Are there any children’s books you like reading?

[Geekster1963]

My DD borrowed one of the Dog Man ones out of the library recently it’s like a comic and she was giggling away reading it and kept telling me the funny bits in it, so I read it after her and it was quite funny. It appealed to my admittedly childish sense of humour . We are going to borrow all the other ones now.

Susan Cooper - Dark is Rising...
Alan Garner - Owl Service, Wierdstone, Elidor...
Sylvia Sherry - Pair of Jesus Boots, Pair of Desert Wellies...
Cristobel Mattingley - New Patches for Old
Judy Bloom

Interesting writing that doesn’t pander or dumb down children’s literature.

Oliver Jeffers - for little ones (I love the illustrations & the stories)

David Almond’s books are great too

I recently found an anthology of all the Magic Faraway Tree books and couldn’t help but buy it!

I enjoyed The Creakers.

I am also listening to The Railway Children atm because I loved it as a child but only because it's free on the bbc sounds app.

I'm a huge fan of children's books. DD has had bits of Diana Wynne Jones when she was not even vaguely interested, because I couldn't resist. I am so looking forward to reading all my favourites with her. I came to The Dark is Rising as an adult - but love that series.

I reckon about 1 in 3 of the books I read for pleasure are children's books or YA fiction.

Rosemary Sutcliff, Cynthia Harnett, Rosemary Harris' 'Moon in the Cloud', Susan Price's 'Sterkarm' books, L M Montgomery, etc. etc. I am so excited for when DD is old enough that I find out about the more recent ones.

Coraline I read as a young teenager and enjoyed again as an adult. Also the Darren Shan Vampire or Demon series. The Demonata is still my favourite book series, I definitely think adults can enjoy it

I started re-reading the chalet school books a few years ago after I found an old one at my parents house. I now have the whole set apart from two. I love reading these as an adult, pure escapism. It is my ambition to try and collect a whole set of original hard back copies as most of mine are the amarda paperbacks but some are really expensive.

Yes, loads, nearly all old childhood favourites.

Older classics eg children of the new forest, what Katy did, Anne of gg, Heidi, little women etc. All the pony books I loved, and the 101 Dalmatians. The chalet school and Enid Blyton's three school series. And the more recent books, wolves of w c, Marmalade, homeward bound, animals of farthing wood etc.

The only children's books I've read for my own pleasure for the first time as an adult are Terry Pratchett's Tiffany series, the hunger games and lemony snicket. And the latter I only read in the absence of anything better. They just aren't the same without the nostalgia.

For those who have found memories of many of the books mentioned here I heartily recommend Lucy Mangan's Bookworm. It's her memoir about childhood reading and is really wonderful.

So many books in it I remembered and some I had forgotten and was delighted to be reminded of.

Charmed Life (Diana Wynne Jones) one of my favourite books as a child and still love to read it. Also the Fantastic Mr. Fox is another great childrens book

I love "Please Mrs Butler" by Allan Ahlberg. It must be my all time favourite book (not a story but a collection of poems). I also like "The Cops and the Robbers", by the same author.
I also love "Mr Magnolia" and the "Now We Are Six" compilation.

I love children's poetry, can never understand the adult stuff though.

I like childrens/YA books. Sometimes I read current ones (love Jaqueline Wilson but think the teenage ones and also suspense ones she wrote in the 70s and 80s were her best). I really like revisiting authours I used to read back in my younger years- been re-reading a lot of Jean Ure lately. Other favourites include:

Antonia Forest
Rumer Godden
Anne Digby (especially her Trebizon series. Me Jill Robinson is good too)
Nina Bawden (her children's writing is her best IMHO)
Monica Dickens
CS Lewis (Narnia series)
Just William series by Richmal Crompton
Olga da Polga by michael bond (as a guinea pig lover how could I NOT?)
Malcolm Saville
Noel Streatfield
the Katy books by Susan M. Coolidge (What Katy Did etc)
Beatrix Potter
Robert Westall (love Northumberland and many of his books are set there during wartime)
Alison Uttley
A A Milne (especially the House at Pooh Corner)
Colin Dann

about 10 years ago I started re-reading things I read as a pre-teen/teen eg Caroline B Cooney (The Face on the Milk Carton trilogy is worth reading), Point Horror and even those dredful trashy Sweet Valley High/University books. I loved the college ones especially even though they are very trashy and the High school ones send some dreadful wanky messages to young girls. Why did EVERY bloomin' book have to remind us how the Wakefield twins are a perfect size 6?!!

For preschoolers, I love the Hairy McClary books. There's something so fun and appealing about the use of adjectives, and how the words feel in the mouth. I love the drama it creates about the most everyday scenes. I guess it's a bit like the Mr Men books which use big words, but the Hairy McClary series have more plot and beautiful pictures.

For older children, I love Matilda

The Little Prince. Have read it countless times. So lovely.

I am surprise to see only one mention of Violet Needham.
I am with you, Witchend.

Harry Potter, Chronicles of Narnia, Roald Dahl, Alan Garner, The Hobbit.
And for nostalgia - The Famous Five, Malory Towers and St. Clare’s by Enid Blyton.
I recently spent ages tracking down and buying original 1960’s versions of the Famous Five books and original St Clare’s and MT box sets. I then spent many happy hours reading them.

Beatrix Potter - DP bought me the whole set and Brambly Hedge - all nostalgic reading.

The Ramona series. First discovered them when I was in year 3. I love them!

And the wolves of Willoughby chase and goodnight Mr Tom.

Amelia Fang
Witch Wars
Bad Mermaids

We’re Going On A Bear Hunt, I know it off by heart so I often read it without even reaching for the book . I do the actions and everything, it’s my absolute favourite.

We read all the Enid Blyton series with our kids:
Famous Five
Barney Mysteries
Five Find-Outers

I love the cat in the hat. I've read it so often that I know it off by heart

Do love a bit of Ursula Le Guin and Alan Garner. Have been rebuying quite a few books I liked as a kid, actually. I tell my kids I'm reading them first to check they're suitable but really I just want them before the copies get their horrible sticky fingers all over them and are ruined.