Books from your childhood

I've just ordered a few more story books for my son. Not randomly chosen of course, but carefully sought out based on what I liked when I was little.

Todays order consists of:

* Grandpa the Birdman (That boy Trog)
* Trog makes a trap (That boy Trog)
* Where the wild things are
* What A Mess and the cat next door

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Grandpa-Birdman-That-Trog-Butterworth/dp/0560035209/ref=pd_rhf_ee_p_t_3

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Trog-Makes-Trap-That-boy/dp/0560035128/ref=pd_rhf_ee_p_t_2

http://www.amazon.co.uk/What-mess-Cat-next-door-Frank-Muir/dp/0552522376/ref=pd_rhf_ee_p_t_1

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0064431789/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i02

These weren't my favourites I must admit. My all time favourite book from my childhood was The Magic Paintbrush, starring a kid called Yling if I remember right. I ordered the original English translation from the 1970s (or 60s?), featuring the ending that was not sanitised for political correctness (the evil emperor is brutally killed at the end, he doesn't get the chance to apologise and promise to change his ways).

So come on then, what are some of your favourite books from childhood?

 

Favourite books from childhood in rough chronological order..........
Winnie the Pooh
Alice in wonderland - and through the looking glass
Just William books
Jennings books - never hear of these now ?
Biggles

 

Stig of the dump

The Hobbit (pre "Lord of the Rings" trilogy)

Dr Suess

Enid Blighton.

 

I can only remember this one and have been looking for a copy for many, many years:

'The Little People of the Woods' (I think it might have been one of my Father's childhood books). Pic from froggleyboggler's 'Vintage Children's Book' photostream on Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/24635180@N07/sets/72157606563378551/with/6380583071/

 

our 3 year old is into thomas the tank books and because mrs al like them ,the mr men books.

 

Swiss Family Robinson and anything by H. Rider Haggard! Cheers, Tony.

 

Mostly Enid Blighton loved all of her books and also a book called The Faraway Tree!!

Val

 

Trying to think back, I remember enjoying Jennings, but other things that spring to mind were things like The Chrysalids, Death of Grass, Day of the Triffids, Silent Spring & so on.

 

When I was 10 I read a fiction book about an american indian, Dakota, son of a chief and quite realistic. I would have loved to become an indian afterwards - if there was a wish to be granted:-). I bought the book again for my son to read and he became bored with it , even though he read the first 30 pages or so...
So much about how much our kids might be (un-)excited about our childhood favourites...

 

I'm with Gemini- we didn't have many books but I was allowed to borrow from the cupboard at my nannies house and loved all the Enid Blyton books.

 

E.M Forester in 'Aspect of the Novel - based on a series of lecture given at Cambridge-- maintains that it is essential that having got to the bottom of a page there must be a desire to turn over - to see what happens next.

Young people grasp this idea very well and the writers that we most cherish from our younger days always have one thing in common - in that they are invariably expert storytellers - a skill which stretches back for thousands of years.

 

Julian, Dick, Anne, Timmy and George were my hero's...the famous five!
Also read Lady Chatterley's Lover but that was rubbish -)

 

We didn't have hardly any books when I was young, but I was allowed to join the local library and my elder sister used to take me.

Val

 

Really like the Chrysalids Ziggie , just remember them escaping on the great horses. great stuff John Wyndham