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Alternatives to the Great Blyton

54 replies

fatwildwoman · 08/06/2010 00:38

Can anyone recommend anything to read to ds that isn't by Enid Blyton? I always declared I'd never have any of her books in the house, I totally agree with all posters on other threads who denounce her writing as being moralising, stereotyping piffle, but now I find they are creeping in cos they are so easy to read to a 4 year old - the humour appeals to him, it seems. But what can replace Pink-Whistle? Even something more up to date would be a start - "Dame Grumble boxed her cook's ears" ... wtf?

OP posts:
MathsMadMummy · 09/06/2010 11:54

I was obsessed with loved Enid Blyton as a child (famous five-ish stuff, not the faraway tree, mallory towers etc) so my DCs will have some too. no reason why not IMO. my DH got me some early editions once.

another vote for the phantom tollbooth - fantastic story. I was in a play of it when I was ten. for those of you who know it, I was the spelling bee - I had a big fluffy costume and had to spell antidisestablishmentarianism in less than 4 seconds

Rockbird · 09/06/2010 11:58

Pippi Longstocking was another of my favourites. And the Phoenix and the Carpet, Five Children and It etc.

emptyshell · 09/06/2010 12:09

Yeah I knew there was one of the Roald Dahl Revolting Rhymes that had a pretty dicey word in - just couldn't remember which one off the top of my head.

Pumpkin Soup (whoever was asking) is by Helen Cooper, there's a sequel that I can't remember the name off off-hand that I keep meaning to pick up, but it's a basic standby in my supply bag as I can do an impromptu Literacy lesson off it pretty easily. My copy is starting to fall apart from overuse - same as my bumper book of Horrid Henrys - I can probably recite the Comfy Black Chair and Mummy's Curse off by heart by now (complete with silly voices).

I quite like the Kipper (the dog, not the Oxford Reading Tree ones) books for nursery/reception age kids as well - they're nice and easy reading; won't even shatter the world - but keep the kids engaged with the pictures.

Poor Enid - I always did think that the goody two shoes on in the Famous Five needed a bit of a slapping though, but I was the most un-girly girl going as a child and generally had to be removed from trees on a regular basis at bedtime. Sometimes I think people put too many adult undertones into things though - I remember someone once talking about what you could read into many fairy tales if you thought about it from an adult view: you've got child abandomnent (Hansel and Gretel), child slavery (Cinderella), God-knows what Snow White was getting up to in that house with the dwarves - etc etc.

Great one if you're into mickey taking fairy tales (a la Shrek), can't remember the author but The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig - particularly little boys think it's hilarious when they're building houses from kevlar, concrete and padlocks etc. There's another true story of the wolf but it's a bit more lower KS2 orientated and the name escapes me at the moment.

Six Dinner Sid is another one I love - about a cat with six owners, none of whom have figured out he's two-timing them and how he gets found out (I'm a sucker for stories with cats in). I also like the Mog stories - not for how they're written but because I love the silly dipstick cat (possibly because it bears more than a passing resemblence to my own).

I hate the Tiger Who Came to Tea but kids love it, same with the Alfie stories - I personally find them dated and dull. There are some books that you just get weary of because they're done in every school across the land.

MrsvWoolf · 09/06/2010 15:40

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