Reading Children's Books as an Adult

I LOVE Eva Ibbotson, as a person not just an author. She's going to become my best friend when I get to heaven, I've decided!

I've never seen them. I can't imagine how they could be anything other than disappointing, the novels are so strange and vivid, and hop about from Ken's POV to Nell's to Flicka's, to Paulie the cat to random gophers and back to humans!

Love them - the films were a disappointment - the books are superb

Yes, and Internet Archive. Last summer I read straight through the entire My Friend Flicka series on there.

(Is anyone else a fan of those? My Friend Flicka, Thunderhead and Green Grass of Wyoming from the 1940s, by Mary O'Hara?)

can be hard to find classic children's books in English in the library system where I live

Have a look at fadedpage.com (or Project Gutenberg) for ebooks.

Shadow the Sheepdog , Show Jumping Summer and anything by Enid Blyton especially the 5 find outers with Fatty and PC Goon ❤️

Oh, I'd have loved that. At various times I used to hang out at stables with horsey friends and help them with their horses (or probably ponies, looking back), but it never gelled into any regular time spent around them, I lived for my riding lessons though.

I remember that being one of my reading books in primary school! Can't remember anything about the book, though, except there were rats...

I was first introduced to The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe via carpet story time in primary school. I remember being very confused when the teacher closed one session on 'They say Aslan's on the move', as for some reason I had heard it as 'Aslan's on the moon'. Had to wait a whole day to realise I'd misheard! 😄

I reread this and it’s sequels frequently!

I was desperate for a horse but working at the stables we all had a favourite pony/horse which was seen as "ours" and I was allowed to help in the breaking and training of "my" pony. What days they were, hard work out in the fresh air can't beat it

DS is read to as a class. They've just read Malamander.

Our teacher read TTTT to us too! And Carrie's War and Stig of the Dump.

@squashyhat My favourite is The Picts And The Martyrs. Absolutely brilliant! Winter Holiday is my second favourite.

I first read Arthur Ransome’s books in my 40s and I love them too @squashyhat. I’m with @sittingonabeach though, Winter Holiday is my favourite. I was thrilled to come across the North Pole when I visited the Lake District a few years back. They are my go to books when the real world is just too much.

Our P5 teacher used to read to us for about 15 minutes at the end of every day. Do they do that nowadays? Calmed everyone down, meant that even those who weren’t confident readers could enjoy more interesting books. She read us The Turbulent Term of Tyke Tyler, I loved that but haven’t read it since so I might look for it. The same teacher read us Mrs Frisby and The Rats of Nimh and I did find that on Kindle. It took me back to sitting on scratchy carpet listening to Miss Malcolm. Lovely!

I was desperate for a horse as a child/pre-teen! It was never going to happen and deep down I knew and accepted that, but I used to spend hours daydreaming about my family winning the pools and me being able to have one... 😄

I often do it. Especially old pony stories from the 1950's.

Anyone who likes The Secret Garden - and also enjoys Ballet Shoes - don't forget The Painted Garden by Noel Streatfeild - which continues some characters from Ballet Shoes, while another family are on holiday in the USA and one ends up as a character in filming The Secret garden!

https://noelstreatfeild.storymole.com/books/The%20Painted%20Garden

Where's the laughing emoji react when you need it! Classic 🤣

I got my copy out for DD but we actually listened to it on audio. I also like the next one - The Other Way Round.

😁

DD picked up a Yorkshire accent from listening to the secret garden

I love reading children's books. I recently bought all the Swallows and Amazons books to reread them, definitely some of my favourite books. Also have a big pile of William books, read some to DS but he lost interest so I'll just read them myself.
There's so many books I want to reread or read for the first time, unfortunately can be hard to find classic children's books in English in the library system where I live and I can't afford to buy too many.

Most of my childhood favourites have already been mentioned.
As an adult I read The Ruby in the Smoke series by Phillip Pullman and loved it.

Also wanted to add do not under any circumstances read Watership Down thinking that now your a grown up its fine. Still traumatised 😆

A few are available via the Internet Archive. I think End of Term, Peter’s Room, and maybe one other. I agree the secondhand cost is freakish, and the Girls Gone By situation frustrating.

Bookmarking this page so I can go back and check out some other recommendations and reminders of forgotten favourites.

The Little White Horse is sitting on my bedside table and, like another pp, I often buy old favourites as audio books because there is something so comforting about lying in bed on a cold wet night, listening to the wind howling outside and being read to - like being small again.

Shout out for Antonia Forest’s Marlow books, which are sophisticated and brilliantly written.

And apart from Autumn Term, expensive to get second hand.

I never stopped reading children's books (though I read plenty of other stuff, too.) I spent quite a bit in lockdown filling in the gaps in various series I have (hence knowing the cost of Antonia Forest.)