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Obscure children's books that you used to love

661 replies

LadyPlumpington · 15/07/2015 20:06

Mine is 'The Island of the Skog' by Steven Kellogg. The DC love it too :)

What are your old obscure favourites?

Obscure children's books that you used to love
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TheSquatLobster · 15/07/2015 20:53

Brother Alonzo by Tom Hamil, a lovely tale for young children from the 1950s . The pictures were just lovely. My DCs had my copy but it was lost with a box of their books during a house move.

And another surreal one, called Wind on the Moon.

MrsDeVere · 15/07/2015 20:52

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Stratter5 · 15/07/2015 20:52

Humphrey, we have the Bagthorpe books in the top floor bookcase

MrsDeVere · 15/07/2015 20:51

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PageNotFound404 · 15/07/2015 20:51

I remember Olga da Polga too!

I loved The House at World's End by Monica Dickens, less well known than her Follyfoot series, about a family of children whose parents are out of the picture (mother is ill/injured in hospital IIRC) who live alone in a ramshackle building and collect various animals.

prepperpig · 15/07/2015 20:51

Marianne Dreams - For older children though. I have bought a copy for DS1 who is a bookworm but for some reason hasn't read it yet despite me telling him he must.

MrsMarigold · 15/07/2015 20:50

Well I meant the Rumer Godden one.

Lancelottie · 15/07/2015 20:50

Yep, we have Mary Plain as well, DementedMa.

Happy sigh...

gloopygloop · 15/07/2015 20:50

I used to love the milly Molly Mandy books, and green smoke by Rosemary manning about a dragon in Cornwall.

Not sure if either of them are obscure but I loved them.

MrsMarigold · 15/07/2015 20:50

Also a hilarious one called Bramble's First Date about a hedgehog trying to find a wife

Stratter5 · 15/07/2015 20:50

I still have my Olga da Polga books Blush

Fattipuffs and Thinnifers - about two warring countries.
The Log of the Ark - Noah's diary.

JeanneDeMontbaston · 15/07/2015 20:49

Thursday's Child and Thursday's Children are different - Thursday's Child is Noel Streatfield, and it's quite positive really. Thursday's Children is much darker.

NoPowerInTheVerseCanStopMe · 15/07/2015 20:49

Miss Fanshawe and the Great Dragon Adventure. I'm not sure how obscure it actually is but I don't know anyone else who's read it! I would spend hours reading and re-reading it and looking at all the detail in the beautiful illustrations

Lancelottie · 15/07/2015 20:49

I seem to have most of these. Humphrey, isn't the Bagthorpe saga the one with ordinary Jack, and his infuriating siblings who all have several strings to their bows?

MrsDeVere · 15/07/2015 20:49

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NashvilleQueen · 15/07/2015 20:49

raahh I came on this thread to mention Rebecca's World. I had a hard back copy that l I borrowed over and over again from the library and I loved it so much. I too tried find a copy via eBay or Amazon and was astonished at the price (£80 or similar) and I do find it odd that it's not reprinted. I remember so much of it. Still bit scared of the couple who feed sweets and say it's ok not to brush your teeth! Would love to read it to my DDs.

Wenglish · 15/07/2015 20:49

Not that kind of rabbit
Have never found it Sad

Rathalie · 15/07/2015 20:48

Meyouandbootoo, Hafferty Hamster's First Christmas is one of my childhood favourites! It's one of my rituals to reread it every December (am nearly 40 ??)

MrsMarigold · 15/07/2015 20:48

I love The Giant Jam Sandwich and Thursdays Child and Greengage Summer by Rumer Godden. I had a book with no words called A boy a Dog and A Frog with lovely illustrations. I once saw a copy for sale on the Southbank but had no cash on me to buy it from the stall. Just seen it on amazon and have to get it

OddBoots · 15/07/2015 20:47

I loved the audiobook cassettes of 'Jinky Natures Stories' by Enid Blyton- it's only available for silly money now though and would be a disappointment if I heard it again.

There is a book I liked that I don't remember the name of, the letters of the alphabet go missing and have to be found and there was a character called the worst brat which was a German sausage pun.

Lancelottie · 15/07/2015 20:47

I liked Last of the Great Whangdoodles, Raahh! (Didn't he have a flower stencilled on his front tooth or something...?)

Yes, Olga da Polga is by Michael Bond. Our copies are shedding pages by now. Lovely pictures of the enthusiastic Olga, plus permanently pissed-off Noel the Cat.

JeanneDeMontbaston · 15/07/2015 20:46

magic, you can sometimes get them in charity books - but also, these are cute. Dunno how they'd be for a child in 2015, but I love them.

Love the Armourer's House. And Brother Dusty Feet.

HumphreyCobbler · 15/07/2015 20:46

The Bagthorpe Saga. Not obscure really but no one in RL I know has ever read them.

I loved a book called Cherries in Search of a Captain, about guides who need a leader. I loved that book. Also Tales of Brave Adventure by Enid Blyton, a retelling of Robin Hood and King Arthur.

LauraChant · 15/07/2015 20:45

It is a tribute to the Changeover - I love it and wish there had been a sequel!

WallyBantersJunkBox · 15/07/2015 20:45

A book my mothers friend gave us, about a little frog in a lake who cried about his water being polluted by a big factory to some children and then became ill and I think died.

I remember being both horrified and obsessed by it. Wish I could remember the name if it.

I loved reading that book about the golden hare...Masquerade?

And then, it was pretty obscure at the time, I found "Are you there god it's me Margaret in the library. Was quite shocking at my age to read about sanitary towel belts and periods. Grin
I bought a copy in Dubai but it was updated and not the same.

I have my original Anelia Jane books, and The Adventurous Four by Enid Blyton. The last one is just pure war propaganda. Grin