Reading Children's Books as an Adult

Yes, these are wonderful.
I too have read and re-read the Anne of Green Gables books as an adult, and the Laura Ingals Wilder books.

@Dappy777 I have heard a story that once when Tolkien was holding forth to a group of students on his latest chapter of LOTR that one was overheard saying “Not another fucking Elf…”

Ah, yes.😀

Totally agree.

The Eagle and Child, nicknamed the Bird and Baby. Would love to have eavesdropped.

Apparently, C. S. Lewis (who could read Ancient Greek, Latin, Italian, French, Old English and Old Norse) re-read Beatrix Potter's Squirrel Nutkin every September to get him in the mood for Autumn. He also adored Wind in the Willows and Tolkien's The Hobbit. This was a man who read War and Peace three times and could practically recite the whole of Milton's Paradise Lost from memory.

I love the fact that tolkien and Lewis, who were Oxford professors, and who used to read Dante to one another in Italian, both retained a love for children's books and for simple adventure stories. I just love the image of them in that pub in Oxford (can't think of its name), on a winter evening, pipes in their mouths, swigging beer and reading their stories about Narnia and Middle Earth out loud.

All the Noel Steatfeild books plus all the Michelle Magorian books.

I love Starlight Barking. Read it as a tween and it stayed with me so I had to go and seek out a copy as an adult. I just loved the idea of dogs being alone in the world (the plot is that all the humans fall asleep and the dogs have to save the day) - I think I prefer it to 101Ds!

Just read A Wrinkle in Time, post stranger things! I enjoyed it, although probably not as much as if it had a nostalgia element.

My first intro to it was The Babysitter's club 🤣

Try Cue for Treason, A Wrinkle in Time, I am David. And the Laura Ingalls Wilder series is wonderful.

There are a couple of sequels, taking her up to adulthood.

As CS Lewis once said - "Someday you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again”.

I recently re-read the Anne of green Gables series and loved it which actually led to me discovering the Emily Starr trilogy which I had been completely unaware of as a child and absolutely loved it! But for nostalgia reasons, re-reading the Mallory Towers and St Clare’s books as an adult gives me such joy. I remember the feeling of being cosied up in my room as a child and reading them for the first time.

Somewhere I read or heard that 'there are no such things as childrens' books', meaning that all are for adults, too.
I've never read 'Charlotte's Web' and I mean to ask for it in the library.
Edited to put a word in.

I knew a lady who was 'in service' with relations of Noel Streatfield - not the immediate family, but not far removed. Sorry, no anecdotes.

Black Beauty was not written for children, btw, it was to draw attention to the poor treatment of many horses.

The secret garden. I loved the BBC serial version, but was disappointed in the most recent film remake. It was overdone and had lost the magic.

Weird? Why would it be weird? I enjoyed the Arthur Ransome's S&W books far more as an adult than as a child.

Same here, want to get back to all the classics. I wish I’d kept all my books (my mum hadn’t decluttered them
out of my life!!)

Sue Barton nurse books, goes all through her career

I don't think anyone has mentioned one of my favourite authors, David Almond. His books are amazing, lyrical, hallucinatory. He has some books aimed at young kids, and others more around 10 and some for young teens. The Colour of the Sun, A Song for Ella Grey, Bone Music, Skellig and My Name is Mina are all fabulous.

Just reading it for the first time now and finding it very good. Actually using the German translation to improve my German so I'm listening to both the German and English audiobooks. Any book that is still interesting after I've replayed the same tricky bit several times, is definitely a good book.

So many of my favourite books listed here. I got DH to read some of my favourites to the DC that he had never read as a child and he loved them as a middle age man coming across them for the first time (particular highlights: Tom's Midnight Garden, Carrie's War, When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit, The Machine Gunners). I think the best children's books are some of the best stories ever written because they cover big themes in an accessible way.

Anyway, I don't think she's been mentioned yet, and her books are out of print, but Cynthia Harnett's historical novels for children are fabulous. I adored Stars of Fortune as a child but I think The Wool Pack is her most famous novel. Better than 99% of most adult novels.

My husband bought we a complete set of vintage Famous Five books for Christmas and my daughter bought me the St Clares and Malory Towers set. Absolutely loved them as a child and looking forward to them!
I think they bring back a sense of nostalgia and makes you remember when life was easier and not so serious.

I think 101 Dalmatians is my favorite children's book, its a real epic adventure compared to the Disneyfied version. Well worth a read.

Mumsnet gave me a link to the Chalet School books online after I'd had a miscarriage some years ago. Brought me so much comfort that I could read through them, as I'd only ever been able to read the Austria books then bits and pieces of the rest. That's why I stayed!

Also, for those of you who like boarding school books,and are without a daughter to find them out, I'm a huge fan of the Murder most unladylike series - they're great!

My mum had a lot of them as she loved them as a child