A Thanksgiving Dream by Effa E. Preston

 

A Thanksgiving Dream by Effa E. Preston

A Thanksgiving Dream by Effa E. Preston

A grade school play about Thanksgiving.  Easy to perform, simple lines, and a coloful and simple stage setting makes this a favorite though the years.

The Gold Thread and Wee Davie by Norman Macleod

 The Gold Thread and Wee Davie by Norman Macleod

A children's book featuring two long bedtime stories for the young.  Religious and uplifting in nature, these stories are good for children.

Umboo, the Elephant by Howard R. Garis

 Umboo, the Elephant by Howard R. Garis

A classic tale for youngsters. It's a real bedtime treat.

The Windy Hill by Cornelia Meigs

 The Windy Hill by Cornelia Meigs

The Windy Hill is a children's novel by Cornelia Meigs. A brother and sister learn about their own family's history in New England through a series of tales told by the Beeman. The novel was first published in 1921 and was a Newbery Honor recipient in 1922

Winkie the Wily Woodchuck by Richard Barnum

 Winkie the Wily Woodchuck by Richard Barnum

Another great children's tale by Richard Barnum.  Great for bedtime stories and for older children to read for themselves.

 Coco Bolo King of the Floating Islands by Sidford F. Hamp

A tale written for children, in the vein of the Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum.

Shaggo the Mighty Buffalo by Richard Barnum in Children's Books

 Shaggo the Mighty Buffalo

 by Richard Barnum

Tale of a buffalo family; great bedtime story for young children, or for children to read for themselves.

Doctor Rabbit and Thomas Wildcat a Chidren's book by Thomas Clark Hinkle

 

Dr. Rabbit and Thomas Wildcat by Thomas Clark Hinkle

Written for children as a great bedtime story, or for more advanced youngsters to read for themselves.

The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting

The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting

The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle was the second of Hugh Lofting's Doctor Dolittle books to be published, coming out in 1922. It is nearly five times as long as its predecessor and the writing style is pitched at a more mature audience. The scope of the novel is vast; it is divided into six parts. It won the Newbery Medal for 1923.
It was one of the novels in the series that was adapted into the 1967 film Doctor Dolittle.
The novel begins when Tommy Stubbins, the narrator of the story, finds a squirrel injured by a hawk. Matthew Mugg, the cat's meat man, informs him to get help from Doctor Dolittle, who can speak the language of animals. The Doctor is away on a voyage, but when he returns, he attends to the squirrel. Tommy is introduced to some of the strange animals in Dolittle's care, such as the Wiff-Waff fish, and those who care for his household, such as Dab-Dab the duck, and Jip the dog. Polynesia the parrot arrives in Puddleby from Africa informs the Doctor that Bumpo is studying in Bullford. Tommy begins his studies with Doolittle, or rather with Polynesia who teaches Tommy the language of animals. Chee-Chee comes from Africa disguised as a lady and tells about his voyage to Puddleby. The Doctor acquires The Curlew and is thinking of taking Tommy, Polynesia, and Luke the Hermit. They find out from the hermit's dog, Bob, that he was sent to prison for murder but Bob is a witness so when the court is in the process the Doctor proves to the judge that he can talk to animals when this is settled he translates Bob's story to English. When the story is finished the judges conclude that the hermit is innocent.
Later, the Purple Bird of Paradise informs the Doctor that Long Arrow, son of Golden Arrow, who is a friend of the Doctor, is missing so after they play the game Blind Travel, which would determine where in the world they would voyage, they decide to take a trip to Spider Monkey Island to find Long Arrow. The Doctor, Tommy, Bumpo, and Polynesia start the voyage across the sea but on the way they discover some stowaways and drop them off at Penzance. Their first stop is in the Capa Blanca islands of Spain; the Doctor makes a deal with the bullfighters that if he can beat them in a fight they would stop bullfighting. Bumpo makes a side bet of 3000 pesetas that the Doctor will win. The Doctor talks to the bulls and they agreed to stick to the plan to make everyone think that he outwitted them. When the fight is over and the doctor wins against the other bullfighters, the crew set off again the Doctor shows Tommy he has caught a fidgit that talks English so he consults it and realizes that if he goes deeper, he will find the Great Glass Sea Snail.
Spolier!
Afterwards there is a storm that wrecks the ship leaving Tommy alone; the Purple Bird of Paradise tells him that his friends are on Spider Monkey Island so with the help of the porpoises Tommy reaches the island and the crew. Doolittle finds out from catching a Jabizri, a rare beetle, that Long Arrow is stuck inside Hawk's Head Mountain so they try to find an opening but fail so they use the Jabizri to locate it. When they find a slab in the mountain they dig under it until it collapses and Long Arrow is free. The Doctor finds out from the people of the island that the island is going southward and is going to perish so the doctor gets some whales to push the island back to South America. After this the Doctor is told by the Popsipetels, the people of the island, that they will be attacked soon by their rivals the Bag-jagderags so the Doctor uses the birds of the island as well as the Popsipetels to battle them. The Doctor and his army win but the people then decide after so much he did for them that they would crown him king of their island. So for many months the doctor rules the island and makes good changes for the Popsipetels. Polynesia finds the Great Glass Sea Snail and brings her to Doolittle. He talks to the Great Glass Sea Snail and learns that it is because of the island colliding with South America that it ends up on the shores of Spider Monkey Island so the Doctor asks the snail to take him in his shell with his crew back to England. The Doctor abandons Spider Monkey Island and sets off with Polynesia, Tommy, Matthew, Chee-Chee and Jip and makes his journey through the ocean in the shell of the Great Glass Sea Snail. When they come back to England the Doctor and his crew go back to Puddleby in the doctor's house and Dub-Dub says they are just in time for tea.

Brother and Sister by Josephine Lawrence

Brother and Sister by Josephine Lawrence

A very nice tale detailing the fact that someone has vandalized a neighbor's property, and a brother and sister are blamed for it.  Everyone learns the truth after a discovery is made, and the family learns a lot about honesty and integrity.  Great family reading, and good reading for a bedtime story or for older children to read for themselves.

A Dear Little Girl's Summer Holidays by Amy Ella Blanchard

Dear Little Girl's Summer Holidays by Amy Ella Blanchard

A part of the Dear Little Girl series, for younger ladies, but fun reading for all.

The Story of the Treasure Seekers by E. Nesbit

The Story of the Treasure Seekers by E. Nesbit

When their mother dies and their father's business partner runs off with most of their money, the six intrepid Bastable children are determined to restore their family's

Five Children and IT and E. Nesbit

Five Children and IT by E. Nesbit

The Five Children and It is a fantastic children's fantasy by one of the founders of the genre. It is an exquisite tale about a family of children who discover a very mysterious creature named 'it'. Written a century ago it is remarkably easy to read, and makes a great introduction to this marvelous author's work, for the family or of anyone who might be interested in the origins of children's fantasy.

Sharp Eyes, the Silver Fox: His Many Adventures by Richard Barnum

Great bedtime stories and easy reading for children ages 4-12.
Richard Barnum is a pseudonym listed as the author of the Kneetime Animal Stories series, including T mischievous adventures of Squinty, the Comical Pig; Tamba, the Tame Tiger; Tinkle the Trick Pony; Slicko, the Jumping Squirrel; Don, a Runaway Dog; Sharp Eyes, the Silver Fox; and Mappo, the Merry Monkey. The pseudonym was one of many used by the Stratemeyer Syndicate, a publishing group started by Edward Stratemeyer in 1906. Stratemeyer assembled a group of authors who were paid a flat fee per book and who remained anonymous. A different pseudonym was chosen for each book series. The Stratemeyer Syndicate published several successful series for children, including The Rover Boys, starting in 1899, The Bobbsey Twins, starting in 1904, Tom Swift, starting in 1910,The Hardy Boys, starting in 1927, and Nancy Drew, starting in 1930.

Gritli's Children by Johanna Spyri

By the author of Heidi, this is a tale that young women and young men both will love.