Favourite children's books

I was thinking about the books I used to love as a child. First up have to be the Famous Five books by Enid Blyton. There was a big element of wish fulfillment in these, as the Famous Five (Julian, Dick, George, Anne and Timmy the dog of course) went off on holidays by themselves, rowed to private islands, discovered secret passageways and had perilous adventures outwitting criminals. Of course later came the controversy over Blyton with charges of xenophobia and even poor writing (see this Guardian page for a comment). I never noticed anything wrong with the actual writing itself: perhaps librarians cited this as a cause for not stocking the books when really they were concerned about other perceived iniquities in the books ... I liked the books myself because they were exciting and well-written in that I wanted to read on and on. I think children should be given a bit more credit for intelligence as well. It's quite easy to see that the Famous Five lived in another time and place where the middle-classes all had domestic staff. That didn't make me feel I couldn't connect with the characters at all, and I certainly didn't want the books updated.

Updating of children's books is another concern. I don't think it's necessary as children are quite aware of changes in manners and customs. The worst is when editors partially update books. The Jill books by Ruby Ferguson were also favourites of mine. As well as being about a girl who gets her own pony they have very amusing passages. As they were written in the 50s though, later editors have felt obliged to update the money from, eg 10 shillings to 50 p. As they haven't allowed for inflation though, this makes for ridiculous sums of money being paid for a pony! A child could happily have accepted that money has changed without silly changes being made.

Finally, I used to love the Narnia books by C S Lewis. My friend and I discovered these one summer holiday and we fetched new ones from the library each day. It was great! I'm afraid I read the stories for their own sake (children having adventures in magical lands) and didn't even notice the Christian allegory.

That brings me to my final point - sadly, I think that you can never go back. When the Rock Chick became a keen reader from the age of about 6, I used to hunt out all my old favourites for her from charity shops. Of course I re-read them myself but it was no longer as magical or exciting, as you might imagine. In fact the Christian allegory in the Narnia books I found heavy-handed and obtrusive! However I still envy children coming to these books for the first time.

Day 106; Book 104

I feel a new craze coming on ...

For Finn Crisp original rye crispbreads! They are very thin with a delicious nutty taste. In fact they are so thin they surely can't have many calories ... Yum!

*note to self - make sure to get the really thin ones next time, not the ordinary ones WHICH ARE NOT AS GOOD!

The Code of the Woosters by P G Wodehouse

I'm still reading this one so haven't entered it on my Books Completed list. This is the second Wodehouse I've read recently and I'm really enjoying this one. Apparently it is one of his best (see this Guardian review of his life and works). The first one I read felt more like a short story extended, but this one is well paced and consistently amusing. It looks like I'm a convert and I wasn't even troubled by revolutionary thoughts when Jeeves brought Bertie his early morning tea in bed (I was slightly troubled by Bertie putting his underwear on in front of Jeeves, but that's a different matter altogether ...)

Touching the Void by Joe Simpson

I don't like mountaineering books as a rule, but this autobiographical book is exceptional. It's a book about survival and you don't need to be interested in climbing to enjoy it. We know the outcome from the start, but you will still be on the edge of your seat as each new crisis occurs. The writing is spare and honest and conveys each participant's emotions. There's a documentary film too, which is unusual in that it follows the source book very closely and so is just as good as the book, and is possibly even more nerve-wracking. The only difference I would say is that the book is very clear on Joe Simpson's attitude to his climbing partner Simon Yates.

Joe's survival is amazing and can be attributed in part to his competitive nature as a climber and athlete. To crawl for miles with a horrendously-broken leg could surely only be achieved by someone with great mental abilities. He sets himself tasks, and breaks them down into patterns and gives himself time limits to achieve them. (Some of his worst moments come when he gives up on this strict control of his mind). It is a great illustration of how great challenges are achieved through mental as much as physical effort. I think it is probably much harder to train yourself mentally though.

There is a link to a description of the book here, and this is a link to Joe Simpson's website, "No Ordinary Joe".

Day 104; Book 103

Random Link

I couldn't resist the title of this blog, Cute Things Falling Asleep! It does exactly what it says on the tin ...

Marcus Didius Falco

My favourite ancient Roman detective was in action again in Last Act at Palmyra, in which Marcus and Helena join up with a troupe of travelling performers to investigate a murder. I wish these novels had been available when I was at school - they are much more fun than Ecci Romani! Of course I am totally shallow and read these only for the story, but it's surprising how educational they are as well (and education without effort is always the best kind ...)

Sadly, I've almost finished reading the Alison Lurie novels. Real People is about an artists' retreat, and one particular author who goes there to write away from the ordinary stresses of running her home. On this visit she learns a lot about herself and other people, not all of it pleasant, and she also learns a lot about her work.

Love and Friendship is the first of Lurie's novels, and sets the benchmark for her scenes of academics and their families behaving badly at home and at work. She is very good in her portrayal of children. In this case the Venn children are charmingly eccentric, and Freddy Hunter is alternately shown as angelic and fiendish (but he has good cause).

Day 103; Book 102

More on Windows of the Soul by Jo Alexander

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