Hodder Children's Books Treasury of Bedtime Stories

A big, colourful book filled with wonderful stories - I wish someone had given this to me when I was younger! Good selection of short stories, Blyton is a bit controversial now, but there are effective ways to read her without getting a hang of the terrible bits. The book is really pretty and should attract kids immediately. Glad with the purchase, it's difficult to go wrong with Blyton!

This was to replace one that had gone missing. The original was much smaller. The new one is A4 and so a bit awkward and heavy for child to manage. The stories are great and the children love them, I know I still do. I would reccomend.

Good gift for kids

So first of all, this is not written by Enid Blyton...rather, by an anonymous operative in her trust that continues with her brand. If you were a Blyton fan in your childhood, this will be disappointing; the stories are pretty insipid and lack her inimitable style. Some of the grammar is also suspect. However, I am still begrudgingly keeping this because they stay true to her world, where toys come alive at night, where fairies negotiate a complex yet wholesome hierarchy, and where little boys turn into engines when the wind blows from the south west. I really want to indoctrinate my children in this simplicity, to counteract the rubbish that passes for children’s literature these days. So in a nutshell—this is not original Enid Blyton, but I’ll still take it in a world where the other options are vapid Disney and Nickelodeon characters turned into trashy, plotless books.

Book is good for a 4 year old who has only had picture books before this. Stories are interesting and different lengths (longer as the book goes on). Beautiful drawings in the margins of the book and come coloured pictures here and there.