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Captain Nemo, The Nautilus, and the mysterious depths of the ocean. Unforgettable. Come join an adventure that will roam among coral and pearls, sharks and giant squid, with wonders of biology and engineering that will thrust us from the Antarctic to Atlantis. Whether voyaging a yarn of the glorious unknown, a tale of the darkness that grips the heart of men, or a reinterpretation of Homer’s Odyssey, we’ll all enjoy the fantastic trip. Seasickness optional. (Summary by Marlo Dianne)...

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Adventure

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The Swiss Family Robinson has delighted generations of readers with its exciting tale of a family which, though shipwrecked, displays “the right stuff” and builds a charming colony that later, they do not want to leave. Cut off from the comforts and companionship of other humans, they use a familiarity with natural history and biology to find the resources and build the tools to construct a canoe, weave cloth, irrigate a garden, and turn an immense hollow tree into a lofty house with a spiral staircase. They domesticate buffaloes, wild asses, and monkeys. They establish farms and plantations. And finally, they have a terrifying encounter with natives from a nearby island. Johann David Wyss, the author, did not live to complete his tale. Storytellers over the years have injected so many episodes into the various versions that probably none closely match the original. (Indeed, the Baroness de Montholieu expanded the book from two volumes into five when she translated it into French.) This effort was re-translated into English in 1849 by W.H.G. Kingston, abridging the edition severely. It follows the British sensibilities of the period...

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Adventure

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Robin Hood is a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for robbing from the rich and giving to the poor, assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his Merry Men. Traditionally Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes. The origin of the legend is claimed by some to have stemmed from actual outlaws, or from ballads or tales of outlaws....

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Adventure, Fairy tales, Fantasy, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Myths/Legends, Teen/Young adult

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Tom Swift enters an upcoming race with his specially-designed prototype electric race car. But as he makes the final preparations and adjustments, days before the race, he discovers a plot that would bankrupt not only his family, but also everyone else that relies on the local bank (which is the target of a nefarious bank-run scheme). Tom must solve the mystery and stop the criminals behind the plot before he'll test himself on a 500 mile race against some of the best electric cars and skilled drivers in the United States. Listeners are forewarned that some elements and characters included in Tom Swift books portray certain ethnic groups in a very dated manner that modern readers, and listeners, may find offensive. Despite the racially stereotyped behavior and pronunciation in the books, the Reader believes it makes sense to read what's written in order to be faithful to the author's intent. Summary from Wikipedia and modified by the Reader...

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Teen/Young adult, Adventure, Children

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When Polynesian people came to Hawaii, hundreds of years ago, they brought legends. We know this because the same stories and similar hero names are found in other Polynesian groups. Other legends grew about historical events in our islands, about real people and places. Some are very old while others have grown in recent times. As all these stories were told and retold changes crept in. While the main story was the same, details became very different. No one can say that one version of a story is right and the others wrong. At the end of each legend I have given the principal source used. I, too, have made changes. Many of these stories are about chiefs, for they led a varied and colorful life and the common people liked to hear about them. In old Hawaii each valley, from mountain to sea, was a district with its district chief. Sometimes one chief made himself ruler of several districts or of an entire island. Thus he became a high chief with lesser chiefs under him. We tell and read legends not only for enjoyment but also because they help us understand people who lived long ago....

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"Why is that crowd down the valley Brother! What are all those people doing” Pikoi's brother was preparing food for the imu and did not hear the boy's question. Pikoi and his father had come from Kauai the day before. They had come to Manoa Valley on Oahu to visit a married sister. A crowd the very first day! Pikoi must find out what was going on. At first he went slowly down the trail, watching the people eagerly. He saw someone with a bow and arrows. Rat shooting! That was a sport the boy loved and in a moment he was running. Pikoi reached the crowd and pushed his way among them. He bumped a tall woman who turned to him angrily. "What are you doing here" she asked. "Why do you push in beside your chiefess” Pikoi did not quite understand that this woman was the chiefess—the high chiefess of Oahu. "It is rat shooting, isn't it" he asked eagerly. "I love rat shooting. “ The chiefess must have liked the boy's love of her favorite sport, for she spoke good-naturedly now. "Can you shoot rats” "A little. “ "That man with a red lei and with a bow in his hand is Mainele," the chiefess said. "He is the best rat shooter on Oa...

Table of Contents Details
Preface.Vii -- Acknowledgments.Viii -- PikoiRat Shooting.3 -- Enemies Of The Chief.7 -- Pikoi Sees Hawaii.19 -- PeleHow Hawaii Was Made Safe.29 -- How Hawaii Was Divided.42 -- Holua Sledding.45 -- The Puna Chief Who Boasted.49 -- The Girl Who Gave Breadfruit.51 -- Kalapana.56 -- The Pounded Water Of Kekela.61 -- Other Legends Of The Island Of Hawaii Woman-Of-The-Fire And Woman-Of-The Water.69 -- When The Ocean Covered Hawaii.73 -- Kila.78 -- The Rescue Of Hina.89 -- How umi Became High Chief.99The Giant Guard.108 -- The Wonderful Banana Skin.115 -- Vi Hawaii Island LegendsThe Boy Who Came To His Father.121 -- The Swing.132 -- The Dream Girl.142 -- The Hidden Island Of ualakaa.147 -- The Ki-Leaf Trumpet.158 -- A Kite And A Toy Canoe.167 -- The God Of Love.171 -- The Gift Of Ku.176 -- The Man Who Always Wore A Kihei.178 -- The Shark That Came For Poi.186 -- Punia And The Sharks.190 -- The Kihapu.196 -- The Cowry Shell.202 -- Food For Kohala.210 -- The Land Beneath The Sea.215 -- The Winning Of Makolea.222 -- ieie And Lehua. 230 -- The Chiefs Who Went Around Hawaii. 233 -- Glossary. 237 --...

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volunteers bring you 15 recordings of The Legend of Heinz von Stein by Charles Godfrey Leland. This was the Weekly Poetry project for November 11, 2012. Charles Godfrey Leland was an American humorist who traveled extensively throughout Europe and the US. Leland worked in journalism, and became interested in folklore and folk linguistics, publishing books and articles on American and European languages and folk traditions. He worked in a wide variety of trades, achieved recognition as the author of the comic Hans Breitmann’s Ballads, fought in two conflicts, and wrote what was to become a primary source text for Neopaganism half a century later, Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches. ( Summary from Wikipedia )...

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Adventure, Humor, Romance, Poetry