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The childhood tradition of a holiday book goes back generations and is an essential part of the time-away-from-home experience to this day. To while away the hours travelling, lazing around the pool or on the beach, or as a bedtime story at the end of a long, hot day, a good book is the must-have addition in the holiday suitcase or rucksack. The book-lovers at Country House Library have hand-picked a list to suit all young ages, written by a pantheon of classic children’s authors.
In The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies, first published in 1909, an initially reluctant Beatrix Potter (1866-1943) was persuaded to return to rabbits as characters after the huge successes of The Tale of Peter Rabbit(1902) and The Tale of Benjamin Bunny(1904). Set in Potter’s uncle and aunt’s garden in Wales, the story follows the six sleeping ‘flopsy’ bunnies as they’re put into a sack by Mr McGregor but eventually freed by Thomasina Tittlemouse the woodmouse. Critics agree that Potter’s descriptions of the garden were superbly crafted and her illustrations for the book among the finest she ever produced.
William Earl Johns (1893-1968) wrote over one hundred books on his air-adventurer hero ‘Biggles’, loosely based on the author’s own WW1 experience as a pilot in the Royal Flying Corps (the forerunner to the modern RAF). Biggles and the Black Peril was the pilot’s fifth outing, first published in 1935 by John Hamilton, with a selling price of three shillings and sixpence. Packing in masses of perilous flying exploits in Russia, Germany and Sweden, this early episode is a must for any young reader who loves a good ‘thriller’ story and aeroplanes.
Richmal Crompton (Lamburn) (1890-1969) published her first collection of stories Just William in 1922, following the exploits of a mischievous and cheeky 11 year old schoolboy and his gang of friends known as the ‘Outlaws’. Crompton went on to write a further 38 other ‘William’ books, the last one William the Lawless published posthumously in 1970. This title Sweet William was the eighteenth in the series, published in 1936, including wonderful illustrations by Thomas Henry, who undoubtedly helped the original books huge appeal. Adventurous chapters include one where William acquires a horse, and another ‘William the Reformer’ where, inspired by the anti-slavery reforms of Pitt and Wilberforce, William introduces free sweet shops and Christmas every week!
Perhaps surprising that an English Literature fellow of Oxford University and professor of Medieval and Renaissance English at Cambridge University, Clive Staples Lewis (1898-1963) would write the ‘Narnia’ tales - one of the most successful series of novels for children ever published, starting with The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe (1950). The Magician’s Nephew was the penultimate in the series of seven, a prequel to the preceding five books, and centres on the creation of Narnia by Aslan the Lion.
“We call them dumb animals, and so they are, for they cannot tell us how they feel, but they do not suffer less because they have no words.”
One of the best-selling books of all time, written in 1877, the author died just five months after its publication. With animal welfare at its core, this is a natural choice of gift for young animal lovers. Telling the story of a colt born in the English countryside, and the hardships he endures as a working horse, this was the forerunner of the countless ‘pony’ books that followed, and indeed of the animal fiction genre. Beautifully illustrated for children, this 1945 publication will be a holiday read to treasure for a lifetime.
Originally written as a play and first performed in 1904, Peter Pan or The Boy Who Would Not Grow Up, became author J. M. Barrie’s most famous work and remains a family favourite to this day, not least in the many film versions. The main characters of Peter, the children of the Darling family, Captain Hook the pirate, Tinker Bell the fairy, and the Lost Boys, were all written with such marvellous depth and originality, that Peter Pan is a timeless addition to any collection of literature for children, and will provide the magical backdrop to the family holiday.
Based on the 1923 book Bambi, A Life in the Woods by Felix Salten, Walt Disney animated the young male deer as his fifth film in 1942. This 1940’s publication is perfect for the young reader with wonderful colour and black and white illustrations, bringing all the main characters to life including ‘Thumper’ the rabbit, ‘Flower’ the skunk, and ‘Faline’ – Bambi’s future mate.
With his gruesome depictions of cruelty and grotesque characterisations, disliked by some critics, but which his young audience loved, Roald Dahl (1916 - 90) redefined children’s literature during the 20th century. This title is Dahl’s lesser known sequel to his phenomenally successful Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964), where Charlie and his Grandpa join Willy Wonka in his amazing glass elevator for the trip of a lifetime into space.
Difficult to condense the achievements of children’s author Enid Mary Blyton (1897 – 1968) into a few hundred words. Worldwide sales since the 1930’s, over 600 million books sold, translated into 90 languages, sometimes producing over 50 books a year, and voted Britain’s most loved author in the 2008 Costa Book Awards. This title, 13th in the series of The Famous Five, first published in 1954, follows Julian, Dick, George, Anne, and Timmy the dog, as they encounter a group of gypsies who are determined to visit the desolate ‘Mystery Moor’. Interesting Blyton Fact: her publishers Hodder and Stoughton only used the epithet ‘famous’ after the 9th novel. Before that the series was referred to as the ‘Fives’ books. Blyton wrote 21 ‘Famous Five’.
Frances Hodgson Burnett’s (1849 – 1924) classic The Secret Garden (1911) has stood the test of time and still ranks as one of the most absorbing children’s stories. Ideal for boys or girls, the regenerative themed adventures of Mary, Colin and Dickon have been adapted for film, theatre and television. This newly published, decorative, hardback edition by New Chiltern Publishing would be the perfect holiday book – a delight to read and treasure.
In today’s world of mobile phones and earphones glued into our children’s ears, there’s comfort in the knowledge that the history of children’s English literature is crowded with great writers and books. No matter their age or favourite genre, Country House Library has a wealth of the classics in vintage or new formats for kids of all ages, all of which will be loved on the family holiday. Get your children reading with one of the above selection, or choose a lovely surprise from our children’s section.
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