The children’s book you remember best

Another Enid Blyton fan here also Noel Streatfeild, Captain Johns, Girls Crystal Annual a treat at Christmas.

I loved books when I was a child, especially BlackBeauty., Just Jane books, and Enid Blyton - especially FeeFoe, Tuppeny and Jinks.

Enid Blyton certainly got me into reading. The library was my saviour in those days as there was no money for buying books at home.

I well remember the extreme anti-Blyton-ism.

At the time I got the impression that it was largely because so many of the books (esp. the FF) were about very obviously middle class children.
As a former FF fan, I thought it very unfairly prejudiced.

As for Noddy and Big Ears, well, clearly old Big Ears was Up To No Good, befriending a new little Noddy-person like that!

I should imagine that EB has been responsible over the years for getting masses of children into reading, so good on her. As an ex librarian I always felt that it didn’t matter too much what they read, as long as they were enjoying it. Just getting them to realise that it is enjoyable, and not a tedious chore, can be a major hurdle.

BBbevan

‘The Silver Sword’ by Ian Serrallier. Was my absolute favourite for ages when young. I found a copy in an Oxfam bookshop several years ago and I treasure it.

That is a truly wonderful book.

Mine was 'Elidor' by Alan Garner, closely followed by his 'the Weirdstone of Brisingamen'.

Anyone remember Pookie the flying rabbit books?

The Box of Delights by John Masefield. Read just before Christmas in my final year at primary school in 1960. A magical tale. The much later television series with Patrick Troughton wasn’t a patch on the book.

I remember Janet and John when we learned to read in the olden days , Milly Molly Mandy ,because of the line drawings and was addicted to anything by Enid Blyton -all those picnics with lashings of ginger beer .
Being a tomboy I identified with George .
Anything horsey of course .

I think that my mother completely despaired of her frock hating daughter .

BlueBelle

Any Enid Blyton
Faraway tree series were my favourite then the school stories she told I know she’s out of favour these days but she was the person who got me interested in books

I cut my reading teeth on Enid Blyton and am convinced that she is responsible for my love of reading. As a teacher, I’d sooner see a child reading anything (even if I think it’s a bit rubbish) than not picking up a book. Whatever grabs a child’s interest and hooks them in is good in my view.

A Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge and I Capture The Castle by Dodie Smith - both beautiful books.

First and foremost: Famous Five (nice piece of alliteration there!). Devoured them. The Prince and the Pauper; Tales of the Arabian Nights; the Secret Garden. We had a big old book of Grimms Fairy Tales; I think it must have belonged to one of my much older siblings, but I read the print off it. When very young there was always a Rupert book for Christmas and I loved Alfred Bestall’s original pen ink and wash illustrations. Still do.

To so many of these I was saying “Me too”
I originally trained as a children’s librarian in the mid sixties and remember being told that the reason Enid B reading was not to be encouraged was she had written so many books, around 200?, that a child could go through their entire childhood reading nothing but EB.
A particular favourite of mine as a child was E. Nesbit. Was amazed to find she was a rather louche Edwardian, always imagined her as a modern writer.
Heidi books were a favourite but I’ve reread recently and they are very sermonising. I read the Regent classics version in red covers (always several for Christmas) and I now realise they must have been very edited.
Great thread Maw ?

When I was about 9 our teacher read the “Mary Plain” books to our class of 52 children !. They were about a little bear.
She said if we wanted to read more about her, there were plenty in the library up the road. I didn’t know there was a library, even though I’d lived in the area all my life. I was a girl who loved reading but my parents never thought to enrol me and my sibling. So I took myself off across the busy main road and joined. It was a revelation!

I read Enid Blyton stories to one of the people I support at work, and we love them.
Her mum comes in the room to have a listen as well.
Naughty Amelia Jane is one of our favourite characters.

Forgot to add the Just William books too..thanks witzend.

Another Wind in the Willows devotee here too.
Other favourites were Pollyanna - I always wanted the prisms.
The Silver Curlew - Eleanor Farjeon's brilliant retelling of the Rumplestiltskin saga.
The Snow Queen especially the description of Kay & Gerda putting hot pennies on the iced window panes so they could see outside.

I was an Enid Blyton junkie. I think The Faraway Tree was my favourite. I loved reading The Famous Five though goody goody Julian and wimpy Anne really annoyed me! And the Island/River/Castle of Adventure series.

Any Enid Blyton
Faraway tree series were my favourite then the school stories she told I know she’s out of favour these days but she was the person who got me interested in books

I was another avid and precocious young reader, and I loved so many of the books mentioned on here. But I was also a totally horse mad child, so if pushed to choose, I would have to opt for Black Beauty or the 'Jill' books by Ruby Ferguson, which included titles like Jill's Gymkhana, A Stable for Jill and so on.
Oh, and I also read Tolkein's Lord of the Rings series at a fairly young age and loved them too.

Anne of Green Gables, the only book my Mum read to me.

Witzend

Anyone else a fan of William? I still have some really old ones that belonged to my father - so funny. We used to have cassettes of William, read by Kenneth Williams - would play them in the car for much younger dds - hilarious.

Loved them. They were probably the only books liked equally by me and my brother.

Yes, I read Pamela Brown too. She was only 14 when she wrote The Swish of the Curtain, or at least when she started it. Her books were among the few of mine that my son liked.

I liked Lorna Hill’s Veronica books, not to mention Mariella. I’ve also read the complete Drina series, although I was almost grown up when they were published. Nothing beats a good ballet book. Does anyone write them nowadays?

I loved Judy Blume, one of them had some sex in and my Mother had no idea

Mollygo

Lucca

I loved this book (it didn’t look this then,.just plain dark blue!)

Anyone else read it ?

Yes Lucca. I loved Pamela Brown’s books.

??. I really wanted to be an actress for quite a long time. I guess a lot of us teachers were actors “manqués”!

Is charlottes web too sad for my 7 year old GD? Avid reader of Jacqueline Wilson, Ronald Dahl, andy Griffith tree house books.