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

My favourite has to be 'Dogger' lovely lovely story and beautiful illustrations!

'George's Marvellous Medicine' by Roald Dahl. I remember reading this when I was about 7 or 8 and couldn't believe a child could do something so fun and naughty. A quintessential Dahl classic.

'Brother in the Land' was one I distinctly remember from my teens. It was much first foray into dystopian fiction and had me hooked. I will always remember that baby!

Roald Dahl has got to be my favourite children's author - how can anyone not love the wit, cleverness, originality?

My favourite book as a child was Georges Marvellous Medicine - I'm so looking forward to reading it to my children when they are a little bit older.

Many of mine have been mentioned here, but one hasn't -

The Land of Green Ginger by Noel Langley - it is a very funny sequel to the Aladdin story, and has a flying back garden, a magician who has accidentally turned himself into a button nosed tortoise, villains called RubDub Ben Thud, and Tin Tack Ping Fu, and a donkey that sits on a pin.

Incidentally - Wordery are a very helpful company.

I ordered Papercutting, Old and New (you know - the delicate filigree paper craft) and they sent me The Homeowner's Complete Guide to the Chainsaw, by accident - and when I emailed them, they sent me the Papercutting book, and said I could keep the other one! Great service.

Reading to my DD I have loved Dear Zoo, New Shoes Red Shoes and the Velveteen Rabbit.
As a child I loved Tom's midnight garden, the little princess, the secret garden and stig of the dump.

I loved The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge when I was a child. I was completely transported by a story which was written years before I was born. I remember picking it off the shelf in the bookshop because it had a horse in the title and on the cover, and I was a pony mad child and I just fell in love with it. I wanted to be the little girl in the story, with a bedroom in a tower and a mysterious white horse.

It is one of the few books I kept from my childhood and I read it to my own daughter when she was about 8. I wondered whether I would still enjoy it (as I could barely remember the story from reading it as a child) and more importantly whether my daughter would like it. She loved it as much as I did. It was a joy to read it again.

My favourite books were Enid Blyton famous five and secret seven. I also love Noel Streatfield ballet shoes .

If I could choose a set of books it would have to be anything written by Shirley Hughes as I adore her writing style and the illustrations. My favourite single book at the moment though is one that I'd never heard of until I recently got it from the library to read to DD. It is called The Snatchabook and is simply lovely. The illustrations are beautiful and the words are so well rhymed and a joy to read. It also has a lovely storyline and a nice moral lesson. We loved it so much we bought our own copy straight away and I'm still not bored of it. Will be one to hand down to DD for sure.

My absolute favourite book as a small child was Dogger. I'm not sure I even know why it was but it definitely one that every child should read. The pictures, and the way the big sister swaps her new teddy so they can get tatty old dogger back. I guess I knew that if I'd lost my teddles I'd have done anything to get him back too. It's also full of beautiful, yet simple illustrations.

Then as an older child it was all about Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfield. Oh how I wanted to be Posy Fossil! To me it's a real reflection of how much love can do. The 'boarders' loved the Fossil girls enough to provide free lessons, dance classes and loans of money that were needed. It's a beautiful classic tale that all children should read.

I loved the "What a mess" books as a child, but never see them anymore.

The Just William series, hilariously written and a fun read for both children and adults. I can't wait to dig them out the attic and read to DD. If it doesn't win 'I'll scweam n scweam n scweam till I'm sthick'!

Oh gosh, how do you choose?

As a child I loved all the Brian Jaques books and I can't wait to share them with the children Ds1 will be reading them soon I think.

The Robin Jarvis books were brilliant, I really loved the Deptford Mice and Deptford Histories. I think they were the first time I red books that really gripped me but that didn't necessarily have a happy ending. I still have them, I can't bear to get rid of them but I have never been able to bring myself to re-read them.

Back Home and Goodnight Mr Tom made me cry buckets.

Steinbeck's Red Pony is beautiful.

Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials had me waiting the for the publication of the next book with great anticipation.

George's Marvellous Medicine led to certain interesting experiments in the bathroom.

The Chalet School books made me long to go away to boarding school.

Books are wonderful.

When Marnie Was There by Joan G Robinson and The Warden's Niece by Gillian Avery. Neither of my daughters showed any inclination to read them!

I used to love a book called sloppy kisses about a young pig who didn't want any more kisses until she went without. You can't get it now.

Meg and mog were both loved by me and now my son. Seem to have dropped off the radar now but I love their simplicity and bold colours

What Katy Did made a real impact on me as a child and is a book that stayed with me, I read and re-read that series over and over. I loved the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew for that sense of adventure. I would recommend the Diana Wynne Jones Chrestomanci and Spellcoats series

My absolute favourite book growing up was :
Tooth Fairy by Audrey Wood

I can still remember the story well, nearly 20 years on, and its one that sticks in my mind with fond memories. I even remember going to school on book day, dressed as a 'Colgate Fairy' - my Mums creation!

I have read it to my Son, who asks for it over and over, especially now that he is starting to read too. I just know my daughter will love it too!

The illustrations are fab, and the story - so creative. Everyone (young and old) needs to read this book! :)

Mine were When Marnie Was There by Joan G. Robinson and Charlotte Sometimes by Penelope Farmer. I read them and reread them until they fell to pieces. I have had to buy new copies for my own kids!

For me it was the faraway tree as a child. I cannot wait to share this with my 3 year old.

My 11 year old loves the David Walliams books

My 3 and 2 year old love the owl babies. It's loved so much and read often

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. We were read it at infant school and I loved it. Then when I was 10 I was in an am dram play of it - I was the spelling bee! I can still spell antidisestablishmentarianism in 4 seconds as I had to do it as part of the script :o

I was a very shy child other than acting so this book gives me very happy memories. My DCs are just about old enough for it so I'll be reading it to them soon, I can't wait :)

It either the twits or the witches. I think it would be the witches if I had to choose. I still read it for fun now. I vividly remember reading the bit when Bruno Jenkins was frying ants when I was on my first holiday abroad about 8.

After ds4 was born I had some dark times with pnd. I used to put him in the baby carrier and go for loonnnnggg woodland walks. He used to settle to the sound of my voice and as I'm not a great singer I found that I actually knew the whole gruffalo story off by heart. Those walks really kept me sane and where little windows of light in a dark time. Now whenever I read the gruffalo it makes me oddly happy/sad and so it will always hold a very special place in my heart.

As a primary school teacher and as a mum I have loved reading 'Who's afraid of the Big Bad book' by Lauren Child to many children. I love the idea of falling into a book. The characters are great (I have perfected my screechy Goldilocks voice after reading is many times!) and come out with some great lines. The collage style illustrations are fantastic as in all Lauren Child's books.

I loved Winnie the Poo as a child. I think this book is timeless, making so many children happy over the generations!

I loved Ballet Shoes - my grandparents had a copy and I read it every time we visited. Whilst I have never made it as a dancer, I can now identify with Garnie as a single adoptive mum (which was somewhat radical back in her day! DD didn't come off a sinking boat or with a pair of ballet shoes though!)

DD1 loved Chocolate Mousse for Greedy Goose, Charlie Cook''s Favourite Book and Spacegirl Pukes when she was little. We read them every day, at least once, for months...

I loved Watership Down, the Little Grey Men, the Wind in the Willows, the Narnia series. I can't really remember any very early childhood books.