Children's stories

As this is National Children's Book Week and considering we were all kids once what was your favourite children's books?  These are mine: 

When I was at primary school I had the most wonderful teacher who read to us each week - the one book that I remember most and couldn't wait to hear what happened next was The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton.  Interestedly, I read this as an adult to my sons and I didn't find it as exciting as I did when I was 10!!


Who doesn't love Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, it was magical and I still love this book as an adult.  My favourite character was the Cheshire Cat.  Did you have a favourite character?





I can't remember which of the Milly-Molly-Mandy books I had, but as I wasn't a good reader I use to look at the pictures for hours and make up my own stories.  I was particularly fond of the map of the village as this gave me inspiration for my "version" of the stories.  I also like to draw maps as a child so this gave me "ideas"!!


Another favourite was The Adventures of Rupert Bear by Mary Tourtel - the illustrations were full of detail and help me to "read" the stories when I had trouble with the real words.  Rupert is turning 91 in November and still looking good.


When I was slightly older I fell in love with Swallows and Amazon by Arthur Ransome (thanks to my brothers) - these were great adventure stories with boats, islands and discovery. 
I imagined myself going off in a boat solving mysteries and having the time of my life during the summer holidays.


And I couldn't not include The Little House on the Prairie books - I read and reread these books and just loved them to pieces.  These were and still are big favourites of mine.


And finally the book I still own and one I spend hours as a young child reading and looking at the pictures - it is the Richard Starry books - I had several but I was very fond of What Do People Do All Day
I had many favourite characters by Lowly worm was one I like very much. 


Hope you all enjoy National Children's Book Week - through books we can let our imaginations run wild and we can travel the world from the comfort of our favourite sofa. We can be a sailor one day and a doctor another or perhaps an astronaut - a spy or a child . .  books allow us to escape.

You know you've read a good book when you turn the last page and feel a little as if you have lost a friend.  ~Paul Sweeney

~oOo~

Comments

  1. That's great...I never read any of these as a child, I was not a big reader, but have now read them to my children, it's wonderful! xxx

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  2. No Anne of Green Gables? Shame! I thought you would have liked them too!
    I also enjoyed Enid Blyton's boarding school books, and the Chalet books by Elinor M Brent-Dyer. Read them?
    love,
    Bets

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  3. Bets - I didn't include the Anne books as I read them when I was around 12-14 and I was only focusing on children's books (that I either read or had read to me) rather than those I read as a teenager. But, yes I loved the Anne books very much (still do), likewise the Katie books, Pollyanna, Billabong books, the Twin series, Heidi etc... and I am sure I have missed quite a few. We never owned the Chalet books so I never read them. Most of those I read were books that my mother read as a child and had the books from her childhood (which I now have).

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  4. I loved Enid Blyton books to as a youngun' and lots of the books you have listed above.
    I actually wasn't aware of children's book week (too many other things to think about?) but thanks for drawing attention. Must try to organise a day to take the grandies to the Library. They always do great things for these occasions.

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  5. I loved the same Enid Blyton series (and many others), Milly Molly Mandy books (had 4 of them, I think), and Richard Scarry, too! :)

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  6. I have very few memories of childhood...especially reading. But since I have been a mother and homeschooling at that we have enjoyed Beatrix Potter, Runaway Bunny, George MacDonalds fairytales and The North Wind. So many more. I love a good children's story with just as good an illustrator.

    All of Patricia St. Johns books are great too. They have so many wonderful lessons that draw a child (or a reading parent) closer to the Lord.

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