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Behind-The-Books Blog
Which were your favourite books as a child?
Tuesday, March 24th, 2009
Last weekend I went out for my first picnic of the year. It was so lovely to sit out in the sunshine in a grassy field by a river, with my good friend Wendy, her two little girls and their tennis-ball obsessed dog. And, of course, a good book. I can’t imagine a nicer way to spend a sunny spring afternoon than laughing with friends, eating our fill of delicious food and relaxing with an engrossing read. And I wasn’t the only one who brought a book with me. My friend’s little girl, who turns five this week (Happy birthday, Amy!), had brought two books with her.
Wendy is a wonderful mum and in the past I’ve been privileged to listen in to the girls’ bedtime stories, bringing back memories of my own childhood. Who can forget the old favourite The Hungry Caterpillar (who celebrated his 40th birthday last week), or the wonders of Enid Blyton’s The Magic Faraway Tree, and all the jolly fixes Paddington Bear got himself into (written by our very own Michael Bond, author of the Monsieur Pamplemousse crime series for adults)?
Seeing Amy’s joy at reading, and the fun she had creating stories of her own to go with the pictures, made me realise just how important and beneficial it is to ignite a passion for books in children while they are young. My parents did it with me, which is why I went on to become an editor, and now I can see that same enthusiasm growing in a girl who’s yet to reach her fifth birthday. It’s a wonderful, inspiring thing to see, and I know the ability to escape into a good book will bring Amy lifelong pleasure, as it does with me.
Care to share your favourite childhood reads with us?
Louise Watson, Editor
The Very Hungry Caterpillar would have to top the list - and could very well have something to do with my large appetite… I still have my four mini hardback Beatrix Potter books on my bookshelf: The Tale of Peter Rabbit, The Tale of Benjamin Bunny, The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin and The Tale of Tiggy Winkle. The first two were my favourites and their covers are only held on by a few strings. I’d also have to mention Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak - remember my mum reading this to me night after night. You’d think a book about monsters would scare a child, but I adored it. Lastly, and when I was a little older, the book that probably instilled my love for books and reading was Watership Down. I can still remember sitting in this old armchair my parents had in the corner of the living room and literally spending whole days reading this book, totally and utterly engrossed in it.
Posted on March 24th, 2009 at 1:25 pm
Famous Five all the way! The Worst Witch series as well (which I discovered to my joy earlier this year, was originally published by A&B).
Posted on March 26th, 2009 at 9:48 am
I adored The Famous Five too! Five Go to Smuggler’s Top was my favourite. I reread it recently (I’m writing my own children’s adventures now!) and it was just as good as I remembered it.
Posted on March 29th, 2009 at 12:15 pm
Great post! Just wanted to let you know you have a new subscriber- me!
Posted on June 2nd, 2009 at 4:13 pmLeave a Comment
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Persuasion, by Jane Austen. Sara: Yes, I'm still on my Jane Austen kick. After this one I will try reading something new...
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