Enid Blyton Raises Another Generation

There are many aspects of my childhood I would not wish to replicate for my children. Sleeping, for two years, on the foam rubber cushions from a Volkswagen caravanette. My father’s “modish” Bombay Mix Curry. Living in Wolverhampton.
The one aspect I cannot fault, however, is the literature. When my parents moved from Brighton to Wolverhampton, when I was two, more than half of their luggage was in the form of three huge suitcases, full of children’s books, which my mother had been collecting at jumble-sales for years. They kept the suitcases under their bed and, every few months or so, when we were deemed finally “old enough,” a new handful would be brought out. We started on Mable Lucy Attwell, Shirley Hughes, The Mr Men and Noddy, and slowly progressed through The Faraway Tree, Mallory Towers, Ballet Shoes, Narnia, Alice, Blyton’s “Adventure” series, Arthur Ransome, E Nesbitt and then, through Spike Milligan’s war memoirs and the Brontes, into the wide-open uplands of my parents’ own, adult bookcases.
I have to say, I think it was the perfect selection. The definitive selection. Indeed, I actually think that list is a fairly comprehensive list of what it would take you to be a “proper” child, that would then turn into a “proper” adult. I can’t really have a full conversation with someone who can’t discuss the two lesbian tutors in Ballet Shoes, remember what it was like to come across the knitting sheep in Through The Looking Glass, cry laughing thinking of Oswald’s monologues in The Bastables, or confess to having had a wank over Mr Rochester.
Since Dora’s seventh birthday, in February, I’ve been reading her the first three Naughtiest Girl books by Enid Blyton. God, they’re even better than I remember. So brilliantly written – both wholly on a level with, and ever so slightly pushing, the reader/listener.
They actually work as wonderful parenting manuals – showing children working out their problems for themselves, and seeing the consequences of not only their actions, but their personalities. They tackle some pretty big issues, as well: ugliness, anger, loneliness, laziness, obesity, parental disaffection. At the moment, Julian – the clever, actually quite sexy boy with the “goblin-grin” – has his mother’s life hanging in the balance. Only a life-long commitment to cease his deployment sneezing-powder in Miss Ranger’s class, and use his “fine brains” to further medical research, instead, will save her.
Both Dora and Eavie actually do seem to have become more thoughtful, calmer, more articulate people since we started reading them. Like our weekly appointment with How To Look Good Naked, The Naughtiest Girl works as a spring-board to discuss a gigantic number of issues, and really keep on top of what’s swirling around in their lovely little heads. Even if it is, as with Eavie yesterday, a query on how often baby cows grow up to be humans.
I just might never bother with a book written after 1962. I just might live in my mother’s suitcases.

Comments

[Tia]

As a Norwegian, I still read English children's books, although translated versions of course. I really really loved the books by Monica Dickens, mostly the World's End series about four children living in a big old house on their own, while their dad was sailing around the world and their mother was in hospital. They had lots of different animals, and I used to daydream of being the oldest girl, Carrie. I also liked the Follyfoot series. And Mary O'Hara, which someone mentioned. Strange how many books I used to read about horses, when I was really a little afraid of them in real life! Has anyone read the wonderful series by Mary Elwyn Patchett, about her childhood in Australia? Again a story with many animals, very exotic with descriptions of snakes and floods and the Great Barrier Reef...I used to really love those books.
And I read the Mallory Towers and St. Claire series, even though I didn't really know what a boarding school was and the whole set-up with uniforms and lacrosse and boarding school hierarcy was unfamiliar. As I grew older, I did however feel uncomfortable with the perfectionism and high morals of the heroines in these books, they always only did little naughty tricks, and were unvariably heroic and truthful and hardworking at all times, while at the same time being healthy, sporty, intelligent, respectful, pretty etc. Their parents were of course perfect too... While their poor school friends had stupid parents with bad taste, and were themselves silly, unintelligent, unsporty, fat, ugly, cheating and so on.... I think in the end I sympathized more with the poor Gwendoline in the Mallory Towers series than with that ever-perfect heroine! But by that time I was probably to old to be reading those books....

[Kate]

Oh, childhood books!! Reading through this thread is bringing all of them back - though, at 18, it's not like I have any excuse for having forgotten half of them already! My mum used to read them to me and my brother from her old hard-backs - because they were too big for us to read comfortably, and we couldn't pick them up and read ahead; she had to read them to us, and she got to read them all over! Enid Blyton was always a huge favourite - the Five Find-Outers (what a name!), the Secret Seven, the Adventure Series, Mallory Towers, St. Clare's, The Naughtiest Girl... Wonderful. Dated, maybe, but so much fun! Some of my childhood favourites, I've read so many times the spines are absolutely unreadable. ^_^

Apart from them... the Sophie stories, by Dick King-Smith, with their 'small but very determined' anit-heroine... C.S. Lewis was a huge favourite, the Dark Is Rising sequence by Susan Cooper was also glorious, though a little more recent. Who else? Noel Streatfield, of course, with the 'Shoes' series; Dancing Shoes, Tennis Shoes, Ballet Shoes, White Boots...

I loved so many of the books mentioned in this article; E. Nesbitts books, Anne of Green Gables, The Green Knowe books, Wind in the Willows (drawn all over with wax crayon, before we realised we were supposed to READ the things written on the paper, not colour 'em in :D), The Story of a Doll's House... so many of them. And Dad would read us the 'boy's books' as well, Willard Price, Biggles, Swallows and Amazons... And how could I forget "Jill's Gymkahna", when it was possible to buy a horse for twenty-five pounds, Milly-Molly-Mandy and Little Friend Susan, and trials and tribulations of Just William?

Now I'm going to have to re-read all of these wonderful books! Thank god for summer...

[Laura]

madmummy: the Elizabeth Enright books are (in order): The Saturdays, The Four-Storey Mistake [where they move to the country and discover a lost room in their new house, if that's what you were thinking of?], Then There Were Five and Spiderweb for Two. I think they are all available on amazon!! They are fantastic books, you should definitely buy and reread!

I don't know if I agree with you about those books being sexist, Lucy. It surely isn't sexist simply to portray what is normal practice, i.e. Mummy at home and Daddy at work. What IS sexist to say that women should only be at home, and men only at work. But when those books were written it the concept of the breadwinner father and home-maker mother was the status quo and would have been extremely strange for the writers to portray anything else. (Actually, I am very protective of Shirley Hughes (Lucy and Tom author) being brought up on her books, and also the fact that she used to live in what was to become my sixth form house. I think she is wonderful. Has anyone else read Up and Up? It's just pictures with no writing, about a little girl who eats a giant chocolate egg and finds she can fly. It is very good.)

I must admit that Enid Blyton's Famous Five and Secret Seven books always did irritate me with the constantly superior of the boys and the insistence that the girls couldn't do certain things. Of course there was George, but she was portrayed as a bit of a frreak of nature.

[Lucy]

Oh, this is so lovely!

Alice, Rosemary Sutcliffe was soooo good. Did anyone read Cynthia Harnett? The Wool-Pack, etc ... I loved those. Children's books just used to be *better*, basically, didn't they? How sexist are the Lucy and Tom books, though? And The Tiger who Came to Tea - it's all mummy at home and daddy popping in for dinner later on! Lol - I loved those when I was little; maybe it's why I feel a deep subconscious need to ply my other half with dinner on the table at seven and beer on tap.

Lazy Mummy - Susan Cooper; snap! I never read them so am having a lovely time discovering it all at age 23 (and I was childishly delighted that the mysterious language in the second book is Anglo-Saxon - I'd been revising Beowulf all day ...)

Helena (again... sorry dear) They have made a film of Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones - it's very bizarre anime-style and, frankly, crap. But I too would love to see Chrestomanci films. Have you read The Dark Lord of Derkholm and its sequel? Not dark, but lots of fun.

Oldermum: THE PATCHWORK CAT! How brilliant was that book? I have wanted a tabby my whole life because of it. 'I have done some snatchwork on your patchwork ...' genius. I learned to read late, and I think my mum must have read me that book about a million times ... and I'm keeping it for my children when they come along, too.

[helena]

I remember the Susan books. They came in old fashioned hardbacks with a jacket. Susan had a surname that was either Tate or Lyle, I can't remember which, but it was one of the sugar names. The only adventure I can remember is when they went to the theatre over the Xmas holidays, and the criminal turns out to be the little old lady.

I loved time travelling books, like the House of Arden, which was a favourite. Also Alison Utley's A Traveller in Time, set in the doomed Babbington house, and the heroine goes back to the Elizabethan days. There was a great 'first boy' in it, Antony Babington's teenage brother, who kisses the heroine - but then she has to go back to the future, her own time. Sigh.

[J]

annamac, I remember reading that all night myself:) hope she enjoys it!

[ShirleyM]

Iloved the Susan series: Susan Pulls the Strings, Susan interferes etc. It was good to have a Scottish heroine and she was so funny. The later ones now fetch a lot of money on Amazon. I liked Julian from The Naughiest Girl series but always thought the quarrel in the stables "if you were a boy I'd show you what I really think of you" had sexual undertones.

[madmummy]

Laura - I have been trying to remember the Melendy books since this post started. Thank you.Wasn't there one called the Saturday Club or something? And were the same children that discovered a long lost house? I took them out of the library so I haven't even got a copy of them. They were american if I remember correctly

[Tansey]

My childhood favourites were the Elizabeth Enright books(The Saturdays series and the Gone Away Lake series), Monica Edwards Punchbowl series which included the ones set near Rye, Laura Ingalls Wilder's books(named my daughter Laura after her), Mary o'Hara's Thunderhead series, Hugh Lofting's Dr Doolittle series(I was absolutely furious at the farcical films with the same name), Susan Coolidge's Katy series, Arthur Ransome's Swallows & Amazons series(adored the book covers too - definitely appealing), L.M. Montgomery's books especially Jane of Lantern Hill and Blue Castle, Joyce West's Driver's Road series, Ruby Ferguson's Jill books about ponies, Marguerite Henry's Misty of Chincoteague series - I could go on forever! And once again in my 50's I'm collecting and rereading them all over again!!

[Laura]

Has anyone else read the Melendys books by Elizabeth Enright?? --absolutely fantastic, so well-written and great stories and characters, but I've never found anyone else who's even heard of them.

So who's the hottest hero then?? Gilbert vs Laurie! Almanzo? Sebastian from Sadlers Wells? John Watson from Jill??? other suggestions?? cast your votes ladies..

PS I LOVE The Swish of the Curtain!!! amazing!!!! I lent it to my 16-yr-old sister in law and she is a fan now too ^-^ love the Bishop 'driving his pigs to market' bit too, where they are giggling in the rom next door until 'one things leads to another' and Vicky lets out a particularly loud whoop, whereupon they lie in petrified silence! it rings so true.

[OlderMum]

Inspired by the thought of an adult Nigel Molesworth, I went googling, and found an online presence for St Custard's: try http://www.stcustards.free-online.co.uk/index.htm for lots of wonderful Ronald Searle pictures (boys developing character, matron, masters, and the skool dog) - still brilliant!

Oh, and my daughter says I should have mentioned the excellent Lois Lowry, particularly for her lovely Anastasia Krupnik stories - and of course she is right. Sorry!

[Annamac]

J, my daughter received a parcel from Amazon today and I have just had to remove the Wolves of Willoughby Chase from her room, as otherwise she was clearly going to have a very late night indeed :)

[OlderMum]

West Park full of rats? That's terrible. My mum only ever used to take us there after we'd been to the dentist,in Queen's Arcade (pre-Mander Centre), so it made going to the dentist part of a treat - good practical psychologist, my mum - and I always thought it was a beautiful park. Shame.

My all-time favourite childhood book was definitely Ballet Shoes - read it mostly by torch, under the bedclothes, and still know most of it by heart. Adored the Jill books by Ruby Ferguson, and anything by the Pullein Thompsons, and a wonderful story about an ex-polo pony, called Rosina Copper - does anyone else remember that one? Ballet stories again: no-one seems to have mentioned the other ballet ones by the same author as the Wells ones - the Dancing Peel series, set in Northumbria - what was the author's name - Lorna someone?

Loved Katy and Anne of Green Gables, Little Grey Rabbit,the Narnia Chronicles and the Family from One End Street, which went down particularly well with my kids (now all in their twenties). Cynthia Harnett's history stories (e.g. The Load of Unicorn and The Woolpack) were good, and I'm glad someone else remembers Brother Dusty-Feet.

My daughter was the biggest reader of my children, loved (still loves) lots of the ones I've mentioned, and wept happily over anything with a lost-and-found theme such as Dogger, and a most beautiful book by Nicola Bayley and William Mayne, called The Patchwork Cat (sobbing "Read it again! Read it again!") which I think is now out of print. We loved The Lighthouse Keeper's Lunch, anything by the Ahlbergs, and Susanna Gretz's witty Teddybears series. Gobbolino The Witch's Cat and the Little Wooden Horse (both by Ursula Moray Williams) were lovely - glad to see a very good obituary for her in the Times a year or so back. Later on The Hobbit was an excellent bedtime story for all three children, and Treasure Island went down well too.

I could go on all evening - I'd better stop and let someone else have a go!

[j]

annamac we can share online, there is clearly a whole molesworth community here.

The gauls are attacking the fossae with sagittas, sagittas molesworth?..
aktually the trick is to look dopy and the master will do the whole translation himself..

now there is another lesson for life which I have often turned to...

[Annamac]

Oh J, you have made my day - Molesworth sequels! Mind you, I have found nobody with whom to share my enjoyment of Molesworth. The humour is lost on my husband and daughter. (Sigh - fond memories of "the Latin pla").

[j]

Kim hav you also discovered the sequels, how to stay topp and molesworth rites again?

Nigel is a invoice docketer (3rd class) in Grabber Bulk Holdings incorporated. Molesworth 2 (chiz it panes me to think I am of the same blud) is a highly successful film director. Fotherington Thomas is a solicitor.

Peason has married a barmaid with huge knockers called Sharon and keeps his work in a Grabbermart carrier bag. He is, oh the shame, a chartered accountant.

I nearly retrained when I read that.

[Kim]

Fellow Molesworth fans! I'm so excited!

I only discovered Molesworth as an adult, but they're wonderful.

hullo clouds, hullo sky...

[j]

Moleworth was the first to note the rise of the GURL who are all junior brane of britten, etc etc. and he had a nightmare of mixed sex education which consisted of Mavis who unstoppably construe Lat Gram at the expense of all the boys in the class.

I adored it even though I had no idea of the social message and in fact didnt realise that the school was supposed to exist at all- I though the whole thing about little boys being taught together and living away from home was just part of the joke.

Even now I am sometimes tempted to catch a new bug and let it dance on my hand...

But oh, the betrayal when he decides to Be Good...

[helena]

Ah, yes, Molesworth, he definitely hav my vote. Great stuff. Chizz chizz.

[JL]

the CSL vs PP perspectives are probably not for major debate here, but after reading both by age 11, ours (now 13 going on 30) raised the subject & we had that discussion. Kids are very wise.

The main point is that kids read for pleasure but can learn by osmosis at the same time - How to be Topp and what is a Good Thing. I must remember to dig out Molesworth.

[Red Squirrel]

Some of my childhhod favourites were my Mum's old ones. The ones that stand out and which I have been known to reread when visiting my parents (even now, in my 30s) are: Thimble Summer by Elizabeth Enright, The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge and A Country Child and the Sam Pig and Little Grey Rabbit books by Alison. I also LOVED Pippi Lonstocking, Hating Alison Ashley by Robin Klein, plus all the Enid Blyton boarding school stories, Laura Ingalls Wilder books and the Moomin books.

[helena]

I don't think that Philip Pulman ought to be let loose on children without Parental Warning. Perhaps they should only be read in parallel with Narnia, so children can get both sides of the argument, and make their own minds up. PP should certainly not be read 'neat' without parents telling children that he has a very extreme axe to grind (just like CSL, of course).

I still can't really get my head round how a man who is a vicar's son can have so little comprehension about Christianity. I suppose one explanation might be that he doesn't think he's slamming Christianity, just organised religion.

[helena]

Has anyone mentioned Diana Wynne Jones yet? Not her dark fantasty novels for older children, but the fab Chrestomanci ones (and a little something for the mums to boot - C/M in his frogged dressing gown causes swoons all round.)

I do wish they'd start making films/TV series on them, but I reserve casting rights over Chrestomanci. It would be dire if he were played by someone orrible.

[JL]

The nostalgia is great but picking up mumoftwo's transition comment - yes, it is a bit disappointing that favourites are spurned - I've had that sideways look many times - I'm now just keeping quiet & hoping that having the big bookcase just outside her bedroom will help. P&P was the first step. But there are some fantastic writers producing now - I try to read them without letting on. Philip Pulman goes from earlish years through to now, Malorie Blackman was year 7, our local bookshop is very good. Also, audio books and BBC dramatisations, I had to find CD version of the 1980 LOTR but it filled most of a road trip to Greece - much better than the films, they cut out most of Faramir.

[Grace]

No one has mentioned the author Elisabeth Kyle who wrote (among other books) The Mirrors of Castle Doone. Her books were mysteries set in Scotland, and that was the first foreign country I ever wanted to visit. I'm 67, grew up in the US Midwest, bu loved Noel Streatfield's Shoes books and was always thrilled by Enid Blyton. The stories were funny and it was lovely to learn about British ways and words like tyre, boot, and torch. I still love books by British writers.