Showing results by narrator "John McDonough" in All Categories

Erethizon Dorsatum—better known as Ereth, the self-centered, foul-tempered old porcupine—is having a birthday. And he fully expects his best friend Poppy, a deer mouse, to help him celebrate in a grand manner. But Poppy has gone off somewhere with her husband, Rye, and it appears she has forgotten all about it. "Belching Beavers," says Ereth, "I am not angry!" (Though perhaps he is—and more than just a little.)

The New York Times best-selling children’s author Karma Wilson has won many prizes such as the National Parenting Publications Children’s Resource Gold Award. Her story Bear Wants More is a Children’s Book-of-the-Month Club Featured Selection. It’s springtime and Bear is waking up from his winter nap. He hasn’t had any food in a long time. Bear is HUNGRY! John McDonough’s exuberant narration will be loved by all young listeners hungry for a good story.

Chocolate-loving penguin detective Mr. Pin is relaxing between cases when a client approaches him with a baffling problem - someone is smashing the stone gargoyles in his warehouse. In fact, all over Chicago, gargoyles are falling from the buildings. Hoping to stop the villain before someone gets hurt, Mr. Pin and his young friend Maggie scamper to the latest crime scene to collect clues. But when an empty chocolate box is found near a destroyed statue, and a penguin is seen scuttling away, police blame Mr. Pin.

Water is leaking through the cracked basement floor of Sally’s Diner where Mr. Pin has his office. Suddenly a fish pops through the hole in the floor. Astonished, Mr. Pin drops the fish in a jar of water and hurries upstairs to show everyone his new pet. But the diner is in a state of confusion - the Chicago River is pouring into buildings all over the city! Can Mr. Pin stop the flood and save his friends? In A Fish Named Yum, Mr. Pin provides gentle lessons about friendship in two entertaining cases.

The green leaves on the trees are changing to red and gold. A chilly wind blows from the north. Mrs. Cottontail and her littlest rabbit watch a flock of wild geese in the sky. “Cold winter days are near,” she tells him. All through the woods, creatures of every size are busy. Squirrels are storing acorns and seeds under logs. The ground hog is growing a warm fur coat. The blue bird begins his long trip south. They must hurry—soon the big snow is coming.

A terrible secret is making the Ferocious Beast sit next to the River of Dreams and cry. Maggie and Hamilton Hocks want to help. "Tell us your secret and then you’ll feel better," they urge their sad friend. "Sometimes I get scared," the Ferocious Beast finally admits. But what could frighten a big, ferocious beast? Is it something worse than sea monsters, ghosts, and spaceships from another galaxy? These are the things that scare Maggie and Hamilton, even though they’ve never seen them. But how can they get the Ferocious Beast to tell them his fears?

When the ferocious beast with the polka-dot hide catches a piglet, he has a tough decision to make: whether to have him on whole wheat or rye bread. But the clever piglet saves his own life when he convinces the beast that the seams on his polka-dot hide are about to burst. To save his hide, the beast agrees to let the piglet fix all of his meals. “You have to eat the foods you like the least,” the piglet tells the beast. Soon, the beast is too sick to move, and the piglet sees his chance for escape.

While bird-watching in Nowhere Land, Ferocious Beast, Maggie, and Hamilton Hocks are stopped in their tracks. Before them, a most amazing sight: a rabbit struggling to dig up a carrot! "Why is that so amazing" you ask? Well, it’s the carrot of all carrots, the most enormous carrot of all time! Nedley the rabbit refuses their offer of help, even as he grows grumpier with each shovelful of dirt. Soon realizing that there is no way he can accomplish such a humongous task on his own, he accepts help.

Sylvester is a rock collector. One day he finds a magic pebble that makes wishes come true. He rushes home to share his good fortune with his parents. On the way, he's frightened by a hungry lion and quickly asks the pebble to turn him into a rock, so the lion can't eat him. It works-but there...

Grasshoppers, waterstriders, and fireflies light up the pages of this rib-tickling book of poetry for two voices. Written as spirited duets, the poems ring with the love songs of book lice, the serenades of moths, and a choir of cicadas. Each one is a treat, filled with busy insect life. In addition to the voices of these frisky critters, there are also fascinating tidbits about their lives and habits.

Open your eyes to one of the greatest naturalist writers of all time with these two short stories by William H.H. Murray. These stories, featuring John Norton, the trapper, were so well loved, that Murray performed them more than 500 times, on book tours in New England and New York. Written at the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, Murray’s stories of the Adirondack wilderness of the 1860s made outdoor activities like hiking and camping popular for the first time.

Family memoirs and previously unpublished material provide the backdrop for this poignant portrait of a man whose heroic idealism inspired a nation. Edward Renehan's graceful prose allows listeners a close-up look at an entire family of larger-than-life heroes. Theodore Roosevelt taught his sons that wealth and influence were inextricably bound up with a duty to defend democracy to the death. His own exemplary conduct in the Spanish-American War helped win the war for the United States.

While Freddy the pig relaxes in his best cowboy outfit and sings a song, he decides that he needs a vacation. He will ride his pony, Cy, out West. He'll see some wide-open spaces and maybe find some excitement. But before Freddy can leave, the excitement finds him first. Uncle Ben races up to the farm and asks Freddy for help. A pack of sneaky spies is trying to steal Uncle Ben's plans for building a flying saucer.

Christmas is Mr. Putter's favorite time of the year. He starts thinking about Christmas presents in July. It's easy to buy gifts for the postman, the grocer, and the librarian. But he has to think very hard about a gift for his neighbor, Mrs. Teaberry. Mrs. Teaberry likes strange things. She likes coconuts that look like monkey heads and tiny dresses that fit her teapots. She even likes fruitcake. That's it! He'll make her a good cake for Christmas, a light and airy one that won't break her toe if she drops it.

Ever since he was a boy, Mr. Putter has always loved planes. And he still loves playing with toys - even though he is pretty old. While visiting the toy store with his fine cat, Tabby, he decides to buy a brand new, red and white, remote-controlled biplane! Remembering when he was young, how he stayed awake at night wishing for such a toy, Mr. Putter thinks about the boy he met earlier that day. The boy was a little shy, clumsy and forgetful - just like Mr. Putter was when he was that age!

What does a little bear wear as he dances and plays his way through a sunny summer day? Young listeners will be fascinated as John McDonough's upbeat narration perfectly delivers this book's lilting, musical rhyme and joyful, exuberant rhythm that make Jesse Bear's day a pleasure for everyone.

Mrs. Teaberry announces that she's starting a knitting club, and Mr. Putter is happy to help out. But disaster strikes when Tabby and Zeke want to pitch in, too: Mrs. Fitzwater's sweater completely unravels, and the whole afternoon ends up in quite a tangle.

Newbery medal-winner and recipient of the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award, Cynthia Rylant instills gentle humor into this cozy listen. When Mr. Putter goes outside without a hat on, he catches a cold. Tabby tries to make Mr. Putter feel better, but "colds aren't so much fun when you're old." Yet his neighbor Mrs. Teaberry and her dog Zeke know just the thing to help Mr. Putter recover.

How can he possibly stay dry as he waters the roses, skips pebbles on the pond, and helps a blackbird with his bath? Young listeners will sympathize with Jesse's playful urge to wade in a puddle with a squirmy worm or "jump and squish and plop" with a green frog. They will definitely delight in the happy surprise ending. John McDonough's exuberant narration colorfully animates this joyous sequel to the best-selling Jesse Bear, What Will You Wear?.

A robin with poor eyesight has mistaken Freddy the pig's tail for a worm. Putting aside the poem he is writing, Freddy decides to help the poor bird solve his problem. But the solution just seems to lead to bigger problems.