Memories of your first novel

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Chrissie777
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Re: Memories of your first novel

Post by Chrissie777 »

Anita Bensoussane wrote:I also read some of the Milly-Molly-Mandy tales (with the Brisley illustrations) and enjoyed looking at the map of the village. My daughter liked them too when she was little. Although the stories were simple, they were still stories. The Peter and Jane books are "readers" so most of them don't have a coherent story - just snapshots of the children's lives with short sentences like "Peter has a toy and Jane has a toy" (you have to look at the picture to see that Peter has bought a toy digger from the shop and Jane has bought a doll).

Peter & Jane sound a lot like the Dick and Jane stories which helped American children to learn reading for several decades. William Gray created them in the late 1920's.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_and_Jane" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Re: Memories of your first novel

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

Yes, I think you're right that later "readers" of that ilk were more or less updated versions of the older ones. "Alice and Jerry" and "Janet and John" were other series in the same style, while the "Tom and Kate" series was more imaginative but had less attractive illustrations.
"Heyho for a starry night and a heathery bed!" - Jack, The Secret Island.

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Re: Memories of your first novel

Post by Rob Houghton »

I'd forgotten what 'Peter and Jane' were like, but now I see they were Ladybird books - which is how I remember them, as we had a few. I remember 'The Party', 'Going to School' and 'Helping At Home'. Some of the books had spaces to add words into the sentence. 8)
'Oh voice of Spring of Youth
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'

(E. Blyton, Sunday Times, 1951)



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Re: Memories of your first novel

Post by Darrell71 »

Anita Bensoussane wrote:I've seen several film/TV adaptations of Heidi but the only one that has stuck in my mind is the 1978 TV series - a Swiss/German production which was dubbed into English. The story was beautifully told (though I think the later episodes departed from the book) and the scenery was breathtaking. I've since been to Switzerland and loved it.
I've been to Switzerland as well, but under quite funny circumstances, actually. We were gonna drive from Mont Blanc to Geneva, and then fly to Mumbai. The Geneva airport has that whole French side Swiss side thing, which is super confusing. We had payed for a pass that would take us on to a road that led straight to the French side and we could return our rental car and quickly go into the airport. They'd also kindly given us directions to do all that, which was good since we were running late. My mom was in charge of navigating, and she being the anti-reader that she is, we were halfway through the directions when we realized we were in the most crowded part of downtown Geneva with a car to return and a flight to catch. They were the wrong set of directions. :lol: Well, that made sure that we saw Geneva in all it's glory and beauty, and the very non-English signboards. (We couldn't understand a thing) So yeah, I've been to Switzerland, but not a very good association unfortunately. However, the Swiss Alps should be similar to the French ones, especially Mont Blanc which is so nearby. So I daresay I've seen the type of place 'Heidi' must've been set in and yeah, I loved it too. :D
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Re: Memories of your first novel

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

I hope you get the chance to go back to Switzerland, Sunskriti. It's wonderful walking in the hills and mountains, listening to the soft jingling of cowbells and gazing down upon serene lakes and wooden chalets.
"Heyho for a starry night and a heathery bed!" - Jack, The Secret Island.

"There is no bond like the bond of having read and liked the same books."
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Re: Memories of your first novel

Post by Chrissie777 »

Anita and Sunskriti, in October 1990 the publishing house where I was working for invited all 60+ employees to Venice, Italy. The German airport staff was on strike on that particular morning, the strike was starting after 8 a.m. or maybe 9 a.m., so we were forced to take an earlier flight to Venice, probably around 7 a.m..
By the time we crossed the alps, there were no clouds and the sun was shining on their tops. We were able to watch the mountain peaks and mountain lakes from close up. It was an incredible experience!
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Re: Memories of your first novel

Post by Stephen »

Probably 'The Gauntlet' by Ronald Welch which was kept in my classroom and I kept re-reading when I was about 8 or 9. Written in the early 1950s, it's about a contemporary boy, keen on history who appears to go back in time to Medieval Wales and learns all about life in a castle. While it's basically a "let's teach history" sort of book aimed at children, I did find the concept rather scary, especially when he's looking at what appears to be his own brass covered grave in the local church.
Anita Bensoussane wrote:I've seen several film/TV adaptations of Heidi but the only one that has stuck in my mind is the 1978 TV series - a Swiss/German production which was dubbed into English. The story was beautifully told (though I think the later episodes departed from the book) and the scenery was breathtaking. I've since been to Switzerland and loved it.
I remember that, especially its charming little theme tune. German actress Brigitte Horney was in it playing Grandmamma - and she was also in 'Huckleberry Finn and his Friends' playing Aunt Polly. I actually had 'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn' but never read it!
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Re: Memories of your first novel

Post by Chrissie777 »

Stephen wrote:German actress Brigitte Horney was also in 'Huckleberry Finn and his Friends' playing Aunt Polly. I actually had 'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn' but never read it!
I read "Tom Sawyer" when I was a child and enjoyed every page of it. Then of course I read "Huck Finn", but found it very different and rather boring. However, Huck Finn is the character who is still mentioned quite often whenever a novel is published with a similar character (or a movie). I've never read such comparisons about Tom Sawyer, so I guess Finn is considered the more important Twain character.
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Re: Memories of your first novel

Post by Rob Houghton »

I think Huck Finn is considered more 'important' mainly because it deals with slavery.

I'm impressed to hear so many people read these classics as kids. I dont think I read Tom Sawyer until I was a teenager...and cant recall reading any classic childrens books as a kid. The nearest I got was reading The Railway Children! :-)
'Oh voice of Spring of Youth
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'

(E. Blyton, Sunday Times, 1951)



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Re: Memories of your first novel

Post by Darrell71 »

I read the first two parts of Gulliver's Travels because it was in our 9th grade curriculum. But I found it extremely boring, old fashioned, and overall not so nice.
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Re: Memories of your first novel

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Quote from Frank McCourt :
Jonathan Swift is one of the greatest English writers
Frank:I thought Jonathan Swift was Irish
Teacher : Does that means that if I am from The Virgin Island, am a virgin?
"All, everything that I understand, I understand only because I love."
(все, что я понимаю, я понимаю только потому, что люблю)
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Re: Memories of your first novel

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

You probably know that Jonathan Swift wrote Gulliver's Travels as a political satire, Sunskriti, even though it has come to be regarded as a children's story.

The Swiss Family Robinson was written by Johann Wyss and was intended for children.
"Heyho for a starry night and a heathery bed!" - Jack, The Secret Island.

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Re: Memories of your first novel

Post by Francis »

Chrissie777 wrote:
Stephen wrote:German actress Brigitte Horney was also in 'Huckleberry Finn and his Friends' playing Aunt Polly. I actually had 'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn' but never read it!
I read "Tom Sawyer" when I was a child and enjoyed every page of it. Then of course I read "Huck Finn", but found it very different and rather boring. However, Huck Finn is the character who is still mentioned quite often whenever a novel is published with a similar character (or a movie). I've never read such comparisons about Tom Sawyer, so I guess Finn is considered the more important Twain character.
Due to it's depiction of old Southern dialects and theme, Huck is more highly regarded by the critics. Children, who know a good read when they know it, much prefer Tom Sawyer.
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Re: Memories of your first novel

Post by Courtenay »

I haven't read Tom Sawyer, but tried Huck a few years ago. Quite enjoyed it until it got up to that long drag of a sequence when he takes "the king" and "the duke" on board and seems completely oblivious to the fact that they're two shameless con artists. :x For some reason I just couldn't get through that part and eventually lost interest in the story, so I never did get to the end.
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Re: Memories of your first novel

Post by Rob Houghton »

Tom Sawyer is certainly more interesting than Huck Finn...probably because Tom Sawyer is based on Mark Twain's memories of childhood (I think?) 8)
'Oh voice of Spring of Youth
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'

(E. Blyton, Sunday Times, 1951)



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