Which children's books do you STILL read and enjoy?

The Island of Adventure or the Secret Island

Where they went to live on an island cos their Aunt & Unc;e were mean

Don't remember the cave book but given that you live in an underground house made of stones, Makkapakka, I'm not surprised it appeals to you

White Boots has been renamed Skating Shoes I think, to make it part of the "Ballet Shoes" franchise - I'm not kidding. I think Gemma has escaped so far, although I'm sure there's a Theatre Shoes as well. Gemma Alone was renamed Gemma In Love, though. Bless 'er.

ha ha - literally just finished re-reading White Boots t'other day and my mum just dug out Willow Tree Farm and Fanily At Red Roofs (ves) for me!

anyone remember a book where all theese kids went to live in a cave for a bit?

also read all horsey books and EB too whenever I can.

F&Z is right Not surprising really given it was a made-up name (if you see what I mean).

Noel Streatfeild is brutally critical of her mother in A Vicarage Family, I always wonder what ds might say about me if he was writing his auto-bio There were sequels to A Vicarage Family which have gone out of print, has anyone read them?

"the Arthur Ransome Society"

Janeite, Charlotte Sometimes is by Penelope Farmer, but I'm not surprised you think it's Lively as it's sort of her area - time slippage and all that.

Titty in Swallows and Amazons was IN FACT (Kathy puts obnoxious know-all hat on) named after a real child, Mavis Altounyan, who was known as Titty after Tittymouse in a child's story, Tittymouse and Tattymouse.
(DH and I are both members of the Arthur Ransome Society you see )

Can you tell I'm a bit obsessed with children's books?

Ballet Shoes. Anne of Green Gables. What Katy Did. Watership Down. A Little Princess. And Blyton boarding school stories.

[pedant] she is indeed the best but only has one R in her name

love Forrest - only discovered them a few years ago

Streatfeild is a scandinavian name I think

oo yes, slowreader. Priceless.

Noel Streatfeild (and why is it spelt that way), Antonia Forrest, C S Lewis, and Susan Cooper of course.

The Forrest books are genius, she writes so superbly.

Titty was short for Elizabeth

Ooh yes, Swallows & Amazons. Although I could never quite understand why he'd called one of the children Titty. And then there are Roger, Nancy and Dick, a fantastic collection of names.

E Nesbitt and Noel S here too.

I am David - Anne Holm
the boxcar children - Gertrude Chandler Warner
my side of the mountain - Jean Craighead George
the million dollar night (from the peppermint gang series)- Laurie B. Clifford

Back in The Jug Again
Down with School
Ronald Searle (I think) and Geoffrey Willans

Fotherington Thomas is such a star!

Oooh, yeah. 101 Dalmations. DH has a copy of it on DD's book shelf waiting til she's old enough for it. Might have to pinch it for a few days.

I still read 101 dalmations sometimes...what a great book. Also Superfudge by Judy Blume.
Have always meant to read Robinson Crusoe but have never got round to it.

I love that book! Sir Benjamin Merryweather?

The Little White Horse - Loveday Minette, Biscuits with sugar flowers, Salmon Pink Geraniums & Sir ???? (jugged Port? or Hare...Serena)

The White Horse - Diana (blind) Herne? Weyland Smithy or something

Prefered the first

What Katy Did & others
Marianne dreams - spooky
Dark is rising
Flambards
EE Nesbit
Noel Streatfield
Narnia
Arthur Ransome (loved these & re-read reg)

Lovely thread! There are so so many "children's" books that i still love to re-read now. Basically if I haven't got a book on the go for my evening ritual of reading in the bath, I re-read children's books!

I still adore "Ballet Shoes" - loved Petrova and was convinced that my daughters would look like her, skinny, sallow and dark haired with big brown eyes but ended up with blonde blue-eyed babies somehow. Really wanted to call dd2 either Petrova or Posey but Mr Janeite was having none of it.

"Goodnight Mr Tom" - an amazing, heart-wrenching book. Makes me howl every time I read it.

"Daddy Long legs" - a lovely, fun romp of a book; describing a world utterly alien now I think.

Finally "Charlotte Sometimes" I think it's by Penelope Lively - a great book about time-travelling and boarding school and inspiration for a song by The Cure!

I adored all the Noel Streatfeild books, especially Ballet Shoes, my mother still had all the copies she'd had as a child, with the pictures that she'd coloured in, I used to read them quite regularly at her place. Then my brothers cleared out her stuff after she died and got rid of all the books without telling me first. I can't bear the thought of reading another copy of those books so I don't know if I'll ever read them again

Swizzler - have you read Susan Cooper's Victory? I have just read it with my ds (7) - we both really liked it.

The Railway Children (sob)

Also Ballet Shoes as mentioned by others - and I remember also being confused that they were so poor but lived in Kensington...I loved it though because it was so mysteriously exotic. I used to spend hours wondering what the hell galoshes were.

But my top favourite was A Little Princess. I have recently bought an Indian rug for my living room and I'm sure that the purchase was inspried by the memory of that gorgeous room she wakes up in after all the poverty. Like Changing Rooms for Victorian scullery maids!

Anyone remember the Silver Sword by Ian Serrallier? Amazing.

Chalet School series here