My Top 5 Children's Reads - Number 1

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (Charles Lutwidge Dodgson). This creative novel is full of charm, comedy and of course, adventure. The imagery and fantastical nature of the story knows no bounds and as far as I’m concerned, no other children’s novel has come close to this read.

As I have mentioned previously, my favourite genre of book is the fantasy genre. There are no limits within fantasy, you can go beyond the unexpected, and that’s what drew me into this book time and time again. I first picked it up when I was around 8 or 9 years old. I was quite young for such a lengthy novel, but I persevered and became completely engrossed in Alice’s world. Being quite an inquisitive child myself, I related to Alice, I wanted to go on her adventures too. I have re-read this book many times since then, and as an adult, it’s a comfort read.

The story starts with Alice as she sits by a river reading a book with her sister. Whilst daydreaming, she sees a rabbit; a white rabbit; a white rabbit wearing a waistcoat and holding a pocket watch…and talking! From then on the narrative takes a different turn and we follow Alice as she falls down a rabbit hole; shrinks to the size of a mouse; almost drowns in her own tears; grows to the size of a house; joins in a peculiar game of croquet; and takes part in the Mad-Hatter’s Tea Party. She then meets the Queen of Hearts and is embroiled in a rather unusual turn of events which culminates in her almost getting executed.

This irregular story is enough to capture anybody’s imagination, but for me, the characters are what really make it stand out. The Cheshire Cat was always my favourite, the way he appeared and disappeared without a warning, coming out with complete and utter nonsense, nonsense which somehow seemed logical, if that’s at all possible? But he always seemed to guide Alice to a certain extent: 

"Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?"
"That depends a good deal on where you want to get to," said the Cat.
"I don't much care where –" said Alice.
"Then it doesn't matter which way you go," said the Cat.
"– so long as I get somewhere," Alice added as an explanation.
"Oh, you're sure to do that," said the Cat, "if you only walk long enough."

Not to mention Tweedledum and Tweedledee, the hookah-smoking Caterpillar, the White Rabbit and of course, the Mad-Hatter and the Dormouse.

The book reaches its climax at the trial of the Knave of Hearts who, like the nursery rhyme, is being accused of stealing the Queen of Heart’s tarts. Alice tries to stick up for the Knave as the evidence against him lacks any substance whatsoever, and as is a recurrent proclamation throughout the book, the Queen demands “Off with her head!”. As Alice fights off the Queen’s soldiers, she awakes, realising it was all just a dream.

As much as I loved this book, and still do, I always find the ending rather disappointing and lukewarm. I would have much preferred an alternative ending that saw Alice stay in Wonderland and overthrow the Queen of Hearts, however, I’m not sure if this would have inspired our imaginations in the same way.

My favourite thing about the book is the language. Lewis Carroll continuously plays with the English language throughout the narrative, using puns, prose and in some cases, complete nonsense, to convey the extraordinary world of Wonderland. Carroll was actually a mathematician and he regularly lectured at Oxford University. I like to think that this novel was his escape from the world of logic, an opportunity to expand the other side of his brain, the creative side, although others may disagree with me (there has been discussion that Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was the result of a bad trip).

Picking my number 1 children’s read was not easy, but the reason I chose this over all of the others was because it’s timeless. It’s a timeless classic which offers an escape to adults, and a funny, joyful adventure for children. It has been popular for well over a century, and I don’t see that changing any time soon.

My Top 5 Children's Reads - Number 2

We're Going On A Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen. 

This book is the ultimate chant-along book to read with toddlers and young children. It's rhythm is predictable, it's illustrations are captivating, and like all good stories, it has a climax which thrills the little ones to the core (in a good way!). 

We're Going On A Bear Hunt, an adaptation of an old american folk song, was first read aloud by Michael Rosen in a primary school in the late 80's. It was so successful that he teamed up with illustrator, Helen Oxenbury, and it was published by Walker Books in 1989. 

The first thing that struck me was the illustrations on the first two pages. You don't often find a children's picture book with such striking illustrations. They are painted in watercolour and alternate between black and white and full colour on each page. The black and white pages give the rhyme, "We're going on a bear hunt, we're going to catch a big one, etc etc" and the colour pages give the sound, "Swishy swashy! Swishy swashy! Swishy swashy!". 

The group of people in the illustrations look like a family, but after some research of interviews with Helen Oxenbury, she has actually confirmed that it's a group of children, she modelled them on her own. The way they are drawn really conveys the emotion each individual is feeling. At the beginning of the book for example, each member of the group is excited, waving their hands around with smiles on their faces at the idea of their upcoming adventure. One by one, starting with the eldest member of the party, each one gets more downtrodden as the 'adventure' is getting more and more tiresome. By the time they reach the cave towards the end of the book, their faces and posture show caution and trepidation. My favourite illustration in the whole book is on the very last page which shows the bear, shoulders down, sadly walking back to his cave. To me it seems like the bear just wanted to be their friend, but they ran away from him, scared. 

Once you've read this book once, you will know the rhyme by heart. It's so simple, and that's what makes it great for young readers, because they will remember it too. Within minutes of starting to read this book, my daughter and I were chanting along together, really getting into the rhythm and the beat. The sing-song way in which the story is written is captivating for young children. The actual story is also very inspiring for them; the defiant 'we're not scared' at the end of each verse, urging them to carry on through their adventure; the idea that no matter what obstacle is put in front of them, they can come up with a solution each and every time, 'we can't go over it, we can't go under it, oh no, we've got to go through it'. And every child loves getting messy! 

The first time Michael Rosen recited this old folk song, he didn't add the sounds, and he felt like something was missing. He felt the need to pad it out, and choosing to add the sound of the obstacles was a genius move. Making the sounds of the water, 'Splash, splosh', the grass, 'Swishy, swashy', and the mud, 'Squelch, Squirch', turn it into a sensory experience for the reader. It transports the children so that they're there, IN the story. 

The climax of the story is of course when the group reach the cave, they creep inside and come face to face with the very Bear they've been hunting all along! At this point in the first read, my daughter did a gigantic gasp, she was so caught up in the rhyme that she'd forgotten they were on a bear hunt. They run back to their home, going back through all the obstacles (sounds) they came through on the way there, but this time quicker and more urgently than before. They reach their house and hide under the covers, never to go on a bear hunt again. 

The ending makes me smile. Of course, they didn't really find a bear on their bear hunt, but it shows the imagination of the children, how caught up in their adventure they were, and how home really is where all the comfort lies. 

My Top 5 Children's Reads - Number 3

The Bed and Breakfast Star by Jacqueline Wilson. 

This isn't the most well known book that Jacqueline Wilson has written, but for me, it's the one I always think of when I think of this award-winning author. The story follows Elsa, a lively, happy young girl who has to adapt to a new life living in a Bed and Breakfast Hotel after her stepdad loses his job and the family lose their home. 

One of the things that I like most about Jacqueline Wilson is that she never tries to romanticize life, her stories are true to life and tell stories that many of the children reading can relate to in one way or another. 

Elsa has quite a good relationship with her Mum, but they have drifted apart since her Mum married Mack. Since then, her Mum has had two more children, Pippa and Hank. Elsa doesn't get along with Mack, and throughout the book they are portrayed as opposites; where Elsa is the light side of the book, the funny, happy comedienne, always telling jokes to lighten the mood; Hank on the other hand is the dark side of the book, angry, miserable and very unhappy. As an adult, I can see now that he was probably acting this way because he was guilty that he'd lost his job, and his family had no home because of him. However, through Elsa's eyes, he has ruined her life, ruined her family's life, and she doesn't want him around. Although, Elsa's relationships with her Mum, Pippa and Hank are an important part of the book, they are very close and she clearly cares for her step-siblings, I do think that her relationship with Mack is pivotal to the storyline. Without this, there is no turnaround, there is nothing to work towards. (I won't ruin the ending this time!)

Although the storyline is quite gritty, the narrative is brought to life by Elsa's optimistic attitude. The bad jokes throughout lift the mood and are actually quite funny. She never loses hope that the family will move out of the bed and breakfast and back to their beautiful house that they left behind. She's actually ridiculed for this by the other kids that live there, the ones that don't have hope. This is an important message to the young readers: never give up hope, no matter how hard it gets. 

The grim story does have a happy ending though, of sorts, and is an enjoyable read. As a young nine or ten year old, this was a book I read over and over. I liked Elsa as a character, her ambition and drive, and I liked the rise to the climax of the story towards the end. 

As well as this book, Jacqueline Wilson was my 'go to' author during my late primary and early secondary school years, her books are harsh and realistic but appropriate and funny all at the same time. They are easy to read and you don't have to work hard to understand or see the hidden messages. 

My Top 5 Children's Reads - Number 4

Number 4 goes to Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J K Rowling. A book aimed at young adults, this book is the first in a series that made J K Rowling a household name. In actual fact, it made her the most successful literary author of all time. 

The book was first published in the UK in 1997 by Bloomsbury. It was met with immediate applause from children and adults alike, selling more than 375 million copies. However, I have to admit that I didn't even pick up the book until much later. In 2002, I gave into the hype and decided to see what all the fuss was about. I read the book in one sitting and have never looked back. The series as a whole is the type of book which once you start, you don't put down until you know how it finishes. 

Infused with action, drama and comedy throughout, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone tells the story of an ordinary boy, Harry, who, after his parents died when he was a baby, lives with his Aunt, Uncle and Cousin in a suburban semi. He is mistreated by them and sleeps in a cupboard under the stairs. Just before he's due to start secondary school, he receives a letter (much to his Aunt and Uncle's dismay) telling him that he's actually from a family of wizards and is enrolled to start at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry! On goes the story of how Harry adapts to his new life, making friends, and enemies, and discovering the secrets hidden within Hogwarts Castle. 

One of the best things about this book, is that even though it's a fantasy book which takes you away to another world, there is so much to relate to, especially the characters. Most people know a bossy and interfering, yet kind-hearted, individual, like Hermione. Most people have come across a meek and nervous person, but when the moment arises, will always have your back, like Neville. And most importantly, most people will be able to relate to the isolation Harry felt at the beginning of the book, and how it turned to happiness when he finally found where he belonged. 

The climax of the story is, of course, when the remains of Lord Voldemort are revealed underneath the increasingly twitchy Professor Quirrell's turban. Harry has followed Professor Quirrell through five of the chambers and finally reaches the sixth chamber where he finds Professor Quirrell (not Professor Snape!) and the Mirror of Erised. When Harry looks into the mirror, he sees himself with the Philosopher's Stone in his pocket, and in his pocket it soon appears. When he realises this has happened, controlling Professor Quirrell, Voldemort reveals himself (in the back of Professor Quirrell's head) and battles with Harry to get the stone for himself. For the first time, we see the protective magic that was bound to Harry when his Mother died to protect him, a repeating occurrence throughout the series, Professor Quirrell is killed and Voldemort is forced to leave his body, leaving Harry the hero with the Philosopher's Stone. Although not my favourite adventure of Harry's, this shows for the first time what Harry is capable of and how powerful and determined he really is, and he doesn't even know it yet. 

The reason I picked this book over the other six in the series, is because without 'The Philosopher's Stone', there wouldn't BE the other books in the series. This is the first glimpse of a whole series of adventures, battles and life-changing journeys that Harry and his friends go on, the first glimpse of the real magic of the Wizarding world. There's not a reader out there who wouldn't be transported along with them. 

This book, and series, is popular amongst men and woman, girls and boys, of all ages. The films are good, but the books are spectacular.

My Top 5 Children's Reads - Number 5

Number 5 in my top 5 children's reads goes to The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson. The Gruffalo is a must-read for all book lovers, child or adult. Julia Donaldson words things in such a delightful way, with such rhythm, it's hard not to read the story over and over again. 

The Gruffalo tells the story of a mouse who goes for a walk in the 'deep, dark wood'. He wanders along encountering the fox, the owl, the snake, all of whom invite him to their homes for food. He rebuffs them telling them he has a prior date with The Gruffalo; his horrible description of the Gruffalo's orange eyes, purple prickles and turned out toes scares each animal away, and as the mouse wanders on, he mutters, "Doesn't he know? There's no such thing as a Gruffalo". Only to bump into the Gruffalo further into the woods. He then uses the snake, then the owl, then the fox as tools to convince the Gruffalo, that he, the mouse, is in fact the scariest animal in the wood. The story ends with the mouse eating his lunch, a nut, having survived his walk in the deep, dark wood. 

One of my favourite things about The Gruffalo is how the tiny mouse, the underdog, outsmarts all of the other animals in the forest that are trying to eat him...even The Gruffalo himself. Everybody loves an underdog and this mouse certainly delivers. 

Besides the rhythm and the rhyme, this is a fantastic book to read aloud with a youngster. They love the repetition which encourages them to join in and the arc of the story is simple and predictable for them to understand (the mouse coming across the fox, the owl and the snake, meeting the Gruffalo, then returning back to the snake, the owl and the fox in reverse order). It's a classic tale to return to again and again, your child will be begging for re-runs...and you'll be glad of it! 

(I've read all of Julia Donaldson's books now, we have quite the collection, every single one is definitely worth a read.)