To ask what your favourite children's book is/was

[LaVieEstBelle159]

The book or books that bring back comforting and happy memories.

Mine are Magic Faraway Tree, Mallory Towers and St Clares, all by Enid Blyton.

What are yours?

@midsomermurderess

The Three Brothers of Ur. And a peculiar, creepy book about a girl, in the language of the times, an invalid, living in a house on a remote area, and as she drew the house, the house became alive. That's my hazy recollection. Does that ring any bells with anyone?

As a previous poster said, this is definitely Marianne Dreams... and definitely creepy!

For me, it was anything by Dodie Smith, Laura Ingalls Wilder and L.M. Alcott (having lost my mother at an early age, I think I was brought up by a combination of Ma Ingalls and Marmee March)!

Delighted to see someone mention the Sue Barton nurse series too - they were very entertaining. Probably my absolute favourite children's novel is The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge. And does anyone remember the Emma series by Honor Arundel (The High House, Emma's Island, Emma in Love)? Wonderful - still remember every scene from those books.

And from my daughter's early childhood, The Paper Dolls is a favourite and we love re-reading the Katy Carr books, especially What Katy Did at School.

@SunshineLollipopsAndRainbows

I can’t remember the title but I loved the story of a teddy bear that accidentally got thrown out with the rubbish & his adventures. I read it over & over.

@SunshineLollipopsAndRainbows was that The Bear that No one Wanted?

No surprise, Anne of Green Gables!

This is my favourite ever thread ☺️

MargaretThursday just googled that title but it’s not the one.

Trixie Belden was another series I really liked, I haven't seen one of those in years.

Loved Mallory Towers and The Twins at St Clare's, Ballet Shoes, the Chalet School series and adored Follyfoot. My older cousin gave me a load of books called The Abbey Girls which I really enjoyed. I remember there were quite a lot of books in the series. I also loved The Children of Green Knowe books.

@MangyInseam

Trixie Belden was another series I really liked, I haven't seen one of those in years.

Oh yes, I loved these too. They were tricky to get hold of though so I had randomly numbered volumes. Something like 3, 7, 9 and 16.

As a child: Matilda

As a parent: the velveteen rabbit

Wolves of Willowby Chase
The cricket from Times Square
Laura Ingalls Wilder books
Pippi Longstocking
Mrs Pepperpot
What Katy did
My naughty little sister
Mallory Towers

What Katy Did At School! Oh yes! I also loved Daddy Long Legs then but looking back at it now it is a bit creepy.

And, as a teenager, I Capture the Castle

The Hollow Tree House by Enid Blyton!

Heidi

Oh, all the Jennings and Just William too, read whatever was in the house and with two older brothers...

The Tiger Who Came to Tea. So lovely and of its time.

Charlotte Sometimes
Tom’s Midnight Garden
The Carbonel series

Where The Wild Things Are, the Black Stallion books, the Narnia Chronicles.

Had forgotten the Ramona books, I loved those! And the Emily series by L.M Montgomery! This thread is ace!

The naughtiest girl series
The children of cherry tree farm
Anything by Paula Danziger
The sister series by Marilyn Kaye

The Sadlers Wells collection. I had the whole lot and regret getting rid of them. They cost a fortune now.

Ballet Shoes, Little Women, Bottersnikes and Gumbles

Charlottes Web
Mallory Towers
Mrs Pepperpot
The Wishing Chair
The Famous Five
Haffertee Hamster Diamond - this was a bit niche I think but still have my copy to this day!
Twopence to cross the Mersey

@Justlovedogs
I worked in a school library in the 80s and there was a very nice big lad who used to come in and ask for another of those nurse books - I often wondered if Sue Barton was his ideal woman or whether he ended up in nursing.

The Sue Barton books were my all time favourite - I still have them and read them from time to time.

I also loved any and all Enid Blyton - especially Mallory towers and the ‘adventure’ series. But also had big a soft spot for Mr Galliano’s Circus and the Cherry Tree /Willow Farm series.

As a younger child I loved The Adventures of the Little Wooden Horse, and later I read and re-read ‘The Children Who Lived in a Barn’. And the Katy Carr series.

For those who loved the Katy Carr books, the 3 that are well known are available for free on Kindle, along with two more that came afterwards but went out of print much earlier, so I hadn’t known they existed till recently. I was thrilled to find out what had happened to the family after What Katy did Next! Just mentioning it in case anyone else wants to look them up…

The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe and the rest of the series
The Borrowers
The Pheonix and the Carpet
Are you there God? It’s me Margaret

Then moved onto Stephen King

Very young
Mr Men especially Mr Topsey-Turvy and Mr Small
Meg and Mog
Where the Wild Things Are