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4 min read
Looking for a dose of vintage nostalgia? These wonderful vintage Puffin books will transport you back to your childhood. From the charming adventures of Paddington Bear and Worzel Gummidge to the topsy-turvy lives of Professor Branestawm and Mrs Pepperpot, we have a whole host of delightful stories to keep you entertained.
Since the 1960s, Puffin Books has been one of the largest children’s book publishers, not just in the UK but across much of the English-speaking world. In the 1990s, they became an imprint of Penguin Random House. Penguin’s founder, Sir Allen Lane, desired to create affordable, quality books for all. In 1935, he founded Penguin Random House (alongside brothers Richard and John) and began to revolutionise the literary world.
While recent film versions have re-popularised this charming Peruvian bear, the on screen stories merely scratch at the surface of Michael Bonds twenty-eight Paddington stories. Fond of marmalade, especially in sandwiches, Paddington Bear is a polite, thoughtful and charismatic character. Despite his good intentions, he is however prone to mishaps. In this book, for example, his attempt to redecorate a room leads to him papering over the door! Paddington is a much-loved character in children’s literature and has successfully entertained young readers for decades!
Over Sea, Under Stone is the first volume in Cooper’s timeless fantasy sequence, The Dark is Rising. While on holiday in Logres, Cornwall, the three Drew children discover an ancient map in the attic of their holiday house. While the map promises exciting adventures, it is far more important than the children yet know. It is the key to finding the grail, a great source of power that can be used to fight the rising Dark. Driven by curiosity, the children begin an exciting though perilous quest!
More exciting adventures can be enjoyed between the pages of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s brilliant novel, The Lost World. The story follows Ed Malone, a lovelorn journalist in search of adventure. After meeting the eccentric Professor Challenger, his wish starts to come true. He begins a journey into the depths of the Amazon jungle, accompanied by Challenger and three of his friends. Here, they become immersed in a lost world, where dinosaurs still walk and the natives fight murderous battles with their neighbours. The book is a lively read, ideal for slightly older children who, like Ed Malone, are in search of an adventure!
This amusing vintage penguin tells of the great but utterly nutty Professor Branestawm. He is a brilliant inventor but his mad creations – paired with his absent-mindedness – often result in hilarious mishaps! The greater the invention, the greater the disaster! Branestawm builds all kinds of weird contraptions for equally wacky purposes, such as a device to help with spring cleaning. Through all his crazy misadventures, he somehow manages to keep track of his five pairs of glasses which all balance on top of his head!
Though less well-known some of the books on this list, All About the Bullerby Children is a wonderfully heart-warming story. It follows the lives of six children who live on three farms in the remote village of Bullerby, Sweden. Set in the 1930s, it is a relatively peaceful time, and only includes brief references to the coming war. The story’s narrator, Lisa, details the children’s carefree adventures in a delightfully innocent way. She tells of fun and games and of Swedish traditions, such as morning birthday trays. The book is playful and entertaining and easily captures the imaginations of young readers.
This timeless book is a sequel to E. Nesbit’s much-loved story, The Five Children and It. This lovely vintage edition, complete with illustrations, sees Cyril, Anthea, Robert, Jane and the Lamb embarking on a new adventure! Their discovery of a magic wishing carpet with an egg hidden inside, offers great excitement. The carpet can take them anywhere they wish to go – across trees, hills and fields and even to France! It more secrets however and the children find an egg hidden inside – an egg that hatches into a phoenix.
The Mrs Pepperpot stories are a series of fun and imaginative tales about a little old lady who shrinks to the size of a pepperpot. This particular tale takes place on Christmas Eve, when Mrs Pepperpot goes into the woods to fetch her Christmas tree. Everything seems normal until, just as she is about to cut down the tree, she suddenly shrinks to the size of a pepperpot! While she is small however, she gets to meet all the strange and wonderful people of the magic wood. Set in Norway, the Mrs Pepperpot stories are funny, charming and totally unique.
This is the first of Barbara Todd’s stories about a funny old scarecrow named Worzel Gummidge. When children Susan and John first see Worzel in the middle of a field, he looks like any other scarecrow – dressed in a baggy old coat and sporting a carved turnip head. The children soon learn however that Worzel is far from ordinary! He has three birthdays for a start, one for his head, one for his middle and one for his feet. After becoming friends with John and Susan, the mischievous Worzel takes them on adventures around the neighbourhood – many which end in trouble.
The books on this list offer a strong dose of nostalgia for all those who may have read these stories as children. Filled with adventurous, loveable and quirky characters, they are the kind of stories that can be read and re-read many times. Whether you are already familiar with these tales or are yet to experience their magic, this list will help you choose the right book to begin your next adventure!
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