a Very Big Adventure” as Nibble Rabbit romps through the clover patch and into the woods where he founds the other woodland creatures including Doctor Muskrat, Chatter Squirrel, Hooter the Owl, and Silvertip the Fox. This is part of the “Told at Twilight Stories” by John Breck - Summary by Larry Wilson

The Jay Bird Who Went Tame is a children's story about different animals from the nature relating with humans in a rural environment.

Enjoy the further adventures of Nibble Bunny as he travels through wood and dell where he meets so many more friends such as Chaik Jay, Chewee the Chickadee, Doctor Muskrat, Chirp Sparrow, the White Cow, and Great-grandfather Mouse. This is part of the “Told at Twilight Stories” by John Breck - Summary by Larry Wilson

This is a children's story about a skunk and his different animals friends such as cows, snakes, mice and rabbits who share a forest together. - Summary by Lynda Marie Neilson

“Tad Coon was lost! And Doctor Muskrat and Nibble felt pretty discouraged over their chances of ever seeing him again.” Tad Coon’s adventures may get him in trouble. Will his friends in the woods be able to help him? This is one of the Told at Twilight Stories by John Breck. - Summary by Larry Wilson

The Bad Little Owls may have caused some trouble with Killer the Weasel but can all of the other Woodsfolk friends work together to escape the danger and keep the woods and pond safe for everyone? Join Nibble Rabbit, Chaik Jay, Stripes Skunk, Watch the Dog, Bobby Robin, Tad Coon, Chatter Squirrel, and Doctor Muskrat for more exciting adventures. - Summary by Larry Wilson

Silvertip the Fox isn't the only one up to mischief! There are the plots of the bad little owls and even Tommy who almost loses his temper. But learn how Nibble Rabbit rescues Red Cow, and the secret he has. Whit Cow has a story of her own, and there are games of tag. Always adventures among our favorite animals. - Summary by Larry Wilson

Squirrels and other Fur-Bearers, a collection of essays by American naturalist and essayist, John Burroughs, provides fascinating insight into the daily life of small woodland creatures. Included in these essays are Burrough’s personal observations of squirrels, rabbits, mink, and chipmunks, as well as numerous other small mammals. Highly recommended for anyone, both young and old, with an interest in nature and wildlife!

What a better way to learn about birds than to read this delightful collection of interesting bird stories! John Burroughs was a nature essayist. These creative, observation- and emotion-driven stories about birds (largely from the Northeastern states), have been gathered together into a single volume from all his various works. Every chapter follows one species of birds, and the chapters have been arranged chronologically according to the time of the bird's arrival during the year. This collection has lovely illustrations of the birds by Louis Agassiz Fuertes, and some stories also have poems to go along with them.

A great dog story, a well told tale — the naturalist and adventurer John Muir recounts how he and his companion, a dog named Stickeen, each, alone, confronted and conquered their fears of an icy Alaskan glacier in 1880.

Jack the Giant-Killer, Tom Thumb, Goldilocks and The Three Bears, Henny Penny, Dick Whittington, The Three Little Pigs, Red Riding Hood and a host of immortal characters are found in this delightful collection of English Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs. The book made its first appearance in 1890 and has remained a firm favorite with both young and old ever since. Fairy tales have traditionally emanated from France and Germany. The famous compilations by La Fontaine and the Brothers Grimm have overshadowed children's literature for centuries...

"We are told by writers of antiquity that elephants have written sentences in Greek, and that one of them was even known to speak. There is, therefore, nothing unreasonable in the supposition that the White Elephant of this history, the famous "Iravata" so celebrated throughout Asia, should have written his own memoirs. The story of his long existence—at times so glorious, and at other times so full of misfortune—in the kingdom of Siam, and the India of the Maharajahs and the English, is full of most curious and interesting adventure...

The "Goose Girl" is a young and somewhat independent lady who, in fleeing from her lover with whom there had been a "little tiff," became a "paying guest" at poultry farm in a quiet, out-of-the-way Sussex village, in the care of which she participates. From the author of Mother Carey's Chickens, The Bird's Christmas Carol, etc.

Myths and Legends of the Great Plains is a compendium of myths and legends from the Great Plains region of the US. It includes many short stories, and also quite a few songs and poems. Each tale is tagged with what culture it is from -

"...The preparation of a volume of the quainter, purer myths, suitable for general reading, authentic, and with illustrations of the country portrayed, but with no pretensions to being a purely scientific piece of work.... This volume is intended for popular use." As with most mythologies or religions, these stories tell how the world came to be, how places and peoples got their names, how social customs and mores developed, adventures of the ancestors or gods, and much, much more.

The basis on which these myths were selected necessarily excluded those which showed traces of the white man's religion or of the red man's coarseness. Relatively speaking, only a few myths could be selected. These were the creation myths, the origin of the races, the theft of fire, the salmon, and especially those connected with the physical features of the country, such as those of Takhoma, Shasta, the Columbia River, and the group of mountains of the bridge of the gods…. No claim is made...

It is a loss to American literature that so much of the legendary history of these Indian tribes has gone, beyond hope of recovery. Exquisite in color, poetical in feeling, these legends of sun, moon, and stars, of snow, ice, lightning, thunders, the winds, the life of the forest birds and animals about them, and the longing to understand the why and the how of life—all which we have only in fragments…. As in all the other volumes of this series, no effort has been made to ornament or amplify these legends in the effort to make them “literary,” or give them “literary charm...

The myths in this 1911 volume are authentic. The original collections were made by government ethnologists. Only the quaintest and purest of the myths have been selected. The leading myth of the North the Raven Myth, is given with a fair degree of completeness. . These tribes are included: Eskimo , Tlingit , Tsetsaut, Tlingit, Tsimshian, Athapascan , Eskimo , Eskimo , Koyukun, and Koryak . - Summary by Author's Preface and david wales

Katharine E. Dopp was well-known as a teacher and writer of children’s textbooks at the turn of the 20th Century. She was among the first educators to encourage the incorporation of physical and practical activity into the elementary school curriculum at a time when such activities were becoming less commonplace in a child’s home environment. The Tree-Dwellers – The Age of Fear is the first in a series of elementary school texts written by Ms. Dopp that focus on the anthropological development of early human groups...

Six little ducklings and their mom live in a hollow tree down by the river. Join them as the grow up by the water and learn more about themselves and their animal neighbors.

Jazbury, Yowler and Fluffy are three brave and curious kittens craving adventure. Join them as they accidentally venture into the woods and courageously face off against dogs, rats and strange people.

A fox aspires to reach his 1000th birthday safely and be rewarded with nine golden tails in this wise and charming fairytale.

Join Mole and Water Rat for terrifically fun romps along a river and through burrows and forests . . . visiting with Otter and Mr. Badger, and witnessing crazy adventures by Mr. Toad as he evades the authorities and meets various interesting individuals. Kenneth Grahame's classic was first published in 1908, but continues to delight young and old folks today. Cast List:Narrator: Lynette Caulkins Badger: Scott Caulkins Mole: Shelly Toad: Patrick Smith Otter: Marissa Siobhan Wayfarer/Sea Rat: J...

Leonard Leslie Brooke was a talented nineteenth/early twentieth century illustrator who also wrote some delightful children's books. He was well-known for his caricatures, portrait and landscape painting and sketches. He illustrated many children's books, especially those written by Andrew Lang. Some of his famous works are The Nursery Rhyme Book, The Golden Goose Book, Johnny Crow's Party and Ring O' Roses. The Story of the Three Little Pigs was published in 1904. Most readers would be familiar with this children's tale...

A beautifully illustrated children’s picture book featuring Johnny Crow who made a garden in which a variety of animals do bizarre things in rhyme.

A beautifully illustrated children’s picture book. Listen to the narration while you read along viewing a variety of delightful animals doing strange things such as the kangaroo who tried to paint the roses blue. This is a follow up to Johnny Crow’s Garden.

Toto and his grandmother become friends with many of the Forest Folk (such as Bruin, Racoon, Woodchuck, and Cracker the Squirrel) in this first Toto book.

Over a cold winter, Toto and several animal friends (who can talk!) spend cozy evenings by the fire listening to his grandmother tell fantastical stories from around the world.

A story for children about a little bear with no name, “there were not enough names to go round,” and his adventures in finding one.

This volume contains stories, poems, myths, and facts about lots of different birds, intended for teaching children. It is divided into nine parts, each covering a different type of bird.

This volume contains stories, poems, and facts about lots of different flowers, intended for teaching children. It is divided into thirteen parts, each covering a different type of flower.

Librivox volunteers bring you eleven readings of My Doves, by Louisa May Alcott. This was the fortnightly poem for December 21, 2014 - January 4, 2015

Lucy Perkins has given us many books featuring twins that give a child insight into different cultures and countries. In this one she explaining prehistoric man and his environment: "This is a story about things that happened ages and ages ago, before any of us were born, or our great-great-grandfathers either, for that matter. It was so very long ago that there were no houses, or farms, or roads from one place to another, and there was not a single city, or a town, or even a village in the whole earth...

A delightful story for children about a dog's adventures with his animal friends in the wide world. - Summary by jhedrick

Cawein's poetry allied his love of nature with a devotion to earlier English and European literature, mythology, and classical allusion. - Summary by Wikipedia

Each summer, in the ancient hill town of Siena, Italy, there erupts one of the most extraordinary, exciting, and dangerous horse races in the world— the Palio. So furious is the rivalry that it is often said the Palio is more battle than race, and that "Fate is the Queen of the Palio." This magnificent book is a true story of the Palio —a thrilling, heart-stirring tale of a boy and a beautiful half-Arabian mare who won undying fame. Marguerite Henry tells—as only she can—how the life of Giorgio Terni, a boy of the Maremma marshes, became linked in strange and dramatic fashion with that of the cart horse Gaudenzia, whose Arabian blood brought her into the contest of the Palio...

Misty is a Chincoteague pony mare who is close to foaling, and the Beebe family is anxious about it. Unfortunately, a terrible storm system arrives first, setting up over Chincoteague with floods, hurricane winds, ice, and snow. The story is fictional, but is based on historical characters, human and equine. Stormy describes events on Chincoteague Island during the Ash Wednesday Storm that hit the Eastern Seaboard March 6, 1962. This is the sequel to Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry

This is a collection of poems by Marietta Holley, better known as Josiah Allen's Wife.

A sentimental short story praised for its moving plot and condemnation of scientific experimentation on animals, Mark Twain efficiently delivers a truly captivating piece. First appearing in Harper’s Magazine in 1903, A Dog's Tale was later published as a pamphlet for the National Anti-Vivisection Society. The tale focuses on the life of Aileen, a misunderstood dog who experiences the ups and downs of life, while cruelly subjected to suffering because of the shallow belief of her inferiority amidst humans...

Beautiful Joe is a real dog, and “Beautiful Joe” is his real name. He belonged during the first part of his life to a cruel master, who mutilated him in the manner described in the story. He was rescued from him, and is now living in a happy home with pleasant surroundings, and enjoys a wide local celebrity.The character of Laura is drawn from life, and to the smallest detail is truthfully depicted. The Morris family has its counterparts in real life, and nearly all of the incidents of the story are founded on fact.

Another 'dog's-eye view' book for children by this early activist for the American Humane Society. In this tale, we follow the travels and adventures of Boy, a loveable and loyal wire-haired fox-terrier in city and country. - Summary by Lynne Thompson

When the story of 'Tilda Jane appeared serially in The Youth's Companion in 1901, the original manuscript was very much condensed. When the time for book publication arrived nearly all the omitted matter was restored. However, some incidents were still left out, and they have formed the beginning of a new story written to please the many boys and girls who have expressed a wish to know something more of the fortunes of the orphan and her dogs.That the orphan's old friends will follow with interest, her often groping and stumbling, yet never-wearying steps along the path of uplift for human beings and dumb creatures, is the earnest hope of the author.

"My name is Pussy Black-Face, and I am a naughty young kitten. I wish I were good like my mother. She is the best cat that I ever saw. I try to be like her, and sometimes I succeed, but most times I don't." From the start of this darling book about a kitten and her mis-adventures in the house and the more dangerous place outside. Follow her as she learns about people, children, dogs and other cats. - Summary by phil chenevert