Flashback!!. Review on Favourite Books Of Childhood

Big bags, fancy pencil boxes, lots of chocolates, uncles and aunties affectionately pulling u’r cheeks, climbing trees, Barbie dolls, playing hide n seek, standing in front of the class beaming while everybody sang “happy b’day to u”...Aaaah those were days!!! Amidst all this, there were those wonderful, lovely books that would make you smile with pleasure, books that kindled the wildest of imaginations, books that promised a world full of fantasy, magic, fun, and only good things. Even as a kid, I always loved reading and had my favourites. Here are few that got me hooked to reading.

The Faraway tree (Enid Blyton)

This was and probably still is my all-time favourite book. Imagine if you had to climb up a tree and found pixies, elves and brownies with amazing names like Saucepanman(with all his clattering pans and pots), Whatzisname(who loved to sleep..just like me)  and Dame Washalot(who kept washing all day long) and Moonface. Imagine climbing all the way up to find clouds on top of a tree.Each passing cloud brought a land along with it...the land of dreams, topsy-turvy land, land of treats, land of spells and so many others.

I just loved the book and have read it many times. After reading this book, I remember looking on top of trees everytime I passed them and wondering if there were clouds or lands on top of them. Honestly speaking, I still do it. Such is the effect of the book.

The Famous Five (Enid Blyton)

I don’t think there would be any kid of my generation who loved reading and missed The Famous Five series. The series focuses on four kids Julian, Dick, George (who is a girl actually), Anne and their dog Timmy and the adventures they have together. When the kids are not following a trail or sneaking up on some suspicious character, they are seen having a picnic with the most delicious stuff to eat. I don’t know how Enid Blyton can make a meal as simple as bread and butter and plain lemonade sound soooo mouthwateringly delicious.

In school, me and three others (who were equally silly and fanatical about the series) called ourselves “The Famous five”. I was Dick(I thought Dick was cool). But nobody in class agreed to be Timmy..we tried convincing many –“so what if Timmy is a dog..hes the one who solved most mysteries”-we told others, but obviously no one volunteered to be Timmy. So we were the famous five with an imaginary dog. (Yeah..i was crazy as a kid..still hav’ent changed much).

The Malory Towers (Enid Blyton)

No prizes for guessing, who my favourite writer was then. I think Enid Blyton was solely responsible for my love for reading. I grew up reading her books and this series is again one of my favourites. This book is about a residential school and the kids there. Midnight parties, silly fights, friendship, loyalty, dormitories, tricks on teachers, exams, sports..this series had it all. Each term introduced new characters and new adventures and new lessons to be learnt. I loved the book because each character reminded me of someone in my class. The French teacher was so much like my hindi teacher- soft, sweet, adorable and the one who could easily be taken for a ride. After reading this book, I always wanted to be in a boarding school and thought that it would be fun. Well, I did’nt go to a boarding school but I did have a taste of hostel life during college when my parents went abroad to visit my sis. I was in hostel only for 3 months but those 3 months were enough for me to realize that there is nothing in the world that can beat Mummy’s cooking.

Tinkle

This is a comic series and I think every Indian kid would have read Tinkle. The cunning jackal Chamataka, the crocodile Doob-Doob, the funny Suppandi and Kaalia, the crow are all known names for Tinkle fans. There were other stories about kings, ministers, farmers etc, each with its own moral at the end. Amar Chitra Katha and Panchatantra also fell under this category and had its own charm. As a kid, I don’t remember a single train journey without a Tinkle or Amar Chitra Katha. They were just fascinating.

Gokulam

I don’t think many of you would have heard about this magazine. This was a monthly magazine for children that had its base in South India. I subscribed this magazine based on my friend’s reccomendation and it was my favourite as a child. The magazine had short stories, various experiences of readers themselves (aged between 5 to 14), snippets, jokes, crosswords, poems, paintings

and ways to make stuff like kites, boats and dolls. I particularly used to like a story about a mouse family. It had Papa Undir, mama Undir, Sister Undir and Brother Undir. Each month there was a story based on some mischief of Sister and Brother Undir and it would end with a moral and a lesson to be learnt. As a kid, I remember waiting anxiously for the postman to arrive with my Gokulam at the beginning of every month. Once I got it, I would sit in a corner and finish it in one sitting. Loved the magazine.

Well, there are so many other books like Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys,

Secret Seven, Agatha Christie, Archie comics, each occupying a special place in different stages of my life. I also loved all the fairy tales -Cindrella, Beauty and the Beast, Snowwhite and the seven dwarfs and all the other books that had the “ lived happily ever after” ending.

Hmm..that’s about it. I really enjoyed writing this one coz it has brought back lovely memories of childhood days. Sigh!!I wish had never grown up!! But I guess , on second thoughts, growing up was fun too!