Fiona Posted June 12, 2007 Share Posted June 12, 2007 What classical children's books have you read? I've picked up E. Nesbit's Five Children and It (which totals my current reading list at 4 books at the same time, not normal for me...) Anyway - how do you think these compare to the modern day books? I suppose some children's books I've read were written in the 70's and 80's too but those don't really count as classics. I've read The Railway Children and I think I've read The Secret Garden too. Those are the two I remember mainly anyway... the language is different and of course aimed at different children probably - there's something so nice about them though. I wonder if they still appeal to kids nowadays? I know I read The Railway Children when I was in Junior school so I must have been ten and under. I also liked Edind Blyton, but I'd say that some of hers are timeless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrathofkublakhan Posted June 13, 2007 Share Posted June 13, 2007 I suppose some children's books I've read were written in the 70's and 80's too but those don't really count as classics. Argh, you mean the 1970's and 1980's? Child, that was just last year to this old fool. Thanks to this fine book forum, I've been reading some of the children's classics that slipped under my manly radar as a youth - stuff I'd never have touched as an insecure boy, but now that I'm a man I can embrace childish things (a small paraphrase from I Corinthians 13). Some really good classics that I have found so far: Anne of Green Gables - what a great story! I know it's a series as Anne grows up and goes to college, so far I've not read them. The first was superb. The Secret Garden - brilliant use of language and insightful into any child's early experiences. Black Beauty - it was part of this forum's Reader Circle and received some criticism from the group, justly so: but it felt great to have "experienced the read" as I knew so many others had read it. National Velvet - next on the list, but I'm tangenting in other areas right now: can't read kids books ALL the time, y'know. My Side Of The Mountain - I loved this book as a kid, I think it's a classic but I'm not sure - I actually bought a copy for a friend. I dunno, it's a tough call -- when does a Kid's Book become a Children's Classic? What's the difference between Charlotte's Web and Nancy Drew and the Mystery of the Brass Bound Trunk? For me, it's a blend of nostalgia and an exploration of things timely, if it can hit true on an emotional note: so much the better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrathofkublakhan Posted June 13, 2007 Share Posted June 13, 2007 BTW -- I'll be first in line for the new Nancy Drew movie, the trailers look great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted June 13, 2007 Share Posted June 13, 2007 I read loads of Enid Blyton when I was a kid - all the Mallory Towers books and some of the Famous Five ones too. I also read all the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder - they're definitely classics. Charlotte's Web was another one I loved,along with a more recent one - Harriet the Spy - that was great! I also had loads of Judy Blume books - she was a big favourite for a while. On top of that, I read things like What Katy Did and Little Women. I didn't actually read all that many kids' books when I was a kid as I had quite an advanced reading age - I've had to revisit them as an adult instead, but I suspect I appreciate them more now than I would have done then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purple Poppy Posted June 13, 2007 Share Posted June 13, 2007 I find that it's very difficult to be objective about children's books, the main reason being that I grew up with them, read them countless times (some of them) and they became much loved friends...examples such as Winnie the Pooh, Wind in the Willows. You also mentioned the fact that they were written for a different audience. Deep down kids are the same anywhere at any time, but they are influenced by their environment. Todays children would find some of the classics boring because the pace was too slow, or the language too 'posh'. Others would enjoy them for what they are and consider them quaint but worthwhile. I have many of the books I read as a child still with me, plus loads of the books that belonged to my children. All of them bring back memories and are a joy to rediscover. However, most of the books that have been kept are younger childrens 0-10. I think that is because once I got older I used the library most of the time, as did my kids. I have been reading some of the more recent books like Charlottes Web and like them, but I am not necessarily convinced that they are any better...or worse. Just modern! Pp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stoney Posted June 13, 2007 Share Posted June 13, 2007 Todays children would find some of the classics boring because the pace was too slow, or the language too 'posh'. Others would enjoy them for what they are and consider them quaint but worthwhile.Pp Hm, not too sure about that. Seems a bit of a generalisation. My eldest is coming up to three so we are still at the point where I read to him. But I'll let you know what he thinks in a few years' time. He does enjoy the dvd of the ITV adaptation of Wind in the Willows though, which is quite faithful to the book. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiona Posted June 13, 2007 Author Share Posted June 13, 2007 The book I'm reading now - Five Children and It - I'd have thought kids would find it perhaps boring and perhaps too posh. But you never know, no kid is the same. It's strange to think that when you read it now you see the children as old fashioned of course and as a book set in the past. Of course when it written it wasn't set in the past. I believe it was written for the children of the time (and probably children of that class of the time). Although all in all - I wouldn't say these chilren are any different from the kids now actually in the way they act and behave. They just wear different clothes, speak differently and are used to different lives. They're just less interested in computer games obviously! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purple Poppy Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 Stoney said... Hm, not too sure about that. Seems a bit of a generalisation. Yes, perhaps it is a sweeping statement, but other threads on here suggest otherwise, re Enid Blyton fo instance. The language is very stiff and formal compared to today. I think younger children would enjoy the story content but the EB bookd we read were probablymeant for a slightly higher age group. Either way, the same thing happened with the children's programmes and the BBC. Too formal and stuffy, catering for a middle class audience. Once ITV came along, it was obvious they had lost the plot! Pp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KW Posted June 15, 2007 Share Posted June 15, 2007 I loved The Little Princess Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sofia Posted June 16, 2007 Share Posted June 16, 2007 I also had loads of Judy Blume books - she was a big favourite for a while. I was talking to a friend last night, and Judy Blume came up. It brought back such wonderful memories....I think it was her books that really sparked my reading.... Are You There God, It's Me Margaret? Iggie's House Freckle Juice Tiger Eyes Deenie etc....etc.... I am going to have to get these and more from the library to reread...erm, I mean for my daugther to read:blush: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maclsj Posted June 16, 2007 Share Posted June 16, 2007 I will always remember reading The Faraway Tree books by Enid Blyton. Don't know why they always stick in my mind from my childhood reading but they do! The Eyewitness book on the Romans also sticks in my mind, especially the bit about Pompeii, because it's that that prompted me to study archaeology when I grew up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted June 16, 2007 Share Posted June 16, 2007 I have a modern classic favourite - Ronia, the Robber's Daughter by Astrid Lindgren (I recently found my old copy of this and plan to re-read it very shortly). It's part historical fiction, part fantasy (with an emphasis on the old folk and fairy tales of Sweden) and all wonderful, and I heartily recommend it to young and old alike - if you have missed this gem, go out and get a copy as soon as possible as it's absolutely beautiful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiona Posted June 16, 2007 Author Share Posted June 16, 2007 I was talking to a friend last night, and Judy Blume came up. It brought back such wonderful memories....I think it was her books that really sparked my reading.... Are You There God, It's Me Margaret? Iggie's House Freckle Juice Tiger Eyes Deenie etc....etc.... I am going to have to get these and more from the library to reread...erm, I mean for my daugther to read:blush: Oh god - Freckle juice! I recognised the name Judy Blume but couldn't think what I'd read of hers but that's it - I've read that! Strange, how you forget and then remember after so long! Like, I remembered I'd read a book called Elidor and watched the TV programme a long long long time ago - and it is on my TBR pile now somewhere in my bookshelf... such weird memories. Oh, I wanna read that again now and re-find my mis-spent youth! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inver Posted June 16, 2007 Share Posted June 16, 2007 The Famous Five and Secret Seven stories were my favourites for a time. When I got a bit older I loved Little House on the Prarie series. Also a classic favourite of my mum was Little Women.....think I read it but should try it again now and see if I still like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrathofkublakhan Posted June 17, 2007 Share Posted June 17, 2007 When I got a bit older I loved Little House on the Prairie series. Little House seems to be a popular series, so I see in this thread. Is the first book, the best of all - or is it the type of group where reading the whole set is the key? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted June 17, 2007 Share Posted June 17, 2007 They're all pretty good, Wrath, but it's the kind of series where you really need to start at the beginning. However, once you've read the first one, you'll most likely want to read the others too, as you end up feeling quite involved in Laura's life as her family move from place to place. I remember finding them quite exciting and wishing I could have experienced it all first hand, despite the hardships. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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