The children’s book you remember best

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.

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.

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

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.

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!

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 ?

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.

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

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.

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 .

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.

Anyone remember Pookie the flying rabbit books?

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'.

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.

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

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

I read a fair bit of Enid Blyton but the books I remember loving best are The Borrowers, Ballet Shoes & White Boots and perhaps best of all, The Chronicles of Narnia. All much better in my imagination than the subsequent films & TV series.

Some of you are so young! Goodnight Mr Tom was something my children read, not me. The film with John Thaw is very good.

Someone mentioned Elizabeth Goudge. I loved Henrietta’s House, especially the illustrations in the edition I had. Oh, and Alice and Thomas and Jane by Enid Bagnold (NOT Enid Blyton).

My parents chose our house because there was a library a short walk away. I spent a lot of time there.

Nice thread Maw

My top 3 would be:
Alice in Wonderland because I remember being poorly and off junior school. Was put into mum & dad’s bed. With this book, a banana on the side cabinet and a glass of water. No mobile phones in those days. I was a bit scared when the front door banged shut as mum went out to work ‘back home at dinner time’ (which working class meant lunch time - mum only worked mornings). I gratefully lost myself in this book. Alice’s adventures with line drawings took me away from my worries.

No.2 would have to be The Borrowers.
This was read to us by our junior school teacher at the close of each day. I loved the concept of little people in hidey holes. Arrietty and Pod Clock. They were secretive and resourceful. I loved them.

And 3rd would definitely be Milly Molly Mandy in her pink and white striped frock with her ‘little friend Susan’. I adored the illustrated map of the village on the inside cover. As I read I referred to it many times.

Happy days!

CPL593H Another Alan Garner fan here, my favourite is Weirdstone, but I love them all. And he’s still writing, is well into his 80s now. I think they’re as good as anything Tolkien wrote and I’m a big fan of his writing. I still have all my AG and Tolkien books, they’re all a bit tatty, some more than others but I’ll never part with them. Or any of my other childhood books.

I was horse crazy as a pre-teen, and loved any pony stories. marguerite Henry's Misty of Chincoteague stands out, as does My Friend Flicka by Mary O'hara. Both had sequels, and I'm sure I read them all.

Katie John by Mary Calhoun was a favourite as well, following the antics of a feisty 10 year old that moves to a new (old) house against her will.

There are so many good books for children. A few I have gone back to re-read and enjoyed them just as much as an adult.

All Enid Blyton, then all Arthur Ransom books.
I had a poetry book of Walter De La Mare poems, which I read over and over, and knew by heart, I also loved my Mabel Lucy Atwell annual

luluaugust

Famous Five for me, oh the freedom!

Me too!

I wanted to be George and was desperate to have a dog like Timmy!

The Borrowers was another favourite