Books that you read/had read to you as child that you really loved?

Black Beauty
Heidi
Paddington
Hamlyn bible

Vampirequeen you beat me to it! I lost myself in all of the Mallory Towers books. When, in summer, after classes, Daryl, Alicia, Sally & Co would all go the school's rock pool and dive into the cool water. I was totally there in my head!

Most of the Pullein-Thompson sisters' pony books, I still have (and still read) my childhood copies of Riding With The Lyntons, Three Ponies and Shannan, Phantom Horse...
The Jill pony books by Ruby Ferguson
Black Beauty, of course
The Sheila Chapman pony books, especially A Pony and His Partner
What Katy Did
The Famous Five books, but I didn't like Secret Seven at all
The Hundred and One Dalmatians
The Call of The Wild

Definitely Mr Whisper and Mr Whisper Rides again. He was a Warlock (a good one) and he had a cat that could talk to you, if, you were holding the end of the magic broomstick. I've looked for them on line so many times with no success. Would love to buy them for my granddaughter. I also loved Mallory Towers, Enid Blyton and of course Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. I was such, and still am, an avid reader. My sanctuary when I was a child in a very poor part of London was my local library. Best thing my dad every did was introduced to books, bless him.

PS: Forgot to say! Black Beauty! I took my book to school for "show and tell". I remember asking my dad, (my mum left us when I was 5) if I could have a horse. He said "where would we keep it?" We lived on the top floor of a block in The Borough, London SE1 but had a bike shed on the ground floor. I said "Well, in the bike shed of course!" He asked "What if it needs to go to the toilet?". I remember saying "Well! We've got a toilet haven't we??!" Isn't it amazing where books can take you? Happy daze eh?

Got to be secret garden. I was so looking forward to watching it on the big screen with silver screen prices and the Corona virus put paid to that. Boooo

Glad it's not just me. A dog so small you could only see it with your eyes shut! I found the idea unsettling!

As a child I remember reading over and over about a child who found a tree in a forest and lived/hid in it.I believed it was called “the secret tree” and searched many times for the book (would love to buy it for my grandchildren) but the “secret tree”is not the book I read. I’ve read through your posts hoping someone would mention it. If anyone knows of the book I’d love to know what it’s really called.

Dizzygran, I think Catherine Cookson wrote a series of Maryann books.

They were about a poor family in Tyneside, I think.

Maryann was the young daughter, devoted to her loving, but unreliable, alcoholic Da.

Does anyone remember Molly Wuppy the Calico Cat. A friend spent a year in the 60’s/early 70’s in America with her family and brought this book back. Years later I had a cat who looked just like her and was given the same name. Never been able to find the book again.
Also loved The Children Who Lived In A Barn. Oh the freedom....

For fans of The Famous Five - did you know that it's possible to get hold of copies of some of the stories on DVD. They were part of the Children's Film Foundation Productions in the 50's/60's. You might find them on Amazon or Ebay.

This thread has just reminded me that I've got some 'tucked away', so they'll be seeing the light of day at some point.

I've also got a copy of Island of Adventure (starring Norman Bowler - Frank Tate from Emmerdale - as Bill Cunningham ) and some of the others in that series. PLUS Secret Island and The Secret of Killimooin - but those were made in Australia in the 70's and don't quite have the 'right feel' to them.

I forgot, and just remembered, Alan Garner eg The Owl Service etc, Children on the Oregon Trail by A Rutgers and I am David by Anne Holm

There was a book my Dad read to me and my younger sister - The Wind on the Moon by Eric Linklater. The two girls in the story were Dinah and Dorinda. I was Dinah and my sister was Dorinda. I can't remember all the details, but we knew it almost off by heart at the time. I did track down a copy of it some years ago, but as there were references to smacking (which Dad never did) I didn't pass it on to my GC.
Does this sound familiar to anyone else?

The family from one end street was read to me at school, and I loved it.
As I am an only child, reading was a delight to me, so Heidi, the secret garden, the borrowers, the lion the witch and the wardrobe were top favourites that I read over and over again.

My favourites were the same as just about everyone else’s on here, with some notable exceptions. I didn’t like Enid Blyton, except for her early nature books. I found her writing dull and the children she wrote about very boring. Same goes for the children in Arthur Ransome, so I left those to my brother. i didn’t like the characters in Little Women, either.

The children in Noel Streatfeild’s books, or Anne of Green Gables, Katy, Just William and so on were the interesting ones to me. Loved anything ballet or theatre-related. Ponies, too, within reason, but oddly enough I’ve never read Black Beauty. Lorna Hill managed to combine ballet and ponies, which was ideal.

I am struck by the fact that some of books posters have mentioned weren’t even published until I was more or less grown up! You must be so much younger than me. That said, it applies to the Drina books by Jean Estoril (more ballet) and I’ve read all of those. I don’t care if I was grown up when I read them!

I bet nobody has heard of this one: Jack's insects. My dad gave it to me when I was about 8. It was all about insects... so interesting. I have always loved insects and all nature except spiders...

Alison Uttley's Sam pig, I still have it very dog eared, not bad though to say its nearly sixty.

Alice in wonderland and Alice through the looking glass also little women and the sequels

Babar the Elephant.
Milly Molly Mandy.
Peter Pan and Wendy.
Rupert.
Jane and Jeremy.
A Christmas Carol----read in time for Christmas.
The secret 7.
Jennings.
Billy Bunter.
Noel Streatfeild books.

Enid Blyton's Famous Five and Five find outers and dog series.
Ruby Gervaise, Jill series.
Monica Edwards especially the white riders and No Mistaking Corker
Joanna piano, like yoy, I read and enjoyed the Mary Plain books.

Oh what a lovely thread to browse through. I'm short of reading material but this is rekindling my childhood favourites, some series like Little women and the Chronicles of Narnia I've never completely read. The Anne of Green Gables series I have read and these are all in my kindle. Favourites include Malcolm Saville Lone Line series And I've collected all of them over the past few years as I only had library books as a child. Other favourites Famous Five, Mallory Towers, the Katy books, Noel Streatfield Ballet Shoes, Alison Uttley a Traveller in Time. And Paddington. Plus many many more.
Wonderful memories that I'm going to revisit.

I just found Mallory Towers Enid Blyton on I player CBBC whole series it is quite good

All the Famous Five and William books (those last were my father’s).

And one that nobody else ever seems to have heard of - Chalky, by Howard L. Apps. It’s brilliant - I still re read it now and then. Set in the 50s but somehow doesn’t read too dated. Story of two ordinary boys who are sent unwillingly to help a grumpy, elderly lady neighbour, and find out why she’s so poor. Subsequently go on a hunt for a valuable diamond that was lost many years before.

Also quite funny in places. Nothing twee or offensive by modern standards. It’d make a brilliant film.

I remember the Mammoth Wonder Book. My dad had it and two others, one called the Favourite Wonder Book and a third but can’t remember that title. I started reading them at about 7 , my dad was very careful with his books and made me wash my hands and sit in our big armchair( it was big to me ) and he would put it on my lap, the chair was upholstered in mustard fabric, can see it now!

As a child loved the What Katy did books and Little Women series and another vote for Enid Blytons Boy Next Door and another she wrote called Shadow the Sheepdog which I read over and over. Didn’t like her other stuff much.

Later still loved all the Sue Barton Series and The Chalet School, still have all those copies must read them again.

As a teenager Jane Eyre( read it first time at about 9 or 10 and frightened myself to death! Lots of Dickens and Graham Greene

I was a bookworm, still am, I remember all the enid blyton books and roald Dahl books, pippin longsticking and mrs pepperpot and mr twiddle, so many more, think I might try and revisit.