What’s one story from your childhood that still gives you that warm, magical feeling? - Win cinema vouchers

[EllieSmumsnet]

Some stories stay with us forever. They’re the ones that sparked our imaginations, introduced us to unforgettable characters, and made us believe that extraordinary things could happen in ordinary places. Long after childhood, those tales still carry a sense of comfort and wonder.

Now, as The Magic Faraway Tree makes its journey from beloved book to the big screen, arriving in UK & Ireland cinemas on 27 March 2026, it’s the perfect moment to celebrate the stories that shaped us.

What’s one story from your childhood that still fills you with that warm, magical feeling and why? Was it a book you read again and again? A character you wished you could meet? A world you imagined so vividly it felt real?

Share your memory with us by 22/04/2026 for your chance to win a £200 VEX voucher and cinema vouchers to see The Magic Faraway Tree with your family (T&Cs apply).

I remember a story (from a book with a selection of stories), called “ Pennies From Heaven”, it taught me so much when I was probably around ten years of age.
I can’t remember a lot of detail, but I learned that sometimes you can reap more from giving than receiving.
This particular story not only influenced me as a child, but it’s meaning has carried on into my adult self.

That's so funny. I couldn't get them past the introduction.

I'm reading Spot the dog stories to my littlest one and they bring back lovely memories and a sense of happiness

Matilda. I loaned this book from the library over and over. I felt like I related to her character, and I wanted to be like her!

Watership Down. I loved that book and read it over and over. I never watched the film (I've since heard it was scary for kids?) but the book was magical for me. I imagined myself on that journey with the rabbits!

The lion , the witch and the wardrobe, especially the descriptions of the animals homes. The Dark is rising - truly menacing. Anything by Shirley Hughes for the gorgeous illustrations

I loved this too! Fab book x

Too many! The Wishing Chair, Amelia Jane, The Brothers Grim Stories, Alibaba from the land and Alibaba from the sea, Brambly Hedge, Aesops Fables, The Worst Witch, anything Roald Dahl, Spike Milligan’s limericks, Ladybird books, The Soup and the Stone, The Magic Paintbrush… I could go on! The best thing you can gift to a child is the joy of reading. The emersion into a new world and transported to somewhere new every time you pick up a book and read.

Green smoke.
I bloody loved that book
Sought it out for eldest child

Jennie by Paul Gallico, about a boy that turns into a cat

And many more including...
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
A Little Princess
Danny the Champion of the World, Roald Dahl
Where the Wild Things Are
Gobbolino the Witches Cat
Pippi Longstocking

For me "the Secret Garden" Frances Hodgson Burnett . & The 1949 film version of the book ( which is not the best adaptation ) . But even now in my 7th decade the way the garden is in technicolour compared to the B&W of the rest resonates with me when spring comes around.

I capture the castle is also a comfort read.

A story that’s always stayed with me is the Magic Faraway Tree I loved and imagined the hidden worlds feel vivid, magical, and full of endless possibility. I especially loved Moon-Face, I used to pretend to be the charactor, like I was part of the adventure too.

Magical. The different forests of silver, gold and diamond and castle by the lake

Peter Pan

I had a children’s story book and it had a variety of different stories in it. I LOVED The Little Match girl and would read it every night. I remember thinking how lucky I was to have a kind dad who didn’t send me out in the snow to sell matches.

The Narnia series of books: it reminds me of being away one summer in a very remote area, finding the local shop which has a shelf of children's books, and buying them one by one, spending all my holiday money on them. Just the mention of the books reminds me of that childhood summer.

Dusty finds the money

There are two: The Swish of the Curtain by Pamela Brown, but even more Henrietta’s House, by Elizabeth Goudge.

It left me with a lasting love of forests and woodlands, and even now - 60 or more years since I first read it - I will sometimes find myself driving (alas not in a governess cart!) through a wooded area that reminds me of the book, and feeling slightly shivery with excitement and pleasure.

My Naughty Little Sister! I loved the illustrations of her cross little face and the stories were so funny to me as an equally naughty little 4/5yo!! Also I was the naughty little sister in my family and my big sister was a well behaved girl, so those stories really resonated with me!

I came on to say Twelve Dancing Princesses too 👸 💛

Oh my, so many. I've always loved books and there are so many that I've loved for so many reasons.

But my all time favourite has to be Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild. It just has everything I wanted as a child. The magic of non-biological family, Ballet, acting, Ballet, sisters. Oh and did I mention Ballet? I've seen both the TV series (although the newer one can get in the bin) and the National Theatre production. Growing up I wanted to be Posy. As an adult my children are lucky they are boys, they could have been called Posy if they were girls.

I read my copy of the book so many times that it literally fell apart and had to be replaced. As an adult it's my ultimate comfort read.

Ooo for me it has to be Charlotte’s Web. The depth of the animal characters, especially a spider!! Charlotte was wise, kind and heroic. The loyalty of friendship between wee Wilbur and Charlotte and the emotional turmoil of Charlottes death, left a lifelong impression on me, I had never been so moved by a book. I remember the book making me cry and being shocked just at that fact! As a child obsessed with bugs, the book was deeply affecting, assigning such depth to a spider character, and without over anthropomorphising her. And the gentle moral questioning of a farm animals fate was delicately handled but deeply affecting to an animal lover like myself. It was a book that I think gave me faith in my convictions - if a adult could feel and write so compassionately about animals too, I felt my sensibilities were not so childish as some adults in my real life made me feel. And that gave me the forever cozies ☺️ - a confidence in myself and my spirit.

I loved reading The Hobbit as a child because it felt like stepping into a world full of adventure, comfort, and just the right amount of danger, I could visualise the forests, dwarfs, dragon and Bilbo in my imagination. Even someone small and ordinary could be part of something extraordinary. The character who always stood out to me most was Gandalf, because he had this calm, wise presence and always seemed to know more than he let on. I liked how he guided the journey without taking over completely, allowing others to grow while still being there at just the right moments with a bit of magic or reassurance. He felt both powerful and kind, which made him fascinating and reassuring at the same time.

Mr and Mrs Pig’s evening out. I love it even now. We used to get it from the library every time we went. Because of the internet I was able to buy my own copy.

My cat was killed by a car when I was 7 and it really upset me.
One day the headmaster of my school called me to his office. He told me he knew how upset I had been and my dad had called to ask if I could have the afternoon off school to cheer me up.
When I got home it turned out he had got a kitten for me. Bless you dad. I miss you x