Showing results by narrator "John Voce" in All Categories

Jessica starts school wanting to make a big impression and lots of friends. Each day, she takes something special to school in her large brown cardboard box in the hope of winning friends...

One quiet morning, a small boy lands on the page. As a world begins to grow around him, he finds himself doing all sorts of things. He rolls down a hill. He catches a shiny, silver fish. He climbs a mountain, falls in love and builds a house.

Edward lives in a city, in which only one tree remains. Edward loves the tree, but one day, the tree is cut down.

When Penguin hears Whale singing the blues, he tries to help. But how do you stop a blue whale feeling blue?

Christopher comes to terms with an absent father by celebrating the important things in his life. An insightful and perceptive story about remembering a father.

Oliver is ready to play but George the bear is busy reading. Oliver tries everything to get George's attention.

On August 20th, a group of young explorers was charged with a dangerous mission. They were to travel across wild country to deliver a valuable parcel. It would test the resolve of the brave young explorers. Most of all, it would provide us all with a pair of unlikely heroes to admire and remember for many years to come.

Sarah has a heavy heart. It makes everything difficult – catching the bus, riding her bike, having a bath. Sarah knows the heart will always be hers to carry. She just wishes it wasn't so heavy.

Lonely after their family moves to London, Ben and Hattie are delighted to find a new friend in the park: a talking lion wearing a top hat, dress suit and red cravat. But not only is Mr Dandy Paws an exceptionally well-dressed feline, he’s a highway lion who robs from those who are cruel to animals and invests the proceeds in animal justice. But with a P.I. on his tail, Dandy’s latest scheme – a daring break-out at London Zoo – could get Ben and Hattie into far more trouble than they bargained for.

In 221 BCE, the Qin state conquered its neighbours and created the first unified Chinese empire in history. So began the imperial era, where dynasties claiming divine assent ruled for more than 2000 years. Borders shifted, and emperors struggled to exert control over every region of their territories. Elites held that they were inheritors of a rich, pre-imperial culture, while their society produced world-changing inventions such as the compass, printing, gunpowder and the gun. Imperial China itself was altered as it came into contact with others through trade, exploration and war.

Matthew has dreamed and read and thought about the North Pole for as long as he can remember. And he has done it secretly. It is a place that cannot be tarnished by the world in which he lives – a world where he struggles to find answers and make friends, while everything seems to come easily to other children. But one day, a crow called Lewis Carmichael lands at Matthew's window – a crow who believes in Matthew in the most simple and ordinary ways. Soon, the unexpected voyage of a lifetime begins, and it will change everything.

After his interest was piqued by a 19th-century photo of a camel train in a country town, Ryan Butta found himself on the trail of Australia’s earliest Afghan camel-drivers. Separating the bulldust from the bush poetry, he reveals the breadth and depth of white Australian protectionism and prejudice. Told with flair and authority, this gritty alternative history defies the standard horse-powered folklore to reveal the untold debt this country owes to humble dromedaries, their drivers and those who brought them here.

After his interest was piqued by a 19th-century photo of a camel train in a country town, Ryan Butta found himself on the trail of Australia’s earliest Afghan camel-drivers. Separating the bulldust from the bush poetry, he reveals the breadth and depth of white Australian protectionism and prejudice. Told with flair and authority, this gritty alternative history defies the standard horse-powered folklore to reveal the untold debt this country owes to humble dromedaries, their drivers and those who brought them here.

Akashic Books continues its award-winning series of original noir anthologies with Sidney Noir. This collection comprises of all new stories set in Sidney, Australia, by 14 authors of crime fiction....

How far do you go to rescue your child? Paul van Niekirk, a successful white South African is held up at gun-point when driving his new BMW. He's dragged out and his abductor drives off in his car. It's an everyday carjacking. Except his nine-month old daughter is in the back seat. As a pacifist, Paul is reluctant to carry a gun, but he descends into the heart of darkness of his country determined to find his child.

Join a group of brave young explorers as they embark on a dangerous mission to deliver a valuable parcel, follow Jessica on her first day of school where she hopes to find a friend, learn about understanding and acceptance with Christopher, hear how Penguin attempts to cheer up a blue whale and many more touching tales.

Faolan and Sally have no memory of their lives before they arrived at the Land ten years ago. In this self-sufficient community, good fortune comes from mysterious beings known as the shapes, and no one is to venture into the Forest – a dangerous place full of fearsome wolves. When a strange gentleman named Reynard emerges from the Forest, he quickly befriends Faolan and Sally. But the community are both suspicious and enthralled by his storytelling.

Deep in the Forest, the foxes live in an underground city built by their wolf slaves. The foxes' leader Reynard controls everything with his clever talk. Silas is bullied at school because his words will not come. He wishes he could live in silence as animals do. One day Silas helps an injured wolf. Then he enters the secret world of the Forest, where the last remaining wolves fight to survive. But even there, language is power. Can Silas find his voice in time to help his wolf friends – can he become the Wolfstongue?

When they first meet, Kara and Felix can't stand each other. But on discovering an injured dolphin calf on the beach, they know they must work together to save it. Now friends, they set out to find the truth behind the disappearance of Kara's mother and to protect the nearby reef. But powerful people don't want them to succeed. And with the odds stacked against them, how can Kara and Felix make their voices heard?

Twelve-year-old Tam ventures into a moon bear den in the mountains of Northern Laos on a dare. His goal is to steal the cub and sell it, making a fortune for his family. But the mother bear’s unexpected return upends Tam’s plan, and he barely escapes with his life. Then his life implodes anyway, as his entire mountain village is forced to relocate to make room for a new highway. Lured by the promise of electricity, running water and a television, Tam’s people move to an overcrowded village, and Tam’s father is killed by a stray landmine.