What is the first book that you really loved?

[[deleted user]]

I have 3 - The Ladybird book version of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves (still on my book shelves), Winnie the Pooh/The House at Pooh corner, which my dad used to read to me and I usually reread at least once a year and Diana and Her Rhinoceros - when I was little, I adored this book about a little girl who grows old with her pet rhinoceros and I often think about it, though my copy disappeared years ago. Thinking about again for this thread encouraged me to search for it on amazon and Hooray-it's still in print and currently winging it's way to me in the post.

[Shirley]

I think mine was A Little Princess, I so desperately loved that book!

[[deleted user]]

That's my favourite of Hodgson Burnett's books - never really liked The Secret Garden.

[Shirley]

No, I didn't like it as much, but still enjoyed it. The other book I really loved was "Ballet Shoes".

[Shirley]

I've never heard of Diana and her Rhinoceros!!

[Ellie]

Tarka the Otter

[Laurel]

CS Lewis's Narnia Chronicles, Treasure Island (I wanted to be a pirate for a long time after that one)and then The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. I also had this book of Fairy Tales which was beautifully illustrated - I can remember spending ages just looking at the pictures - but have got no idea what edition it was and have never been able to find it again.

[Hilary]

The first book I was really entranced by was a children's illustrated encyclopaedia I got. I LOVED it and read it quite obsessively. If I close my eyes I can still visualise many of the illustrations. I was also very keen on dictionaries. Strange child!!

[[deleted user]]

Shirley wrote: "I've never heard of Diana and her Rhinoceros!!"

I'd actually forgotten the name of it and had to Google "small child and pet rhinoceros"! It's a lovely book - funny and quite moving (as far as I remember) - I need to find a small child to give a copy to.

[[deleted user]]

@ Shirley - ooooh Ballet Shoes! Petrova was my favourite - there was another one I remember liking about ice skating - White Boots I think

@ Ellie - never read Tarka the Otter - I steered away from nature books as I had the feeling that they were not going to have a happy ending. I have to turn over wildlife programmes when things start eating other things (except vegetables of course)

[[deleted user]]

@ Laurel I loved the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe - but was less keen on the sequels, Treasure Island is on my to read list - Lord of the Rings is one of my favourite books - though I didn't read it until I'd seen The Fellowship of the Ring - never got on with the Hobbit though.

@ Hilary - that is a bit strange ;o) - bet you had a much wider vocabulary than most other children your age though!

[Ellie]

@ Lee - I tend to take the pragmatic, Chris-Packham-on-Springwatch approach, circle of life and all that. Nevertheless, I did cry reading Watership Down!

[[deleted user]]

Ellie wrote: "@ Lee - I tend to take the pragmatic, Chris-Packham-on-Springwatch approach, circle of life and all that. Nevertheless, I did cry reading Watership Down!"

Oh no - I could never read that - I've never got very far through the film - those poor bunny rabbits!

[Joy]

As a child I adored Alice in Wonderland - I could recite chunks of it by heart! I still have my childhood copy, but re-reading it as an adult I can't understand the attraction.

[[deleted user]]

I'm the opposite - tried the Alice books as a child and couldn't get into them at all, but now I'm an "older lady" as my friend Wendy tactfully describes me, I love them.