If you go to the above facebook picture link and look at the picture where they give the fairground girl money/chocolate you can compare the two texts around the pictures.One from the 50's and the other from the mid 80's!
Why can't they leave well alone ..
" A kind heart always brings its own reward," said Mrs. Lee.
- The Christmas Tree Aeroplane - Society Member
Right! My turn!
Fiona point out this thread to me, suggesting that I might be able to bring a new level to this being a library assistant and all. I don't know how much more I can bring to it, but I shall try my best.
All I think I need to say first, is that as soon as I showed my mother the list (she is a trained librarian) she said "Why is Roald Dahl on the list of classic authors? He's not classic."
Which mirrored my own interpretation and that I think of people on here. As far as I am concerned, he's not really classic, but he is. His work is one that everyone seems to go through a stage of reading- at least kids these days are. They are encourgaed by teachers to read Dahl instead of Blyton I believe because of Dahl's use of mad up words and the fantastic stories he creates. I think teachers believe that they inspire children to think differently and attempt readhing longer, more complicated words.
Now I come to Blyton. Within my own library system, Blyton is the fourth most borrowed author. In fact- Dahl comes in at number ten. Six places behind Blyton. Last year, Blyton was SECOND in our table, procceded only by Dahl.
Most of my collegues had expressed surprise that Blyton still issues as well as she does, but make no surprised noises when someone like Dahl does the same. As Fiona told me the other day- you can forget how old some of his stories are.
Even through the teacher's dislike of Blyton, and most of the parents I deal with being of that generation where reading Blyton was discouraged, they refuse to read Blyton now. However, on Saturday I had the fortune to meet a parent after my own heart.
The mother had two young girls, one of which was infatuated by these fairy books by the conglomerate author, Daisy Meadows. She had been reading these to her little girl who was no more than three years old. The mother found them boring and bland and asked me for inspiration on what to try the little girl on next. I think she was already reading a Michael Morpurgo book to the girl.
The first thing that popped into my head was- The Wishing Chair by Blyton- using the theme of magic to extend the little girls enthusism. The mother was over the moon at the suggestion- praising the good thinking and saying that she had been raised on Blyton herself and would most certainly try the Wishing Chair, and the Enchanted Wood, and Faraway Tree with the little girl once they had finished reading the Michael Morpurgo.
Anyway. I'm not saying that every parent has an adversion of Blyton but if they were put off in childhood then they are less likely to pass Blyton on to their own children. I have talked to parents of this mind set and it was because they were told not to read them- more often than not.
Blyton's popularity comes with the young imaginations I suspect. She created a world for the innocence of youth, the bright years of childhood with characters that Children could understand and magic to make them enchanted.
When I issue the books at work, I do try and ask the child why they like the books so much. Usually I get the answer "They're fun" or the parent saying "They like the stories".
I have had all manner of children taking the books home with them- yes even the libraries horrible updated copies, which at every oppotunity I ask my supervisor if I can delete from the system.
I remember when I had just started out in the library and I found one of the new editions (namely from the cartoon series), and asked the supervisor if I could get rid of it, it was that bad. She laughed (my mother was once her supervisor so she knew me well), and said that she had told her collegue that she had known that was what I was going to say.
Back to the PLR top twenty, where Blyton comes in 14th. All I can say is that every library isn't the same. In fact that she's in the top twenty in the national statistics of borrowed authors is a triumph in itself. There are many authors out there for children now that are not even in the top twenty- and I ask you to remember that. She's in the top twenty. She may not be where we want her to be, but she's there.
Just before I leave you, I give you Wokingham Borough's Top 20 authors as food for thought against the PLR Top 20.
1. Daisy Meadows (Horrible "bland" Genetic Fairy books written by many a person!)
2. Julian Donaldson (The Gruffalo)
3. Francesca Simon (Horrid Henry) 4. Enid Blyton
5. Adam Blade (Beast Quest)
6. Mick Inkpen (The Inkpen series)
7. Jaqueline Wilson
8. Michael Morpurgo
9. Lucy Cousins (Maisy Mouse books) 10. Roald Dahl
11. Vivian French (Ballet series)
12. Nick Butterworth
13. Anthony Horowitz
14. Eric Hill
15. Tony Ross
16. Lauren Child
17. Robert Muchamore
18. David McKee
19. Sue Graves
20. Lynley Dodd
"You're so sharp you'll cut yourself one day!" Hunchy said going to the door
"So my Mother told me that when I was two years old!" said Julian and the others giggled.
Just out of interest, what is the definition of a "classic author"? And why do we want Blyton to be called that? Similarly, why do so many people feel that Dahl doesn't merit that classification?
Not sure why so many here and elsewhere think that Blyton and Dahl are somehow in competition!
"It's the ash! It's falling!" yelled Julian, almost startling Dick out of his wits...
"Listen to its terrible groans and creaks!" yelled Julian, almost beside himself with impatience.
"It's the ash! It's falling!" yelled Julian, almost startling Dick out of his wits...
"Listen to its terrible groans and creaks!" yelled Julian, almost beside himself with impatience.
A classic book is a book accepted as being exemplary or noteworthy...
I know it's not exactly what you asked to know, but its the closest I could get.
So if we assume that a classic author is one who is accepted as exemplary or noteworthy, we're on to a winner.
Blyton and Dahl shouldn't really be in competition, but considering the next children's author on the PLR top Twenty is Beatrix Potter in 7th and C.S.Lewis (partly children's anyway) is at number 10. Blyton and Dahl lead the charge with being the most "Classic" Children's authors.
Both write incredibly different stories but I believe the competition is down more to popularity than to anything else.
shadow wrote:Shouldn't no. 2 be Julia Donaldson? I think you need to go and lie down for a while, your obsession with Julian seems to be taking over.
Err Its become a typing habit. Julia becomes Julian by default because I'm so used to typing it. Its my default if you like. Find myself doing it at work as well, and it takes me twice as long to find an author than it would otherwise.
You're all gunna tease me for it now, so I might as well leave it in.
"You're so sharp you'll cut yourself one day!" Hunchy said going to the door
"So my Mother told me that when I was two years old!" said Julian and the others giggled.
If that's our definition I think both Blyton and Dahl qualify.
"It's the ash! It's falling!" yelled Julian, almost startling Dick out of his wits...
"Listen to its terrible groans and creaks!" yelled Julian, almost beside himself with impatience.
Pippa-Stef wrote:...if we assume that a classic author is one who is accepted as exemplary or noteworthy, we're on to a winner.
It's good if people regard the label "classic" in that way. However, I've talked to a number of people who've told me they avoid "classic" books. When I ask why, they explain that as far as they're concerned, "classic" signifies something worthy but dull, stuffy, highbrow and difficult to read/understand. None of which applies to Enid Blyton's books, of course!
shadow wrote:Shouldn't no. 2 be Julia Donaldson? I think you need to go and lie down for a while, your obsession with Julian seems to be taking over.
Pippa-Stef wrote:Err Its become a typing habit. Julia becomes Julian by default because I'm so used to typing it.
I sympathise, Stef. Whenever I type Bourne End, it comes out as Bourne Enid more often than not and I have to go back and correct it!
"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."
- E. Nesbit, The Wonderful Garden.
You're all gunna tease me for it now, so I might as well leave it in
Good for you, Stef. That's the way to stand up to your critics!!! Great posts, by the way. I also agree with Anita's stand on classics - although I am a lover of Dickens' works.
I struggled through Oliver Twist - 400 or 500 pages in minuscule writing - and could only get through 70 pages of David Copperfield which was over 1000 pages so you won't see me reading War and Peace too soon However I really like E Nesbitt and Louisa May Alcott and Call of the Wild by Daniel London (I think) was OKish. I actually have read the Rainbow Fairies and there pretty 'bland' as Fiona says. O yes, I love CS Lewis.
Out of the list below I've only ever borrowed four of the authors and that's quite amazing as I've read thousands. BTW giving a three year old Michael Morpurgo it must be one of his younger readers books.
In came the Taggertys. They were clean, except Biddy knees looked like she had been crawling half a mile in some muddy place.
Loony the Dog wrote: I actually have read the Rainbow Fairies and there pretty 'bland' as Fiona says.
Bland is the polite way to describe those fairy books. They are all similarly styled and have no real thought put into them that they drive the parents mad. There is very little challenge in the reading and none of the excitement of a new story.
For all the teachers who say that Blyton is not challenging kids, they need to take stock of what other rubbish the kids are being subjected to. (Can you tell I'm at work?)
I think Blyton's fairies were much more exciting. My nan had a book of her short stories to read me at bedtime when I was little and those fairies were much more interesting than these ones now. Those Daisy Meadows books really get my goat.
"You're so sharp you'll cut yourself one day!" Hunchy said going to the door
"So my Mother told me that when I was two years old!" said Julian and the others giggled.
My daughters both love the Rainbow Fairy books, but they also love the FF too, so it would appear there is room on the book shelf for both. I don't think there is anything wrong with the RF books, but I agree they are a bit bland, and as an adult I think they are very predictable. Maybe that's part of the appeal to children though - the familiarity?
I've just finished reading a 1996 copy of The Treasure Seekers by E. Nesbit. The front cover says "Children's Classics". I really enjoyed the book, but found it very old-fashioned, several words I didn't understand at all, such as 'antimacassar'. Also as each chapter was quite long and a stand alone topic, it was a book I didn't feel compelled to keep reading, unlike Enid's books which I could usually quite happily read in one burst if time allowed.
So it got me thinking again about what defines a 'classic'. I've read The Water Babies which I found very boring and will never ever read again. I'm enjoying E. Nesbit, but it's very 'white middle class' (if not upper class) which is a criticism which appears to have been used against Enid Blyton books. There was even a touch of racism in it as the 'N' word is used. Has this been removed from more recent reprints?
Why do the FF books have to have the words 'jeans' added, and modern currency to bring them up to date, whereas The Treasure Seekers talks about 'knickerbockers' and girls wearing 'collars' and the children finding shillings?
I believe it's possible to apply to English Heritage to have buildings 'listed', I wonder if there is a similar organisation that defines a book as a 'classic'? If so, maybe we could badger them to get Enid Blyton classed as a 'classic' and then no one could alter the books in the same way listed buildings have restrictions on them.
I didn't even notice that!
and there pretty 'bland' as Fiona says. O yes, I love CS Lewis. 
it must be one of his younger readers books.