Do you still read children's books?

Raggygranny Had a look at the website, they have got Bell of the Four Evangelists, but it's rather expensive. Also fear it may not have same illustrations, that would be disaster. Have bookmarked the website for future reference.

When the children were small I did all the bedtime reading, but when we went on holiday it was DH's turn. Quite difficult to find something he would enjoy reading to two small girls. Greatest success was The Sword in the Stone by TH White. He read it with great gusto, doing marvellous voices, especially Sir Pellinore, Whatty, Whatty, pass the port! It was typecasting anyway!! We would always find gaggles of small children of various nationalities listening outside the caravan windows. I still think SiS is one of the best children's books EVER.

I have recently read 'The Borrowers'. It was on TV at Christmas and my daughter was surprised that I had never read it as I had bought her the book when she was eleven. That was a while ago!! I really enjoyed it but think I'll stick to adult fiction. My thing is crime and thrillers.

I have loved reading stories all my life first when I babysat at 16 then to my own children. I was lucky enough to read stories on a daily basis to my class of 4/5 year old children (not kid's they are baby goats) for over 35 years Have many favourites here are just a few

Blue Balloon
My mum and dad make me laugh (book of Month)
Bear and Mrs Duck
Squash and a Squeeze
Wizard and the Princess
Percy the park Keeper

I have lots of lovely books which although I am retired I still use for supply and reading stories. However I do love story telling as well and think it is something that can not be underestimated.

Because I was an English teacher, I read a lot of books designed for young people, and enjoyed most of them immensely. But right now I am reading a book recommended by DGD1 who is nearly 16 and an avid reader. She has been swept away by it, and I have to say I am finding it extraordinary. It is "The Fault in our Stars" by John Green, about a group of young people with life limiting illnesses. Try it!

I love Frank Muir's 'WhataMess' books, about an afghan hound puppy. The illustrations are fabulous and all the children in my family have enjoyed them over the years. The more I read them, the more I find to laugh about.

I really enjoyed Stone Cold by Robert Swindells, about homeless young people and a serial killer. Too scary to pass on to grandson yet though.

I liked Flour Babies by Anne Fine, too.

I loved Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking-glass, and still do. Also Little Grey Rabbit - I loved the illustrations of the house she and Squirrel and Hare lived in, and Rupert Bear's house too.

Thank goodness I kept most of the books i loved and still go back to them: Monica Edwards, National Velvet (yes, I was a pony-mad child and lived the lives of those children and their ponies in my imagination). It's lovely to read some of the old favourites to my DGC, like Milly-Molly-Mandy and the Wind in the Willows, and I'm enjoying discovering their favourites too. There are some wonderful writers for children now.

I'm with JessM - the Princess and the Goblin and the Princess and Curdie are children's books well worth re-reading.

I have also recently re-read several of Joan Aiken's books which were as good as I remembered and A Pattern of Roses by K.M. Peyton.

Anyone remember Mumfie the little elephant? He had a friend called Scarecrow. I've still got Mumfie's Uncle Samuel.

I found lots of Cynthia Harnett books on Amazon so have been re-reading the ones I loved - the Woolpack (& discovered it's about the area where I now live), Ring out Bow Bells & Load of Unicorn (they must be why so much of my gadding about with grandchildren is around the City) & Stars of Fortune.
The latter was set during the time of the struggles for power between Jane Grey, Mary & Elizabeth. Just as I finished the book, I went on a Geology trip to Bradgate Park, home of Jane, and then the She-Wolves TV doucmentary about the 3 Queens was shown - so at last I've disentangled this period of history.
Harnett is such a brilliant writer, based on meticulous research, I wish her books were more widely available to today's histroy starved children.

Do they have Children's Librarians anymore?? If it weren't for the brilliant one in Acton Library in the late 50s, I'd have been stuck on Enid Blyton.

When I was on holiday with my family in a cottage in North Wales a good few years ago, I came across 'The Naughtiest Girl in the School' which I absolutely loved as a child. I read it again from cover to cover and was transported back in time. My children were teenagers at the time and thought I was very strange! But the book I treasure most from childhood will always be 'The Little Prince' by Antoine de Saint Exupery. I didn't discover this until the age of eleven when our lovely French teacher (whom we all adored) read it with us in French. Even with no grasp of the language I was mesmerised by it and went on to share it with my children (in English!). I can't wait to introduce it to my grandchildren

All the stories about the Bastable family, by E.Nesbit, and the pony books by the Pullen-Thompsons. I can still read them, and recently What Katy Did on my kindle.

I absolutely loved the William books - I think I had them all, passed down by my mother. Had to buy them in paperback to read them again in later life!
I have also read and re-read The Secret Garden many times.
And The Wind in the Willows!

Gadaboutgran- You have reminded me of how much I loved Cynthia Harnett's books. They set me on a trail of loving reading about history. I must look for them. I remember I spent all summer when I was about 11 borrowing them all from the library, my mother couldn't get me to do anything!
I also loved Arthur Ransome's books and those by Rider Haggard. They were such exciting adventure stories. I also loved some of John Masefield's books such as the "Box of Delights."
I used to buy old books at jumble sales so used to read some really old fashioned books . One was "The Cornet of Horse" by G. Henty about wars in Europe in the 1700's!

ooh yes Golden I agree - I still have tucked away all my Pullen Thompson books (as well as the Jill ones - how I dreamed of owning a pony)

I loved What Katy Did and What Katy Did Next too and hadn't thought of Kindle-ing them. Great idea.

Best of all for me though a three way tie between anything by Noel Streatfeild (even though I have only recently realised that's how her name is spelled!), the Swallows and Amazon series by Arthur Ransome and the Little House on The Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

I feel a bit of a spree coming on...

At the library with my children ,I asked the librarian how had I missed reading Rosemary Sutcliffe's lovely history books when I was a child .''Well, dear,'' she said, ''they hadn't been written then!'' I found them wonderful , so it is worth keeping an eye on what is happening now or you might miss something amazing like Philip Pulman or Anthony Horovitz.

When I was about 11, (a very long time ago!) I read and re-read many times over, the Louisa M Alcott books, Little Women, Good Wives, Little Men, I loved them so much. I`ve been thinking lately about trying to get hold of copies and read them again. I`ve just bought War Horse, not read it yet, but was surprised to find that it was classed as a book for children. If I like it, I`ll get the sequel, Farm Boy.

Just ordered Little Women and Good Wives from Amazon, yippeee!

Me too! I read it so many times it fell apart. I am on my third copy now, and still read it at least once a year.
I too loved the descriptions of the clothes and, after the war years the food too, though at first I used to skip the parts involving the Men from the dark Woods.

i rarely read but when i do i choose heidi, linnets and valerians, the secret garden - all favourites. goodnight mr tom, too.

in the little white horse (best book!) i usually leave out the men of the dark woods and concentrate on the journey, the little dog, the tower bedroom ... miss heliotrope...and robin, i suppose. this book has been very influential on my outlook on life, really, it has. marmaduke scarlet! i don't have a copy at the moment. that will have to change. wrolf the dog. [sighs] am i correct in all those details, i wonder. i must get a new copy.

granbunny, you have made my day with yoru comments on 'The Little White Horse.'

What a memory you have. After I posted last night I got my copy down and started to re-read it. I got my first copy for my birthday, way back in 1947, and have loved it ever since.
Do you remember Sir Benjamin's satin, embroidered waistcoats, the horses - Darby & Joan, Speedwell, Hercules and, Periwinkle? And the sugar biscuits left in Marie's bedroom?
Even on my first reading I was dubious about Wrolf the dog being anything but a dog, though how could anyone keep a lion as a pet? I am still wondering about that.
Loved everything about the kitchen, and all the food [wartime food being very plain compared to what came out of Marmaduke Scarlet's kitchen.]
Your mention of the book being influential on your life makes me wonder if reading it triggered my life long interest and enthusiasm in cooking, something to think about.
Did you watch 'Moonacre' - I gave it a miss, not wanting to risk changes to the story.
Thank you for sharing your memories, so good to find another person who enjoys a book that kept me absorbed as bombs rained down, and sirens wailed.

oh, yes! the bedroom and the biscuits! and loveday! (loveday's house, marmadukes room...) and maria's little periwinke. i am sure that wrolf is a lion. in my first copy of the book (1960s), there were illustrations and wrolf was definitiely a lion.
i didn't watch 'moonacre'. the world of maria merryweather is too precious to tamper with.
i shared 'the little white horse' with my daughter, and hope to be around to share it with her baby, too, when she's older.

So pleased people are still reading C.B. Rutley books. We get e-mails from around the world telling us that his books are being read by all ages. I am the Daughter-in-law of the late C.B Rutley. I never met him as he died when my Husband was a child. but have a few photographs of him. There was also (Aunt) Cecily Marrianne Rutley much talked about still and some people doing english lit are using The Rutley works abroad to obtain degrees. Because of the wording and language of the day.

Wonderful to be reminded of so many books that I loved! The Little White Horse, all of E.Nesbit, Arthur Ransome, Monica Edwards (just reread The Midnight Horse) Just William,Ballet Shoes, The Box of Delights and all the Pullein Thompson books and the Jill books. Just writing them all down makes me feel 50 years younger

I have just bought Ballet Shoes for my 7 year old DGD, can' wait to read it to her.