Dina Gregory’s Top 5 childhood stories


'The smallest of three sisters, I grew up in South Devon with the moors visible from my bedroom window. A steep walk and wooden latch were all that separated my ordinary home from an enchanted landscape: gnarled, wind-swept trees, ravens soaring above the heath, granite stones standing sentry, grisly sheep-bones scattered in the bracken, chattering hedgerows teaming with life. It’s probably no coincidence that many of my favourite books possessed similar gateways—portals to untamed worlds where danger, whimsy, and magic prevail. Here are five that come to mind.'
Product list
  • The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe cover art

    • The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

    • The Chronicles of Narnia, Book 2
    • By: C. S. Lewis
    • Narrated by: Michael York
    • Series: The Chronicles of Narnia (Author's Preferred Order), Book 2, The Chronicles of Narnia (Publication Order), Book 1
    • Length: 4 hrs and 22 mins
    • Release date: 29-08-05
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,223 ratings
    • The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
    • 'C.S. Lewis’ wardrobe is perhaps the most memorable portal in all of children’s literature. When the Pevensie siblings are evacuated to an old country house, young Lucy (it’s always the little ones!) decides to investigate inside the large armoire, only to stumble into the magical Kingdom of Narnia. Everything from the tears of Tumnus the faun to Edmund’s brush with the White Witch suggest that evil is lurking in this frozen wilderness. I read this classic during the winter holidays, and much of its symbolism and imagery has fused with Christmas in my imagination—a natural melding, given the story’s religious undertones. It’s a special gift when the magic of a story amplifies the magic in a child’s own world... an even rarer gift when the actions of one character (Aslan) inspire that child to be a better human being.'

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  • The Hobbit cover art

    • The Hobbit

    • By: J. R. R. Tolkien
    • Narrated by: Andy Serkis
    • Series: The Lord of the Rings, Book 0.5
    • Length: 10 hrs and 24 mins
    • Release date: 03-09-20
    • Language: English
    • 5 out of 5 stars 9,115 ratings
    • The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
    • 'My first encounter with The Hobbit was actually an abridged book-on-tape, but it was enough to hook me on high-fantasy. A small hero (and therefore relatable to me) the hobbit’s bravery in leaving his comfortable shire, resisting the evil of the ring, outsmarting sly Gollum, and confronting Smaug the dragon, made me want to journey onward with this hairy-toed hero, from the safety of my own comfortable shire of Ivybridge. Fortunately, I could do exactly that as a teen, returning to Middle Earth’s trolls, wargs, ents, orcs, goblins and other creatures in the pages of The Lord of the Rings. But I’ll never forget that first listening experience; the twinkling noise on the cassette-recording instructing me to turn the page and the rousing music that underscored Gandolph’s wizardry. Perhaps my passion for audio storytelling was born of that old analog technology... which makes me rather ancient!'

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  • The Wind in the Willows cover art

    • The Wind in the Willows

    • By: Kenneth Grahame, Dina Gregory
    • Narrated by: Cush Jumbo, Harriet Walter, Aimee Lou Wood, Susan Wokoma, Jennifer Saunders, Raj Gatak, Clare Corbett, Gerard McDermott, Stephanie Racine
    • Series: The Wind in the Willows, Book 1
    • Length: 7 hrs and 4 mins
    • Release date: 08-12-20
    • Language: English
    • 4 out of 5 stars 2,942 ratings
    • The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame and Dina Gregory
    • 'For me, no author captures the British countryside better than Kenneth Graham. All those lost words that nature writer, Robert MacFarlane, rightly laments are disappearing from the English language can be found in the descriptive passages interleaving the madcap adventures of Ratty, Mole, Badger, and motor-car-obsessed Toad. I adored these anthropomorphic animals and their antics, which is why it was such an honour to be asked, as an adult, to create an audio adaptation of this whimsical tale and to commune, once again, with a landscape that, having moved to the States, I sorely miss.'

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  • The Finest Nonsense of Edward Lear cover art

    • The Finest Nonsense of Edward Lear

    • By: Edward Lear
    • Narrated by: Sir Derek Jacobi
    • Length: 1 hr and 16 mins
    • Release date: 07-12-15
    • Language: English
    • 5 out of 5 stars 5 ratings
    • The Pobble Who Has No Toes by Edward Lear
    • 'Not all stories have to be told in prose. This last little tale is told in rhyme, and it’s on my list because it was cherished by my whole family. We couldn’t drive past Bristol on the A38 without one of us calling out, 'The Pobble who lost his toes!'. You see, despite adhering to all of his Aunt Jobiska’s admonitions—including drinking lavender water and wearing flannel on his nose—when the Pobble swims across the Bristol Channel his toes are taken by some kind of underwater bad actor!

      Nobody knew: and nobody knows
      How the Pobble was robbed of his twice five toes!

      A lyricist and storyteller, I adore rhyming verse. Sadly, there is a reluctance nowadays to publish lyrical stories or poetry collections, partly for commercial reasons (rhyme is hard to translate, so publishers miss out on global revenue streams). So, if your children’s tastes tend toward the lyrical, you may want to travel back in time to poets like Edward Lear, for unapologetically silly stories chocked full of rhyme!'

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