Favourite Children’s Books

[Daisy]

Enfys - how lovely. I'm sure you will enjoy reading them, although I suppose they will be very 'dated'. Do tell us about them as you go along.

[Gemini]

Not sad at all Enfys
Not long ago I put the whole set of Mary Poppins books on my Kindle!

[Daisy]

I recently reread The Railway Children as well.

[Nana]

Aww Oma, I used to love Catherine Cookson. She sent me a cheque towards my degree course & a signed book. Her husband sent me a letter just before she died to go with the book. Lovely woman.😍

[Gemini]

I'll tell my mum that Nana.
She loves Catherine Cookson and loves to tell me all about her life, her charitable work and her love for her husband Tom (who only outlived her by a few days)

[Daisy]

Nana - what a lovely lady. I've read a lot of her books, and I always think she made writing look easy - her style seemed effortless and her stories always flowed along so well.

How did you come to meet her, Nana?

[Oma]

I know almost all the areas she wrote about living up hear , and I read them with the accent in my mind too if you know what I mean , I could hear every voice and how it would sound from each character , even the posh people would have a north east twang

[Daisy]

Oma - I always hear a voice for the characters in any book I read, and picture scenes, etc. I don't do it consciously - it just happens.

[Oma]

Isnt it strange Daisy , When i read any book I get this image in my head of who they are and what they would look like and automatically put a voice to them

[Nana]

I didn't have the good fortune to meet her Daisy. I wrote to various people who I thought might be able to help me with the cost of my art degree. She was interested in my work & kindly sent me a cheque. Shame on David Hockney (artist from Bradford, not far away from here) who ignored my letter.

Gem how sad about her husband. I didn't know.

[Nana]

I'll try to show you the book she sent. I didn't care, still don't whether or not it was her writing or her husbands, as I knew she was really ill at the time.

[Gemini]

This is from Wikipedia Nana.



Catherine Cookson died at the age of 91, sixteen days before her 92nd birthday, at her home in Newcastle. Her novels, many written from her sickbed, continued to be published posthumously until 2002. Tom died on 28 June 1998, just 17 days later.He had been hospitalised for a week and the cause of his death was not announced. He was 86 years old.

[Daisy]

Nana - what a lovely, kind lady she was.

Gem - she knew the importance of hard work I should think from her impoverished childhood. I didn't realise so many were published posthumously.

[Enfys]

Well, my books arrived, pretty good condition too. I started one last night and my goodness, I’m right back to being 12 years old again 😄.

[Daisy]

Enfys - pure escapism - just what fiction books should be. Although I remember the Chalet Series was set against real events, especially World War II. Do let us know how you enjoy them.