Product Description
The Rabbit Ears Treasury of Fables and Other Stories entertains and enlightens with these classic animal stories--read by your favorite stars and featuring original music by some of today's greatest artists.

The Three Billy Goats Gruff / The Three Little Pigs
Read by Holly Hunter
Original Music by Art Lande
Three billy goats encounter a greedy troll--and turn the tables on him--when they try to cross a bridge in the popular Norwegian classic The Three Billy Goats Gruff.
The big bad wolf huffs and puffs his way through the tale of the brave pig who outsmarts his fellow oinkers by simply working harder in the all-time favorite The Three Little Pigs.

Rumpelstiltskin
Read by Kathleen Turner
Original Music by Tangerine Dream
When the king orders a young woman to spin a room full of straw into gold, she turns to a mysterious elfin man for help . . . but will the price of his aid be her first-born child?

The Tiger and the Brahmin
Read by Ben Kingsley
Original Music by Ravi Shankar
"I shan't eat you if you let me out of the cage," the tiger tells the Brahmin before the holy man discovers that the tiger intended to eat him all along. Only the intervention of a clever jackal can save the Brahmin from his fate.

The Ugly Duckling
Read by Cher
Original Music by Patrick Ball
Rediscover the inner beauty in all of us with this beloved Hans Christian Andersen story of the outcast duckling who finds himself transformed into a beautiful swan. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

A wonderful thing to play in the car
Turn off those in-car dvd players. Take off the ipod head phones. Instead, parents, slap in these cd's and take your kids on a magical trip while driving to the store. The stories in this series are short, and better than sweet. They are interesting, well read, and backed up with beautiful music. The readers are all actors, and the stories so well read your kids will ask you not to turn off the car when you get to where you are going. My favorite - The Tiger and the Brahman read by Ben Kingsley.

Best one!
I like Rabbit Ears, but I have to say this one has been the all time favorite amongst any child I have ever had listen to these.They like the others, but they want to hear this one again. The voices are superb in this one and enough sound effects to keep their attention.

too much music
I was disappointed for two reasons: first too much background music made it difficult to hear the reader; secondly, the writers changed the story.Why try to "improve" upon a classic like the Three Little Pigs??

Great for a long family trip
Our family (5-year-old daughter and 6-year-old son) has enjoyed several of these Rabbit Ears collections while on the road. The stories are long enough, but not so long that attention wanders, and the music is lovely, too. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Perfect for car rides and quiet time (ages 4-8)
My preschooler and I have been working our way through audio CDs, including the Rabbit Ears series. As a former educator (who is taking time off to pursue graduate studies), I find that listening skills are immensely important, especially in ensuring successful outcomes in learning. Cultivating good listening skills is as important in my opinion as building reading skills. In "Rabbit Ears: World Tales Vol. 2", there are two tales - "Rumpelstiltskin" is read by Kathleeen Turner ("Romancing the Stone" and "Moonlighting") with music by Tangerine Dream (also one of my favorites). The length is 23:51 minutes, and the story is one familiar to most people, i.e. of a greedy king who commands a young lass to spin straw into gold. Out of desperation, the lass turns to a mysterious creature for help, but at a high price of course. The narration is excellent, and the music goes along beautifully with the story.

In "The Tiger and the Brahmin" (26:44), Sir Ben Kingsley narrates the story of a naive Brahmin (a holy man) who lets a tiger out of its cage (on the promise that the tiger would not eat him) and is left facing the prospect of death until a jackal comes along. The music is by Ravi Shankar. I loved this story because I happen to also be a fan of Kingsley's work and Shankar's music. My preschooler enjoyed both stories. If you're looking for a good audio CD collection of stories, many of the Rabbit Ears titles are quite engaging. I found many of them at my local library, and have purchased select favorites for repeat listening. ... Read more

Product Description
Combining adventure, suspense, and romance, a new Vicky Bliss thriller finds art historian Vicky cruising the Nile in an attempt to unmask her ex-lover and most dangerous antagonist, Sir John, before he can rob the Cairo Museum. Tour. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (41)

Loved It!!!!
This is the best of the Vicky Bliss series. The romance between Vicky and John is so perfect...plus, this book really explores their relationship (as well as Egyptology and stolen antiquities).

empty story about empty-headed heroine.ugh
I am new to reading mysteries outside of those written by agatha christie.I picked up this book because I was intrigued to read about a smart and clever art historian as detective and also because this book seemed to get so many good reviews.

I am close to the end but so far it has been a total letdown.ugh!!! vicky is a big blond ditz who spends more time worrying about her hair and clothes than in learning about the suspects she is hired to find or about the art treasure she gets to visit.(there is very little info on the artwork at all, which was a letdown as I am a nerd and like learning about that stuff.)

vicky is not a sleuth!she needs to get rescued by a big strong man left and right.she can't figure out anything for herself. everything is spelled out for her, and for the reader, except that I was pretty much able to guess the guilty parties from the start.it isn't that hard!

the big mystery here is wondering why we are following such a vacant vicky around? why not a character who is informed and observes things?

the soap opera romance is cliche.this book is a bit of a letdown if you are hoping for a gripping intelligent thriller.

reader beware!

A Satisfying Conclusion
The fifth and final book in the Vicky Bliss series finds Vicky on a cruise down the Nile with John and his new bride.Vicky is understandably upset and confused- she was sent here to stop the Cairo Museum from being robbed.Is everything as it seems?

This is a satisfying end to my favorite series by Elizabeth Peters.The story is entertaining and unpredictable.Many loose ends are tied up, and although I would wish for more stories starring Vicky and John, the story is wrapped up well.I definitely recommend it.

Not too exited about it
I have no idea where do those 5 stars from the numerous reviews come from.This book is closer to a soap opera then to a serious mystery novel.It reminds me little of M.C. Beaton novels, only that in my opinion those are significantly more enjoyable to read.Perhaps it has been a mistake to start with a 5th book in the series, if the 1st bookin the series comes my way I will give it a try, if only to verify that the rest is not much better then the 5th.I guess these books are targeted towards female audience.
On the other thought, I might give this authormiss in a future it took a considerable effort to get to the end of this book.Not my cup of tea.

Love the author
I love this author.Her writing is whitty, and intelligent.I am also a great fan of her other mystery series. ... Read more

Product Description
Discusses the history, economy, culture, and future of Iowa. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A History of Iowa
I spent two years in Iowa, and I learned more from this little book, geared toward pre-teens, than I did when I was there. Maybe that says a lot about my powers of observation, but, in reality, is says a lot about the construction and writing of this book. "The Land Where the Tall Corn Grows" is given its full due here.

The "Portrait of America" series is a wonderful introduction for pre-teens to the 50 states and to the places and events that shaped the history of the United States. This "Iowa" installment is particularly good. The book is broken down into sections like "History", "Culture", "Economy" etc., and each section is thoughtfully written and edited. The "History" section is especially good and is very inclusive.

This book, as well as the entire "Portrait of America" series, will prove to be a valuable teaching tool to all primary school educators. ... Read more

Product Description
"She" is Ayesha, the mysterious white queen of a Central African Tribe-and the goal of three English gentlemen, who must face shipwreck, fever, and cannibals in their quest to find her hidden realm. First published in 1887, She has enthralled the imaginations of many-from Freud, who prescribed the book to one of his patients, to the generations of readers, who remain fascinated by the book's revealing and fantastic representations of dangerous women, adventuring men, and unexplored Africa.

Available for the first time from Penguin Classics, this edition of one of the most famous works of popular literature includes a critical introduction, suggestions for further reading, and explanatory notes.

Edited by Patrick Brantlinger.Amazon.com Review
Ayesha is She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed, a 2,000-year-old queen whorules a fabled lost city deep in a maze of Africancaverns. She has the occult wisdom of Isis, the eternal youth and beauty ofAphrodite, and the violent appetite of a lamia. Like A. Conan Doyle'sLost World, She is one of those magnificent Victorianyarns about an expedition to a far-off locale shadowed by magic,mystery, and death.

Tim Stout writes, in Horror: 100 Best Books, "As the plot takes hold one has the fancy that [Ayesha] had always existed, in some dark dimension of the imagination, and that [H. Rider] Haggard was the fortunate author to whom she chose to reveal herself."Haggard did, in fact, write this book in a six-week burst of feverish inspiration: "It came faster than my poor aching hand could set it down," he later said.

This edition of the 1887 classic features an introductory essay by literary critic Regina Barreca, who likens Ayesha to Flaubert's Madame Bovary or Tolstoy's Anna Karenina--"literally fantastic female figures who must be stopped before they love again." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (47)

Fun and interesting
This book was first serialized in 1886-7, when the young H. Rider Haggard was just hitting his stride as an author. It is the story of Horace Holly and Leo Vincey, whose journey to Africa places them in the hands of "She-who-must-be-obeyed." She is actually Ayesha, a several thousand year old priestess who has been waiting for the reincarnation of her long-lost beloved. Horace and Leo have their rationalism, but that avails them very little before She, whose magical beauty can command the obedience of any man she desires!

This is quite a fun and interesting example of Imperial Gothic literature. True, it stretches credibility to the breaking point, but it is an interesting look into the late-Victorian psyche. Plus, if you are willing to sufficiently suspend disbelief, you will find this to be an exciting visit to the fears and hopes of a bygone era.

(Review of She by H. Rider Haggard)

Victorian Da Vinci Code
I'm about half way through this page turner, but want to get something written, while I'm still loving it.I just now discovered Haggard, despite seeing derivatives for years.I was not surprised to learn this book has outsold the DaVinci Code.Of course do these numbers include all the downloads?

Anyway, the mystery and suspense go by effortlessly.I don't find this to be difficult reading.Somewhere between Treasure Island and Dracula in style.But if you like those two, as well as Jules Verne, you will probably like She.I'm still reading, so back I go.

She (Dodo Press)

Who knew he was so Anti-Semetic?
Bought this book cause loved the movie.Who knew the book was all about being Anti-Semetic whenever possible?Don't buy it just cause you liked the movie.Not at all like it.

Incredibly tedious tale
Onceinto this book one encounters the ancient "document" that triggers the adventure, first in supposed translation, then in seemingly unending pages describing the purported original Greek, letter by letter naming each in English capitals enclosed in curly braces. To pursue this to a resumption of the narrative one must sit endlessly pressing the "next page" bar without enlightenment. I am certain that to derive meaning from this one must both read and write Greek, provided that the purported writing does indeed say what the "translation" has already said. I saw no way to skip over this and abandoned the tale. It is worth the price at most.

Me Shakespeare! You Jane!
While SHE may not be the worst book ever written, it is certainly in the running for that honor, and it is a mystery to this reviewer as to why it should have attained any measure of popularity when it was first published in 1887, much less why it should continue to be read. The brave reader, armed with pith helmet and machete, may suppose he is prepared to penetrate the darkest secrets of 19th century Africa, however the only thicket he will encounter in this book is a dense Elizabethan verbiage of thy's and thou's and wherefore's and canst not's, which render the endless pages of monotonous dialogue more impenetrable than any African jungle.

The narration is equally flat and serves merely to accelerate the plot, which is itself surprisingly limited. A beautiful Arab woman has hidden herself away in the remains of a long-dead civilization in central Africa and stumbled on the secret of eternal life inside a dormant volcano. Leave aside the questions of why she should be ivory-white though of Arab ancestry, and why she should be content to remain hidden in a dull cave for two thousand years, surrounded exclusively by a savage tribe of African natives, though She Herself is inexplicably highly educated and, as she repeatedly avers, with her supernatural powers has only to emerge to dominate the world. And ignore the issues of Haggard's failure to account for the precession of the equinoxes, and how an extensive network of caverns could have formed inside an igneous volcano, when, as every geologist knows, such networks form only in calcitic limestone of sedimentary stratigraphy. And ignore the fact that no significant monumental civilization has ever emerged in tropical Africa or could have due to the disease gradients and the total absence of navigable rivers.

But these are quibbles. Allowing for poetic license, the plot remains inextricably flawed in that Haggard cannot decide who is the chief protagonist: Leo the beautiful, the reincarnated eternal love-interest of She; or Baboon, Leo's "uncle," who raised him from infancy and informed him of the family curse which induced every ancestor of Leo for two thousand years to attempt to find the ancestral secret of his family by penetrating Africa, where, as it turns out, all one need do is stumble into a swamp because once in Africa all roads lead to She. Unfortunately for Leo, malaria renders him unconscious for half the book. Unfortunately for the reader, this leaves the misogynistic misanthrope Baboon to carry the weight of the reader's imagination in his stilted conversations with a strangely Shakespearean and ivory-skinned Arab She.

The only truly inspired passages in this book are those that deal with She Herself, and it is plain that all else was merely prologue to bring the reader as rapidly as possible to Her. But here we have the paradox described above of a thoroughly improbable character indulging in a prolix King James version of a philosophical duel hurling justifications for moral relativism against the hapless and helpless Baboon, who, tho in love with Her, as are all men, insists on the absolute nature of good and evil, which, being English to the core, he distills into a stolid English Protestantism as the perfect philosophical counter-weight to every evil. An argument that is something less than satisfying.

These objections made, SHE does have some positive qualities, surprising tho likely inadvertent. The mythic elements essential to all grand cosmic conceptions are to be found here, and are perhaps the explanation for the book's perennial popularity. The ancient race that built the dead city and whose mummies and boneyards litter the landscape represent Death, and She Herself, dressed in the white filaments of a corpse-shroud rushing thru her caverns, is the Goddess of Death. But as the ruined city is the source of Death, the Mountain that surrounds it is the source of Life. The volcano, in whose caldera lives the savage tribe and She Herself, represents the Pyramid of Life, Mount Olympus, the eternal sacred Mountain where humans touch the divine. Like Dante's several levels of existence, the Mountain encompasses both Death and Life, and unites them, housing at its core the bottomless Abyss of Chaos from which springs eternal Life, and She, as the master of the source of life, is therefore also the Goddess of Life. Life from Death; Death from Life. The Angel of Heaven living eternally atop the Pyramid of Life surrounded by devils. The eternal paradox of good and evil intertwined.

Another mythic element is the Arab origin of She, which should be unnecessary--but for the metaphor of the Veil. Haggard grasps the poetic significance of the Veil, the mask eternally worn by Truth, demonstrating the superior attraction of suspense over fact, as every good moviegoer and suspense-story reader knows, and the reason why myth and emotion will always prevail over science and rationality. The Veil taunts and entrances, permitting the imagination infinitely more play than any reality that it may cover.

At times, therefore, SHE manages to hold one's attention. But only momentarily. The plot is thin; the style mediocre to abysmal; the denouement predictable, though the language does manage finally to rise sufficiently to carry the plot in the climactic scenes. In the end, perhaps the most redeeming characteristic of SHE is that the book inspired Edgar Rice Burroughs to write Tarzan. Not the most striking of endorsements.
... Read more

Product Description
"For any child fortunate enough to have this  generous book...the kings and heroes of ancient  legend will remain forever matter-of-fact; the  pictures interpret the text literally and are full of  detail and witty observation."--Horn  Book.

"The drawings...are excellent  and excitingly evocative."--The New  York Times.Amazon.com Review
No education is complete without a large slice of Greekmythology. And there's no better way of meeting that literary quotathan with the D'Aulaires' book. All the great gods and goddesses ofancient Greece are depicted in this big, beautiful classic, lovinglyillustrated and skillfully told. Young readers will be dazzled bymighty Zeus, lord of the universe; stirred by elegant Athena, goddessof wisdom; intimidated by powerful Hera, queen of Olympus; and chilledby moody Poseidon, ruler of the sea. These often impetuous immortalsflounce and frolic, get indiscreet, and get even. From petty squabblesto heroic deeds, their actions cover the range of godly--andmortal--personalities.

The D'Aulaires' illustrations have a memorable quality: once poredover, they will never leave the minds of the viewer. Decades later,the name Gaea will still evoke the soft green picture of lovely MotherEarth, her body hills and valleys and her eyes blue lakes reflectingthe stars of her husband, Uranus the sky. No child is too young toappreciate the myths that have built the foundation for much of theworld's art and literature over the centuries.This introduction tomythology is a treasure. (Ages 10 to adult) --Emilie Coulter ... Read more

Customer Reviews (191)

Great short story book.
We are reading Greek Myths along side our Greek history lessons.My daughters, 9 and 11, love listening to me read 1 story and show off the picture per day.

Wonderful read
This book came highly recommended.I've enjoyed reading it and it will be kept as a reference book in my library.

Priceless and Timeless
Oversized with gorgeous and revealing illustrations, this amazing book will strike young children with awe about the mighty power of human imagination and - about Greek gods, goddesses both major and minor as well as the mortal descendants of Zeus. The masterfully retelling of Greek myths that flows in well-organized order brings to life such immortal tales of Persephone, Prometheus and the Nine Muses. I received formal training on Greek mythologies in college and though I loved these Olympian gods radiantly, it was not without pain just to figure who's whose son or daughter from Homer, Virgil and Ovid. Fortunately for my children (and I), we have D'AULAIRES' BOOK OF GREEK MYTHS that comes with helpful Zeus' family tree, index of gods' names and a constellations map. This is the definite volume on classical mythology that any family library cannot do without.

So good I refused to return it to the library. . .
This is the one and only book I ever refused to return to the library.I was about five when I first found it, and I was so enthralled by the pictures and the stories that I just could not bring myself to return it. Even at that tender age I already had a long history as a library scofflaw when it came to returning books, but I always gave in eventually.Finally my mom had to pay the library for it, and that book has a place of honor on my bookshelf today, thirty years later.With over twelve nieces and nephews, I make sure each one has their own copy.I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

Interim judgement...
This is an interim judgment because the book was bought as a present for my grandson's 9th birthday and he hasn't seen it yet. He is becoming interested in Greek and Roman myths and I hope that the intended reading age of 9-12 will be appropriate. ... Read more

Product Description
"For any child fortunate enough to have this  generous book...the kings and heroes of ancient  legend will remain forever matter-of-fact; the  pictures interpret the text literally and are full of  detail and witty observation."--Horn  Book.

"The drawings...are excellent  and excitingly evocative."--The New  York Times.Amazon.com Review
No education is complete without a large slice of Greekmythology. And there's no better way of meeting that literary quotathan with the D'Aulaires' book. All the great gods and goddesses ofancient Greece are depicted in this big, beautiful classic, lovinglyillustrated and skillfully told. Young readers will be dazzled bymighty Zeus, lord of the universe; stirred by elegant Athena, goddessof wisdom; intimidated by powerful Hera, queen of Olympus; and chilledby moody Poseidon, ruler of the sea. These often impetuous immortalsflounce and frolic, get indiscreet, and get even. From petty squabblesto heroic deeds, their actions cover the range of godly--andmortal--personalities.

The D'Aulaires' illustrations have a memorable quality: once poredover, they will never leave the minds of the viewer. Decades later,the name Gaea will still evoke the soft green picture of lovely MotherEarth, her body hills and valleys and her eyes blue lakes reflectingthe stars of her husband, Uranus the sky. No child is too young toappreciate the myths that have built the foundation for much of theworld's art and literature over the centuries.This introduction tomythology is a treasure. (Ages 10 to adult) --Emilie Coulter ... Read more

Customer Reviews (191)

Great short story book.
We are reading Greek Myths along side our Greek history lessons.My daughters, 9 and 11, love listening to me read 1 story and show off the picture per day.

Wonderful read
This book came highly recommended.I've enjoyed reading it and it will be kept as a reference book in my library.

Priceless and Timeless
Oversized with gorgeous and revealing illustrations, this amazing book will strike young children with awe about the mighty power of human imagination and - about Greek gods, goddesses both major and minor as well as the mortal descendants of Zeus. The masterfully retelling of Greek myths that flows in well-organized order brings to life such immortal tales of Persephone, Prometheus and the Nine Muses. I received formal training on Greek mythologies in college and though I loved these Olympian gods radiantly, it was not without pain just to figure who's whose son or daughter from Homer, Virgil and Ovid. Fortunately for my children (and I), we have D'AULAIRES' BOOK OF GREEK MYTHS that comes with helpful Zeus' family tree, index of gods' names and a constellations map. This is the definite volume on classical mythology that any family library cannot do without.

So good I refused to return it to the library. . .
This is the one and only book I ever refused to return to the library.I was about five when I first found it, and I was so enthralled by the pictures and the stories that I just could not bring myself to return it. Even at that tender age I already had a long history as a library scofflaw when it came to returning books, but I always gave in eventually.Finally my mom had to pay the library for it, and that book has a place of honor on my bookshelf today, thirty years later.With over twelve nieces and nephews, I make sure each one has their own copy.I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

Interim judgement...
This is an interim judgment because the book was bought as a present for my grandson's 9th birthday and he hasn't seen it yet. He is becoming interested in Greek and Roman myths and I hope that the intended reading age of 9-12 will be appropriate. ... Read more

Product Description
Popular Grimm's fairytale in which a young woman is forced to promise her firstborn child to a mysteriour little man. ... Read more