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

[MrsKwazii]

For picture books, when I was little I loved the Harry the Dog series by Gene Zion. The stories were funny and I loved that the pictures were only in black, white, yellow and green. My favourite was 'No Roses For Harry' where Gran knitted him a flowery dog jumper which he hated, and the book shows it unravelling. As s child who was oven bought clothes I wasn't keen on, it touched a chord! I've bought the whole series to read with my children.

I also liked 'Funny Bones' by the Alberghs, and love reading 'Peepo' and 'Each Peach Pear Plum'. Classics like 'The Bery Hungry Caterpillar', 'Mog', 'The Tiger Who Came To Tea', 'Dear Zoo' and 'Dogger' are also well-loved favourites. Mick Inkpen's Kipper series is great too.

For more modern picture books, many of Julia Donaldson's are fantastic, especially when she links up with Axel Scheffler. We love The Gruffalo and The Gruffalo's Child, Room on the Broom, Monkey Puzzle and Super Worm.

Oliver Jeffer's 'The Boy' books are great, with lovely illustrations and sweet relationships. We also like 'The Day the Crayons Quit' which he illustrated for Drew Daywalt - very funny for slightly older children.

Jon Klassen is a fabulous illustrator and writer. 'I Want My Hat Back' and 'This Is Not My Hat' are two of my favourite picture books. They're beautifully drawn, have a dry sense of humour and the pictures tell you just as much - and sometimes more - than the words. They are brilliant.

Nick Sharrat is also great. He really tickles my little girls' funnybones. His drawing style is instantly recognisable, whether for his stories or illustrating someone elses. We love 'Pants' with Giles Andre, 'There's A Shark in the Park', 'Octopus Socktopus' and 'Don't Put Your Finger in the Jelly, Nelly'. Always great rhymes and bright. funny illustrations.

For older children, we're not there yet with reading together, but I can't wait to rediscover Roald Dhal especially 'The BFG', 'The Twits' and 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'. I'd have to reread Enid Blyton first to be ready to counter the out of date attitudes it includes and talk about them with my children, but I loved the 'Famous Five' books.

I also had the Storyteller partworks with a range of classic stories, poetry and serials like Gobbolino the Witches Cat, which I'm looking forward to sharing. Just fabulous.

[MrsKwazii]

Blimey, I went on a bit. I just love books. Just realisedI forgotto add Alice In Wonderland and Alice Through The Looking Glass, plus The Wind in The Willows. All firm favourites as I grew up and currently lurking on the bookcases for my children to reach the right age.

[bernie77]

I'm not sure if I'm repeating myself but I think I pressed the wrong button and lost my first attempt. My favourite was and is the Narnia series, it was so easy to get lost in a magical world and then as I grew older I became aware of the analogies, they're clever books as well as being great stories. As a side issue my username has come up as bernie77 instead of bernie777, I thought I'd better mention it as it may cause an identity crisis (and I did try to alter it and it won't)

[Audweb81]

Can't go wrong with roald Dahl, I read Matilda about 8 times in a row when I was a young girl. Just the whole story captured my imagination.

Just now, my favourite one to read to my daughter is The snail and the whale, by Julia Donaldson. I love the notion of a snail exploring the world, it just speaks to me, and its such a delightful story for her, she's always loved it.

[hufflebottom]

The secret garden. Always been my favourite.

We (me and dd) like the famous five too

[HannahLI]

We have just finished reading 'How to Train your Dragon' by Cressida Cowell and for me it is an excellent book because I have been as hooked as my five year old, kids books very rarely get me as inspired as this one did. Its well written, a bit eccentric and unusual which I like. It was very funny and we laughed a lot, the characters have amazing names and there is a place for these new exciting adventures.

[G1veMeStrength]

The Blue Balloon - its really fun and lovely and has a great 'what if' side to it.

The Arrival by Shaun Tan - very thoughtful story

And

The Turbulent Term of Tyke Tyler - very good story and takes you back to the 80s/remembering what its like to be a school child brilliantly.

[elpth]

YY to Jon Klassen and I Want My Hat Back!
I'm not sure a poll for the "best" children's book is a good aim tbh. Noone would ever want to only be able to pick one book to read and most of us, as you can see, can't even pick our own favourite single book (and wouldn't want to). Can you not just compile a list of the best 100 children's books but not ranked in order? Or give everyone lots of votes so we can vote for our favourite 20 or something? Then that would give you results without trying to pick the one "best" book?
This thread is brilliant in making me relive past books I've loved and look out new ones. It seems a backwards step to condense that down to one "best" book. The world is enriched by all these books!

[allthingsred]

I loved the Roald Dahl books esp bfg & matilda as a child & I have loved my rediscovering them with my children. As a pre teen the sweet valley high or point horror books were my favourites

[hareinthemoon]

All of the Frances books by Russell Hoban are just lovely. The way the words go together, the very deep understanding (completely non-judgemental) of how children work, and the adorable illustrations make these (high among) my favourites. They are also really funny: I only knew Hoban as a literary writer until one day I was casting around for a book to read a class of 7 year olds and picked A Birthday For Frances off the class shelf. At one point while reading it I laughed so hard I fell off my chair.

[MimsyBorogroves]

From my childhood, Bottersnikes and Gumbles. Very few people seem to have heard of it, but the ones who have always get excited when it's mentioned. Super squishy Gumbles versus big, ugly, bad tempered, hot eared Bottersnikes - it's charming, hilarious and a work of sheer genius.

[Wiggletastic]

I loved all the Enid Blyton books and really wished I could go to boarding school, it seemed to be so much more fun than my little village school.

The Worst Witch series was a great favourite and Ive now read them all again with DD - she is a big fan too.

I got a set of three books for my eighth birthday that I read over and over - they are out of print now sadly and second hand copies are £££s - they were by Beverly Nichols - The Tree that Sat Down, The Stream that Stood Still and The Mountain of Magic - does anyone else remember them?

My absolute favourite childrens book and one of my all time favourite books is Anne of Green Gables - Anne is one of the most engaging characters ever written. I am really looking forward to DD reading it when she is a bit older.

[MadJo]

I absolutely adored a book called The String Family by Patricia Cleveland-Peck. It really fuelled my imagination and I would collect odd assortments of string and pretend they also came to life in a similar way to the characters in the book.

[Sixgeese]

I was a big reader so had lots of favourite books, I loved the Anne of Green Gables series and one that I reread even now was called Children of the Dust about the aftermath of a nuclear war.

DS(aged 10) loved the fact that I still have what would be described as children's books on my shelves even now as our taste in books overlaps now he is getting a bit older. He is reading the books by Rick Riordan (Percy Jackson series) and my copy of the Hunger Games trilogy in currently on his bedroom floor.

But if we are talking about books I like reading to the children, it would be books like What the Ladybird Heard, and Owl Babies.

[jodandrob]

my fave book is Matila and Bfg.

[FlopIsMyChristmasGuru]

DS loved Aliens Love Underpants as a child. I'll be sad when I'm no longer reading the Gruffalo and the Gruffslo's child.

[MyNameIsInigoMontoya]

The Hero and the Crown and The Blue Sword, by Robin McKinley are probably my greatest favourites.

But I loved many others too - Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising, Swallows and Amazons, the Famous Five, Narnia, Diana Wynne Jones... and loads more, too many to choose!

DS's all-time favourite is Matilda, he is a bookworm too.

(Mimsy I remember Bottersnikes and Gumbles too!)

[WelliesTheyAreWonderful]

There are so many amazing kids books! It's so difficult to choose. From my own childhood - 'Each Peach Pear Plum' is fab. I loved the bouncy rhythm and trying to remember the right order of characters. I still know it and recite it to DS to soothe him. I look forward to 'spying' the characters with him when he's a bit older! 'The Magic Faraway Tree' is also worth a mention, great for kids' imagination as who didn't try to imagine their own lands at the top of the tree?!

Newer books - Oliver Jeffers' books, particularly 'The Day The Crayons Quit'. I think all kids (and adults) should read R J Palacio's 'Wonder' as it's great for developing empathy. Also 'Anne Frank's Diary' is an accessible way to begin to understand the atrocities of WW2. Mary Norton's 'The Borrowers' for sheer fun. I really wanted the Borrowers to be real!

[pieceofpurplesky]

Has to be one of two (series of).
Firstly Little House on the Prairie - I read them over and over again I wanted to play in a creek, have wild snowy weather either visits from Mr Edwards and travel in a wagon sleeping under the stars. Laura Ingalls Wilder was the voice of my childhood imagination.

Also the Magic Faraway Tree - I wanted to go on the slippery slip
And eat pop cakes with silky and saucepan man whilst waiting for new lands up above. My best friend and I spent hours making up lands - I have had the pleasure of sharing that game with DS

[Ditsy79]

My favourite book has to be Mog's Christmas by Judith Kerr (I love all the mog books with the exception of Goodbye Mog ). Wonderful story and fantastic illustrations . It was my favourite book when I was a child, and my 2yo dd loves it now

[SuzCG]

Enid Blyton was my absolute escape - I loved everything, Magic Faraway Tree, Wishing Chair, Secret Seven, Famous Five, Adventure series the list goes on. No child should ever grow up without being introduced to these classics! I also adored Heidi and The Secret Garden.

[deepdarkwood]

For younger children, I'm going on a Bear Hunt and Where the Wild Things Are are my favourites.

My 'go to' books from my childhood are Ballet Shoes and The Painted Garden - both of which I've also now read with the dc. And Anne of Green Gables.

But my absolute favourite children/young teen book is the Philip Pullman trilogy - His Dark Materials. Utterly magical, deeply meaningful, and makes me sob and sob every time I read it. I've been keeping the dc away from it, but ds is now 11 and at secondary school and old enough to really enjoy it. He got it out of the library last week and I am watching him read it with so much pleasure!

[WeeMadArthur]

The Tiger That Came To Tea is the one I was most excited about reading to DS
as I loved it so much as a child. I loved the excitement at the thought of a tiger turning up at my house, and the suspense as it ate it's way through the contents of the larder. I was always disappointed that it never came back, I can just imagine the little girl checking wistfully, hoping that it would appear and eat the tiger food that they had bought for it. It's a true classic.

[iggy155]

I used to love the Sweet Valley High books. I lost whole weekends lying on my bed reading the stories. I remember looking at them in my local library and trying to decide on the ones I wanted. The characters grew up throughout the books and I grew up with them. My girls are a bit too young to read them but I will show them to them when they are older l.

[coffeeisnectar]

I have always loved reading and still have the original series of Noddy books. I read Enid blyton avidly especially the faraway tree books which dd 2 is now reading.

The secret garden, black beauty and Winnie the pooh are also treasure books from childhood which I still have.

Grillpan Eddie is a book I have read to dd 2 over and over, we love it because it rhymes, it's funny and sad and we can read it together.