James Herriot's Treasury for Children: Warm and Joyful Animal Tales [Audiobook, CD, Unabridged] [Audio CD]

James Herriot (Author), Jim Dale (Reader)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

James Herriot's Treasury for Children collects all of the beloved veterinarian's delightful tales for young listeners. From the springtime frolic of Oscar, Cat-About-Town to the yuletide warmth of The Christmas Day Kitten, these stories-radiantly illustrated by Peter Barrett and Ruth Brown-are perennial favorites, and this new complete edition will make a wonderful gift for all readers, great and small.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

This charming title defines family listening. Herriot’s well-loved tales of his life as a rural British veterinarian hold the timeless qualities of family affection, humor, loyalty, appreciation for nature, and love of animals. The eight short stories were selected especially for youngsters, yet adults will gladly listen along. Narrator extraordinaire Dale lends the perfect avuncular tone; his British dialects accurately reflect the characters’ class and region, and his clarity of expression allows even young listeners to comprehend the delightful British accent. Sprightly musical interludes signal transitions between stories; each is approximately 10 minutes long. The CD consists of only one track, so locating individual stories is somewhat difficult. Be sure to feature this title in holiday displays as “The Christmas Kitten” is especially appealing. Grades K-6. --Mary Burkey

Review

"Jim Dale reads the stories with his enterprising vocal delivery and melds these tender stories into emotional yet satisfying experiences that reflect both the joy of having pets and the responsibilities involved with their care. Young listeners will learn the cycle of friendship, ownership, and companionship of unconventional pets and other animals." - Dr. Flora Joy, Parents' Choice Awards

"Dale employs a variety of entirely convincing rural accents in his portrayals of the country folk who ask for the vet's help and share their tales with him. He also captures all the kindness of the beloved Herriot in this collection for animal lovers of all ages." - AudioFile, Winner of an Earphones Award

 

“This charming title defines family listening…The eight short stories were selected especially for youngsters, yet adults will gladly listen along. Narrator extraordinaire Dale lends the perfect avuncular tone.” - Booklist

"No doubt, if cows could talk, they'd sound just like Dale." - Scholastic Parent & Child

 

"Just the sort of thing you hope will imprint on the memory screen of a young child: fresh, clear, pure, and good." --Commonwealth

 

"Jim Dale, the English actor who's won multiple Grammy's for recreating Hogwarts with his voice has finished up work on the audiobook version of Herriot's classics. Like Goldilocks, Dale's got it just right." - Babble.com's Droolicious blog

 

 

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Audio CD
• Publisher: Macmillan Young Listeners; Unabridged edition (July 22, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1427205248
• ISBN-13: 978-1427205247
• Product Dimensions: 5.6 x 4.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (67 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #15,685 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #6 in Books > Books on CD > Biographies & Memoirs

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

76 of 76 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WOW, even better than reading the "adult" version!, March 18, 2002

By 

Gowie "gowie" (CO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: James Herriot's Treasury for Children: Warm and Joyful Tales by the Author of All Creatures Great and Small (Hardcover)

Over the years, I have thoroughly enjoyed Mr. Herriot's wonderful stories. When I found this book for my 7 year old daughter, I wasn't sure if she'd be able to follow along. What makes this book stand out is the fabulous drawings--they are full paged drawings, with not too much writing on each page. Each drawing is very detailed, perfectly matched to the accompanying text. I can't get over the talented illustrators (this book has two different ones, although the drawings are similar in appearance). I've loved re-reading these familiar stories and sharing them. This is one of the best books we've read this year, and I would wholeheartedly recommend it for a permanent library collection.

49 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My children were mesmerized by these warm stories., December 3, 1999

By 

Julie Obermeyer (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: James Herriot's Treasury for Children: Warm and Joyful Tales by the Author of All Creatures Great and Small (Hardcover)

My children have loved this book for years (they are now five and seven). Because the stories use words from far-away places, and an earlier time, reading them together has been a painless way to introduce many new and wonderful words into their vocabularies. If you are a parent who likes to read to your children, buy this book! The beautiful illustrations and language will keep you interested as well as the kids.

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This completes my James Herriot collection!, August 6, 2008

By 

Marie Williamson (Pensacola, Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: James Herriot's Treasury for Children: Warm and Joyful Animal Tales (Audio CD)

Born an animal lover, I read James Herriot's first four books in the 70's from middle through high school in Taiwan. Yes, Those books were translated into Chinese and James Herriot was quite popular among book lovers there. I came to the United States in 1987 and since then, I bought and re-read all his books in English. I discovered so many aspects of his writing could not be precisely translated into another language, nevertheless his love and affection for all living thing are universal. Later, I watched and collected some of the BBC adaptation and had to admit that even though they were fine production, they left you with little imagination. I still prefer the books and the audio CD's narrated by Christopher Timothy. Christopher Timothy's interpretation was very good on film, but even better on CD's.
When the book "James Herriot's Treasury for children" came out, I could not think of a better way to introduce my nieces and my daughter to James Herriot's writing and the animals around him. The children love the stories and illustrations. But no matter how hard I tried, I could never be good at imitating the Yorkshire farmer's accent.
When I found that an audio version of this book was available through Amazon, I was very excited the thought this would complete my James Herriot collection. However, I was puzzled that Christopher Timothy did not narrate this book. Not knowing Jim Dale's previous work, I was skeptical about the quality of his narration. Now I am glad that I was wrong.
Christopher Timothy has been wonderful with all his work, but I think Jim Dale is more suitable for this book whose target audience are mostly children. There is so much feeling and emotion in his voice that makes the stories even more captivating than they already were. While listening to "The Christmas Day Kitten", I found myself sobbing at the end of story as if I had lost my own pet.
James Herriot's books combine good story-telling, passion and kindness to every living thing. This book will do just that for your children. The audio CD will simply add more magic to his stories.