To ask your favourite classic stories?

[AragornsManlyStubble]

Just that really. Your favourite books/authors from when you were a child. What's the one book you believe every child should read? I'm trying to build up a bit of a library for the dc's and need some inspiration.

Pretty much all of the books mentioned so far. I was (and still am to a certain degree) an avid reader as a child. I would think nothing of reading a book a day during school holidays and was a very advanced reader.

Mine have all been mentioned already, but here's my list anyway!

The whole Borrowers series.
The Faraway Tree series
The Little House On The Prairie series
The Didacoi (reread this recently and it made me so emotional)
Worzel Gummidge
Rosy Is My Relative by Gerald Durrell. Possibly a few adult themes but the descriptions of the countryside and the food are fanatastic!
Little Grey Rabbit series
And of course all Beatrix Potter.

For the poster who asked, dc's are 8, 7, 5 and 4 weeks. I realised recently that one of the great joys of my childhood was reading and being read to, neither of which happens enough here. I'd really like to change that so they can look back similarly.

FWIW, OP, my dc liked very different stories to me. I adored Susan Cooper, and not one of my dc has got further than the second chapter in the first book. They weren't impressed by John Christopher. One of them loved Westall, another wasn't bothered. Two loved Michael Morpurgo - and I loathe him (two loathe him as much as I do).

I would keep this list for you - the books on it are fabulous - and let the dc choose their own books.

How about Cynthia Harnett?

The Load of Unicorn/The Wool-pack etc

I adored them and they are historical adventurer which are also well researched

So glad to see someone mention a Traveller in Time - one of my favourites

Narnia series
Black Beauty
Enid Blyton - particularly Famous Five and the Adventure series
Five Children and It

I have a fear of the Wizard of Oz. I don't know why but I can't watch the film and couldn't read the book to DS.

I moved onto Agatha Christie and Catherine Cookson very early on, way before finishing primary school.

Oh and The Ghost of Thomas Kempe.

Depends what age, but I loved the enormous turnip and message it gives about all shapes and sizes coming together to make something work

Happy memories of devouring many of the books listed above.

One series I haven't seen mentioned is Milly Molly Mandy (by Joyce Lankester Brisley) - loved these, in particular descriptions of her red (I think) and white striped dresses. Lovely illustrations too.

Also The Family from One End Street (Eve Garnett).

The Growing Summer by Noel Streatfield, I still read it now.

One about some dolls who lived in a dolls house with a very strict hierarchy and one went up in flames from a candle but I cannot remember the name ... can anybody remember it?

The hounds of morrigan
Blitz cat
Animals of farthing wood
The island of the blue dolphin.

Lots of my favourites have already been mentioned. But I will add a few...

The Little Wooden Horse
My Fathers Dragon
Clever Polly and the Stupid Wolf

Gobolino the Witch's Cat

The Black Stallion series by Walter Farley are my favourites not mentioned so far

Love this thread. Want to go back and read them all.

The Magicians Nephew was one of mine.

Fabulous thread! And timely for me because I've been looking out for the old classics for DD!

Tom's Midnight Garden
The Children of Green Knowe
Goodnight Mister Tom
Back Home
Tottie: The Story of a Doll's House
The Silver Sword
The Children of the Oregon Trail
Daddy Longlegs
When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit
The Little Princess
Summer of the Zeppelin
Carrie's War
All these I read and reread numerous times as a child. I was fond of historical fiction! (Never read it now, not sure what changed)

Tom's Midnight Garden
The Children of Green Knowe
Goodnight Mister Tom
Back Home
Tottie: The Story of a Doll's House
The Silver Sword
The Children of the Oregon Trail
Daddy Longlegs
When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit
The Little Princess
Summer of the Zeppelin
Carrie's War
All these I read and reread numerous times as a child. I was fond of historical fiction! (Never read it now, not sure what changed)

Teenager - pride and prejudice (then rest of them). I wish I could read all of those mentioned again as a first time.

Older teen 'long walk to freedom'

All of mine have been mentioned, except
The wheel on the school by Meindert de Jong

The books I read and re-read the most were
Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass
Heidi
What Katy Did
The Secret Garden
Ballet Shoes
The Mallory Towers and St Claire's series
The Borrowers

I also loved the Jennings books, and also stories about a boy called Bobby Brewster.

Milly Molly Mandy books
Karlsson on the Roof
The Indian in the Cupboard

Under the Hawthorne tree. It's about the Irish famine. We read it in primary school,it's a bit dark. Might have to download and read it again!

Also loved Jacquline Wilson books.

Monica Edwards Punchbowl Farm series (my favorite) and also her Rye Harbour series.

The Stone Heart Trilogy by Charlie Fletcher I read as an adult but totally loved (all about the statues in London)