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Re: Who remembers these stories with moral lessons?

Posted: 01 Dec 2014, 02:37
by Rob Houghton
I like a challenge, and I too am sure I've read the aeroplane story...so I had a bit of a search. However, it soon becomes clear that Enid wrote quite a few with similar plots. So far I've found one in 'Enid Blyton's Storytime Book' - the Dean and Son version. It's a story called 'You Simply Never Know' which is about two children who are going to the circus with their school, but miss the trip because they come across a man in an aeroplane, who is transporting monkeys to the same circus and can't seem to find where he has to go (which seems unlikely to me, LOL!) The children show him, and as a reward they are able to go to the circus after all. Not the aeroplane story in question, I don't think, but similar.

Re: Who remembers these stories with moral lessons?

Posted: 06 Dec 2014, 09:43
by walter raleigh
tix wrote:As Anita commented, “Enid Blyton often wrote several tales on the same theme.” Many of the ‘titles’ are similar as well so Enid Blyton often has us snookered when searching for a particular theme. Looking through some volumes I came across ‘The Boy Next Door.‘ I remembered that well because it’s a book I enjoyed very much indeed; then searching further, a story named ‘The Boy Next Door’ showed itself. This time it’s Jeanie and Bob who are excited because someone is coming to live in the adjoining property and a few days later they see a lad sitting on a deck chair in the garden. Guess what they do to attract his attention. You’re right - they throw a ball over the fence, so how familiar is that?

In another book called “We Want a Story” there’s a yarn entitled, “That Boy Next Door.” Well, whadda y’know, it starts off with a very well known Enid Blyton character – ‘Harry,’ and he’s discussing with his sister Susan the fact that the boy who lives next door won’t throw their balls back to them. It’s all right though because you’ll notice the title of the book is markedly different from ‘The Boy Next Door’ and ‘The Boy Next Door.’ Examining one of the Boys’ and Girls’ Story Books, ‘The Little Boy Next Door’ manifested itself but once again you’ll see it’s different from ‘The Boy Next Door,’ and ‘The Boy Next Door,’ and ‘That Boy Next Door.’

Is it a Very Good Idea to have similar-sounding titles? ‘A Very Good Idea’ is the name of a tale in ‘Just Time For a Story’ and it involves a kitten stuck up a tree. That’s fine, but leafing through ‘E.B’s Second Bedside Book,’ a tale called ‘A Very Good Idea’ is listed. Don’t worry though because it’s different from ‘A Very Good Idea’ - it’s about a Mr. Nimble. Turning to the ‘The Red-Spotted’ Handkerchief’ collection I discovered ‘A Very Good Idea.’ You might think it a trifle boring to read the tale again but not so because 'A Very Good Idea’ has a completely different plot from ‘A Very Good idea’ and ‘A Very Good Idea,’ seeing it involves four children called Norman, Jeanie, Jimmy, and Lotta. The names ‘Jimmy’ and ‘Lotta’ sound very familiar indeed, and so does ‘Jeanie.’ That’s right, I saw Jeanie’s name in ‘The Boy Next Door.’ No, not ‘The Boy Next Door,’ or ‘That Boy Next Door’ or ‘The Little Boy Next Door’ but ‘The Boy Next Door’ in ‘The Red Story Book.’ I hope I’ve made myself clear.
Hilarious stuff that tix. :lol: Like something from a 'Two Ronnies' sketch! :D

Re: Who remembers these stories with moral lessons?

Posted: 22 Dec 2016, 10:33
by Anita Bensoussane
kirstymaclaren wrote:I am trying to remember a short story about a child who couldn't/didn't want to do their homework, which was to think of words beginning with G. In the middle of the night the child was woken up by some creatures (possibly goblins) who helped with this. I think there was also some moral about how the child was quite grumpy/greedy/other things beginning with g, and the goblins described this so the child changed their ways!

I am also trying to remember what book this story was in.

I think there was another story in the same book about a boy who was late back to school after lunch because he stopped to help a man who had landed his small plane nearby. I think he got into trouble from his teacher, but then it turned out the man was coming to school to talk to the children so the boy got praised for helping or something!

Oh, I've just remembered - there was also a story about a boy whose parents bought him a ride-in toy car. He swapped it for something his friend had, then swapped that for something else, and kept swapping for less good things until at the end all he had was an ice cream which he ate.
After not having bought any books for ages I recently came across a copy of I'll Tell You Another Story (Macmillan), complete with gorgeous wraparound dustwrapper by Eileen Soper, for £4 in a second-hand bookshop. Well, I couldn't help but snap it up! I read the first few stories last night and was immediately reminded of Kirsty's post as I think it contains two of the tales she mentions.

The story about the boy who is late and meets the man with the aeroplane is 'Jimmy's Lucky Day'.

The one about the boy who swaps his ride-in car for something else (and then keeps on swapping things until he is left with an ice-cream which he eats) is 'Poor Old Podge!'

Those two stories can also be found in Enid Blyton Readers 3 (Macmillan) and My Fifth Enid Blyton Book (Dragon).

I'll Tell You Another Story doesn't have a tale about a boy having to make a list of words for homework but I still think that sounds very much like 'The Grumpy Goblins', in which goblins help a boy named Alan find words beginning with gr. That story appears in Enid Blyton's Stories for Bedtime (Dean & Son) and The Magic Mirror and Other Stories (Award).

If Kirsty hasn't yet tracked down the stories, I hope she sees this!

Re: Who remembers these stories with moral lessons?

Posted: 11 Jan 2017, 16:15
by kirstymaclaren
Anita Bensoussane wrote:After not having bought any books for ages I recently came across a copy of I'll Tell You Another Story (Macmillan), complete with gorgeous wraparound dustwrapper by Eileen Soper, for £4 in a second-hand bookshop. Well, I couldn't help but snap it up! I read the first few stories last night and was immediately reminded of Kirsty's post as I think it contains two of the tales she mentions.

The story about the boy who is late and meets the man with the aeroplane is 'Jimmy's Lucky Day'.

The one about the boy who swaps his ride-in car for something else (and then keeps on swapping things until he is left with an ice-cream which he eats) is 'Poor Old Podge!'

Those two stories can also be found in Enid Blyton Readers 3 (Macmillan) and My Fifth Enid Blyton Book (Dragon).

I'll Tell You Another Story doesn't have a tale about a boy having to make a list of words for homework but I still think that sounds very much like 'The Grumpy Goblins', in which goblins help a boy named Alan find words beginning with gr. That story appears in Enid Blyton's Stories for Bedtime (Dean & Son) and The Magic Mirror and Other Stories (Award).

If Kirsty hasn't yet tracked down the stories, I hope she sees this!
Thanks Anita!

It must have been 2 separate books I read these stories in then. The title 'Poor old Podge' certainly rings a bell.

I had not visited this forum/website for a couple of years, due to life getting in the way. A few weeks ago I decided to re-read some of my old find outer books, which reminded me of this site, so my Enid Blyton obsession has well and truly returned! I've been on quite an eBay spree, and have been getting lost in the cave of books most days!

I was delighted to find out that this thread had been revived.

Thanks everyone for your help!

Re: Who remembers these stories with moral lessons?

Posted: 11 Jan 2017, 16:19
by kirstymaclaren
PS - I have found "my fifth Enid Blyton book" (1984) on my parents' bookshelf so that is where I read 2 of the stories!

Re: Who remembers these stories with moral lessons?

Posted: 11 Jan 2017, 18:12
by Anita Bensoussane
Thanks for getting back to us, Kirsty. It's good to hear that your Enid Blyton obsession has returned!