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I loved Pinocchio which was a Christmas present when I was about 8. It had a few coloured illustrations in it and I was always worried that my nose would grow like his if I told a fib.

The Talking Parcel by Gerald Durrell, not many people know of this book by him but I loved it, it was all fantasy and unusual characters but based in his beloved Greece. A group of children find a rather well dressed and elegant parrot in a cage with furniture and a spider as a housekeeper and the parrots job was to 'air the dictionary' to make sure all words got used and not forgotten. He came from a land called Mythologia where unicorns, cockatrices and the last dragon live to name but a few and an exciting adventure ensues. I always loved complicated words when I was a child and was crazy about animals and fantastical creatures. This book was perfect.

As a child I was enthralled by The Children of the New Forest by Frederck Marryat.
It fact when one of my grandchildren came home with a book about a youg Jewish boy and his survival of the last war I told him this was not a new situation and supplied him with a copy of the book which I had some difficulty finding.

My favourite book as a teenager was The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy. I loved the rural setting and the dramatic irony that is prevalent throughout the book. The Mayor, who at the start of the book is a young hay trusser who in a drunken rage sells his wife and daughter, turns his life around and becomes a successful grain merchant and eventually the Mayor of Casterbridge, only to suffer another downfall. Despite his faults, you cannot help feeling sorry for the tragic mayor. His eventual death brought tears to my eyes. If an author makes you do that, you know you're a good book!

School prizes always seemed to be Enid Blyton or Chalet School books - a strange choice for children from poor families. I much preferred the books which my DF's cousin sent from America each Christmas - Anne of Green Gables, Understood Betsy and 5 Little Peppers and How they Grew.

My most memorable and imagination jerking book was the Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton. Never forgotten.

I used to always have my head in a book and still do.
A book I used to love was called A Book For A Nook,it was a collection of short stories and poems and I would read it over and over again. Have it now but looking slightly the worse for wear but still nice to pick up for both the stories and now the memories

I loved Alice Through the Looking Glass, so much funnier and more bizarre than Alice in Wonderland. I loved the White Knight (which probably explains a lot about the unsuitable men I had relationships with!).

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was my absolute favourite as a child and is still one of my favourite books. I loved reading it again to my daughter.

I absolutely loved Famous Five books and devoured them every weekend when i went to the library. I always wanted a dog and never had one growing up so just loved Timmy being involved in the adventures

I loved the Heidi and Peter books and The Secret Garden and when I was about 12 in discovered Jane Eyre and later Wuthering Heights. Ivanhoe was another childhood love. But a lot of the stuff was dutch so could only read the translations if they existed!

I loved all of the famous five books by Enid blyton and now introducing them to my grandchildren

Mary Poppins all day long

I adored the series of books by Louisa M. Alcott: Little Women, Good Wives, Jo's Boys and Little Men. Way before equality so doubt today's girls would get past the first chapter!

I used to love Enid Blyton books and would read everything from The Faraway Tree & The Adventures of The Wishing-Chair, The Naughtiest Girl in the School to Brer Rabbit, Noddy, The Famous Five, The Secret Seven, and I loved her Fairy Tales, poetry books, treasuries, annuals and nature books. Great escapism with magical worlds to visit and explore, characters and animals to get to know. So much to fire a young imagination and start me off with a life-long love of reading.

The Famous Five, Secret Garden, Heidi, Polyanna and Little Women.
I lovewd the above and read them over and over again

What Katy Did - loved it to bits and read it over and over. The Faraway Tree was one of my husbands favourites and it has proved a great hit with our grandchildren! Not so much What Katy Did!

Doctor Who and the Sea Devils - escapism, adventure, original, sci fi at its best, 70s brilliance

Always Enid Blyton for me, which my children loved and now my grandchildren too. Also the Bobbsy Twins which I used to read out loud to my younger siblings.

Any of the Famous Five books by Enid Blyton. I could relate to the characters and dream of sharing their adventures. My grandmother's dog, Timmy, would join me.

My favourite book as a child was Ballet Shoes

I loved Treasure Island and dreamed of running away to sea,.... sadly I can feel sick on the Isle of Wight ferry.

Black Beauty by Anna Sewell.I love horses and anything to do with them.

I am now 85 and my favourite read as a child was 'The Swish of the Curtain' (by Pamela Brown if I recall correctly); I still have the book packed away in my garage so that my Grandchildren can also enjoy it. Now all I have to do is to find it...…..

The Pearl by John Steinbeck which explores the depth and meaning of family; the extremes of good v evil and perseverance.