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

The Little House TV series does seem very syrupy compared to the books.

I've just discovered a little second hand book my girls had, Winter Tales by Kathryn Jackson. The price inside the cover is 2'6 and it's illustrated by Richard Scarry

This is now in Peer Review:
F48874?thread=8294547

There are still some authors etc who have been mentioned which aren't included in the article, as I don't know enough about them and would prefer not to paraphrase Wikipedia to include. Are you able to write a short paragraph, or even a sentence or two, about any of these:
Lucy Boston – Green Knowe
Sandra Boynton
Anthony Buckeridge
David Carter
Susan Cooper
Janosch
Madeleine L'Engle
Rosemary Manning
Shel Silverstein
Rosemary Sutcliff
TH White
David Henry Wilson
Ludmilla Zeman
Animal Ark books
Conrad's War
Brer Rabbit books
How to Eat Fried Worms
Zane Gray westerns
the Black Cauldron series
Bobbsey Twins
The Princess and the Goblins
Trixie Beldens
Encyclopedia Browns
Robert Peck
The Peterkin Papers

<BB<

"The Borrowers" by Mary Norton was my favourite book while I was at Junior school. It was specifically chosen by our English teacher for us to study. I recall she used to read a chapter towards the end of each English lesson, and "The Borrowers" is the only one I can remember!

GB

I recall the work of Janet and Allan Ahlberg, which includes Funnybones, Peepo and all the Master and Miss books, like Master Bun the Baker's Boy. Also Cops and Robbers, and Burglar Bill. All these were favourites of mine, but are also favourites of both my daughter and son, who now at just under two insists on reading the knock knock jokes in Mrs Jolly's Jokeshop.

Also of memory to me is Norman Lindsay's 'the Magic Pudding', written and illustrated by the man himself.

I would also add to the list the works of Michael Morpurgo, who is probably currently most famous for his story War Horse, but has wriiten many wonderful children's stories, many based on wartime true stories that bring the truth of war to younger readers in a way that resonates to them.

And no favourites list would be complete, from purely a parent reader's perspective, of the work of Lauren Child, which includes Charlie & Lola, Clarice Bean and of course, My Uncle is a Hunkle. The illustrations and prose are simply perfect bedtime stories, for the very young through to the pre-teen.

However, the above are just musings. My all time favourite book, both as a child, and as a parent, is of course 'Where the Wild Things Are' bu Maurice Sendak (who sadly passed away recently). All my family, from 28 year old wife, ten year old daughter and two year old son stop everything to sit and listen to the story of Max and the wild rumpus!

My wife U2086177 thinks that 'Superfudge', 'How to Eat Fried Worms' and many of the Judy Blume books, and also Sweet Valley High & Babysitter Club books should be added, she managed to escape from her siblings into books when she was a young girl, and these were some of her favourites.

From an Australian perspective I would like to add that the work of Paul Jennings (inspiration behind the Round the Twist TV series) like Unreal, and Uncanny, were great - such great stories as Wunderpants and Inside Out.

Plus all those Choose Your Own Adventures, that then lead onto the Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone Fighting Fantasy books (Choose Your Own Adventure for bigger kids...).

I think I'm done, I'm going to go and read some books now.

When I was about 10 or 11, there was a bit of a craze in my class for those Jackson*/Livingstone and Fighting Fantasy books. I picked up a few, but although the idea was right down my alley, I found the gameplay a bit too fragmented to really keep me entertained.

* Incidentally, Steve Jackson is a bit of a game design legend, being responsible for the GURPS roleplaying system and the gag-infested card game Munchkin.

and Zpmbie Dice, which rocks.

or Zombiue Dice even.

I must admit, I got into the books, tracing the Adventure Sheet from the book and getting my mum to photocopy it so I could play again and again. The Warlock of Firetop Mountain was a fave, but the Forest of Doom and Deathtrap Dungeon were also well thumbed, but I did play the first 18 books. Then I discovered girls.

fer crissakes. Zombie Dice.

Which probably deserves an Entry.

*wanders off to cast some bones*

Susan Cooper's 'The Dark is Rising' sequence of five books is a fantasy series about 'The Old Ones' - not exactly wizards (although one of them is the original Merlin, still busy in the the twentieth century), but protecting ordinary people from The Dark. The first book (Over Sea, Under Stone) gives the impression of being a family adventure holiday - subsequent volumes are much more mysterious and eerie.

The Jennings books by Anthony Buckeridge are set in a prep school (so they are rather dated now) but relate the adventures of Jennings (who is of the 'Just William' type) and his best friend Darbyshire.

Have we mentioned 'William'? Among the funniest short stories ever written. Richmal Crompton's William Brown is a dirty, scruffy, truculent, inventive and naughty 11 year old, leader of a gang of boys who spend their days climbing trees, jumping ditches, playing variants of cops and robbers, and avoiding chores. Created in 1919 but still having adventures several decades later, William himself is hugely endearing to the reader, but a trial and an embarrassment to his middle-class family: mother, who darns socks and is on various village committees; father, who goes out to work; older sister Ethel (something of a socialite) and older brother Robert (sometime poet whose romances are constantly being interrupted by William's escapades). William never *means* to get into trouble - but he invariably does - and although his attempts to get back out of trouble are usually successful, this is never quite in the way he intended or expected.

Mol

Thanks everyone for your suggestions – I've added those with sufficient information, and those who I haven't, if you'd like to provide me with more information about who wrote what when and what they wrote is about, I'll be happy to add it.
Especially 'Superfudge', 'How to Eat Fried Worms', the Judy Blume books, Sweet Valley High & Babysitter Club, which I must confess I am not familiar with.

<BB<

I'll get the missus to knock something up regarding Judy Blume etc. BB

Oh - and can you tell me more about Norman Lindsay's 'the Magic Pudding'?

Looks like you've already taken care of Zpmbie Dice, Zombiue Dice and
Zombie Dice

<BB<

Norman Lindsay is one of Australia's celebrated artists, but he also wrote the tale of the Magic Pudding, which sees the character of Bunyip Bluegum and his friends discovering a pudding that is able to be eaten, then regenerates. Written in 1918, it is still a great laugh out loud story for young and old.

Like the fairytale about the pumpkin full of rice?

Very much so. But funnier