Whatever your age, books can take on you on the most magical adventures. Some of the best loved and most exciting escapades take place among the pages of children’s classics. Which adventure will you pick first?
Nesbit’s classic story of a wish-granting sand fairy is a wonderful adventure for readers of all generations to jump in to. When siblings Cyril, Anthea, Robert and Jane – and their baby brother Lamb – find a sand-fairy in a gravel pit, they think his wish-granting abilities are a dream come true. Of course, things aren’t quite as simple as they seem when it comes to having wishes granted…
Anne Shirley, the infamous red-headed orphan, is adopted by Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert – but she is nearly sent back when they realise she’s not the boy they were expecting. Pretty soon though she is at the heart of their small family, as well as the Avonlea community. But it doesn’t stop her from getting up to all kinds of mischief, normally lead astray by her extremely active imagination. A charming, witty story of finding a home, friendship and growing up.
When Mary Lennox’s parents die from a cholera outbreak in India, she is sent to Misselthwaite Manor to live with her reclusive uncle and his chronically ill child, Colin. Left to her own devices she eventually discovers a secret garden, and through looking after it brings change to the manor and the people who live there. Mary is one of the most interesting characters from classic children’s fiction ; contrary and spoilt until she learns to trust other people.
The characters in Barrie’s Peter Pan are now the stuff of legend, but it’s best to go back to the original and read them as Barrie first wrote them. From runaway child Peter Pan and mischievous fairy Tinkerbell to the nefarious Captain Hook, this story of adventure, mermaids and pirates also has a rather melancholy, thoughtful side to it: what is the price of growing up and finding your own home?
An underrated children’s book, this story has all the hallmarks of a classic: an evil governess called Miss Slighcarp, family secrets and a mystery involving forgers. First published in 1962, it’s the story of cousins Bonnie and Sylvia who live in the grand but secluded Willoughby Chase during an alternate version of the early 19th century in which England is overrun with wolves.
Don’t let the Muppet version (as great as it is) throw you off; the original 1883 novel is an epic, dramatic coming-of-age story full of pirates, treasure maps and peril. When Jim Hawkins finds a treasure map in an old pirate’s chest, he ends up as part of a motley crew of pirates sailing the Caribbean to try and find the treasure, led by the infamous Long John Silver.
Some of the most famous stories of all time are those collected by the Brothers Grimm . Princes, princesses, frogs and beasts all come together in this beautiful edition which includes illustrations by Quentin Blake , Raymond Briggs , Helen Oxenbury and more. Discover happily-ever-afters and some not-so-happily-ever-afters as you read the original versions of many famous fairy tales .
Meet the eccentric characters of the riverbank: meek good-natured Mole, chilled out Ratty, rich and silly Toad of Toad Hall and grandfatherly Badger, and join them on their adventures in the wild wood. The book began life as stories in the letters that Kenneth Grahame sent to his son celebrating friendship and adventure, and gradually grew into the tale we know and love today.
The first instalment of the epic animal fantasy series, Redwall
