276°
Posted 20 hours ago

The Enchanted Wood: 1 (The Magic Faraway Tree)

£3.495£6.99Clearance
ZTS2023's avatar
Shared by
ZTS2023
Joined in 2023
82
63

About this deal

I spent a couple of hours today revisiting these old friends and I was quite amazed by how much I remembered after more than fifty years. As for her writings, she wrote over 600 children's books, many of them being a staple of our generation. Mary Shelley's darkly disturbing tale is illustrated by Angela Barrett and newly introduced by Richard Holmes. I am definitely not a child anymore, but I admit that I partially bought these books in hopes that one day I can read these original editions to children and hope they enjoy Jo, Bessie and Fanny's adventures in the Enchanted Wood they way Enid Blyton intended them to be as much as I still do.

This happy nostalgia is usually shot through the face when I go through the 'Blyton' section of the library though. Now, I would say this right here might actually be a bit racist, and it doesn’t really add to the story at all.On the plus side, the bond between the children was sweet, and loyalty and friendship are important themes throughout. Suffice it to say that things like Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, and Willy Wonker's whole meal in a single strip of chewing gum may well have their root in the Faraway Tree's . They chase the gnome and recover the papers, but the gnome himself escapes up a huge tree whose branches seem to reach into the clouds. As the two sisters and Moon-Face take a train to Goldilocks and the three bears home for help in saving their brother from Snowman and the white polar bears in one of the fantasy lands, they passed through three train stations: Golliwog, Crosspatch and Bear stations.

The story is focused around the Faraway Tree, so named because, as it is the tallest tree in the forest, it reaches beyond the clouds and the world above it is constantly changing to different fantasy lands. It was with much relief that I found the joy and awe so often felt on early readings, as soon as I opened the very first page. Featuring a fascinating introduction by Val McDermid and new illustrations by Juan Esteban Rodríguez, each copy has been signed by both the introducer and the illustrator.This is a fun storybook for kids because it will blow the minds of the young ones ( preferably under the age of 9 ) who will be amazed to read about all the little folks who've built homes in a huge tree that grew all the way to the clouds.

The context that we can place this in though is that we are still in the Great Depression (there were not many jobs around) and the world was on the brink of war.Dick (later Rick), the cousin of Jo, Bessie and Fanny, comes to stay and he joins the secret adventures in the lands of the Faraway Tree. I also began reading lots more Enid Blyton and as a result became an avid fan of the Famous Five an. He's particularly adept at making up little rhymes and here is a sample — the idea being that that the first three lines begin with the word "Two. I grew up with the Famous Five (which had been converted into a TV series), and am familiar with Noddy. And you never know if the land through the clouds is nice or nasty – but you’re guaranteed an adventure!

Imagine visiting the Land of Take what you Want or the Land of Goodies or the Land of Tea-Parties although, despite their names, things don't necessarily run 100% perfect even in those lands.The Enchanted Wood is the first wonderful story in the Faraway Tree series by the world's best-loved children's author, Enid Blyton. However, the views of Wikipedia, and some of those who wrote about her, do tend to be somewhat tainted. I was so engrossed into the story that even as a kid, I sometimes lost track of what was happening around me and almost became a part of the story. Other aspects of the book I enjoyed were the idyllic country setting (cool woods, chattering brooks, honeysuckle-laden cottages), and the appealing innocence of a bygone era conveyed by the children’s behaviour and actions.

Asda Great Deal

Free UK shipping. 15 day free returns.
Community Updates
*So you can easily identify outgoing links on our site, we've marked them with an "*" symbol. Links on our site are monetised, but this never affects which deals get posted. Find more info in our FAQs and About Us page.
New Comment