What was your favourite book/books as a child?

I,too, read voraciously as a child. I read all the Enid Blyton books, Chalet School and the classics. One which stuck in my mind was called 'When Marnie Was There'. It was spooky with a twist in the tail. I had read most of the children's library by the age of ten and was given an adult ticket by the librarian. I was so proud! I read Dracula at 10 then moved onto The Brontës, Dickens etc by 12.

Milly Molly Mandy, Ballet Shoes and an Enid Blyton no one I know seems to remember - The Put’em Rights, about a band of ‘helpful’ children one of whom was rather exotically called Yolande. I mispronounced it in my head for years.

Nancy Drew mysteries

Germanshepherdsmum

I particularly remember from when I was very young a little book about Kanga the kangaroo who lost her pocket and had nowhere to keep her red and white spotted hanky. Her animal friends made her a new pocket from pussy willow buds. I loved that book!

Aw! That made me well up. I remember Kanga's Pocket too!! 🦘

LRavenscroft

Zoejory

Tom's Midnight Garden I used to get it from the library. I adore it. My mother asked is she could buy it from the library and they agreed. I still have it now.

I'll let you into a little secret. I am reading Tom's Midnight Garden in my 7th decade and am loving it. It is so magical.

I only read it when I was in my twenties. Even visited Ely Cathedral because of the book. I love it.

Secret Seven, The Twelve and the Genii, Police Dog (by Kathleen Fidler).

"Jill" pony books, Black Beauty, & best of all Mary McPherson's "My friend Flicka".

Ruby Ferguson”’s “Jill” pony books - Jill’s Gymkhana etc
The Chalet School books too

Ooh, I forgot the William books! My father had a lot, I still have some and read for light relief now and then - so funny!
We used to have brilliant tapes of Kenneth Williams reading them - went down v well with young dds in the car.

Oh, and Secret Garden was a later discovery and I still adore it and re read it.

Amongst many, forgotton....when very young - an easy version of black Beauty.

Later, Enid Blyton - yes, the Faraway Tree was number 1

I liked her character George in the gang.

Arthur Ransome top choice.

5 children and It, Edith Nesbit.

I could not get enough of The Chalet School series of story by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer, oh I longed to be one of the girls.

I couldn't help noticing that most books I liked was where children have adventures and parents absent in one way or another. Or the factual Ladybird books.

What Katy did, later.

I discovered Just William as an adult and delight in them.

Magic Faraway tree for me. Never forgotten my joy.

Just William books.
I had Little Black Sambo on the bookcase in a Nursery I taught in.

Secret Seven, Famous Five, Chalet School, What Katy Did, Heidi, and when very little Milly Molly Mandy and Pookie (white rabbit with wings).

Also forgot all the Little Women . Particularly liked Little Men because it was all about Jo when she was married

The Katy books , Black Beauty which made me cry for Ginger. Later I read the Chalet series for years, still reread it as an adult and still have kept a lot of copies

Heidi, The Magic Faraway Tree indeed almost anything by Enid Blyton. Just made me remember Dodie Smith and The Hundred and One Dalmations.
I read avidly throughout my childhood and still love reading.

1070s A hard back A4 size book about a pony holiday in the New Forest. It had black and white photos of the adventures these kids my age took part in. I would love to track it down and own it again as I now live near the New Forest.

Tom's Midnight Garden.
The Narnia books.

I loved Little Black Sambo too. In spite of the now-unacceptable name, and the fact that he looked much more like an African child than an Indian one, it is still a good story, and he won!

Some of the Beatrix Potter books, particularly The Tailor of Gloucester.

Anything by Enid Blyton.

I loved The Secret Garden and also read lots of poetry.

Famous Five for quite a while, followed by the Whiteoaks saga, and Georgette Heyer’s Regency romances.

The Water Babies made me cry buckets - I was no more than 9.

At about 14 I loved Cranford and Northanger Abbey, even though they were ‘force fed’ at school.
They’re still favourites.

Grandma70s yes you are correct on the spelling of Streatfeild

Out With Romany series

Pookie
Borrowers
My Family and OtherAnimals

I have a copy of Good Wives which was my mum’s first prize at school in 1922. I’ve not read it but just can’t throw it out.

Anything horsey - Black Beauty and the Jill's Gymkhana series were among my very favourite books though. I also read The Lord of the Rings at a fairly young age and loved it. As an only child, I always had my nose in a book. We had a collection of encyclopaedia which I loved to browse.