I can't remember when I first read the first book in Brian Jacques' extensive series. I do remember seeing the book at the library and knowing instantly I had to read it. I've always loved anthropomorphic animal stories (Charlotte's Web being the odd exception), but none till then had mixed that with my love of history. While I loved the sequel to this, I don't remember getting much past the third or fourth book.

Redwall is the story of an abbey of mice that raise food, keep the history of the area, and are deeply connected with the community of woodland creatures surrounding them. However, one night all of them are threatened when Cluney the Scourge - a huge black rat with a whip-like tail - arrives to destroy, subjugate, and kill. Redwall Abbey becomes a fortress as the mice and other animals fight to protect themselves and keep their freedom.

Title: The Princess and the Goblin

Author: George MacDonald

Narrator: Brooke Heldman

Length: 5.25 hours

Unabridged

Publisher: Oasis Audio

Released: 11/11/14

Rating: 4 Stars

I can't remember the first time I read the Princess and the Goblin but I do remember my Grandparents introduced me to it with a lovely book illustrated by Linda Hill Griffith. The pictures are gorgeous and remain such a part of my memories of this book.

So I'll admit, the cover of this audiobook - the same as the version I love - was what drew me. But the narration was what remained in my memory by the end.

I think most of us grew up with Dr. Seuss; I know I certainly did. My mom still (and often) tells the story of having his ABC book memorized and then proving it by reciting the whole thing to me in the car during a horrible snowstorm. "Big A, little a, what begins with A?" Sadly, that one is not included in this compilation. Nor were On Beyond Zebra, One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, or Hop on Pop. That's not to say that several of my personal favorites didn't make it in, however. See below for which ones.

This is a great volume, though a tad heavy and not one that children necessarily should handle. I can see reading it to kids but not themselves until they're a bit older. It also contains introductions to each story from different people - Stan & Jan Bernstein, Lane Smith, John Lithgow, and even Audrey Geisel, the "widow of Dr. Seuss" - who have all been touched by his work. I learned something new from each essay and I enjoyed seeing the pages after the stories which discussed his personal artwork, his ads, and his war propaganda work. I'd already read about the last in Dr. Seuss Goes to War.

If you're a Dr. Seuss fan, this collection is a great one to start or include in your collection. The added information was great and having some illustrations printed larger then I'm used to seeing them brought new details to my attention. However, the weight of the book is a problem and some of the books and illustrations were rearranged slightly to fit in the book. Understandable, but I've read the originals and the placements threw me off. But this is one I"m definitely picking up.

I'm on a Dr. Seuss kick and loving it. I'm really enjoying these audiobooks as I firmly believe Seuss texts can only truly be enjoyed when read out loud. That's why I read his books out loud, if only to myself.

This has quite a few stories, most I know well but a few I'm not well-versed in. I'll deal with each separately and then look at this set as a whole.

I'm going to let you in on a little secret.

I love Dr. Seuss.