As an Adult, What Children's Books Have You Enjoyed?

[SprinkledGlitter]

I've seen an old thread about this and I thought I'd create a new one.

What would you recommend? I love discovering new books!

A Kind of Spark by Elle McNicoll, recommended to me by my DD, I loved it.

There's a wonderful book called "Cherry Cake & Ginger Beer" by Jane Brocket . . . it's a book of recipes inspired by childrens books. It's so beautifully written and I read several childrens books I'd never previously heard of after reading it

I absolutely love Cold Christmas by Nina Beachcroft. And Charlotte Sometimes by Penelope Farmer. And The Silver Chair by CS Lewis, part of The Narnia Chronicles. These are books I've re read as an adult several times.

It's funny because I like fantasy elements in children's books. But they don't appeal to me at all in adult books. I like the redemptive aspect.

The Dark.

Young children’s picture book. About liking the dark. Which I do. It has a lovely rhythm and ambience to the writing.

The CS Lewis books, Black Beauty, Swallows and Amazons and Watership Down. I wish I was a child again, so I could read all the amazing children’s books. They are so much better than adult literature.

Marcus Sedgwick has some great books aimed at older children. I’ve enjoyed a few of those. Agree on His Dark Materials trilogy. There’s an Ian McEwen one for children, can’t remember its name but really enjoyed that!

I enjoyed the how to train your dragon series when I read them to DS. One of the only books I've caught up on chapters when it's been DH's turn for bedtime. We've done the hobbit together, which he enjoyed, but I think he's still to young for LOTR, which I'm a little bit disappointed by.

I agree. I don't know if I was just more open minded as a child. Of if the books were more mind opening.

I loved how they completely took me away from myself.

To read to yourself or your DC? There are very few children's books that I enjoyed enough to read just to myself, although there have been a few:

'The Letter for the King' and 'The Secrets of the Wild Wood' by Tonke Dragt
'The House with Chicken Legs' and 'The Girl who Speaks Bear' by Sophie Anderson

George's marvellous medicine

The Morrigan Crowe/Nevermore books, DD lost interest but I've read them all, they're brilliant 😊

Mo Willems books about pigeon and his Knuffle bunny trilogy

that's interesting! I quite enjoyed it too (I read it to my DD when she was younger, my first time reading it) but my DD hated it; it really upset her with the time-shifting and Charlotte not being able to get back again.

Actually, I must find it tonight, you've made me want to reread it now (DD is now almost 17 so I'm going back some time!)

LOVE the pigeon books!!

All of the Katherine Rundell books. She is phenomenal. Rooftoppers is 🤯

The Summer House Loon, Anne Fine

Just re-read The Tale of Peter Rabbit, The Tale of Benjamin Bunny and The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies for the first time in fifty-odd years and was utterly enchanted.

Also Swallows and Amazon's and others in that series.

Minnow on the Say
Tom's Midnight Garden
Carrie's War

Watership Down would be a desert island book.

Harry Potter. I've read them many times, and in several languages! Anything by Diana Wynne Jones. Susan Cooper's The Dark Is Rising series.

If you haven't already done so, read 'There's a Boy in the Girl's Bathroom' by the same author. It used to be my favourite book of all time until I persuaded my mum to read it. She was sneering of it and has ruined it for me, If you like his other's I'm sure you'll love it! It makes me cry, but in a good way.

The Legend of Podkin One Ear - its a bit like a rabbit version of Lord of the Rings and my go to for escapism.

My favourites are books I also read as a child - a lot have been mentioned, but from Enid Blyton, The Five Find Outers. I still love reading those.

Just William is even better as an adult than a child; the language, the comic timing and how lovable William is (as a child you don't see that).

Billy Bunter - yes, problematic as utterly unacceptable in many parts, racist for sure and the fat shaming (I mean it REALLY was fat-shaming) ... but so well-written and the characters were hilariously drawn. I read them all as a child but from the Library. We bought only a few. My DM and her siblings had loads, which we would read in my DGM's house; they all got taken by one uncle without a word, and I still wish I could get even one or two. I found a couple in Edinburgh in a second hand book shop some years ago, when I was on a visit. I was thrilled!

From a very small child perspective, one of my favourite children's books is 'Library Lion', Michelle Knudson. Read many many times, and I still take it out and read it.

The others that I love still, couldn't claim to 'read' them, are any of Emily Gravett's books, Monkey & Me a particular favourite. My eldest loved them so I can't quite pick them up without being transported back in time to those early days of reading to her. Long time ago now!

And finally, The Little Princess, Frances Hodgson Burnett. I love it. Always have.

On a side note, there are still great books written now of course, and the selection is so much better than when I was a child. But God, there is such a deluge of grimly-themed books aimed at the pre-teen/young teen market: thwarted love, depression, isolation, bullying, (of course) gender / trans issues, and the endless fantasy themed ones.

I would have hated all those at that age, and I still hate them now.

I really never liked dark, depressing or too 'real life' books (or conversely, very fantasy based books with no real-life link) - I hate Jacqueline Wilson, themes yes, reductionist and patronising to children, also yes, and so badly written. It amazes me how successful they are.

@EarringsandLipstick Yes, Just William is great! I love the audiobooks read by Martin Jarvis

The thirteen clocks and the wonderful O. Not sure if it's still in print. Have say I read all the Harry Potter books as they came out.

Oh they are brilliant! They saved me in the younger years when driving on my own with 3 small DC. The kids loved them, I loved them, they were fantastic.