Top 10 favourite children's books in Britain

Which other authors do you enjoy? Discuss them here.
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Courtenay
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Top 10 favourite children's books in Britain

Post by Courtenay »

Just read about this new poll to find the top 10 favourite children's books of the past 150 years: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-27664081" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The results...
1. Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne (1926)

2. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland - Lewis Carroll (1865)

3. The Very Hungry Caterpillar - Eric Carle (1969)

4. The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien (1937)

5. The Gruffalo - Julia Donaldson (1999)

6. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl (1964)

7. Black Beauty - Anna Sewell (1877)

8. Treasure Island - Robert Louis Stevenson (1883)

9. The BFG - Roald Dahl (1982)

10. The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe - CS Lewis (1950)

No Enid Blyton, but I'd agree all the others are worthy contenders! (Except that The Very Hungry Caterpillar and The Gruffalo are picture books, while the others are novels - I think it would have been better to have two separate categories there.)

What do you think? Are anyone else's favourites in here, or are there others you would add?

Perhaps we could each come up with and share our own top 10 favourite children's books here - I'd like to try devising my own list, but would love to see other people's as well. :D
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Re: Top 10 favourite children's books in Britain

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

Thanks for the link, Courtenay. It's always interesting to see these lists and there are some delightful choices. The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a marvellous book which my two children knew off by heart when they were young, and I loved Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland when I was little.

We've compiled similar lists on the forums before, but I don't think we've picked our top ten favourites so here's my list (which could of course change slightly according to mood, but there are several long-time favourites which would always be there):

1. Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce - Beautifully written and truly magical.

2. The Valley of Adventure by Enid Blyton - An exciting adventure with a haunting, wistful note.

3. The Story of the Amulet by E. Nesbit - Lively, realistic characters and a stirring tale of time-travel.

4. Apple Bough by Noel Streatfeild - A heartwarming family story.

5. Cinderella, retold by Vera Southgate for Ladybird Books, with illustrations by Eric Winter - A lovely retelling of a traditional tale, with stunning illustrations.

6. The Adventures of a Three-Guinea Watch by Talbot Baines Reed - Quirky, imaginative and very moving.

7. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett - A compelling classic, deliciously Gothic.

8. When Marnie Was There by Joan. G. Robinson - An unusual story, dreamy and touching.

9. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C. S. Lewis - A magical tale of a voyage into the unknown, full of unexpected happenings.

10. Arthur Mee's Children's Encyclopedia - A wonderful introduction (in ten volumes!) to literature, art, geography, history, nature, philosophy, etc. Really inspiring.

In my list I've stuck mainly to childhood favourites which I've read and re-read until I couldn't imagine life without them. I've discovered some amazing children's/young adults' authors in recent years (Julia Golding, Eva Ibbotson, Anthony Horowitz, J. K. Rowling, Linda Buckley-Archer, Sally Gardner, M. G. Harris, Andrew Lane, John Boyne, Suzanne Collins and others) but I need to have the opportunity to read their books several times over in order to decide which ones are the enduring gems.
"Heyho for a starry night and a heathery bed!" - Jack, The Secret Island.

"There is no bond like the bond of having read and liked the same books."
- E. Nesbit, The Wonderful Garden.


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Re: Top 10 favourite children's books in Britain

Post by Carlotta King »

You know what, my list probably isn't really relevant in the 'other authors' thread, but all mine are going to be Blyton! :D
I did read other books as a child but none of them ever really grabbed me, my Blytons were my favourites and the ones that I read constantly!
I read things like Olga Da Polga, Roald Dahl's books, horse and pony books, Beatrix Potter, all that kind of thing, and while they were nice, they didn't make me really crave to keep reading them! :)
So my list is

1. The Sea Of Adventure

2. Five Go Down To The Sea

3. The Secret of Moon Castle

4. Five Go To Smugglers' Top

5. The Secret Mountain

6. The Secret of Spiggy Holes

7. The Castle of Adventure

8. The River of Adventure

9. The Island of Adventure

10. The Circus of Adventure
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Re: Top 10 favourite children's books in Britain

Post by Danger Bird »

Here's my list:

1. Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome - Could have been Winter Holiday or Coot Club but in the end I went for the original.

2. Five Run Away Together by Enid Blyton - My favourite of the series at the moment, but liable to change with my mood!

3. Fantastic Mr Fox by Roald Dahl - Forget the recent (terrible) movie, the book is great!

4. The Hobbit by J R R Tolkien - Better than Lord of the Rings.

5. The Time Hunters by Carl Ashmore - A self published eBook. The series was so popular it landed the author a publishing deal!

6. Smugglers at Whistling Sands by George Chedzoy - Very enjoyable Blytonesque adventure.

7. Away From Home by Michael Hardcastle - A group of school boys go away on a football tour and cause trouble off the pitch.

8. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson - Surely everyone knows this book?

9. Biggles and the Black Peril by Captain W E Johns - Another hard choice as all the Biggles books are good.

10. The Enchanted Wood by Enid Blyton - My favourite of the Faraway Tree books.
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Re: Top 10 favourite children's books in Britain

Post by Rebeccadanielle »

Out of the original list I've read all but The Hobbit. :D

My list:

1. The Faraway Tree books - Enid Blyton
2. Bridge to Terabithia - Katherine Paterson
3. Junonia - Kevin Henkes (But I also loved Olive's Ocean, so perhaps these ones can be number 3 together)
4. Cicada Summer - Kate Constable
5. The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgon Burnett
6. Queenie - Jacqueline Wilson
7. Matilda - Roald Dahl
8. Thursday's Child - Noel Streatfeild
9. The Long Walk - Kerry Greenwood
10. Orphans of the Queen - Ruth Starke

That was really hard. There were so many more I would have loved to add. I decided not to put any picture books on my list, but I do have a lot of favourite picture books. :D Shirley Barber would be top of that list.
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Re: Top 10 favourite children's books in Britain

Post by Stephen »

In no particular order (and from the top of my mind), some of my most read childhood books...

1. The Gauntlet - Ronald Welch
2. Danny, the Champion of the World - Roald Dahl
3. Lord of the Flies - William Golding
4. Ten Apples Up On Top - Theo LeSieg (Dr Seuss)
5. Space Assassin - Andrew Chapman
6. The Wishing Chair Again - Enid Blyton
7. The Church Mice and the Moon - Graham Oakley
8. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
9. Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
10. Tom's Midnight Garden - Philippa Pearce

Not including annuals and non-fiction which I read a lot more!
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Re: Top 10 favourite children's books in Britain

Post by Poppy »

1. Five Get Into Trouble - Enid Blyton
2. The Valley of Adventure - Enid Blyton
3. The Secret of Moon-Castle - Enid Blyton
4. War Horse - Michael Morpurgo
5. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
6. The Railway Children - Edith Nesbit
7. Goodnight Mr Tom - Michelle Magorian
8. The Silver Sword - Ian Serraillier
9. Swallowdale - Arthur Ransome
10. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens

Between 3 and 4, there would be a lot more Blytons, but thought I'd better mention some other authors!! Hope Pride and Prejudice can be classed a children's book because it needs a place on my list! Absolutely loved this classic by Jane Austen.
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Re: Top 10 favourite children's books in Britain

Post by Deej »

1. Five go on a Treasure Island (Enid Blyton)
2. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (C.S Lewis)
3. Danny the Champion of the World (Roald Dahl)
4. Goodnight Mr Tom (Michelle Magorian
5. The Jungle Book (Rudyard Kipling)
6. The Railway Children (Edith Nesbit)
7. A Treasure Island (Robert Louis Stevenson)
8. Great Expectations (Charles Dickens)
9. Winnie the Pooh (A.A Milne)
10. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (J>K Rowling)
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Re: Top 10 favourite children's books in Britain

Post by burlingtonbertram »

For me, the best are:-

1) Stalky & Co - Rudyard Kipling (totally un-PC - leave modern sensibilities behind you)
2) The Dark is Rising - Susan Cooper (but none of the others in the series make my ten)
3) The Box of Delights - John Masefield (a quintessentially British Christmas tale but the last chapter is rotten)
4) Astercote - Penelope Lively (manages to bring a medieval atmosphere into a modern(ish) setting)
5) The Ghost of Thomas Kempe - Penelope Lively (very funny)
6) Stig of the Dump - Clive King (a caveman in a modern(ish) setting)
7) Moondial - Helen Cresswell (a good story, and one I remember well from the 80's TV series too)
8) The Story of the Treasure Seekers - E Nesbit (a late Victorian offering but with a 'light' writing style)
9) Five Children and IT - E Nesbit (ditto)
10) The Magician's Nephew - CS Lewis (the first of the Narnia stories, with a slightly different feel to the rest)

I'd also recommend the Frank Richards 'Greyfriars' stories (the original 'Famous Five' - Harry Wharton & Co - Billy Bunter etc.) although, again, not perhaps one for those with modern, liberal sensibilities.

EDIT: FOR SOME INEXPLICABLE REASON MY NUMBER 8 COMES OUT AS A LITTLE SMILEY FACE
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Re: Top 10 favourite children's books in Britain

Post by Katharine »

I bought Stig of the Dump a couple of days ago. My daughter studied it at school last term and enjoyed it, but I've never read it before.
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Re: Top 10 favourite children's books in Britain

Post by burlingtonbertram »

I didn't read it until my early 20's when a girlfriend recommended it. It's quite funny and worth the read.
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Re: Top 10 favourite children's books in Britain

Post by Katharine »

I shall have to make sure I hurry up and read it. :D
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Re: Top 10 favourite children's books in Britain

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

I'm afraid 8 followed by a bracket always comes out as a smiley face - it's a mystifying quirk of the forums!

Great choices there. I love The Story of the Treasure Seekers too (the narration by one of the children is wonderful!), but in the trilogy beginning with Five Children and It the title that stirs me most is The Story of the Amulet. Lewis's The Magician's Nephew is an imaginative story which harks back to E. Nesbit - you probably know that he was a fan of her work.

The Dark is Rising is another favourite (tense and full of atmosphere), as is Stig of the Dump (gentle but captivating), and I agree that the ending of The Box of Delights is a real let-down after all the magic.
"Heyho for a starry night and a heathery bed!" - Jack, The Secret Island.

"There is no bond like the bond of having read and liked the same books."
- E. Nesbit, The Wonderful Garden.


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Re: Top 10 favourite children's books in Britain

Post by Courtenay »

I remember reading Stig of the Dump when I was 10, but don't remember much about what happened in it, except that I enjoyed it! :mrgreen: I must re-read it some day.

At least 90% of my favourite books as a child were by British authors - I think that may partly account for why, as soon as I moved to England, I felt completely at home! But it does mean I have far more than 10 contenders for my favourite British children's books, which is why I haven't got around to contributing a list to this thread... :lol:

The 8-followed-by-a-bracket-thing must be because it makes a "smiley with sunglasses" figure (when looked at with your head tilted to the left), like so - 8 ) - and the software automatically turns it into 8) You can see the "code" that creates each of the various smileys when you add them while typing a reply.
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Re: Top 10 favourite children's books in Britain

Post by burlingtonbertram »

Thanks for filling me in on the smiley issue, Courtenay and Anita.

The ending of Box of Delights is mystifying; I remember being told in primary school not to end a story with "and it was all a dream". Why did Masefield do it?

The Dark is Rising is my another of my three top Christmas novels. Great use of British folklore and a well written plot. Shame the film version was so dire.

I will give E Nesbit's 'Amulet' a try - I was after a pre-decimal copy on E-Bay a couple of months back and think I must have forgotten to keep looking.
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