Showing results by author "Louisa May Alcott" in All Categories

When Christmas comes for the four March girls, there is no money for expensive presents and they give away their Christmas breakfast to a poor family. But there are no happier girls in America than Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy. They miss their father, of course, who is away at the Civil War, but they try hard to be good so that he will be proud of his ’little women’ when he comes home.

Whilst their father is fighting in the American Civil War, four sisters and their mother struggle to survive with help from a wealthy neighbour. Each girl has to overcome their own individual battles which range from short temper to the contraction of scarlet fever. Each will bring the family closer together or further apart. The story tells of their progression into womanhood and how they cope with the competitive romance of the neighbour's grandson and his tutor.

Little Women follows the March sisters as they grow up. Each chapter is relatively short and usually features a moral lesson without being preachy.Louisa May Alcott wrote Little Women in 1868. It centers on the 4 young March sisters: Meg, Jo, Amy, and Beth. Each of the sisters has a distinct personality. Meg is the oldest, Jo is the writer and tomboy, Amy is the vain one, and Beth is a saint. The sisters are guided by their mother, Marmee, and they strike up a friendship with the next-door neighbor boy, Laurie.

In "Gwen's Adventures in the Snow", Gwen and her siblings set out on a winter evening's sleigh ride only to encounter bad weather. Taking shelter in their country house to wait out the snowstorm, the group builds a fire, makes a picnic from the house's reserves, and shares stories to allay each other's fears.

In "A Hospital Christmas" a Civil War-era hospital is the setting for a Christmas story about caring for others, thinking positively, and how sharing can make Christmas meaningful for those who have little.

In this Christmas story, a poor girl named Tilly finds an injured bird in the snow and takes it home to care for it, believing in the lessons her mother has taught her concerning the golden rule and Christ's commandment to love our neighbors. Although her friends think she shouldn't take care of the bird, her kindness is rewarded unexpectedly on Christmas Eve. This version of "Tilly's Christmas" was recorded as part of Dreamscape's The Christmas Stories of Louisa May Alcott.

A relevant work as we try to find light in these challenging times, famed author of Little Women (1868) Louisa May Alcott wrote this collection of fairy tales for her childhood friend, Ellen Emerson. Flower Fables was, in fact, her very first publication.

In "Lost in a Pyramid; or The Mummy's Curse" by Louisa May Alcott, Paul Forsyth and his fiancée Evelyn discover that taking souvenirs back from ancient places may not be the best idea. Paul returns from an expedition to Egypt with his risk-taking colleague Professor Niles with a box of seeds, which Evelyn takes a liking to. The problem is, the seeds were collected from the grave of a sorceress, who has vowed to take revenge on anyone disturbing her resting place.

A short poem that evokes the ambience and spiritual joy of the season, "A Song for a Christmas Tree" is an ode to the wonders of the Christmas season.

In this sequel to Eight Cousins, Rose Campbell returns to the "Aunt Hill" after two years of traveling around the world. Suddenly, she is surrounded by male admirers, all expecting her to marry them. But before she marries anyone, Rose is determined to establish herself as an independent young woman. Besides, she suspects that some of her friends like her more for her money than for herself.

Louisa May Alcott's classic novel following the lives of four sisters — Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy March — and based on the author's childhood experiences with her three sisters.

Before Louisa May Alcott achieved national fame with Little Women, she received success and recognition for Hospital Sketches, which was published in 1863. The book is based on her experience as a Civil War nurse at a Union hospital in Georgetown. In "The Death of a Soldier," an excerpt from the fourth chapter, she recounts the final days of a young Virginian blacksmith named John. Told through his nurse, Periwinkle, who stands by his side until his death, John never wavers in his desire to return to his post as a soldier and fulfill his duty.

Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy are four sisters trying to support the family and keep their spirit up while their father is at war. Each one of them has a unique vivid personality which helps them overcome the hardships of poverty. Showing the transition from childhood to womanhood, "Little Women" together with its sequels: "Good Wives", "Little Men", and "Jo's Boys", has been one of the most widely read novels in the world. It has inspired numerous adaptations including a 2019 movie starring Emma Watson with six Academy Award nominations.

In "A Christmas Turkey", a poor family works hard to figure out how they can celebrate Christmas. When the father is unable to provide a turkey, the children venture out into the world, working to earn enough money to pool their resources and purchase one for the Christmas table.

These holiday poems by celebrated authors are presented musically in fun, exciting, and stirring ways. Sing and play along with loved ones or just sit back and let the experience transport you!

A wonderful holiday excerpt from the classic Little Women features all of your favorite characters as they prepare to celebrate Christmas in their enthusiastic, optimistic, take-no-prisoners fashion.

Enjoy this classic piece, which has also been recorded with a musical interpretation in the narrator's Ring Out Wild Bells collection.

"A New Way to Spend Christmas" describes a Christmas visit to Randall's Island in the East River, where orphaned and sick children are looked after. A charitable woman brings gifts and spreads "sunshine in that shady place" to the unfortunate children who live there.

In "Bertie's Box", a family sits around the table putting the finishing touches on their Christmas present wrapping. A letter arrives from a poor widow asking for assistance in providing a Christmas present for her two children. Overhearing this, young Bertie sets about packing up some of his toys to send to the unfortunate mother.

Do toys have feelings? In Margery William Bianco's sentimental classic, the answer is a definitive yes. Learn what happens to a stalwart stuffed rabbit when a sick little boy loves him all too well. In "Rosy's Journey," the beloved American author of Little Women spins the tale of a gentle little girl whose kindness to animals is repaid again and again as she searches for her long-lost father. Little listeners learn just what it means to be a friend to animals, real and imaginary.