Forget Hogwarts, vintage is the best children's read say Laureates
Laureates' list of best reads for kids omits Harry Potter in favour of classics
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Independent Minds
Quentin Blake
Little Tim and the Brave Sea Captain by Edward Ardizzone (1936)
In pictures: the full list
Anne Frank is in there, as is Oliver Twist, the four March sisters, William and the Famous Five. But a certain Hogwarts wizard was notable by his absence from the list when the five past Children's Laureates were asked to hand-pick their "favourite ever" reads.
Quentin Blake, Anne Fine, Michael Morpurgo, Jacqueline Wilson and the current Laureate, Michael Rosen, have selected seven works each as part of the 10th anniversary celebrations for the Children's Laureate.
What is clear is that the classics dominate their tastes, with only five of the total 35 books having been published in the past 20 years and a fifth of the titles dating from the 19th century.
Sarah Clarke, the children's buying manager from Waterstone's, said: "I'm sure it will be a surprise to many that the list does not include more recent bestsellers like J K Rowling's Harry Potter. But it's great to see the laureates choosing some timeless greats like The Railway Children and Just So Stories and introducing them to a new generation of readers – that's what the laureates are all about."
The laureates plumped for the well-worn charms of Charles Dickens' 1838 classic orphan story, Oliver Twist, chosen by Morpurgo, Louisa May Alcott's tale of four sisters, Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy March in Little Women, selected by Wilson, and the irrepressible tales of the mischievous 11-year-old in the Just William books.
Rosen selected his seven top reads based on the responses they had elicited from his children as he read and reread them at bedtimes. Morpurgo chose Robert Louis Stevenson's classic Treasure Island because, he said, "Jim Hawkins was the first character in a book I identified with totally. I was Jim Hawkins. I lived Treasure Island as I read it. And I loved it; still do."
The 1930s emerged as the vintage decade for children's fiction, with seven titles making it on to the list, including The Sword in the Stone by T H White, Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild and P L Travers' classic, Mary Poppins.
Dickens's Oliver Twist was the oldest book to appear on the list, written 170 years before the newest title to make the grade, Mr Gum and the Dancing Bear by Andy Stanton, published in 2008.
Kid lit: The favourites
Michael Morpurgo chose Five Go to Smuggler's Top by Enid Blyton (1945)
Morpurgo reveals his love of the classics in his choice featuring Julian, Dick, Anne, George and their dog Timmy. Other stories on his list date as far back as 1838 to Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist, Just So stories by Rudyard Kipling from 1902 and Edward Lear's A Book of Nonsense (1846).
Anne Fine chose Just William by Richmal Crompton (1922)
The 39 William stories, about a mischievous 11-year-old schoolboy and his friends sold over 12 million copies in Britain alone. Ironically, William was originally created for grown-ups.
Michael Rosen chose Clown by Quentin Blake (1995)
Blake created a wordless book that was a "silent film between book covers" when it was published. The story involves a bin full of old toys, from which emerges a toy clown that comes to life.
Jacqueline Wilson chose The Railway Children by E. Nesbit (1906)
The story of a family who move near the railway after the father is imprisoned as a result of being falsely accused of selling state secrets.
Wilson also lists Mary Poppins among her favourites.
Quentin Blake chose Rose Blanche by Ian McEwan and Roberto Innocenti (1985)
McEwan collaborated with Italian illustrator Innocenti to create the story of Rose, a girl named after a group of young German anti-war protesters.
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Comments
The reason why JK should be included in any list, along with Philip Pullman, is because these authors introduced a whole new section of junior readers to literature, and reawakened an interest which had been stifled by other media.
It's preposterous to include some of the books mentioned. How many kids are going to give up playing with their games consoles, or cease their endless text-messaging, for the turgid nonsense of Enid Blyton?
Well, given so many are glued to screens and mobile phones, I'd say reading Enid Blyton - or any book - was a move in the right direction? First and foremost a story has to be a (in the idiom of Blyton!) a 'ripping yarn'.
I was surrounded by books as a child but must admit I found some of the classics heavy going. The confident and more mature reader I am sure might enjoy them. I am not sure I'd encourage a young child to tackle Dickens. That could be counter-productive in attempting to introduce children to the joys of reading and books.
Without doubt, in 2009 there should be a place for Harry Potter.
I never cared for Blyton anyway; I liked Ransome and Kipling's Stalky - "a downy old bird".
And in support of newer books surely "Skellig" and "Holes" deserved a mention along with the Tiffany Aching trilogy from Mr Pratchet. A seriously underrated children's author.
Disgruntled English Teacher
Just because *they* might have grown up reading 'classics', such as Oliver Twist and the Famous Five books, it does not follow that these books are still relevant and suitable for children growing up in today's world, with all its distractions and other demands on their attention.
Do they honestly think that the children of today are interested in wallowing in sepia-tinted nostalgia for a period they never knew, such as the 1930s (Just William) or the 1940s/50s (Famous Five), or the Victorian era (e.g. Dickens). And do they honestly think that the children of today can identify with the children in these books, such as Blyton's patronizing caricatures of 40s/50s 'seen and not heard' childhood - all 'Golly-gosh!' goody-goodies, always having jolly adventures in the healthy open air of some idyllic countryside setting, and always with permanently polished shoes, smartly brushed hair, and always being respectful to their parents, their teachers and the friendly local Bobby (another caricature well past its sell-by date), and never listening to rock music, and never, ever experimenting with drugs, alcohol or underage sex, oh no!
The children who *could* relate to these stereotypes and enjoy these books are probably the offspring of affluent, educated middle-class parents, and, therefore, they've probably already had a fondness of reading 'nice books', like the classics, instilled in them by their parents.
But the children who desperately need to be turned on to reading - the feckless, dissolute youth of working class sink estates, otherwise destined for lives of illiteracy, low educational achievement, unemployment and petty crime - are extremely unlikely to be remotely interested in reading about children who led lives so different from theirs, in an bygone era so different from the present day; they need to read about children like themselves, leading lives like theirs, facing the challenges they face, and offering them role-models to help them make the right decisions about their own lives. The last thing that is likely to help them in this regard is books by Dickens, Nesbit and Enid-bloody-Blyton!
What are the most popular books being read at the moment? What kind of computer games are being played?
Escapism (preferably with a large dose of humour) is, always has been, and always will be the preference of most kids.
Just William will always be popular because it is timeless, has a healthy disrespect for authority and just incredibly funny.