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?

Dorrie The Little Witch.

The Family at One End Street,
Sparkle you have made my day, I adored that book and you have reminded me of it. Thank you.

I loved What Katy Did, Heidi, Anne of Green Gables, Enid Blyton, Roald Dahl, The Little Princess and so many more.

Oh and The Whitby Witches series too. I loved it and most of the Robert Jarvis stuff.

mcpheast I didn't have the giant jam sandwich when I was small, but dd has it and enjoys it. I think it's genius, I've put it away so she can enjoy it again when she's a bit older.

Dogger is indeed a lovely book! 'then bella did something very kind' made me choked a bit when I read it to the dds!

I wish they'd liked Antonia forest, but they didn't.

Swallows and amazons - in fact all of the Arthur ransome books.
Malcolm Saville Lone pine series

**Robin Jarvis, sorry.

And both mine loved Polly and the Wolf long after a reasonable age, almost as much as I loved reading it aloud.

Great thread! Lots of my favourites have already been mentioned..as a child, my desert island authors would have included Noel Streatfeild, Joan Aitken, Lorna Hill, Laura Ingalls Wilder and Elizabeth Goudge. I have found most of my old favourites on Ebay and Amazon....money well spent! People have already mentioned the changes made to modern editions of Enid Blyton...I found out recently that 'The Little White Horse' has been changed to include 'The Men from the Dark Woods', and the new paperback edition does not have the lovely illustrations of the older editions . Anyone know of any other changes to modern editions of classic books?

When I was at school, I remember reading a book from the Book Corner called "Charlotte Sometimes". I read it and was completely haunted by it. I bought it for my son and despite it having a pink cover (!!!) he loved it. My daughter is now about to read it because she read the blurb on the back. Jsu one of those books that stays with you.

(was it Rosie m Banks who wrote Great American Birds, or was she the romantic novelist?)

All our 'classics' are as they were. So we do have Laura shouting 'I WANT THAT INDIAN BABY' etc.

Just marking place to read and comment tomorrow

I remember Charlotte Sometimes!

Joan Aiken. This is a great website...www.joanaiken.com

Black beauty

Agreed TheOriginal, reading it to newborn DS (eight years ago!) it hit me that I was a parent. I was sitting reading the same book my parents had read to me. One of the reasons I wanted to start this thread was that I know I am not the only one who gets a wee tear seeing their DC hunched over a book I loved as a child. I remember being so young and all excited about the world and loving the adventures those books brought for me, and there's my son, just the same. I remember who I was when I read those books and I feel I know his mind a little bit better.

The ordinary princess by mm Kaye. I loved that book.

Also lots of books mentioned here which have reminded me which is great.

Just bought the faraway tree for my niece and nephew!

I lost interest after Wolves, but loved Midnight Is a place, and the short stories. There were some awfully bleak and depressing ones, though. Something about a child called Emmeline and the end of the world?

Oh I could list forever! Here are those I loved.

Joan Aiken books, particularly 'The Wolves of Willoughby Chase'
'The Dark is Rising' series by Susan Cooper
'Weirdstone of Brisingamen' by Alan Garner
Noel Streatfield - particularly Ballet Shoes
Diana Wynne Jones books, particularly Charmed Life, the first I read.
Bogwoppit
The Little White Horse - Elizabeth Goudge
Moondial
The Narnia books
Little House on the Prairie
Children of Green Knowe
Antonia Forest school stories
Sue Barton nursing books
The Bagthorpes
Saddlers Wells' series of books
The Three Investigators series
Pullein Thompson pony books
The Machine Gunners, and anything else by Robert Westall
Flambards - K M Peyton
Tom's Midnight Garden
Malcolm Saville 'Lone Pine' series
Enid Blyton
Roald Dahl
'The House with a Clock in the Walls' John Bellairs
'The Swish of the Curtain' Pamela Brown
'Knock Three Times' Marion St John Webb

Phew....I could add lots more. Eldest DCs are now late teens/20 and have read lots of these (rejecting some - how could they???). Youngest DS and I are currently re-reading Milly Molly Mandy and Roald Dahl.

I loved Roald Dahl when I was younger so am overjoyed that all mine love him too. DS3 & 4 are really into him right now.

I never like Enid Blyton that much, but DS1 went through a phase of loving all the Famous Five, Secret Seven and Adventure books. I read a couple and they were ok, but still not my thing.

My all time favourite is the Dark is Rising series by Susan Cooper. I bought it for DS1 and he didn't like it. I'm hoping my others will when they are old enough - DS5 bloody well better like it, he was named after 2 characters in the book!

What Katy Did - but I don't think my boys would be into them, though I re-read them recently.

I loved The magic faraway tree, Malory Towers and Famous Five series' by Enid Blyton, Stig of the Dump, The Wind in the Willows and the complete Shirely Hughes collection at varying ages as a little one. My DD is 3months and already has a bookshelf full of books I hope she gets as much enjoyment from them as I did as a little girl.

Does anyone remember a book called 'The Giant Jam Sandwich'? Oh yes!

"One hot summer in Itching Down,
Four million wasps flew into town."

John Vernon Lord and Janet Burroway wrote it.
(We always used to wonder what happened to the rest of the loaf.)

I would like to add The Borrowers, and Teddy Robinson, and all the Ramona books (Beverley Cleary obviously remembers well what it was really like being a child), Just William, all Roald Dahl, Aesop's Fables, Hans Christian Andersen, Brothers Grimm, The Wind In The Willows, E Nesbit, Catherine Storr's Marianne Dreams (and Clever Polly & The Stupid Wolf), Penelope Lively's Carrie's War, Mrs Pepperpot, Milly Molly Mandy...

I don't think my DS is going to be all that impressed with my choices, he tends to like stuff about vehicles mostly. Hopefully his imagination will develop over time.

Monica Edwards Punchbowl Farm series and her Rye Harbour Series too.

Loved them!

Anne of Green Gables/ Willow Farm
Secret Garden
Anything by Enid Blyton.
Edward Lear/ Nonsense poems.
Pippy Longstocking
Kizzy (Gypsygirl)
Tom's midnight Garden
Hobbit
Five Children and It
Stig of the dump
Black Beauty
OMG there's loads

The Chalet School books
The 'Anne' books
Ballet Shoes
The Secret Garden
Little Women / Good wives
I do hope DD likes them too!