Reading Children's Books as an Adult

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

That is pretty impressive as some are hard to get hold of, I have about 30 as first editions and am always hunting down more…

I don't think I have read Tennis Shoes! I think I have read all the others though and yes they are great books

We loved The Children who Lived in a Barn as kids and so I have read it to all of my children too.

Similar but different is A Growing Summer.

she did… amongst many amazing books, probably my favourite author…
Tennis Shoes, Apple Bough, etc.
https://noelstreatfeild.storymole.com

Well for 40 odd years I never knew!!! 🫢

Oh I did know there were more books in the Bagthorpe Saga. The first three books are the funniest though.

Before the internet I didn't know anyone to talk to about The chalet school books, or Antonia Forest novels. I remember being so pleased when I found my first Chalet school thread on Mumsnet. It wasn't just me after all.

Noel Streatfeild was a woman

I’d also say that a lot of the Victorian / Edwardian children’s classics tend to read very similarly to a book for adults from the same period in terms of the actual language used. It’s more just a case of them having child protagonists than being ‘childish’ reads.

When I re-read E. Nesbit as an adult, I realised that some of the humour had gone right over my head as a child.

The House of Arden was my absolute favourite as a child, though as an adult I can see it's not one of her best.

I often revert to childhood favourites if I want some undemanding comfort reading. I go to fadedpage for bedtime reading.

I recommend the website 'World of books ' as a source of inexpensive pre loved children's ( and adult) books. A poster on another thread mentioned it and I managed to get several of my childhood favourites there. Now compiling a list of some more I want to get.

The Secret Garden is my favourite book of all time and always will be!

I think he wrote White Boots too. Made me want skating lessons! 😁

Black Beauty, so poignant, another I love

@HatStickBoots Oh I loved that book so much. I read it over and over as a child.

I remember a girl at school who must have been three years older than me said her Mum wouldn't let her read it as it was too sad. Even at about 8 I thought that was a bit odd. As an adult and a mother myself I think it misguided. DH introduced The Hobbit to DD when she was about 4 and some bits made her cry. I don't think that was a bad thing.

I love Eva Ibbotson! I bought a book a Christmas Star as gifts for family members this year. It's so beautiful and unexpected

I have read one Katherine Rundell and loved it and I have more of her books waiting on the bookshelf to read.

I also read the whole way through the Chalet School series a couple of years ago when I was unwell. I gradually acquired and read them in order and it was the most wonderful treat to read the whole series in chronological order

Tom’s midnight garden is my all time favourite and started a lifelong obsession with local history and my garden at night.

Ha ha. This reminds me of when I introduced DD to the Little House on the Prairie series.

I honestly thought it was a trilogy: Little House in the Big Woods, LHOTP and On The Banks Of Plum Creek. We read all three and enjoyed them. Then in the school holidays she was staying with PILs and they took her to a second hand book stall on the market and she excitedly texted me to say "I have found the next four books in the Little House trilogy":and I was gobsmacked.

Wind in the Willows is a beautiful book. I didn’t have it as a child and read it for the first time a few years ago. I found it transported me to a beautiful place and time.
The Hobbit, another beautiful book.
Tarka the Otter and Watership Down were two of my favourite books in childhood, I read when I was about eight. I do intend to re-read some day.
Black Beauty, so poignant, another I love.

When my dd was little, a neighbouring little girl gave us a pile of Jaqueline Wilson’s which we read together and thoroughly enjoyed. I’ve kept our favourites and I bought her latest one which is a sequel to a very old one and the children have grown up.

You would miss SO much if you only read adult books! I find that there is a lot more variety in terms of plot in children's literature, as adult fiction usually revolves around romance and/or crime. I mean, I'll read some adult books (usually non-fiction these days), but that doesn't stop me from reading newer children's books, or ones that I missed during my childhood (which is amazing, because I was constantly reading!). I kept all of my books from childhood (they were the one thing that I always refused to throw out), so I just keep adding to them! If I hadn't, I'd never have discovered the likes of Katherine Rundell or Judith Eagle, or managed to buy every Eva Ibbotson book ever published (I was missing a few), or some of the Chalet School ones (I now have a full set). I am not exempt from browsing children's books in bookshops, either, even in public!

There is something comforting about children's literature that is missing in the adult equivalent!