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Children's books

Join in for children's book recommendations.

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Original poster

The Diddakoi, Rumer Godden

48 replies

Cortina · 20/12/2010 10:40

This book is wonderful, so moving and a really powerful account of how it feels to be an outsider.

Anyone read? On list to read aloud to my son, although he may be a little young yet.

OP posts:

jongleuse · 21/10/2011 21:56

I am planning to write about the book and the TV adaptation for my MA (in children's literature) and discovered that you can view one episode on the BFI screen online website which you can access from any public library. So I did-and although it is very seventies, (the dialogue, the production values and so on) it was still rather lovely! Would love to hear whether anyone else has any memories of the TV adaptation which went out in 1976.

jongleuse · 21/10/2011 21:58

p.s. it is still in print (obv not with the cover from the BBC series of the little girl beside her caravan) with rather a prettified pastel cover of a demure looking little girl with long curly hair-not like the Kizzy I remember at all!

SolidGoldVampireBat · 21/10/2011 22:00

Yet another fan of both the book and the TV series (showing my age here) I have a copy of it kicking around somewhere.

rockboobs · 21/10/2011 22:01

aaah you've done it!

I remembered this story from being a kid but never could think of the name of it. the little girl in the bbc series was so pretty, her dresses with boots and that brown cardigan imprinted itself in my subconscious and very possibly has influenced my sense of style since. Her gran died and they burnt her caravan

PandaG · 21/10/2011 22:04

I have vague memories of the tv programme - I thuink it must have been a reapeat when I sawit as would have been too small in 75.

I loved the book, borrowed it from the school library and cried buckets. I reread it several times when 9-11. Wonder if DD would like it now?

jongleuse · 21/10/2011 22:08

PandaG I gave it to a 10 year old for her birthday this year and she LOVED it!

careergirl · 23/10/2011 10:05

I have it on Kindle and also got the book (tv tie in version with girl from tv series on front cover) so wish I could get that serial on dvd or something. I love this book

zeus123 · 24/10/2011 21:04

My DD loved it, I have saved it for my DD2. Delightful read.

Thzumbazombiewitch · 25/10/2011 13:50

This book so strongly imprinted on my brain!

"One on, one off and one in the wash" for the 3 sets of clothes
Horses' licks are clean, dogs' are dirty
I even have a "Kizzy" cardigan - brown wool (no holes though!) with a giant safetypin fastener - as soon as I saw it I thought of Kizzy.

I also have the BBC adaptation book and remember the song "Diddakoi" and the tune they sang it to. It was where I had all my knowledge of the Romany travellers for years - still don't know how much of it is accurate/inaccurate.

One of the best childhood stories going, I think.

wigglybeezer · 25/10/2011 13:59

I have the book and remember the series very well, in fact I was lamenting to DH the other day that they don't do drama serialisations on children's TV anymore, they are the programmes that stayed with me, i remember Carries War too and many others.

HumphreyCobbler · 25/10/2011 20:53

This is one of my all time favourite books. I have even read it aloud to DH.

Brilliantly and movingly written. It is beautifully constructed.

DH laughed when the cat was called Chuff

jongleuse · 26/10/2011 13:51

Gosh yes wiggly beezer-I agree
I watched the Beeb 1970s Secret garden recently with my 3 and 6 year old which is so leisurely compared with children's TV nowadays and they loved it! Especially sad that the Beeb don't commission children's drama as there are so many brilliant new children's books around. I heard rumours that they were going to redo The Box of Delights but presumably just rumours?

stealthsquiggle · 27/10/2011 11:33

I loved that book - made me cry - and the TV series was probably my first "shouting at the TV" experience because it didn't properly match my mental images

TheGrassIsJewelled · 27/10/2011 11:37

I loved this book too. Read it many times, and am about to order a copy :)

Clawdy · 31/10/2011 20:37

I teach small groups of Year 6 children,and a few weeks ago we were enjoying "The Diddakoi" and discussing Kizzy's ordeal at the hands of bullies. A couple of hours later,I listened as a group of mothers chatted about "My big Fat Gypsy Wedding" and repeatedly used the term"pikeys" with contempt. Plus ca change....sad.

SE13Mummy · 31/10/2011 21:38

I love this book. DD2 was very nearly called Kezia and would have been if she'd been the happy outcome of pregnancies 2, 3 or 4.

Anyway, it's a book I loved as a child and makes me cry as an adult. The taunting and bullying of some but kindness and compassion of others do it for me every time.

DeWe · 01/11/2011 10:46

I've just read it. I've read "An Episode of Sparrows" by her too.

The only negative comment I'd make was that I found the picture built up of her was an older child than her given age. Whenever her age was mentioned I felt surprised. She has her 8th birthday at the end of the book and both the way she behaved and the way the other children reacted round her I'd have put her age as more 9-10 than 7-8.

Jongleuse: You can get the Box of Delights on DVD. Beautifully done.

schroeder · 02/11/2011 14:37

Oh my I loved this book and the program too. Why do we all remember her clothes so much?

I so wanted to have 3 pinafores all the same and pyjamas and petticoats.

But yes, when did we lose that romantic vision of gypsies and turn them into the enemy?

CalamityKate · 11/11/2011 14:53

Loved the book and the TV series!

Off to order it

ElaineReese · 11/11/2011 15:00

I loved this book too, I had the one with the photo of the tv adaptation although I never saw it - before I was even born!

Loved all the descriptions of clothes, and of her little wagon, and the food Miss (B?? was it Brooke?) made - hot little cheese scones, I think it was? And potato cakes?

re-reading, you can see that the good intentions towards making gypsies seem interesting and so on might need some tweaking today ('gypsy men like to spend lots of money on clothes' and so on) but it's a lovely book still.

I also loved RG's 'Miss Happiness and Miss Flower', 'Little Plum', and 'the Doll's House'. Generally always keener on the bits that were about people than the bits about dolls though, I must admit.

supermama212 · 20/11/2011 07:44

I read this to DD and she loved it - so do i still!

seeker · 20/11/2011 07:56

My 15 year old dd found this in a charity shop last week and I found her weeping over it at 1 in the morning! I've never read it, but I have several of her other books lodged permanently in my brain.

WynkenBlynkenandNod · 20/11/2011 07:57

Watched the TV series and used to cry. Didn't occur to me at that age it was a book. Then 3 years ago DD came home with the book from school and I rediscovered it (and cried ) all over again.

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