Friday 10 July 2009

Birthday Post 3

Welcome to our birthday party! And don't forget our giveaway!

Here’s the scenario.

A pack on ravenous wolves have chased you through the murky forest as far as the high oak. You dash up the oak and sit, panting, on a branch, while the wolves lie, panting, below. You are going to be there, twiddling your thumbs, for some time. Suddenly, an oak sprite appears, offering to dash to the British Library on your behalf and grab any children’s book you desire.

Which, all-time favourite, book do you ask for?

26 comments:

Elen C said...

It would have to be Holes by Louis Sachar. I could never get bored with such a beautifully constructed book to read!

Jane Eagland said...

Happy birthday ABBA!
Oh, what a difficult choice!

But because it's long as well as because I love it, I'd choose
'The Hounds of the Morrigan' by Pat O'Shea.

Lucy Coats said...

Oh blast! That would be one of my choices too, Jane. But if you've already got your BL borrowing ticket on it, then I shall go for The Earthsea Quintet by Ursula Le Guin. The wolves may slaver and slobber as much as they like, but I shall be entirely content among the islands of the Archipelago.

John Dougherty said...

Combined edition of The Chronicles of Narnia, please!

Catherine Johnson said...

A signed edition of Comet in Moominland xc

Unknown said...

For me it would be Alan Garner's Weirdstone of Brisingamen (hope that's how you spell it)

Dianne Hofmeyr said...

There's only ONE book to ask for. It would have to be 'WOLVES' by Emily Gravett because that would give me courage (after all some wolves are vegetarians! pity I can't insert a pic here)

Nick Green said...

'The Hobbit' of course! It contains instructions for escaping from exactly this situation. (All you need is one wizard, and then, when his plan is a dismal failure, the friendship of some giant benevolant eagles.)

Dianne Hofmeyr said...

if this works you might be see a pic of wolf and me enjoying a piece of birthday cake!

Mary Hoffman said...

For me it would have to be a bind up of Lord of the Rings. I know JRR said it wasn't for children but it was for me.And I know it's not the BEST children's book but it's one that would keep me going longest up the tree.

Jane Smith said...

Right, let's think. It could be The Folk of the Faraway Tree; or if I were thinking of a slightly older reading-self, then perhaps I'd go for the Weirdstone of Brisingamen, too. Definitely not The Hobbit or TLOTR(I worked on a book about Tolkien once and it was not a fun project); perhaps The Little Grey Men, by BB, which is one of the first books I can remember reading compulsively. It's impossible for me to pick just one!

Marie-Louise Jensen said...

Right, as my favourite classics have already been picked, I'll have I am the Great Horse by Katherine Roberts. It'll make me laugh, sigh and cry all ove again and it's long so I won't run out of pages in a hurry!

Asakiyume said...

Sitting up in that oak, I'd be tempted to reread Elizabeth Pope's The Perilous Gard, but a more recent (though still not current) story of the fairy folk that I really loved was The Moorchild, by Eloise McGraw--I might read that one. Or, listening to the growls of the wolves below, I might ask for Joan Aiken's The Wolves of Willoughby Chase.

Brian Keaney said...

Tom's Midnight Garden

Wendy Phelps said...

'The Children Who Lived in a Barn' by Eleanor Graham(?)
They were very resourceful and could possibly help

none said...

I'm torn between Alan Garner's Elidor and The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff. Probably the Sutcliff book; Marcus could see off the wolves for me!

Gillian Philip said...

Good morning and Happy Birthday from Barbados, and I see that my old favourites have gone! Michael has The Weirdstone of Brisingamen, Nick has The Hobbit, John has the whole of Narnia and Mary has Lord Of The Rings. But I'm thinking that the library is going to have multiple copies of these, so I'll have any of them. Probably LOTR so that the wolves get bored and go away.

Anonymous said...

Could I have the collected works of Maurice Sendak, if we're allowing Bindups?? My favourite for artistic as well as sentimental reasons is: The Sign on Rosie's Door. A masterpiece of Western Literature by any standard!!

karen ball said...

I Capture The Castle. Sigh, swoon... Oh, perhaps I shouldn't indulge in any swooning, trapped up a tree.

Sarah said...

I've been thinking about this hard all morning and if bind-up are allowed I'd like all of Arthur Ransome's work please. If not I think that Swallodale would have to be my choice - it is a great adventure but you know that everything will be okay in the end.

John Dougherty said...

I should say I've only allowed myself a Narnian bind-up because I've actually seen one in a bookshop... otherwise it would have been The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe.

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday, and please could I have T H White's The Sword in the Stone. I cannot think of a better book to read up a tree (or anywhere else for that matter).

Keren David said...

I'm having Masha by Mara Kay and if that's not possible - because so rare and out of print - then Wintle's Wonders by Noel Streatfeild.

Jon M said...

I'm with Elen, it's 'Holes' for me but I must admit Moominland Midwinter comes a close second...love those moomins Catherine!

catdownunder said...

A bit late here but "Run Away Home" (Elinor Lyon).

RubySue said...

Come to this a bit late in the day, but so enjoying reading all the postings. My favourite book? If it's just the one it would have to be The Railway Children by E Nesbit; if a whole series, I loved the Jill books by Ruby Ferguson.