BBC Classics Children’s Library

BBC Classics Children’s Library

A timeless collection of 21 tales for all ages

Summary

An irresistible anthology of folklore, fables and perennial favourites, including four novels and 17 short stories

This superlative collection of children's stories brings together a feast of fantastic fiction, read in full by a host of top narrators and with a comprehensive track listing for ease of listening. Comprising everything from fairytales for little ones to thrilling adventures for pre-teens, these unabridged readings are ideal for families to keep, treasure and dip into as their children grow.

Listed by suggested age range and with track numbers provided, the stories are as follows:

Ages 4+
1-12 Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (read by Carolyn Pickles)
13 Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter (read by Jonny Holden)
14 The Elves and the Shoemaker by the Brothers Grimm (read by Sam Dale)
15 Too Clever By Half by E Nesbit (read by Helen Capp)
16 Tom Thumb by the Brothers Grimm (read by Shaun Mason)

Ages 7+
17-25 The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame (read by Michael Bertenshaw)
26 How the Camel Got His Hump by Rudyard Kipling (read by Kenny Blyth)
27 The Emperor's New Clothes by Hans Christian Andersen (read by Shaun Mason)
28 The Raspberry Worm by Zacharias Topelius (read by Debbie Korley)
29 The Tongue Cut Sparrow by Yei Theodora Ozaki (read by Sean Baker)
30 The Elephant's Child by Rudyard Kipling (read by Tony Turner)
31 The Magic Bed by Hartwell James (read by Chris Pavlo)
32 How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin by Rudyard Kipling (read by Tony Turner)
33 The Tortoise and the Rain by MI Ogumefu (read by Kenny Blyth)
34 The Baba Yaga by Katharine Pyle (read by Susan Jameson)

Ages 9+
35-41 The Call of the Wild by Jack London (read by Joseph Ayre)
42 Finn and the Scottish Giant by Harold F Hughes (read by Paul Hickey)
43 The Children's Joke by Louisa May Alcott (read by Catherine Cusack)
44 The Ants and the Treasure by MI Ogumefu (read by Kenny Blyth)
45 The Happy Prince by Oscar Wilde (read by Tony Turner)
46-59 The Railway Children by E Nesbit (read by Sarah Ovens)

Production credits
First broadcast on BBC Sounds, 21 December 2018-1 November 2019

Produced by Simon Richardson (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, The Tortoise and the Rain, The Elephant's Child, The Ants and the Treasure, How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin, How the Camel Got His Hump, The Elves and the Shoemaker, The Happy Prince), Karen Holden (The Wind in the Willows), Martha Littlehailes (The Call of the Wild), Anne Bunting (The Railway Children), Anne Isger (Too Clever By Half, The Tongue Cut Sparrow, The Emperor's New Clothes, The Children's Joke, Finn and the Scottish Giant) and Mabel Wright (Tom Thumb, The Raspberry Worm, The Magic Bed, The Baba Yaga, Peter Rabbit)
The Raspberry Worm edited by Andrew Lang


© 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (p) 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

About the authors

Lewis Carroll

Lewis Carroll, born Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (1832-98), grew up in Cheshire in the village of Daresbury, the son of a parish priest. He was a brilliant mathematician, a skilled photographer and a meticulous letter and diary writer. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, inspired by Alice Liddell, the daughter of the Dean of Christ Church in Oxford, was published in 1865, followed by Through the Looking-Glass in 1871. He wrote numerous stories and poems for children including the nonsense poem The Hunting of the Snark and fairy stories Sylvie and Bruno.
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Kenneth Grahame

Kenneth Grahame (1859-1932) was born in Edinburgh, but grew up with relatives in Berkshire where he developed his love for the countryside surrounding the upper parts of the River Thames. He was educated at St Edward's in Oxford, but instead of going on to Oxford University he joined the Bank of England, where he rose to become Secretary. He wrote several books including The Golden Age and Dream Days which includes the short story 'The Reluctant Dragon' (later made into a Disney movie). Kenneth Grahame developed the character of Toad in The Wind in the Willows to amuse his young son, Alistair. It was published in 1908 and still remains a best-loved children's classic.
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E Nesbit

Edith Nesbit was a mischievous child who grew up into an unconventional adult. With her husband, Hubert Bland, she was one of the founder members of the socialist Fabian Society; their household became a centre of the socialist and literary circles of the times. E. Nesbit turned late to children's writing. Her first children's book, The Treasure Seekers, was published in 1899 to great acclaim. Other books featuring the Bastable children followed, and a series of magical fantasy books, including Five Children and It also became very popular. The Railway Children was first published monthly in the London Magazine in 1905, and published as a book in 1906, which has been in print ever since.
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Rudyard Kipling

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The Brothers Grimm

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Hans Christian Andersen

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Louisa May Alcott

Louisa May Alcott (1832-88) was brought up in Pennsylvania, USA. She turned to writing in order to supplement the family income and had many short stories published in magazines and newspapers. She was reluctant to write a children's book but then realized that in herself and her three sisters she had the perfect models. The result was Little Women (1868) which became the earliest American children's novel to become a classic.
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Oscar Wilde

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