Our favourite childhood books?
Celebrating World Book Day
Greetings, dear Sunny Optimists,
Last Wednesday was World Book Day. This event seeks to promote children’s reading for pleasure in ways that support the life chances this can bring them. I wholeheartedly agree with this as reading is such a powerful way to provoke a child’s imagination. I was delighted to receive the photos below of our grandaughter Gracie dressed up as her favourite book, The Book With No Pictures by B.J.Novak. Well done to Mum and Dad in supporting her to become the book.
Big Smile!
It is a fantastic book that really appeals to Gracie’s sense of humour. A rhino called ‘Boo Boo Butt’ had her hooting with laughter. As the website says, the book is ‘At once perfectly simple and ingeniously imaginative; it inspires laughter every time it is opened, creating a warm and joyous experience to share—and introducing young children to the powerful idea that the written word can be an unending source of mischief and delight’.
Here are a few of the made-up word pictures in the book. Very onomatopoetic!
To see the book in action, click here or on the image above to watch BJ Novak reading it to a live audience. The children respond amazingly well to the words. His evident enthusiasm for the silliness within the book is so infectious. I found myself grinning as I watched it.
My Favourite Children’s Books
This book was my most favourite as a child. Joe, Beth and Frannie make many new friends in different parts of this magical tree, like, moon face, who has a slippery slide in this house and saucepan man, who wears saucepans over his body. They get to visit lots of different places like Topsy-Turvy Land and Do-As-You-Please Land. Great escapism! In the Land of Goodies, the houses are made of chocolate. Very appealing!
This book was my favourite one to read with my girls. A classic picture book by Janet and Allan Ahlberg weaves the game 'I spy' with many fairy tale characters. There is a cadence to the rhymes in the book and a link between each section that makes the story so easy to remember. I know that even now, Judy, Rachel and I can recite the book from memory. Click here to listen to the authors reading the book.
And of course, there is their book 'Peepo', but that is for another time:)
Questions for this Week
I invite you to touch back into your memories and remember children’s books that brought you joy.
What was your favourite book as a child?
Who read bedtime stories to you?
Which favourite book did you love reading to the youngsters in your life?
As always, please share, as I love hearing from you.
Ann
Lovely question! Like Alison, I loved Roald Dahl books. Also, all the Barbar the Elephant stories, especially when he and his family went to another planet. Couldn't get enough fantasy and science fiction as a young kid. I would have loved The Faraway Tree.
Evidently, I also love British humor. As a young teen, I devoured the entire Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series. I still giggle at the rocket ship that was fueled by a big table of men endlessly trying to divide a complicated dinner bill. I have to say, I sadly haven't had much of a chance to read stories to young kids. Seems like a priority now!
Gracie's book outfit is spectacular. Way to go mom!
Thank you Ann. Lots of smiles this end reading this.
One of my favourites too was The Faraway Tree along with The Enchanted Wood, The Wishing Chair, Famous Five and Secret Seven all by Ms Blyton.
I don't remember anyone reading me beditime stories and I don't remember the stories I read to Lauren. What I do know though is that to make it more interesting for me, I used to change the stories and she never let me get away with that. "Daddy stop it that's not what happened". I also used to bring in different accents for the characters and if I happened to get them mixed up she would say Daddy Mrs soandso doesn't talk like that!