The Enid Blyton Society

I am remembering a children's story (not by Enid Blyton, I am pretty sure!) that was featured I think on an episode of Jackanory. (Or something similar to Jackanory)

My memory is that there was a boy who made friends with another boy, the second boy was having difficulty in school. The boy having difficulty had written a report on fish (or generally about marine life?), and had added some drawings to the report, but the drawings all looked very similar so you couldn't tell one fish from another. Anyway, the first boy finds out that the second boy is really interested in a particular topic--I think it was airplanes. The first boy tries to convince the second boy to do a report on airplanes instead. At first the second boy says he doesn't want to mix something he loves (airplanes) with something he hates (school). But I think the first boy eventually convinces him. That's all I remember.

I think the story was being told on the television show by a man. They also showed some illustrations from the book (as they usually did on Jackanory). I would have been watching it in the 70s, maybe the early 80's.

Anyone know what this was?

on the off-chance I did a google search 'project about fish and aeroplanes' - and the book you mention is quoted here, in a piece about children's books -

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=0j7 ... es&f=false

however, unfortunately I can't seem to find the name of the book mentioned!

Looking further, I've discovered its from a children's book called 'Thunder and Lightnings' by Jan Mark, published 1976 -

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thunder_and_Lightnings

I also discovered it was on Jackanory, told by Jeremy Kemp.

Hope that helps!

Brilliant Find-Outing, Rob!

Just shows what you can come up with on Google if you put strange sentences in the search box, like 'project about fish and aeroplanes'!!

Maybe the boys could have gone halfway and made it a project about flying fish??

Well done! Thanks for finding this!

Wow, it was on Jackanory in May, 1976. So I would have seen it when I was six years old!

it seems to have been repeated, as its also listed as being on in August 1977!

http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/706d0d037402 ... b672101cac