I first listened to my library teacher read this to the class back in 1996 and I loved every moment of it. Enid Blyton is therefore very special because her stories are regarded as so influential that it is necessary to change them for the new generation. Sometimes, he cannot understand what his friends are saying because he is partially deaf, which is further aggravated by all the noise from the pans and kettles which he carries all the time. She was fairly shameless about incorporating things that they would like - a visit to the Land of Birthdays, where the characters had the Most Fun Party Ever, was the capstone. The tree is so tall that it reaches to the clouds where strange and often dubious lands pass by after settling for a while above the topmost branches.

I grew up with the Famous Five (which had been converted into a TV series), and am familiar with Noddy. D. James, Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell, the full 'A Song of Ice and Fire' series by George R. The premise is simple enough: a family from the city with three children (a boy and two girls) move out to the countryside.I spent a couple of hours today revisiting these old friends and I was quite amazed by how much I remembered after more than fifty years. I picked this book up as it was recommended to me as an excellent read and as part of the challenge I had to read a book that I was supposed to read in school but haven't and here we are. The Saucepan Man as he is known eventually moves to the Faraway Tree and becomes very established in the Faraway Tree tales.

But quite the most enchanting books she has ever written have got to be The Faraway Tree series: The Enchanted Wood, The Magic Faraway Tree and The Folk of the Faraway Tree. Blyton was a prolific author of children's books, who penned an estimated 800 books over about 40 years. I was so excited at the chance to have such a classic read to me and by none other than Kate Winslet at that. Jo has been changed to Joe, the more common spelling for males, and Bessie is now Beth, the former name having fallen out of use as a nickname for Elizabeth. Notable series include: The Famous Five, The Secret Seven, The Five Find-Outers, Noddy, The Wishing Chair, Mallory Towers, and St.It was with much relief that I found the joy and awe so often felt on early readings, as soon as I opened the very first page. The Enchanted Wood tells the story of Jo, Bessie and Fanny (remodelled Joe, Beth and Franny in later years), three siblings who move to the English countryside and proceed to have various adventures in a magical wood backing the yard of their new home. I was so engrossed into the story that even as a kid, I sometimes lost track of what was happening around me and almost became a part of the story.

MAYBE, that would be the only thing partially justified to be removed from this children’s classic fantasy book. I was a little trepidatious, thinking it might seem too young for me or might even ruin the memories I had of the book.When the children first meet Silky, she is described as an elf: ″At that moment the yellow door opened and a small elf looked out. They often harp on about how lucky they are that the Enchanted Wood starts across the lane from their house. I have not verified and compare today's version with the original, but, apparently, cancel culture has got a hold of this book.

As my husband remembered, there were some really hairy moments where if I’d been a child reading this, I might have been quite scared. I also loved getting re-aquainted with all my favourite old characters, even the ones I had forgotten about. But, I always prefer to believe that even if we can never regain our childhood innocence, then we can at least borrow some of it for a temporary time while reading the storybooks that made us so happy when we were kids.Featuring a fascinating introduction by Val McDermid and new illustrations by Juan Esteban Rodríguez, each copy has been signed by both the introducer and the illustrator. When I started reading this, I felt I have read this already but then parts of it I couldn't remember. This story can teach kids so many wonderful lessons, even though it was written during an era when a parent ( the kids' mom ) would never send her children off to tea with a strange man wearing saucepans and kettles all over his body like accessories !