The Wind in the Willows is a children’s novel by Kenneth Grahame, first published in 1908. Alternately slow moving and fast paced, it focuses on four anthropomorphised animals in a pastoral version of Edwardian England. The novel is notable for its mixture of mysticism, adventure, morality and camaraderie, and celebrated for its evocation of the …

Many years before TS Elliot’s popular collection of poems, and many years before Andrew Lloyd Weber popularised it in the broadway musical, was The Book of the Cat. A beautifully illustrated well written collection of short storeys and poems about cats, including The Great Panjandrum, Snowball, and Mr Twinkletoes. Any cat person will identify with …

The Call of the Wild – A tale of frontier days in the Yukon gold rush and the relationship between a sled dog, his keeper, and the call of the wild. by: Jack London   Text from The Call of the Wild   Excerpt: BUCK did not read the newspapers, or he would have known that …

This is a classic humor for elementary children about how the narrator’s father and a friendly stray cat go in search of an imprisoned young dragon. On the way deceiving the wild animals who want to stop him or eat him, or both, with cute tricks and traps. Hilarious imagery results as the animals give …

Huckleberry Finn, the Mark Twain classic, was written using a variety of period related southern dialects, which make it very colourful and an interesting piece of history but also very hard to read for younger readers or ESL students. This version has been edited to provide the story in a modern easier to read language. …

The Velveteen Rabbit – In this classic tale of a much loved toy, Margery Williams explains the magic behind toys and how they become real. Note: The Velveteen Rabbit is an open source book, that is, it is available in the public domain due to an expired (or unregistered) copyright. Although we don’t normally publish …

Core Knowledge Foundation is back with more classic tales, this time tailored for Grade 3 reading levels. This classic tale compilation features The Frog Prince, The Fisherman and his Wife, Rumpelstiltskin, The Queen Bee, Rapunzel, Hanzel and Gretel, Beauty and the Beast, The Magic Paintbrush, The Tiger, the Brahman, and the Jackel, and A Christmas …

The Snow Queen – Classic Stories – A simple version of the classic tale from Hans Christian Andersen, two friends fight good and evil in an epic battle. By: Hans Christian Andersen and Kiwi Opa     Text and Images from The Snow Queen – Classic Stories In the original story, “the devil”, creates a …

This is a beautifully illustrated picture book version of the classic fairytale The Frog Prince, and includes reading comprehension questions at the end. The classic fairytale also has a teaching guide with lesson plans available for Grade 1 students, and reading comprehension questions available at the end of the book. This illustrated eBook and read …

In this classic Beatrix Potter tale, a naughty Tom Kitten gets tangled up in Samuel Whiskers Roly Poly Pudding, totally unable to escape. Will Samuel Whiskers have kitten pie for dinner, or will someone come to Tom’s rescue? This version compiled and formatted by Kiwi Opa (Peter Whittaker) is suitable and best viewed on screen. …