Books you loved as a child and hope your children will love too.

[TheCortanaThatStoleChristmas]

Inspired by another thread.

I remember buying Dogger don't laugh at the title it's a lovely book! and All In One Piece before DS was born as I wanted to pass on the joy these books brought me.

He has recently read The Hobbit; Swallows and Amazons; The Adventures of Tom Sawyer; Treasure Island and Charlotte's Web. Books that made my childhood.

I hope he will soon find and enjoy the LOTR books, Hitchhikers Guide, Little Women, and Goodnight Mr Tom.

I feel real excitement at the thought of my DS reading lovely books and enjoying them the way I did. Got me wondering what I might have missed though, are there other books that are wonderful for children and deserve to go on a "Books Every Child Should Read" list?

What were your favorite childhood books, and will you buy/pass them on for your children?

Paddington Bear
Beatrix Potter
Famous Five

Brambly Hedge.
Secret Seven.
Famous Five.
Charlotte's Web.
The Little White Horse.

Sorry i meant 'Miss Ghost' by Ruth m Arthur. Really bloody creepy.

Everything by E Nesbit

Carbonel and Carbonel's Kingdom

Half Magic by Edward Eager

The Wizard of Oz

The Narnia books

Amber Spyglass etc

The Jennings books

Does anyone remember Nicholas Fisk? (sci Fi for kids when I was little in the 70s and 80s) I believe they did a childrens BBC adaptation of Starstormers.

Awkward Magic by Elizabeth Beresford

Has anyone mentioned The Wizard of Oz yet? Mind you, I can't get DD to read anything except Malory Towers any more. She reads them all, then starts again at the beginning. I think she must be on her 30th reading by now!

Oops - cross post with Bearcrumble!

Astercote, Wild Hunt of Hagworthy by Penelope Lively
The Owl Service and Weirdstone of Brisingamen by Alan Garner
Z for Zachariah - terrified me.
Most things by Betsy Byars. 18th Emergency etc.

There was another book I loved about a sort of dystopian future where machines were banned and a group of children were travelling the country in a canal boat? I'm sure it was called The Necromancer or something and the author was Peter something. But I can't find it by googling.

life - The Changes by Peter Dickinson i think is the books you're thinking of

lifeintheolddogyet your're talking about The Changes trilogy by Peter Dickinson. I put that book firmly in the category of Cold War books that won't make sense to our kids. Like Z for Zachariah. I can't really explain why The Changes seemed like a Cold War book, perhaps it's more 9/11 that is the dividing line.

Mrs Frisby and the Rats of Nimh
Watership Down
Colin Dann books, all of the Animals of Farthing Wood series and my favourite book ever King of the Vagabonds
All the Narnia books
Rumer Godden - The Peacock Spring

So so many, I adored books. Was in love with them.

Glad pleasenomorepeppa mentioned Green Smoke - loved that but couldn't remember what it was called. Have ordered a seconhand copy from amazon.

Going to go back and read - in the meantime The Iron Man by Ted Hughes is awesome.

Yes, the Iron Man is great but weirdly, I really don't like The Iron Woman at all.

The books I remember being read as a child were the Noddy books, which had a little problem with racism and had to be changed, and the book: Little Black Sambo. Rather banned as well!

Then I shan't read it.

I love Iron Giant so much, I don't want to taint it with substandard sequels (and I've resisted thus far).

I've been collecting my childhood favourites for DD for 6 years now, as most of my original books were attacked by damp in a garage.

My most read books were horse and pony related

Silver Brumby series
My Friend Flicka, Thunderhead etc
Black Stallion
Punchbowl series
Flambards
Horse in the House
Ponies Plot

then the Narnia books
Malory Towers, St Clares
Chalet School series
Six Cousins and Six Cousins again - Enid Blyton
Little Women
What Katy Did
Ballet Shoes, Silver Boots
A Little Princess, The Secret Garden
Adventures of a little wooden horse

I'd forgotten about A Candle in her Room, must go and look that up.

I used o love these, and have now got them as firm favourites for my children too...

The Tiger That Came to Tea
Spot The Dog
Mr Men
Roald Dahl books such as The Twits and Charlie and The Chocolate Factory

I keep trying to get them into Enid Blyton and a bit of The Famous Five, Secret Seven, Ship of Adventure etc but as two boys they're having none of it.

Recently bought for myself to replace my old collection

Enid Blyton St Clares series
Magic Faraway Tree (the original one. Not the stupid updated version!)

I love Little Women and as DD is named for one of the characters, I would love her to read and enjoy it too.

I was 17/18 when Harry Potter was just taking off, and they had me hooked - I hope she enjoys those too.

I also loved Twins at St Clares, Famous Five, Babysitters Club (not fussed about her liking BC).

A lot of my old childhood books are on her bookshelf (at the top as she is only one and can't be trusted yet).

Dahl. I can't wait to read him The Twits, Danny the Champion of the World & George's Marvellous Medicine. I remember the BFG was the first "proper" book I read on my own.

Loving the current stage but looking forward to something more grown up too.

I used to love the Pullein-Thompson books (horsey stuff novels) and I was delighted when I saw a huge hardback book with loads of their short stories.
To read to DD you understand.
They've all been updated and lost 90% of their charm. So gutted

William Goldings "Lord of the Flies" is a long-term favourite of mine. I showed my DC the film to introduce the subject of bullying (Piggy who was common, fat, glasses, asthmatic. Raised by his aunt. Completely different socially and physically to the other boys.And bullied mercilessly)

Too many to count, I think.

DD is just getting into longer story books at bedtime - DH is currently reading her Wind in the Willows. I have Rumer Godden's "Holly and Ivy" all waiting to start reading to her on Christmas Eve.

I've already read her Heidi (which disappointingly wasn't quite as good as I remembered it), and looking forward hopefully to her enjoying the Chronicles of Narnia, Black Beauty, The Secret Garden, the Railway Children, A Little Princess, the Sword in the Stone, the Green Knowe books, Little House in the Big Woods, Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the Secret 7, the Famous Five, Malory Towers, Billy Bunter, Just William, Jennings, The Worst Witch, Mrs Pepperpot, Milly Molly Mandy, Goodnight Mr Tom, The Ghost of Thomas Kempe, The Revenge of Samuel Stokes, The Animals of Farthing Wood, The Whitby Witches...

But most emphatically not The Chalet School books (which enjoyed great popularity amongst my friends, but which I always considered to be absolutely dire. I never liked the Phantom Tollbooth either

Gosh this thread has me oohing and aahhing!! I haven't even read all of it.

Fantastic Mr Fox
Judy Blume Freckle Juice (and all the others from that series)
The turbulent term of Tyke Tyler
Lizzie Dripping
The worst witch

My mind is spinning now... off to read the rest of the thread.

DD2 is having What Katy Did as her bedtime story. I'm enjoying it as much as she is! Though I'm sure I will probably hate it now - as a child it all seemed so moral and lovely, I will probably want to slap smug old Cousin Helen when she comes into it.

DD1 is 19 so already nostalgic for childhood books - she never liked any of mine (sniff!) but here nostalgia fest includes:

Teddy Robinson
The Mousehole Cat
Jessica Harriet's New Neighbours
Nothing
Percy the Park Keeper

I loved:

Green Smoke
Angela Brazil school stories (my mum's books)
Trebizon/Chalet School/Malory Towers/St Clare's
Wishing Chair
The Enid Blyton "Funtime Tales" "Sunny Day Stories"etc - DD3 is having those read to her at the moment, full of things that probably go straight over her head like milkmen, darning socks, rag and bone men etc Incredibly patronising little moralistic tales but I loved them!

BTW we bought a Richard Scarry book from Asda or the Book People, called something like The Funniest Storybook Ever - DH thinks it should be had under the Trades Description Act as he hates it with a vengeance! I had Busy Busy World as a child and loved it, can see what he means though - I think you need to be a child to like it.