HarperCollins Children’s Classics – serie

This is the story of love, commitment and the flowering of the human spirit against the background of South Africa’s apartheid. Frightened that their baby sister Dineo will die, thirteen-year-old Naledi and her younger brother Tiro run away from their grandmother to Johannesburg to find their mother, who works there as a maid. Their journey illustrates at every turn the grim realities of apartheid – the pass laws, bantustans, racism, the breakdown of family life.The opulence of the white “Madam’s” house contrasts starkly with the reality that Naledi and Tiro face – that their baby sister is suffering from starvation, not an incurable disease.

This beautiful HarperCollins Children’s Classics edition of Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol is the perfect addition to any bookshelf. It's Christmastime in London, and overworked Bob Cratchit and his family, including poorly Tiny Tim, find joy and cheer even in poverty.Meanwhile Bob's boss, the selfish, miserly old Ebenezer Scrooge, is deeply bitter about the festive season. However, when Scrooge is visited by the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come, the error of his ways is revealed with haunting clarity . . .Dickens's timeless classic – which has popularised phrases such as 'Bah! Humbug!' and 'God bless us every one!' – captures the generous spirit of Christmas and tells an uplifting story of redemption. Complete your library with HarperCollins Children's Classics.

This beautiful HarperCollins Children’s Classics edition is perfect for every bookshelf. Sara Crewe’s life is almost a fairy tale, and she is the fairy princess in it, happy and rich with a father who loves her dearly. But, in one horrible moment, that is all taken away. Sara is now alone at Miss Minchin’s boarding school in London, orphaned and penniless.What she’d once been called in flattery is quickly whispered in mockery: Princess Sara. However, Sara will realise there is more to a princess than gowns and jewels. Even dressed in rags and tatters, she can be a princess inside. Anyone can.From the author of The Secret Garden comes a story brimming with heart and hope, beloved by generations of readers.Complete your library with HarperCollins Children’s Classics.

Featuring the original illustrations by Sir John Tenniel, this beautiful HarperCollins Children’s Classics edition is perfect for every bookshelf. On a warm summer afternoon, inquisitive young Alice tumbles down a rabbit-hole into Wonderland.In this strange, unforgettable world, Alice meets the anxious White Rabbit and the grinning Cheshire cat, joins a mad tea-party with the Hatter and the March Hare, plays croquet with the frightening Queen of Hearts and encounters many other iconic characters that have captured the imagination of children for generations.Lewis Carroll’s surreal tale has become one of the most famous, influential and beloved books ever written, delighting readers young and old for over 150 years. Complete your library with HarperCollins Children’s Classics.

This beautiful HarperCollins Children’s Classics edition of L. M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables is the perfect addition to any bookshelf. Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert are looking to adopt a boy to help out on their farm – so when the orphanage delivers a red-haired eleven-year-old girl named Anne instead, they are determined to fix the mistake. However, as Anne’s vibrant character and vivid imagination brighten up their home, the Cuthberts soon realise Anne must stay at Green Gables.The inimitable Anne Shirley is fanciful, talkative and dramatic, and this charming novel describing her joyful adventures, close friendships and school rivalries in the town of Avonlea is an enduring children’s classic loved by millions. Complete your library with HarperCollins Children’s Classics.

This beautiful HarperCollins Children’s Classics edition is perfect for every bookshelf. Despite his better judgement, eccentric English gentleman Phileas Fogg has wagered half his fortune on a whim – and a foolish one at that. He must travel around the world in eighty days or lose it all.Fogg is determined not to lose, no matter the typhoons, bison or Scotland Yard detectives that get in his way. By steamer, train, sledge and boat, on foot and on elephant back, Fogg and his beleaguered valet journey the globe, crossing land and sea in the greatest of races.The most celebrated of Jules Verne’s Voyages extraordinaires series, this riotous adventure story has inspired countless films, plays and trips around the world. Complete your library with HarperCollins Children’s Classics.

This beautiful HarperCollins Children’s Classics edition of Anna Sewell’s Black Beauty is the perfect addition to any bookshelf. Anna Sewell’s beloved novel tells the story of the handsome, sweet-natured Black Beauty – a horse who recounts his life’s journey in his own unique voice.From his carefree time as a foal roaming the meadows of an English farm to his exhausting days pulling cabs in Victorian London, Black Beauty shares tales of both the kindness and cruelty he has suffered at the hands of humans.The heart-warming story of Black Beauty was an instant and lasting success, and its passionate stand for sympathy and respect towards animals remains powerful and relevant today.Complete your library with HarperCollins Children’s Classics.

This beautiful HarperCollins Children’s Classics edition of E. Nesbit’s Five Children and It is the perfect addition to any bookshelf. When Cyril, Anthea, Robert, Jane and their baby brother move to the countryside, they encounter ‘It’ – a grumpy, strange-looking Sand-fairy known as a Psammead.The Psammead can grant the children one wish every day – but whether they request to be beautiful or rich, to fly or live in a castle, it seems every wish is destined to lead the five children into a great deal of trouble . . .This classic fantasy adventure from the author of The Railway Children is full of magic and mishaps, bringing to life the saying ‘be careful what you wish for’.Complete your library with HarperCollins Children’s Classics.

This beautiful HarperCollins Children’s Classics edition of Johanna Spyri’s Heidi is the perfect addition to any bookshelf. As a young orphan, Heidi is brought to live with her gruff grandfather in the Swiss Alps. There, the bright and cheerful girl soon wins his heart and befriends their neighbours, including the young goatherd, Peter.One of the bestselling books ever written, Heidi tells the heart-warming story of a young girl growing up in the mountains, her experiences of unfamiliar city life while caring for a sickly child named Clara, and the lessons she learns along the way.Complete your library with HarperCollins Children’s Classics.

This beautiful HarperCollins Children’s Classics edition of Rudyard Kipling’s Just So Stories is the perfect addition to any bookshelf. Inspired by the bedtime stories Rudyard Kipling told his daughter that had to be recited ‘just so’, this collection includes mythical animal origin stories like ‘How the Camel got his Hump’ and ‘How the Rhinoceros got his Skin’, alongside other playful inventions, such as the reason for the ebb and flow of the tides and how the alphabet was invented.These rhythmically told, traditional stories appeal to the curious imagination of children, and are some of Rudyard Kipling’s best-known works alongside The Jungle Book.Complete your library with HarperCollins Children’s Classics.

This beautiful HarperCollins Children’s Classics edition of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women is the perfect addition to any bookshelf. During the hardships of the American Civil War, Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy March are facing Christmas without their father. Little Women is their story – a tale of four very different sisters, their adventures and ambitions, their relationship with their neighbour Laurie and ultimately their moving journey from girls to women.This charming and timeless story inspired by Louisa May Alcott’s own life is not only one of the best-loved children’s books of all time, but also one of the most widely read and bestselling novels in American literature.Complete your library with HarperCollins Children’s Classics.

This beautiful HarperCollins Children’s Classics edition of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women is the perfect addition to any bookshelf. During the hardships of the American Civil War, Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy March are facing Christmas without their father. Little Women is their story – a tale of four very different sisters, their adventures and ambitions, their relationship with their neighbour Laurie and ultimately their moving journey from girls to women.This charming and timeless story inspired by Louisa May Alcott’s own life is not only one of the best-loved children’s books of all time, but also one of the most widely read and bestselling novels in American literature.Complete your library with HarperCollins Children’s Classics.

This beautiful HarperCollins Children’s Classics edition of J. M. Barrie’s Peter Pan is the perfect addition to any bookshelf. One night, the mythical Peter Pan appears in the nursery of Wendy, John and Michael Darling and an extraordinary adventure begins.With a sprinkle of Tinker Bell’s fairy dust, Peter teaches the three children to fly and whisks them away to Neverland. There they embark on daring adventures with mermaids, fairies, lost boys – and the vengeful pirate Captain Hook.Since his creation, J. M. Barrie’s boy who wouldn’t grow up has become a cultural icon, and this witty, imaginative story full of mischief, magic and bravery is one of the best-loved children’s classics of all time.Complete your library with HarperCollins Children’s Classics.

This beautiful HarperCollins Children’s Classics edition of Carlo Collodi’s Pinocchio is the perfect addition to any bookshelf. When Geppetto carves himself a son from an enchanted piece of wood, the mischievous Pinocchio is born – and a fantastical story begins.Along the way, Pinocchio is swindled by a fox and a cat, saved by a fairy, turned into a donkey and swallowed by a dogfish, all before he learns what it truly takes to become a real boy . . .The puppet whose nose grows when he tells a lie has remained one of the most famous children’s characters for over a century, and with editions in around 300 languages Pinocchio is one of the most widely translated books in the world. Complete your library with HarperCollins Children’s Classics.

This beautiful HarperCollins Children’s Classics edition of Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book is the perfect addition to any bookshelf.Best known for its Mowgli stories – the thrilling tales of a ‘man-cub’ raised in the jungle by his animal companions – Rudyard Kipling’s masterpiece features some of the most memorable characters in literature: Baloo the bear, Bagheera the black panther, Kaa the python and Mowgli’s fearsome enemy, Shere Khan the tiger.This beloved collection of seven fables, each accompanied by a poem, brings to life a fantastical world brimming with danger, adventure and triumph. The Jungle Book continues to inspire major films and adaptations over a century after its publication. Complete your library with HarperCollins Children’s Classics.

This beautiful HarperCollins Children’s Classics edition is perfect for every bookshelf. Bobbie, Peter and Phyllis have lost their father. He has disappeared and, with him, their happy life in London too. They have a new life now, in a new place, in a new (but truly quite old and shabby) home beyond the train tracks.Each day of this new life, they greet the 9.15am train and hope it carries their love to Father, wherever he has gone. But the railway promises to bring something else entirely . . .Along its tracks, the siblings will stumble upon unexpected friendships, madcap adventures, a near disaster or two and, just maybe, a way to find their father. Endlessly enchanting and entertaining, this story from the author of Five Children and It remains as heartwarming today as when it first appeared in 1905.Complete your library with HarperCollins Children’s Classics.

This beautiful HarperCollins Children’s Classics edition of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden is the perfect addition to any bookshelf.After Mary Lennox’s parents pass away, she is sent to a large, isolated house in Yorkshire to live with an uncle she has never met.Ill-tempered, obstinate Mary dislikes her new home, but when she finds the key to a locked garden she realises there are fascinating secrets waiting to be uncovered at Misselthwaite Manor. With the help of new friends, Mary resolves to bring the neglected garden back to life – and her own transformation begins.This perennially powerful, uplifting classic is regarded as one of the best children’s books of the twentieth century.Complete your library with HarperCollins Children’s Classics.

This beautiful HarperCollins Children’s Classics edition is perfect for every bookshelf. Headache? Tummy troubles? A patient could not hope for a better doctor than John Dolittle, MD, of Puddleby-on-the-Marsh – not if one searched the entire kingdom – the animal kingdom, that is.Whether curing a horse in need of spectacles or a poodle that has eaten too much cake, Doctor Dolittle knows just the thing to do because he can, in fact, ask them. Creatures come from far and wide to meet him, until one day a plea comes from across the ocean – setting the good doctor and his animal friends on course for a great adventure.Doctor Dolittle, famous for his ability to speak to animals, has spoken to the hearts of readers since he first appeared more than a century ago, beloved for the very love he shows animals the world over. Complete your library with HarperCollins Children’s Classics.

This beautiful HarperCollins Children’s Classics edition of Johann David Wyss’s The Swiss Family Robinson is the perfect addition to any bookshelf. While travelling from Switzerland to Australia, William, Elizabeth and their four sons, Fritz, Ernest, Jack and Franz, are caught in a terrible storm.Shipwrecked on a desert island, they are left to fend for themselves, equipped with supplies salvaged from the wreckage and surrounded by an array of animals. Every day brings new challenges to overcome, and the family must use their wits to survive.This classic castaway adventure celebrates the values of self-reliance, resourcefulness and cooperation, and has been a cornerstone of its genre since it was published over two hundred years ago. Complete your library with HarperCollins Children’s Classics.

This beautiful HarperCollins Children’s Classics edition is perfect for every bookshelf. Mole has had enough of spring-cleaning, thank you very much. He crawls outside his comfortable home, pops into the sunlight and beholds the strangest and newest of things – a river! – and, sitting upon it, a waiting boat.So begin the timeless adventures of Mole and the companions he meets along the way: jaunty Ratty, naughty Toad and oh-so-mysterious Badger. Together they will get into all sorts of scrambles and scrapes that will take them from the Wild Wood to the Wide World beyond . . .For more than a century, these endearing woodland animals have charmed readers of all ages with their very human tale of friendship, loyalty and laughter.Complete your library with HarperCollins Children’s Classics.

This beautiful HarperCollins Children’s Classics edition of L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is the perfect addition to any bookshelf.When a tornado hits Dorothy’s home in the Kansas prairies, she and her dog, Toto, are whisked away to the magical Land of Oz.To return home, Dorothy must follow the yellow brick road to the Emerald City and seek help from the great and powerful Wizard of Oz. So, accompanied by the Tin Woodman, the Scarecrow and the Cowardly Lion, Dorothy sets out on a wild and magical adventure.This classic children’s novel has been described as the first American fairy tale, and its huge global legacy includes numerous book, film, TV and theatrical adaptations.

This beautiful HarperCollins Children’s Classics edition of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island is the perfect addition to any bookshelf. When a mysterious old sailor comes to stay at the Admiral Benbow Inn, the innkeeper’s son, Jim Hawkins, is set on course for a thrilling adventure.The old man soon ends up dead, and among his possessions Jim discovers a map leading to buried treasure. Before long, Jim is setting sail to find it – but pirates are lurking in the ship’s crew, and the notorious Long John Silver is planning a mutiny. . .Frequently adapted and dramatised, Treasure Island is the seminal pirate novel that paved the way for a whole genre. Complete your library with HarperCollins Children’s Classics.

This beautiful HarperCollins Children’s Classics edition is perfect for every bookshelf. A pup is born to the snow-bitten wilds of the Northwest Territories, not quite a wolf and not quite a dog either. In this brutal landscape, he must fight tooth and claw to live – and soon earns his name, White Fang.Journeying from the Yukon to California, White Fang will encounter savage lynxes, gold hunters, masters both cruel and kind, before finding his home at last.Inspired by author Jack London’s own experiences and companion to The Call of the Wild, White Fang is an iconic tale of survival and redemption set amidst the Klondike Gold Rush. Complete your library with HarperCollins Children’s Classics.

The tale of a lost mouse who finds a new homeThursday the Mouse fell from a balloon having just escaped from the Home for Waif-Mice and Stray-Mice. The Peck family of church mice adopt him and give him his name – Thursday – because the day he arrived was a Thursday to remember. Thursday joins the Pecks in their organ-loft home at the church of St Mary's in the Valley.

The tale of a lost mouse who finds a new homeThursday the Mouse fell from a balloon having just escaped from the Home for Waif-Mice and Stray-Mice. The Peck family of church mice adopt him and give him his name – Thursday – because the day he arrived was a Thursday to remember. Thursday joins the Pecks in their organ-loft home at the church of St Mary's in the Valley.

The original story of everyone’s favourite bear, Paddington, now a major movie star!“A bear on Paddington Station?” said Mrs Brown in amazement. “Don’t be silly – there can’t be.”Paddington Bear had travelled all the way from Darkest Peru when the Brown family first met him on Paddington station. Since then their lives have never been quite the same… for ordinary things become quite extraordinary when a bear called Paddington is involved.For more than sixty years, Paddington Bear has touched the hearts of adults and children worldwide with his earnest good intentions and humorous misadventures.

This semi-autobiographical classic, written by the beloved Judith Kerr, tells the story of a Jewish family escaping Germany in the days before the Second World WarSuppose your country began to change. Suppose that without your noticing, it became dangerous for some people to live in it any longer, and you found, to your surprise, that your own father was one of those people. This is what happened to Anna in 1933.Anna is too busy with her schoolwork and tobogganing to listen to the talk of Hitler. But one day she and her brother Max are rushed out of Germany in alarming secrecy, away from everything they know. Their father is wanted by the Nazis. This is the start of a huge adventure, sometimes frightening, very often funny and always exciting.Judith Kerr wrote When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit fifty years ago, based on her own journey, so that her own children would know where she came from and the lengths to which her parents went to keep her and her brother safe. It has gone on to become a beloved classic that is required reading for many children all over the world and is an unforgettable introduction to the real-life impact of the Second World War.

Partly autobiographical, this is the second title in Judith Kerr’s internationally acclaimed trilogy of books following the life of Anna through war-torn Germany, to London during the Blitz and her return to Berlin to discover the past…It is hard enough being a teenager in London during the Blitz, finding yourself in love and wondering every night whether you will survive the bombs. But it is even harder for Anna, who is still officially classified as an “enemy alien”. Those bombs are coming from Germany – the country that was once her own. If Hitler invades, can she and her beloved refugee family possibly survive?This was previously published as The Other Way Round.

Partly autobiographical, this is the third title in Judith Kerr’s internationally acclaimed trilogy of books following the life of Anna through war-torn Germany, to London during the Blitz and her return to Berlin to discover the past…Berlin is where Anna lived before Hitler, when she was still a German child; before she spoke a word of English, before her family had all become refugees. Long before her happy new existence in London. But Mama is there, dangerously ill. Anna is forced to go back, to deal with questions of life and death, to face old fears, and to discover the past which she has so long shut away.Content warning: this book contains references to suicide, appropriate for older readers.