Forgotten children's book from your childhood.

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  • susie-4964susie-4964 Posts: 23,143
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    Button62 wrote: »
    Anything by Noel Streatfield. I loved her books, particularly Ballet Shoes and Thursday's Child. I also remember being amazed that with a name like Noel she was actually a woman !

    I remember her - did she also write a book called The Children of Primrose Lane? Also Angus MacVicar, DK Broster (their books were about Scotland, and my mum knew Angus MacVicar!), although that's going back a bit.

    Also liked the Little Grey Rabbit books, and when my kids were young (around 25 years ago), there was a series of books about the Church Mice (and cat!), which were hilarious - they worked on both child and adult levels and the kids loved them.
  • susie-4964susie-4964 Posts: 23,143
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    The Three Golliwogs by Enid Blyton – Golly, Woggie and N****r. Can't think why its popularity declined. Incidentally, the woman who bought it for me was a next door neighbour who had a black cat she'd named Sambo.

    Sambo was a very popular name for dogs and cats! There was also a children's book called Little Black Sambo, we all had that one. Makes me cringe now to think about it.
  • Loz_FraggleLoz_Fraggle Posts: 5,757
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    I loved the My Best Fiend series, my mum 'lent' them to a relative, and I never got them back :mad:

    I also remember a book I read, but don't remember the title, it was about a teenager moving to a new school, and making friends there, she left her previous school because all the kids made fun of her when she starred in an advert for a breakfast cereal, and was dressed up as a character called Kelly Cornflake or similar. Her new friends were trying to raise money for something, and she decided to make a joke out of the character from the advert, by dressing as her and getting pelted with wet sponges. It was from a series, but I've no idea as to the title.
  • LaVieEnRoseLaVieEnRose Posts: 12,836
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    I loved the St Clare's and Mallory Towers books by Enjd Blyton. I coerced my sister into midnight feasts and we got grounded as we'd eaten our dads bait for the next day. Not very public school what ho!!

    :eek: Maggots and worms?
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 7,440
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    susie-4964 wrote: »
    Sambo was a very popular name for dogs and cats! There was also a children's book called Little Black Sambo, we all had that one. Makes me cringe now to think about it.

    My sister used to work as a practice nurse. One of the patient's names was Sambo. When she was at the surgery it was not uncommon for a member of the medical team to call out for Sambo when it was her turn.
    The looks on people's face always made the other staff laugh. Of all the awkward names to have in an area that is predominantely black. :D
  • VoodooChicVoodooChic Posts: 9,863
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    Both My Ursula Moray Williams

    Gobbolino The Witches Cat - remembered by others
    Dumpling - this one is never remembered by others - the tale of a young girl who goes to buy a horse, but falls in love with a fat small horse called Dumpling - she rides him and wins the big race

    King of the Copper Mountains - it concerns the failing health of an elderly king who is kept alive by stories told by visiting animals.

    Vardo - a collection of books set in space - I only read 1-4 - 4 had a natural ending so was surprised to find there were more years later
  • ShomofoShomofo Posts: 598
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    There are a couple that stand out for me (some mentioned as already)
    In no particular order
    The Owl who was afraid of the Dark
    Fantastic Mr. Fox
    The Magic Faraway tree ( and pretty much all Enid Blyton)
    The Wizard of Oz (and the rest)
    The Sadlers wells books (no idea why as I don't even like ballet)
    Jackie pony series
    The Taran books by Lloyd Alexander

    My ultimate favourite which I have recently spent years CV collecting are The Chalet School Books by Elinor Brent Dyer. I usually reread every year or so.

    When I was a teenager it was Sweet Dreams, Sweet Valley High, Cheerleaders and Couples.
    I so wanted to be American and go to a Prom!!
  • dragonrapidedragonrapide Posts: 1,249
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    This one is for real oldies.

    My husband can remember reading a book about London when he was a child in the 1940s. It was a fiction book and featured characters such as Gog and Magog, The Moor at Moorgate, Kind Lud of Ludgate.

    Have tried to look it up for him with no success.
  • Fibromite59Fibromite59 Posts: 22,518
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    I have only just come across this thread and rather than answer each one individually I will just write some bits below.

    Yes, I remember the Garden Gang books very well. I collected them all for my son when he was little and he loved them. His fave was Robert Raspberry who asked questions all the time. We still have all the books.

    I used to love Bobby Brewster and his sardine sandwiches and I collected lots of these books for my son who also loved them. We still have all the books we collected and some have H.E.Todd's autograph in them.

    My favourite books as a child were by Noel Streatfeild, particularly Ballet Shoes, The Bell Family and Apple Bough. Ballet Shoes has never been out of print. Noel also wrote books for adults but these are very hard to get now. She also wrote under the name of Susan Scarlett.

    I discovered the Chalet School books at the age of 15 and loved them. Over the years I have collected all 58 of them in hardback and paid a small fortune for them. Did you know that there is a club for Chalet School enthusiasts called Friends Of The Chalet School. Just type the name into Google and find out more. You can buy the books and lots of spin off from them or from Girls Gone By Publishers.

    My absolute favourite book as a child was The Family From One End Street which I read over and over again. I tried reading it to my son when he was about 7 but it just seemed so old fashioned that he didn't relate to it at all.

    I loved the Jennings series of books and have most of them in hardback. I used to read them to my son when he was young and sometimes I couldn't get the words out for laughing so much. He used to be saying, What is it mum, read it read it, while I was doubled up laughing.
  • Phoenix LazarusPhoenix Lazarus Posts: 17,305
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    I loved the Jennings series of books and have most of them in hardback. I used to read them to my son when he was young and sometimes I couldn't get the words out for laughing so much. He used to be saying, What is it mum, read it read it, while I was doubled up laughing.

    Fossilised fishhooks, I remember Jennings. What a clodpole old Wilkie was.
  • Fibromite59Fibromite59 Posts: 22,518
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    Someone mentioned Thursday's Child by Noel Streatfeild. There was a follow up to this called Far To Go. Perhaps the benefactor was found in that.

    I loved the books by Antonia Forest. She wrote all about the Marlow Family. They all seems quite rich and had servants and went riding, and to boarding school etc, yet the funny thing was that in the books they were always going on about the fact that they were poor.
  • Fibromite59Fibromite59 Posts: 22,518
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    I keep thinking of more. I loved the books by Violet Needham. She wrote about child Kings of imaginary countries with great realism. She herself was bought up in the Dutch royal court so knew a lot about that sort of life.
  • GiraffeGirlGiraffeGirl Posts: 13,619
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    Pony Club Cup by Josephine Pullein-Thompson. God I loved this book - I read it to death. I've just found it for 1p on Amazon and am so unbelievably tempted. Can't believe I never knew that there were 2 more in the series - I feel cheated out of my childhood!
  • Phoenix LazarusPhoenix Lazarus Posts: 17,305
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    Asterix and Tintin were perennial favourites in my childhood.
  • LaVieEnRoseLaVieEnRose Posts: 12,836
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    Oh yes, I loved Jennings and Darbishire!

    Another one I loved was "The Log of the Ark", by Kenneth Walker & Geoffrey Boumphrey - does anyone else remember this? Features various animals which did not survive to modern times.
    The poor Clidders who dissolved in the rain! :cry:
    The completely spherical Wumpetty-dumps. :D
    And the loathly Scub, one of the most villainous creatures in literature. :eek:
  • Fibromite59Fibromite59 Posts: 22,518
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    Fossilised fishhooks, I remember Jennings. What a clodpole old Wilkie was.

    Doh, you silly little boy, he was an ozard oink. :D
  • Clarkie66Clarkie66 Posts: 5,890
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    Yvie123 wrote: »
    I remember being really captivated by The Family From One End Street, by Eve Garnett.
    I also loved Mrs Pepperpot, Milly Molly Mandy - and I've just remembered Bobby Brewster, about a boy who had encounters with magical things, like a toothpaste which could produce any flavour he fancied - I'd forgotten about those books before this thread, but I adored those stories!:)

    Thank you :) I've been trying to remember the name of 2 books I read when I was young about a family and I have tried all sorts of searches including kids and street etc and couldn't find anything. I came on here with only vague hopes and within a few posts you have posted about The Family from One End Street. I was just looking at the sky the other day and said to my Mam that it reminded me of a character in the book describing whether there was enough blue in it to make a sailor's trousers. (Or something like that! :))

    PS I loved Milly Molly Mandy too and always followed the map if a character moved from one place to another.
  • Nick_GNick_G Posts: 5,137
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    I'll skip the more well-known ones but there are a couple that I remember:

    Tim & Tobias (very vague memories of these books in the late 70s) - seems to have a website these days: http://timandthehiddenpeople.net/ Funny how that picture of Tim retrospectively reminds me of David Sylvian!

    A book we had read to us at school called Rebecca's World by Terry Nation. A slightly surreal story about a girl who looks through the wrong end of a telescope and gets transported to an alien world. I enjoyed it so much I bought my own copy shortly afterwards but sadly it was lost years ago. A real shame as copies go for silly money these days on the net.

    The Remarkable Story of Gustavus Bell by Gloria Skurzynski. An American book about a boy who stays out in the hot sun for too long and succumbs to 'halving disease' in which he shrinks to half his previous size periodically and all the weird adventures he has along the way.

    Adventure In Glide's Garden by Terri LeGere - a wonderful fantasy book with a serious environmental message. I still have a dusty copy of this one.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 932
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    Clarkie66 wrote: »
    Thank you :) I've been trying to remember the name of 2 books I read when I was young about a family and I have tried all sorts of searches including kids and street etc and couldn't find anything. I came on here with only vague hopes and within a few posts you have posted about The Family from One End Street. I was just looking at the sky the other day and said to my Mam that it reminded me of a character in the book describing whether there was enough blue in it to make a sailor's trousers. (Or something like that! :))

    PS I loved Milly Molly Mandy too and always followed the map if a character moved from one place to another.

    Glad to have been of help:)
    I'm considering buying a copy of The Family From One End Street to have a nostalgic reread!
    I bought a copy of Milly Molly Mandy for my kids when they were younger, but they didn't take to it :( I suppose it must seem a bit dated to kids now.
  • justatechjustatech Posts: 976
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    My favourite books were by Hugh Walters. I loved reading about the adventures in space of Tony, Chris, Serge and Morrey. Favourite of the series must be Nearly Neptune. I would love to see them being put onto kindle as the books are so expensive now and quite difficult to find.
  • Fibromite59Fibromite59 Posts: 22,518
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    susie-4964 wrote: »
    I remember her - did she also write a book called The Children of Primrose Lane?

    Yes, Noel Streatfeild did write The Children Of Primrose Lane. It was set in wartime.
  • chloebchloeb Posts: 6,501
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    I loved a book called Mandy by Julie Andrews.
    Read it over & over when I was about 8 & stayed with me forever. My lovely boyfriend bought it for me last year & I cried...& read it again, I was back there, 8 years old.

    I've also just bought a book for my daughter called The Giant Jam Sandwich. It was bought for me by my infant school teacher when I was 6 & in hospital.
  • spookyLXspookyLX Posts: 11,730
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    So many happy reading Memories in this Thread

    read most of them but there was one particular book I loved called Rebecca's world Journey to the Forbidden Planet by Terry Nation .

    I remember it being read to us at school, and I fell in love with it . Have always wanted a copy but discovered it was out of print so I kept an eye on ebay for an affordable copy ( they had copies for scary prices ) and I eventually got a copy I have not read it yet as I don't want to take it out of the protective bag it came in and risk it getting damaged:o:o
  • Fibromite59Fibromite59 Posts: 22,518
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    chloeb wrote: »
    I loved a book called Mandy by Julie Andrews.
    Read it over & over when I was about 8 & stayed with me forever. My lovely boyfriend bought it for me last year & I cried...& read it again, I was back there, 8 years old.

    I remember reading Mandy. As you say, it was written by Julie Andrews, but she used her married name of Julie Edwards for it.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,579
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    The ones I really liked but are not about any more was the tripods trilogy by John Christopher.(I think)
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