Share your FAVOURITE CHILDREN'S BOOK for a chance to win £100 to spend at Wordery

[UrsulaMumsnet]

The books you love as a child stay with you forever, they live inside your imagination and shape the way you see the world. There's nothing quite like sharing these stories with a new generation. Watching as their imaginations are captured by the very same tales of giants, magical lands and adventures that once enthralled us.

That's why this year we want to put together the ultimate children's reading list; the comprehensive guide to stories you think no child should grow up without. We'd like you to share your favourites, old or new, and tell us all the reasons why you think they deserve a place on this list.

We'll take the recommendations from this thread and scour the boards for more, to create the ultimate list of children's books. Then we'll put it to vote in attempt to find the best children's book ever written. Because well, who doesn't love a poll?

So, tell us why you think the books you love should make the list, and you'll be entered into a prize draw to win £100 to spend at online book retailer Wordery

Oh goodness, can't choose just one, so here goes: milly-Molly-Mandy series, The Magic Faraway Tree, Mallory Towers, St Clare's, Trebizon, Redwall series by Brian Jacques, Anne of Green Gables, Emily of New Moon, What Katy Did (and Next), Little Women, Heidi, Black Beauty, The Practical Princess and Other Stories, The Three Investigators (Hitchcock), Nancy Drew.... I need to stop. You can just read them over and over. In fact, I might just go and read one right now... Nostalgia!!!

Our favourite has always been Dr Seuss - Oh, The Places You'll Go!

All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot was the first book I read as a child that I couldn't actually put down until it was finished.

As well as being an educational and entertaining read, it inspired an enduring interest in animal welfare along with a later fascination with modern British history and, in particular, local dialects and customs.

Any book which educates, entertains and inspires deserves a place on the ultimate list of children's books.

My favourite childhood books were Enid Blyton, especially the Faraway Tree series.

There are so many lovely books but for me it will always be "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland". So many creative characters and Alice's curiosity and determination is wonderful.

My boys loved any Roald Dahl books especially Georges Marvellous Medicine.

My favourite book at a child was Enid Blyton's The adventures of Mr Pink Whistle. I still have the book and will read it to my son as he grows up. I loved the pictures in it as well as the adventures.

A child's garden of verses by Robert Louis Stevenson

The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton

For me, it would be anything by Roald Dahl. They were my bread and butter growing up and gave me such an imagination.

My favourite book as a child was Charlotte's web. I remember being caught reading it with my torch under my covers and being told to go to sleep...problem was I had to know what was going to happen which meant reading to the end then going down to my mum in floods of tears!
The book deals with a lot of issues such as being different, friendship and ultimately loss of someone you love all done in an entirely appropriate way for children. A great read for all ages!

The Snowman. When I was little my mum got it from the library and apparently I cried sonics when it was time to return it she had to buy me my own copy! Still love it now - my Christmas Eve tradition is watching The Snowman with a hot chocolate and I'm drinking tea from a Snowman mug as I type! I now 'read' the book to my DD and we discuss all the other adventures The Snowman could have. It's a timeless classic and as it has no words encourages children to use their imaginations to tell the story.

Sonics = so much!

Where The Wild Things Are - beautiful illustrations and lovely whimsical quality to it!

I love Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. When you think about how long ago it was written and yet my son still reads it. There have been two film versions of it too, which are also good. It's got a good message in it about the bad children losing out and the good child winning the prize.

My favourite book as a child was The Enchanted Wood by Enid Blyton, I read and re-read it that many times that the book almost fell apart. I still have it somewhere with my name written inside the front cover (aged 6 handwriting), I must read it again soon to see if it instils the same magical feelings as it did then.

I loved the Topsy and Tim books and still have most of my childhood copies. All the essential childhood experiences are there from fancy dress parties to new babies, and all of them embrace the simple things in life.

I loved the Famous Five series when I was growing up however my almost 3 year old loves anything Disney, her favorite being Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree

Another vote for The Magic Faraway Tree and The Enchanted Wood (Blyton.) They have that rare combination of being in simple enough language for even a young reader to read alone, yet exciting, funny, fast=paced and wonderfully magical.

How many hours did I spend as a young child climbing trees, making Slippery-Slips, searching for The Tree in the local woods and gazing up half-excited, half-scared in case Dame Washalot's water came crashing down, imagining Lands that might come to the top of the tree for me to adventure in!

Many other magical books by EB gripped me, but those were special and were for my children many years later.

the very hungry caterpillar

I think Rod Campbell's Dear Zoo has proved to be one of our most popular books when my DDs were 1-2. Now, The Fairytale Hairdresser series of books are a firm favourite with both my girls (now aged 3 & 5).

Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome - not a literary masterpiece but full of wholesome content and great family values

The Story of baked beans is our favourite :)

The secret garden

Elmer the Patchwork Elephant series by David McKee are beautifully illustrated books suit to young children