Classics Corner

Oasis Audio has launched the first six titles in its Family Listening Series. Oasis has entered an arrangement to distribute at retail dramatizations that were originally produced for the California Artists Radio Theatre program. CART features such performers as Michael York, Roddy McDowall, Samantha Eggar, Lynn Redgrave, William Windom and many others. Each title contains two CDs and two bonus cassettes. Initial releases include Peter and Wendy by James M. Barrie, Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, Sherlock Holmes and Selecting a Ghost by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Hobson's Choice by Harold Brighouse. (Each 2.5 hours, $17.99, ISBN 1-58926-165-8; -180-1; -169-0; -167-4; -184-4; -325-1, all ages, Sept.)

The sprites that flit through Cicely Mary Barker's many picture books are reimagined on A Flower Fairy Alphabet, a new music album inspired by Barker's poetry and the latest addition to the Famous Author series from Music for Little People. Acoustic guitar, Celtic harp, flute, classical guitar and the zither are some of the instruments that waft through a collection—from Apple Blossom Fairies to the Zinnia Fairy—that will whisk listeners off to an enchanted forest in their imaginations. Ethereal vocals (which are sometimes joined by child voices, too) and sound effects (tweeting birds, etc.) contribute to the almost Baroque feel. (MFLP, CD 50 mins., $15.98, ISBN 1-56628-360-4, all ages, Oct.)

HarperCollins continues its adventures in Narnia with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Book & CD Gift Set. The full-color collector's edition of Lewis's novel, illustrated by Pauline Baynes, is packaged with the unabridged recording of Michael York reading the book. (Hardcover book and four CDs, 4 hours, $29.99, ISBN 0-06-055649-8, ages 8-up, Oct.)

New Wave Nook

Grammy-winning alt rock band They Might Be Giants have adapted one of the tunes from their first children's recording, NO!, as a book and CD set. Bed Bed Bed by TMBG, illus. by Marcel Dzama, comes packaged with a CD featuring "Bed Bed Bed" as well as four brand-new songs not found on NO!(S&S, hardcover book with CD, $16.95, ISBN 0-7432-5024-9, all ages, Nov.)

Now fans of SpongeBob SquarePants can enjoy hearing the popular Nickelodeon character's adventures away from the TV set. SpongeBob SquarePants Chapter Books 1 & 2 and SpongeBob SquarePants Chapter Books 3 & 4 by Terry Collins and Anne Auerbach are read by Doug Lawrence (the voice of Plankton and Larry the Lobster on the animated show). (Listening Library/Imagination Studio, unabridged, one cassette, each 1.5 hours, $8.99 ISBN 0-8072-2039-6; -2041-8, ages 7-up, Sept.)