The Good and the Beautiful has 18 audiobooks on Listento.it, narrated by 7 narrators, with an average listener rating of 4.8★ across 4 ratings. The most-rated is Boy of the Pyramids.
Boy of the Pyramids
Summary
Boy of the Pyramids is the heartwarming story of the unlikely friendship that forms between an Egyptian nobleman's son, Kaffe, and Sari, a slave girl from the Sinai region. Together, they come to understand each other's cultures, learn the traditions and farming methods of the people who live along the Nile, uncover foul play during a bullfight, find themselves in danger while seeking adventure, understand Egyptian beliefs about the afterlife, and ultimately solve the mystery that is woven throughout the tale. This is an engaging story of family love, compassion, sacrifice, bravery, loyalty, and adventure!
©2018 Jenny Phillips (P)2019 Steven Lerud
Trini, the Strawberry Girl
Summary
Johanna Spyri, author of Heidi, wrote many wonderful books that have gone out of print. We are proud to be bringing two of them back into print with this "two-books-in-one" compilation.
Trini, The Strawberry Girl
Every year, an abundance of the finest, juiciest strawberries grow on the hills above the little Swiss village where Trini and her grandmother live. When harvest time arrives, Trini is determined to pick more than anyone else, so she can sell them and help her aged grandmother with whom she lives. In her ambition, Trini learns some important lessons. She also learns that her strawberry-picking is not enough to support her and her grandmother. Will Trini need to go away to find work?
Little Miss Grasshopper
Travel with the Feland family on a holiday to a quaint cottage in Switzerland. New friends are made, and everything is beautiful and peaceful until Rita (also known as Little Grasshopper because of her bouncy, sunny personality) goes missing. What miracle can help the little girl be found?
©2019 Jenny Phillips (P)2019 Steven Lerud
A Yard for John
Summary
When John Taylor and his parents move from their apartment in the big city to a house in the suburbs, the adventure has just begun. With a big backyard and woods to explore, he quickly finds that there is a whole exciting world to discover with his new friend, Jim. As the boys search for answers to the mystery that they uncover, they learn that treasured friendships can be found in the most unexpected of places.
©2019 Jenny Phillips (P)2019 Steven Lerud
When the Dikes Broke
Summary
Everyone knew that a tile roof was a precarious perch. Everyone saw, too, that the steadily rising water had reached a corner of the attic floor near the stairway and was beginning to spread, slowly but surely, toward them. Based on the great flood that swept over Holland in 1953, the gripping story When the Dikes Broke follows the tale of the van Rossem family as they are awakened by sirens and the clanging of church bells and soon realize that the dikes have broken. As the water rises to their roof, the family is separated, and a desperate and daring search is set in place for those who have been swept away. This adventurous story is packed with educational and moral value. The Mission of The Good and the Beautiful Library: To bring back wholesome, high-quality books that were previously hard or impossible to find; to offer new, uplifting literature and clean-language versions of worthy classics; to give parents a place to buy books that are always clean and uplifting....
©1958 Jenny Phillips (P)2019 Steven Lerud
Black Hawk
Summary
Before dying, Pyesa, Black Hawk's father and chief of his people, commanded his son to defend their land from whites, who were trying to force the tribe off their land. Black Hawk, however, has no taste for killing and scalping and goes through great internal conflict. The story of this great-hearted leader shows how some whites and Native Americans were peaceful and kind, while others were not. Based on true events, this powerful book teaches about a difficult time period and shares profound, unique messages about love, faith, mercy, humility, friendship, forgiveness, and faith. "I love stories that are beautifully written, that teach about history, and that dig deep into powerful messages; this book does all of these things. Why do we want our children to love reading? Not so they read fast-paced books without value, but because we want them to be immersed in books like Black Hawk that mold the mind and heart in ways that are good and beautiful." (Jenny Phillips)
©2019 Jenny Phillips (P)2019 Steven Lerud
Tiger on the Mountain
Summary
Almost at the crest of the hill a path led off to the left. Raman turned aside and followed it. It was a narrow path, covered with thick dust that pressed up between Raman's bare toes. The hill people called this the "path on the edge of the mountain" and rightly so, for it was cut right out of the rock itself. From its edge, the lonely slopes dropped down, down, without any pause, until they merged with the misty, glittering patchwork of the South Indian plains. As far as one could see, the plains stretched out, patterned with squares of red, plowed earth and brilliant green rice fields and blue ponds left by the rains. Puffs of clouds hung suspended between the plains and the path on which Raman stood. Deep in a beautiful hill-town of southern India in the mid-1900s lives Raman, the son of an illiterate woodcutter. More than anything, Raman dreams of buying the beautiful book under a glass case in the marketplace and of one day becoming a scholar. His dreams come crashing down when his family faces hard times. Raman is forced to leave school and instead gather pinecones in the hills to sell for firewood. An unexpected turn of events gives Raman hope and sends him into the hills in search of something other than pinecones. Beautiful description and exciting plot are combined with profound messages about family, education, hard work, persistence, honesty, and sacrifice.
©2018 Jenny Phillips (P)2019 Steven Lerud
The Mail Wagon Mystery
Summary
An adventure awaited the six Murray children! They had been invited to stay with their relatives out of town while their mother recovered from an illness. Little did they know that an ancient feud, a charge against their uncle, and a mysterious stranger in the town would motivate them to unite as family and friends to unravel a mystery.
©1940 May Justus (P)2019 Steven Lerud
Mr. Apple's Family
Summary
At the end of the lane was an orchard full of crooked little trees. The trees were all covered with little pink blossoms. They were apple trees. In the very middle of the orchard was a house. The Apple family lived in the city, but with so many new little Apples coming along, their home was becoming quite crowded. It didn't take long for them to find the perfect house in the country, but it required some ingenuity and cooperation to make it their own. Follow along with the Apple family as - with tenacity and some animal mischievousness - they achieve their dream of owning a home suited for their every need. The mission of The Good and the Beautiful library: To bring back wholesome, high-quality books that were previously hard or impossible to find To offer new, uplifting literature and clean-language versions of worthy classics To give parents a place to buy books that are always clean, uplifting, and of the highest value
©2019 Jenny Phillips (P)2019 Steven Lerud
Redwood Pioneer
Summary
Set in California in the 1870s, this story follows Mike O'Grady and his family as they leave their potato farm to settle in the redwood forest. Ten-year-old Mike is sad to leave his family's farm, but he soon finds his new home exciting and discovers a love of nature and of drawing. From being threatened by a wounded grizzly bear to discovering waterfalls, Mike's adventures combine in a fun, wholesome book packed with good messages.
©2019 Jenny Phillips (P)2019 Steven Lerud
Girl with a Musket
Summary
"Yes," she said, "it is tempting, what you offer me. But there is more to life than that." She tapped the handbill on the table. "And more than this little town." Her voice became intense. "I want more, do you hear? I want more from life than that!"
Eighteen-year-old Anne is faced with two choices: enter into the security of a happy marriage, like the other young ladies around her, or fulfill her patriotic desire to fight for her country. Posing as a young man, she enlists in the United States Army and joins the fight for freedom amid harsh conditions, dangerous missions, and even betrayal. Through it all, Anne learns valuable lessons of love, courage, and the true meaning of patriotism. Will Anne's secret identity keep her safe, or will betrayal and the need to survive put her in harm's way?
Based on a true story, Girl with a Musket is a treasure that will be enjoyed for years to come.
©2019 Jenny Phillips (P)2019 Steven Lerud
The Three Gold Doubloons
Summary
This wonderful tale follows the adventures of a printer's apprentice named Tom Cartwright in Colonial Williamsburg. Not only is Tom caught up in an exciting historical time period but also in an engaging plot. With skillful storytelling, the author weaves in inspiring messages, such as how kind actions to those who don't deserve them can come back to bless you in the most unexpected ways. Tom drew back into the shadow of the wall, for at that moment, the gate opened, and two of the governor's black horses appeared, pulling a large wagon behind them. Tom could just make out the dark forms of several men crouching low on the seat. The horses' hooves must have been padded, for they scarcely made a sound, even on the cobblestones of the courtyard.
©2018 Jenny Phillips (P)2018 Steven Lerud
Jade Dragons
Summary
If Wong Ting-a river boy in China-had extra coins, he would buy a copper kettle for his mother and a desperately needed new fishing net for his father. For himself, Wong Ting wanted something that money could not buy. In his heart was a secret wish. Only he knew what it was: Wong Ting wanted to walk on the land. This wish is kept hidden for a time as Wong Ting works hard with his family upon their sampan. A raging storm starts a series of exciting events, as the family's sampan is blown down the angry river out of control toward the open sea. A boat as small as theirs could not hope to ride safely upon the high waves of the South China Sea. As Wong Ting and his family escape pirates, rescue an orphaned baby, and search the river bottom for a bracelet with three jade dragons, gentle messages come to life about respect, obedience, hard work, kindness, integrity, courage, and hope. As Wong Ting dug in his pole, he squinted, trying to see through the heavy downpour, but it completely shut out the high banks along the edges of the Wu. Something began to stir in Wong Ting's memory. It stayed far back in his mind, a vague shadow of a thought. He tried to grasp what it was, puckering his brow. After a while he remembered.
©2018 Jenny Phillips (P)2019 Steven Lerud
Daniel and the Drum Rock
Summary
Fallen twigs and branches crackled beneath his feet. Animals scurried away, frightened by the noise of the running. Occasionally a vine slapped his face, but he only laughed and ran on effortlessly.
He had a friend his own age. He had not known such joy as filled his heart now since the days in France before the king's soldiers came and made life unbearable for the French Huguenots.
Daniel Chapelier and his family have traveled from France to England to America, fleeing religious persecution and seeking land to call their own. When they finally settle in the colony of Rhode Island, they hope their trials are over. All is well until their English neighbors start making trouble. Can Daniel and his new Indian friend, Netop, find a way to keep the peace between the angry settlers?
©2019 Jenny Phillips (P)2019 Steven Lerud
Juddie
Summary
Juddie lay for a while staring up at the twinkling stars overhead. Spread thickly across the dark, clear heavens, they looked close enough to touch. "Someday," Juddie thought, "when I can read, I'll find out more about the stars from books." Ever since Juddie can remember, he has wanted to learn how to read and write. The nearest school, however, is many miles away, and Pa needs Juddie to help work their farm. With wonderful, vivid writing, Florence Wightman Rowland tells a heartwarming story that explores the adventures of a hardworking, lively young man growing up in the Canadian Rockies during the mid-1900s.
©2018 Jenny Phillips (P)2018 Steven Lerud
Jacqueline of the Carrier Pigeons
Summary
"The hush of a golden May afternoon lay on the peaceful, watery streets of Leyden." Thus begins the story of Jacqueline and her brother Gysbert, but things do not remain peaceful for long. Leyden, soon, lay completely encircled by the Spanish army. With wonderfully trained carrier pigeons, determination to find a way out of the city, and a lot of courage, the two siblings believe they can help free Leyden. Augusta Huiell Seaman weaves rich historical detail into an engaging plot, complete with a father who has been missing for years, a nurse acting mysteriously, and a dangerous visitor to the city. "When we give a book to a child, we are giving him or her ideas and language that shape their heart, mind, writing skills, and so much more, so books should be chosen carefully. The goal of The Good and the Beautiful Library is to help parents and children have access to a library of books that are of the best moral, literary, educational, and entertainment value-books like Jacqueline of the Carrier Pigeons." (Jenny Phillips, founder of The Good and the Beautiful Library)
Public Domain (P)2019 Steven Lerud
Susie and Lizzie Boxed Set
Summary
Delightful writing and lovable characters fill this beautiful pair of books, set in days past in the hills of Tennessee. Susie and Lizzie each learn life-long lessons about the value of a giving spirit and the blessings that come from helping others. May Justus is one of the model writers that brought goodness into the world through her stories. Now we are proud to bring back two of her best works in a beautiful set to cherish for years to come.
©2019 Jenny Phillips (P)2019 Steven Lerud
Gold Mountain
Summary
The two children watched and waved until the figures grew smaller and smaller. At last the big, white-topped wagon rolled slowly around a bend in the dusty road. Then they could no longer see their old farm. Daniel and Betsy blinked their blue eyes before they looked at each other. Pa had said that they must not cry when they left their nice farm. They must be happy all the way down the wide valley and across the Cascade Mountains. They must smile as they went up, up into the Blue Mountains of eastern Oregon. Daniel and Besty's family are some of the very first people to arrive on a little mountain in Oregon where gold was discovered. It's not long until a whole town of muslin tents pops up. Will the family find gold, and if they do, can they find a place to hide it?
©2019 Jenny Phillips (P)2019 Steven Lerud
Prudence Crandall
Summary
In the quiet little town of Canterbury, Connecticut, Prudence Crandall is living her dream as a teacher. She has opened her own school for young ladies and is enjoying great success from the start. Yet all of her good fortune is jeopardized when Prudence admits a young African American student named Sarah Harris. What unfurls is the true and stirring story of Prudence's faith and courage as she combats the deep-seated prejudices of the town and offers an opportunity for a life-changing education to eager African American female students. "The idea of having such a school is insupportable-reckless hostility-determined to thwart-property no longer safe-break down natural distinction between black and white.... A dire calamity faces Canterbury-shall we surrender to any other nation or race?" "No! No! No!" the people shouted, rising in a body to give their words more force. Elizabeth Yates masterfully chronicles the efforts of the people of Canterbury to force the school's closure through intimidation, vandalism, slander, and legal persecution, as well as Prudence's truly courageous perseverance against such deplorable aggression. Through it all, Prudence stands a stalwart warrior of what is right and good. This story of an admirable fight for educational equality and human dignity is one that continues to inspire and uplift.
©2019 Jenny Phillips (P)2020 Steven Lerud