h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

My children's favourite books are many by Julia Donaldson – I know The Gruffalo and Gruffalo's Child off by heart. Others include The Tiger Who Came To Tea, We're Going On A Bear Hunt, It's A Bear!, The Very Hungry Caterpiller, Thomas the Tank Engine, Winnie-the-Pooh, Nick Sharrat fairy-tales with flaps and Aliens Love Underpants. Current favourites are ladybird fairy-tale books.

As a child I remember reading lots of ladybird books, Biggles and Captain WE Johns' sci-fi series, Hardy Boys, Isaac Asimov's 'Lucky Starr' books, Target Doctor Who novelisations as well as many other novelisations of science fiction films, 'The Lost World', 'Ivanhoe', Edgar Rice Burrough's 'Mars' and 'Venus' novels, Willard Price's Adventure series, Asterix comics, Professor Branestawm, the Narnia series and Moonfleet, which despite being set at Carisbrooke Castle, I didn't really get on with.

As a child I deliberately didn't read books my sister had read (I was fed up of always being in her shadow), so I avoided Enid Blyton, Beatrix Potter, E Nesbitt. I even avoided reading Tolkein until I was in my teens as my sister read it. She also read Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy at school and frequently said it was rubbish, which put me off reading it for a few years, until The Fish (U43536) got me into the radio series.

<BB<

I just remembered Milly Molly Mandy, And My Naughty Little Sister.

also Mrs pepperpot, oh and something about getting stuck in a car, on christmas eve . . .

mini

My favorite books to read to my youngest were the Sandra Boynton books, and the David Carter pop-ups (the Bug books). The artwork in them is cutesy, but small children love the activity in the pop-ups, and the bouncy rhyming of the Boyntons.

Both of my boys enjoyed Seuss, Fox in Socks was a frequent request. The oldest was a big fan of Shel Silverstein, who I also enjoyed.

The littlest one is just starting to read on his own, but the oldest is a voracious reader, and writer, too. I read more to my oldest, I had more time back then, and some of his favorite memories are being read Harry Potter (because I would put on the accents, which fascinated him. He has begged me to do the same for the littlest, who so far has shown absolutely no interest in sitting still long enough). I introduced him to Pratchett with the illustrated Cohen the Barbarian book, which he adored.

When I was young I liked mysteries and read a lot of Trixie Beldens and Encyclopedia Browns. I also liked Robert Peck, especially the Soup books. I remember reading a lot of historical fiction, too. I apparently skipped most of the "classics", but did read most of the Narnia series. (And when I started reading it to my oldest, I read them in the printing order, not the new order).

Oh yes, Mrs Pepperpot! fantastic stories, the Gruesome Twosome absolutely loved them.

I also enjoyed The Naughtiest Girl in the School and Mallory Towers (it's all fun and laughs until you find yourself unpacking your suitcase in the dormitory then all bets are off!!)

In the early 1960's, someone gave us a large set of Bobbsey Twins books their children had outgrown. I read them all, I loved their adventures. From the illustrations, it looked as though they were set in 1920's or 1930's. I also like the Dr. Doolittle series, which I borrowed from our town library.

But my favorite recollection is the discovery of A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. There began my life long love of science fiction.

The books I remember and enjoyed are:

Conrad's War
Brer Rabbit books
Emil and the Detectives
How to Eat Fried Worms

Oh and any Rose Impney books - she writes for kids from 5 up to teens.

I can't really remember loving children's books, which is kinda odd cos I read voraciously as a wean: after reading all the previous posts I remember reading some Biggles, about 50 of The Hardy Boys (but I didn't love them). I loved Asterix and TinTin, but haven't read them for decades.

And also my eldest brother's stash of Commando comics. A child's vocabulary isn't complete without 'Gott in Himmel' and 'The war is over for you, Englander!'

You forgot "Kamerad"

Like Sol I got into Heilein's children's boks, the first one being Starman Jones, but I loved The Famous Five and The 'NOUN' of Adventure series by Enid Blyton.

I recently bought a copy of The Phantomn Tollbooth for my daughter, who loves puns, and it still has the original drawings in it (but with an awful cover.)

I was not much of a fan of 'The Classics' didn't like Black Beuaty or Olicver Twist, though I loved Great Expectations.

I loved childrens crime stories when I was between 9 and 11 or something. Especially the ones written by an Austrian writer, everyone at school read them. He also made TV shows and stuff. There must have been about 50 of those. A bit like Blyton, jsut more modern and probably a bit more spooky. I remember titles like 'Der Ruf des Gruselkuckucks' (The call of the creepy coocoo) and 'Die Suche nach dem Schneemonster (The search for the snow monster). But they were not supernatural stories, in the end the cause of all the spooky stuff always turned out to be humans.

This is a fantastic thread for people like me, looking for inspiration as to which books to buy for little people.

The only book I remember (although I know my parents read many to me) is The Little Go To Sleep Book, but I can't remember much about it other than it was blue and was about how different animals went to sleep.



&

If someone had the time to volunteer to put all these recommended titles and authors into some sort of list, eg a small paragraph for each of the most frequently or highly recommended books, it would make a very useful Guide Entry.

Often, these older titles are available in bookshops - but they are overwhelmed by newer, brasher looking titles - often spinoffs from tv cartoons and with little literary merit. Even though my previous occupation had much to do with stocking libraries for children, I often forget those beloved titles, an aide-memoire would be really useful.


Do I see a volunteer stepping forward? please

I'll volunteer to be an emergency back-up volunteer in case no-one else volunteers.

<BB<

I will, but it will take me a long time as I rarely get more than a few minutes at a time to do stuff at the moment. If someone else thinks they want to, I will gladly let them do so, but I think this would make a fantastic collaborative Entry so I won't let it go to seed.

Richard Scarry, Best (whatever) Book Ever. Loved those things as a kid.

Oh yes, my kids loved those too. Hours and hours must have been spent looking at his drawings. I seem to remember the paper almost wearing out in some of the books.


And thanks to both BB and to Vip. Perhaps if Vip makes a beginning when she has time and then BB can act as the back up?

I haven't been able to start on any of the content yet, but I have made a list of all the Researchers who have contributed to this discussion.

Anyone who has posted to this thread, even if they have only posted to say they agree with someone else, has been credited (which is the way I like to do it as you have still bothered to contribute!). Please could everyone pop over to A87749914 to check that I haven't missed out their name please?
Also, if you *don't* want to be credited for any reason (yes, that has happened before!) please let me know and I will remove you.

It's slow going but I will get there eventually. Or and thrust my pile of notes at Bluebottle. Except I can't because I've made them on paper.

Morning Vip!

I was thinking about this thread earlier as I listened to the trailer for this upcoming programme on BBC Radio 4. It sounds really interesting and exactly right for this conversation.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01dtls8

"What the Scandinavians Know about Children's Literature" - Mariella Frostrup.

You can listen to this again on the iPlayer, worldwide, for seven days after it has been broadcast.

Ah yes, the Swedes.

I have refrained from contributing to this thread as I am so far away now from any children's book phase (maybe round three will come soon ) but I do remember reading a Secret Seven (Enid Blyton) book to my kids and then, absolutely by coincidence, hot on its tail a Rasmus and Pontus book (Astrid Lindgren) with almost exactly the same story. The Lindgren was far superior, even though we were reading it in translation. I can't remember why, now, but I think, basically, the characters were more three-dimensional and the story more credible.

Whoops. PS I can't believe that this thread has gone for three weeks without anyone changing the spelling.