I thought that since I have already written on 5 books I enjoyed as an adult, I would add a similar number to celebrate the memories of my childhood.

Amar Chitra Katha
These comics must be at the heart of every Indian who grew up in the seventies and early eighties. They have now been resurrected, and can be appreciated even by the Generation X or Y or Z or whatever comes after that! These comics based on Indian mythology and history impart a basic knowledge of the culture of our country to children, who are otherwise exposed only to the wiles of Toma and Jerry or Pokemon. The value packs aldo make good birthday gifts.

Noddy series
These were the books that I graduated to, from comics. The simple language and small morals woven into each book, and the attractive pictures make for enthralling reading when you are in the primary school. I think I must have read the entire series by Enid Blyton, whose other books such as the Secret Seven and Famous Five were well appreciated by me in the later years.

Three Investigators
They were the equivalent of Sherlock Holmes during my childhood, and the distinct characters given to each of the three Investigators made for interesting reading. An additional plus was the fact that each of the stories was distinctly different and not stereotyped, unlike the Hardy Boys.

Asterix
By the time I reached high school, my tastes had developed sufficiently to enjoy and appreciate the humor of Goscinny and Uderzo. The quaint names, the subtle puns, and the excellent artwork made these into the king of the comics, and I used to read every issue I got at least 3-4 times, as you discovered some new joke or pun with each reading. These were comics for all ages, and I still re-read them

Tarzan of the apes
My favourite novels during the high school period were the Tarzan novels by Edgar Rice Burroughs. They transported me to far off Africa, where I could converse with animals and fight lions, rhinos, cannibals and evil white men alongside the all conquering apeman.

The language was a little tough, but with a dictionary at hand, I could still finish a book in less than a week! Must have read all the 24 novels in the series before completing my Std X!