What's your favourite children's book?

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats.
Gobbolino the Witch's Cat.
Meg and Mog.

Watership Down. I wasn't allowed to watch the film because everybody decided I would be upset at the end, but I loved it when I read it at about 8 years old (yes, I struggled with the pronunciation but managed it in the end, even before I'd seen the film) because it was Just Perfect and it made me smile. Loved the film as well when I eventually saw it.

Tarka the Otter.

The House at Pooh Corner
Winnie-the-Pooh
When We Were Very Young
Now We Are Six

Added to the List For the Offspring;

Brambly Hedge (Spring, Summer, Autumn & Winter Story)
The Animals of Farthing Wood.
Cosmo the Witches' Cat

and finally, the only non-animal related books I had any real interest in (I read Everything else, but that was because I'd run out of books otherwise; the infant school let me take home encyclopaedias when I got to 7) were;

Milly Molly Mandy stories
My Naughty Little Sister stories
Mrs Pepperpot stories

and Miss Happiness & Miss Flower - about two Japanese Dolls. The original book had plans for building a Japanese Dolls' House in them - I was not impressed when I bought the reprint from Amazon to find out that this wasn't included, as I'd intended to build it for the Offspring.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

mothernerd wrote: »

Another vote for Wind in the Willows, also loved the 'Narnia' series and was enchanted by 101 Dalmations by Dodie Smith. I thought I was too old for it but had to read it from start to finish (I was 10 but had read nearly everything in the children's library by then - luckily at 11 I was allowed into the adult library and could have ten books a week rather than two at a time).

At early junior school age I loved the Antelope and Gazelle series (modern fiction graded readers published by Hamish Hamilton I think). Read nearly all the Enid Blyton and pony club type books due mainly to availability, Just William, Billy Bunter, Cherry Ames (annoying person - a nurse who was always getting into trouble with matron for 'wearing rouge' when it was just her natural complexion).

I loved a boy detective series - Roy/ Rory Brewster I think (a geek before we ever heard the word). There was another set of books with illustrations by Edward Ardizonne, all about the same family but the children had unusual names like February and Thursday (a Beryl whose full name was Beryllium?) that had quite a lot of history and maybe politics in them - could never track them down when my children were the right age so maybe an author who went out of fashion. They made me think (and absorb information on a wide range of subjects).

When my children were still at the 'being read to' stage we especially loved anything by the Ahlbergs and the Raymond Briggs books, particularly 'The Elephant and the Bad Baby' (words by Elfrida Vipont I think). They loved doing the baby's "Yes" to all the elephants suggestions. On one long train journey we were waiting outside Oxford station for twenty minutes and as I read to them, the whole carriage gradually fell silent and I got a round of applause at the end.

I turned down a request to buy a replacement for our very battered copy of 'The very Hungry Caterpillar' on the grounds that we didn't need it as I knew it off by heart.

Might be getting confused with the characters from A Fistful of Sky there. Unless you're about to make me feel very old, as it was published in 2002. Or she was *unconsciously* influenced by the books of Eleanor Estes (The Witch Family? Pinky Pye? etc, all illustrated by Ardizzone) from the 60s.

pollyanna24

I loved The Jolly Postman.

culpepper

Generally Enid blyton because we used to get them as presents(they were often to be had at jumble sales).I preferred the secret 7 because those children didn't go to boarding school although they were still quite posh.
I loved the Narnia books
Just William
The jennings books

theoretica

A couple of superb books I haven't noticed mentioned are
The Land of Green Ginger
My Friend Mr Leakey

mothernerd

Jojo_the_Tightfisted wrote: »

Might be getting confused with the characters from A Fistful of Sky there. Unless you're about to make me feel very old, as it was published in 2002. Or she was *unconsciously* influenced by the books of Eleanor Estes (The Witch Family? Pinky Pye? etc, all illustrated by Ardizzone) from the 60s.

I was born in 1958 so yes I was reading them in the sixties.

OOPOS491

I loved reading the Mr Men books to my son when he was little - with a different voice for each of the misters! I gave the Very Hungry Caterpillar to my 18 month old grandson for Christmas - I'm glad so many people here enjoy it.

lulu_92

I can't wait to read my kids Five Minutes Peace!

Also:

The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Fred

Jagraf

Amanda's butterfly
When mum turned into a monster
On the way home (Jill Murphy).

Every single night my husband read these to our daughter - for about a year!

bluelass

Mine as a young girl in order of preference was the worst witch, Heidi and the mr meddle adventures. It has been said that JK Rowling gained ideas for the harry potter novels from the worst witch books and TV series. Heidi was also shown on the BBC it was a lovely programme.