If you are a librarian, primary school teacher, author or parent of a young child you’ll already know that today is World Book Day! If you fit into none of the above categories and this event has passed you by, well, now you know. But, as much as trying to fashion a Harry Potter costume out of two pipe cleaners, an old curtain and a few paper clips seems to be a rite of passage for parents (not being one, I can’t confirm or deny this), let’s all please remember that World Book Day is not ALL about the costumes.
Shocked silence.
I know. I said it.
Surprise, surprise, it should actually be about the books. And in honour of World Book Day, I’ve taken a trip down memory lane to pick out some of my favourite children’s books. I still have many of them in a box in the attic (or on my bookshelf!) and hopefully, one day, I’ll be able to share them with my children. If, that is, they want to read them.
And for all those parents who completely forget that their child was supposed to go to school dressed as their favourite character today, DON’T PANIC. Because many of our favourite children’s characters from our favourite children’s books are dressed as, well, children. So just smile when asked who your child is representing and say they’re Lyra Belacqua, Charlie Bucket, one of the four Pevensie children or any one of a host of kids from Enid Blyton’s books. (There are plenty to choose from.)
Surely the magic of children’s books is that our young people can relate to the characters? Characters who are a similar age to them and who have similar experiences. In the world of their imagination, they too can fight Dementors, be crowned King of Narnia or accidentally sail across the North Sea.
So, rather than spending a tenner on a costume that will be worn once and discarded, why not buy your child a book? And not a book you want them to read, but a book they want to read. Let them discover the books that they’ll remember for years to come.
As for me, here are a few of my favourite childhood books – what modern classics would your children add to the list?
I can still remember a good number of the rhymes from this classic book featuring nursery rhyme characters. It’s a bit like attempting to fully recite Bohemian Rhapsody or American Pie – you don’t think you know all the words, but once you start, they just keep tripping off your tongue.
It’s beautifully illustrated and great for playing “I spy” (like an easier version of Where’s Wally). I don’t remember many books from my early years but Each Peach Pear Plum
I know, if this was a list of the top children’s books, then The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe would be the sole C.S. Lewis book on this page. But this is a list of my favourite children’s books, which means that The Horse and His Boy
It is quite possible that the main reason that this was my favourite of all C.S. Lewis’s books is because two of the main characters and talking horses. And it’s fair to say that as a child, I was pretty mad about horses. But it also has two cool protagonists, lots of battles and fighting, and a great plot.
From horses to ballet… Ballet Shoes
You see, the reason that Ballet Shoes
This was by far the hardest book to pick for this list. There are SO MANY Enid Blyton books and they are SO GOOD. It was almost impossible to choose. But while I loved almost all of her books, the Adventure Series was by far my favourite.
Why? Because the adventures are bigger and more real than any of the other series. They fight bad guys, have to survive in lost valleys and uncover dastardly plots. And, as a kid, I wanted to do that stuff too! (I still love exploring remote places but I’ll pass on the bad guys.) Plus, there was a talkative parrot. I loved all the books in the series, and quite frankly, I’ve just tossed a coin between The Valley of Adventure
You’ve probably got an idea by now of which character in Little Women
Little Women
I know, you’re expecting to see Swallows And Amazons
As you’ve probably gathered, I liked adventure books…
There are many children’s books about life in the Second World War. I have read and enjoyed most of them, but When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit
It’s the first in Judith Kerr’s series of autobiographical novels. I’m not really a fan of autobiographies, but this is most definitely a children’s book first and foremost and a fascinating insight into the escape of one family from Germany in the 1930s.
And, because I couldn’t really choose between the two, I also have to mention I Am David
When I read this book, it was called Northern Lights. It now seems to be called The Golden Compass
I’m not sure what I love more: the kick-ass heroine, Lyra, the fantastical plot, or Pantalaimon and the notion of dæmons. But really, it’s the full package, and while I may not have understood some of the more subtler undertones of Pullman’s work as a child, it adds an additional layer to the books as an adult.
I recently returned to this fabulous world when I read La Belle Sauvage: The Book of Dust Volume 1
I debated including Z for Zachariah
Z for Zachariah
Last year, I watched the film version of this book, and… okay, let’s just not go there. It was well acted but there were SO many things wrong with it that I’m not sure where to begin.
