Reading Children's Books as an Adult

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I was a fairly avid reader as a child but feel I missed a lot of the children’s classics like Wind in the Willows, The Secret Garden, Black Beauty, Anne of Green Gables etc.

I’m thinking I might read them now as a (fairly mature!) adult. Has anyone else done this? It isn’t too weird is it?!

And if you have done / would do it, are there any books you’d recommend?

Thanks.

The sheep pig, flour babies, Percy Jackson, the hobbit, just William, the hodgeheg, diggers, truckers are all books I've read recently either because I fancied it or because it makes DD want to read something different

Loved Ruby Ferguson's Jill books! (unfortunately as an impressionable kid they also made me run away with the idea that you could buy a pony for forty pounds and finance its keep by helping out at a local stable. My parents must have been so relieved when I finally caught on that that was all pie in the sky. 😄)

I did read a lot of Blyton too, didn't read The Ship of Adventure but did read The River of Adventure and fell in love with Kiki the parrot, she cracked me up. 😂

Love Michael Morpurgo books, although usually results in tears!

Childhood favourite also includes The Phantom Tollbooth

I have the audiobook of The Wind In The Willows and it's a nighttime comfort listen at times.

I never read it until I hit my 30s.

Another vote for Lucy Mangan's Bookworm. I have her Bookish on my to buy list.

squasyhat The Arthur Ransome books are so good, I must have read them all at least a dozen times.

I love reading children's books as part of my overall reading.

My DD adored A Little Princess, so I gave her The Secret Garden. She read Chapter 1, and refused to read further as it was terrifying.

A fair response really - how many children's books kill off everyone except a child and a small harmless snake in the first 20 pages?

The Secret Garden is one of my favourite books - and the best book I have ever read on bereavement and grief.

Black Beauty is absolutely harrowing- angry and enraged at suffering, so tough to read I could never face it again. The last paragraph when he dreams he back in the orchard with his mother & Merrilegs makes me tear up every time 😢

@ruethewhirl I think Kiki was in the ship of Adventure! Well if not I've read another book with her in it

I worked on a Sunday at a riding stable so I think I was a little more aware of how much horses cost!

Anything by Eva Ibbotson!

@Purplebunnie
Kiki was in all The (Whatever) of Adventure books. Which I liked a lot as a child, but actually blocked my DC from reading, as they were rampantly racist even by the standards of the time.

Modern editions have removed the worst elements fortunately.

It was a very very long time ago I only remember it was an exciting story. Glad they've removed the worst elements

My favourite is The Circus is Coming.

Shout out for Antonia Forest’s Marlow books, which are sophisticated and brilliantly written.

Wind in the Willows was one of the texts on my English Literature degree. A great book is a great book. I love rereading books I liked as a child and I have gone on to read children's books I didn't read as a child. I found there were actually five books in the Katy Did series for example plus lots more of Anne of Green Gables than were available in bookshops in the 1980s.

Tom's Midnight Garden brings back memories of reading a page at a time with my two eldest- we took it in turns to read a page each before bed - have to read it again
Same with The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe.

Oh I loved this book as a child! My absolute fav! I still have my childhood copy at home somewhere 😍 inspired to dig it out!

Shout out for Antonia Forest’s Marlow books, which are sophisticated and brilliantly written.

And apart from Autumn Term, expensive to get second hand.

I never stopped reading children's books (though I read plenty of other stuff, too.) I spent quite a bit in lockdown filling in the gaps in various series I have (hence knowing the cost of Antonia Forest.)

Bookmarking this page so I can go back and check out some other recommendations and reminders of forgotten favourites.

The Little White Horse is sitting on my bedside table and, like another pp, I often buy old favourites as audio books because there is something so comforting about lying in bed on a cold wet night, listening to the wind howling outside and being read to - like being small again.

A few are available via the Internet Archive. I think End of Term, Peter’s Room, and maybe one other. I agree the secondhand cost is freakish, and the Girls Gone By situation frustrating.

Most of my childhood favourites have already been mentioned.
As an adult I read The Ruby in the Smoke series by Phillip Pullman and loved it.

Also wanted to add do not under any circumstances read Watership Down thinking that now your a grown up its fine. Still traumatised 😆

I love reading children's books. I recently bought all the Swallows and Amazons books to reread them, definitely some of my favourite books. Also have a big pile of William books, read some to DS but he lost interest so I'll just read them myself.
There's so many books I want to reread or read for the first time, unfortunately can be hard to find classic children's books in English in the library system where I live and I can't afford to buy too many.

DD picked up a Yorkshire accent from listening to the secret garden

😁

I got my copy out for DD but we actually listened to it on audio. I also like the next one - The Other Way Round.

Where's the laughing emoji react when you need it! Classic 🤣

Anyone who likes The Secret Garden - and also enjoys Ballet Shoes - don't forget The Painted Garden by Noel Streatfeild - which continues some characters from Ballet Shoes, while another family are on holiday in the USA and one ends up as a character in filming The Secret garden!

https://noelstreatfeild.storymole.com/books/The%20Painted%20Garden