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Children's books

What are the best 'classic' children's books?

72 replies

babybouncer · 02/09/2013 11:20

I've finally got round to unpacking my old collection that I bought (and boxed!) before my kids were born. I spent a very happy childhood with my nose permanently in a book and wanted to create a collection of classics to share with my nieces and my own children (and maybe grandchildren way off in the future!) and now the eldest is 4 I am getting excited about reading some of them to him. I have quite a few Winnie the Pooh, Just William, Peter Rabbit leading on to things like Treasure Island, Swallows and Amazons, Charlotte's Web and The Railway Children.

I feel I'm missing Enid Blyton (but which books?) and now I can't think of what else to add to my wish list?

What others could I look out for that are classic (especially primary school age) children's books?

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MortifiedAdams · 02/09/2013 11:22

Famous Five
Twins at St Claires
Mallory Towers

Should all be good to tick.off Enid Blyton.

Get the set of Roald Dahl

Alice in Wonderland
Little.Women

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MortifiedAdams · 02/09/2013 11:22

The Railway Children
Oliver Twist

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Takver · 02/09/2013 11:29

Teddy Robinson
Noel Streatfield esp Ballet Shoes
Professor Branestawm
Narnia books
Sophie books by Dick King Smith

I'd avoid Michael Morpurgo as in my experience they have to read them endlessly at school!

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babybouncer · 02/09/2013 11:34

Wow that was quick! I've just read the suggestions and gone 'yes, of course!' to each one (except Teddy Robinson, which I'm off to look up now...).

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ouryve · 02/09/2013 11:34

Winnie the Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner. I still dip into them, occasionally.

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TakingThePea · 02/09/2013 11:36

Picture books?

The Tiger Who Came To Tea
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Brown Bear Brown Bear
Rosies Walk

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MortifiedAdams · 02/09/2013 11:39

Funny Bones

My Naughty Little Sister series

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JuliaScurr · 02/09/2013 11:57

Narnia
Alice

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JuliaScurr · 02/09/2013 11:58

Blyton - Wishing Chair; Faraway Tree

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JassyRadlett · 02/09/2013 12:00

The Secret Garden, and as much E Nesbit as you can handle (in my world, that is 'all of it').

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dyslexicdespot · 02/09/2013 12:02

Books by:
Astrid Lindgren ( the brothers Lionheart, Ronia the robbers daughter...)
Tove jansson
Laura Ingels wilder ( the little house books)
Ursula leguin (sp ?)

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DeWe · 02/09/2013 12:17

Little House books
Children at Greene Knowe (and possibly chimneys too)
Wolves of Willaby Place
Emile and the Detectives
School at the Chalet
Willard Price adventures
Little WHite Horse
No Boats on Bannermere (may be expensive)
Jennings
Biggles

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Willemdefoeismine · 02/09/2013 12:18

Dewe I totally agree about the Greene Knowe books (never read them as a child, have read the whole series to DD and love them!)

Little House on the Prairie
The Harry Potter series
The Chalet School Books (there's loads)

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ShadeofViolet · 02/09/2013 12:28

Roald Dahl - especially Charlie and The Chocolate Factory and The Witches.

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tywysogesgymraeg · 02/09/2013 12:31

I cant believe no one has mentioned Black Beauty!

Also The Silver Sword by Ian Serallier.

Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfield

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ElephantsAndMiasmas · 02/09/2013 12:58

Oh yes to Green Knowe, Teddy Robinson (I'd forgotten him! :)) and E. Nesbit, who writes siblings in such a realistic argumentative manner.

Dick King-Smith is a lovely writer who made me a vegetarian taught me to be kind to animals.

Try to get a good big book of poems/rhymes for children, something they can flick through when they get old enough to try to read on their own. Children love poems before they realise poetry's thought of as "difficult".

Flower fairies poem books are beautiful and great for kids who like being in the garden (and there are boy and girl fairies, which is a nice ruddy change).

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LauraChant · 02/09/2013 13:54

I don't know if it counts as a classic or how well known it is but I couldn't wait to introduce DS to The King of the Copper Mountains

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iseenodust · 02/09/2013 14:01

Yes to all of the above
Proper Paddington chapter books.

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Takver · 02/09/2013 14:34

Another one - again not so well known - but an absolute favourite of mine for reading aloud: Martin Pippin in the Daisy Field. (Out of print but looks like it will be reprinted soon by Red Fox.)

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Takver · 02/09/2013 14:34

Oh, and I'd add proper Wombles chapter books to the Paddington ones.

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Periwinkle007 · 02/09/2013 15:29

Worst witch
Gobbolino the witches cat
the Enid Blyton ones I enjoyed the most were the 'something of adventure' ones. castle, ship etc.
non fiction - Usborne. you HAVE to have some usborne ones, we love looking at them with the kids, the 'See Inside' ones are particularly good I think.
Wombles I agree but Paddington really are my favourite.
my old copies of The Naughtiest Girl in the School have gone down well with our girls.
trying to think what else we had in the loft. Ballet Shoes, Swish of the Curtain, Secret Garden, Heidi.

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tywysogesgymraeg · 02/09/2013 17:31

Puppy Longstocking and the Anne of Green Gables series are good too.

Also What Katy Did, and Little Women.

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trice · 02/09/2013 22:06

The Hobbit, I am David, Children of the new forest, Stig of the Dump, Archers Goon (anything by Diana Wynne Jones), Tom's midnight garden.

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DeWe · 02/09/2013 22:07

And Lord of the Rushie River. I think it's by the same person as Flower Fairies
Princess and Curtie
Dark is Rising series
101 Dalmations
Moon of Gomrath/ Weirdstone of Brisingamen (not sure about that spelling)
The Hobbit
Charlotte's web

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Smartiepants79 · 02/09/2013 22:14

Rosemary Sutcliff - the eagle of the ninth especially.
The Dark is Rising - I LOVED this.
The weird stone of brisingamen.
Mrs Frisby and the rats of nimh.

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