Magic Faraway Tree Set (4 book set)

Product Information

In the first novel in the series, Jo, Bessie and Fanny (edited to Joe, Beth and Frannie in revised editions) move to live near a large forest, which the locals call "The Enchanted Wood". One day they go for a walk in the wood and discover it really is enchanted. They encounter a group of elves who have been robbed of important papers by a gnome. 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. This is the Faraway Tree. Running for a total of four books, these were some of Blyton’s most enduring creations, one’s which stand the test of time to this very day. In the past there has been a television adaptation, with ten minute episodes of mini-adventures being aired in 1997. Plans to adapt it for the big-screen, though, are currently underway, as the director Sam Mendes has acquired the rights through his production company ‘Neal Street Productions’, with the intention of creating a major live-action film of the novels. Alexander Antscherl, editorial director at Enid Blyton Entertainment, said: “The book has got some nods to gender equality between girls and boys, which you didn’t always see in the original books.

Some of the changes were criticised in a review by Alison Flood. [3] Continuations by other authors [ edit ] Once there were two children called Robin and Joy." This is how the fourth of the Faraway Tree series begins in Sunny Stories of July 23rd, 1948. It was in picture-strip form and there were four panels per issue. Due to the popularity of the previous Faraway Tree tales it was fairly obvious that Up the Faraway Tree might also be welcomed as a dedicated book and this took place in 1951. Because of the format the book might not be classed on par with the first three Faraway Tree volumes but that's purely a matter of how you see it. Robin and Joy initially distance the theme by a factor of one and viewed as a whole it might even be considered as a story within a story. The bonus is that the reader is inundated with a host of the lovely Dorothy Wheeler pictures and who could complain about that? Jacqueline Wilson is writing a new version of the story, updated for the 21st century, in which three siblings named Milo, Mia and Birdy discover the enchanted wood. Join them and their friends Moonface, Saucepan Man and Silky the fairy as they discover which new land is at the top of the Faraway Tree. Will it be the Land of Spells, the Land of Treats, or the Land of Do-As-You-Please? Come on an amazing adventure - there'll be lots to discover whatever happens!Enid Blyton is a very familiar name to me, I must have read most of both the Famous Five and the Secret Seven stories as a child, but somehow The Faraway Tree series passed me by completely. I don’t think I’d ever heard of it before Millie began telling me about it.

And keep in mind this is all about the adventure and that these books are essentially for kids. In fact, these books make an excellent start to get your kids reading and enjoying the written word. So, as an adult, don't be critical of the glaring irregularities of life - for example when the kids go to the Faraway Tree in the middle of the night and return early morning and their Mother doesn't really seem to mind. Be prepared also that within the group, it is Jo who predominantly takes control and makes the decisions. When at home Bessie and Fanny have to do 'female' chores with their Mother like sewing and Jo has to do 'male' chores with their Father like working the garden. I point this out ahead of reading - IT IS NOT SEXIST, it was just a reflection of the times when Blyton wrote these fantastic books. My only complaint is I remember this seeming longer and them having loads more adventures but I think it would have just taken me longer to get through this book as a kid. Moon-Face is so named for his round face that looks like the moon. His house is similarly round and is filled with curved furniture. He is the owner of the slippery-slip, a slide which starts in the middle of his house which lets you slide down to the bottom of the Faraway Tree instead of climbing down. It is used as a means of exiting the tree and has played an important part in some of the adventures, where others have sought control of the tree or their rooms; Some' don't now appreciate the way the brother, Jo [not Joe], who was also apparently the oldest of the three children, seemed always to be in charge of his two sisters. Being the oldest, why wouldn’t he be more responsible for his two sister’s well-being. Is this why she's now marked as a sexist?Interesting to note that this review is actually a highly effective stupid-magnet. You wouldn't believe the earnest, scolding comments I've deleted. Hilarious.

So, I’m not sure they’ll make particularly gripping films, but I’ll probably be dragged to see them. Because, just like I did, my daughter loves them – even the Saucepan Man, whose bad hearing makes for endless (unbearable for an adult, hilarious for a child) jokes. Overall I did enjoy the experience of reading The Enchanted Wood aloud to my son as his nightly bedtime story, but I’m not convinced it ranks as an all-time great. I’m pretty sure Millie would like us to work through the whole series, so maybe it will grow on me, I’m certainly happy to give it a chance.

Did we miss something on diversity?

It's an odd book. The children have a deeply unconvincing home life and never appear to go to school. Their parents hardly ever let them have five minutes free of chores, but when they do they're happy to let the kids (as young as 7) stay out to midnight in the woods in the company of old men they haven't met.

Given the recent furore over rewriting Roald Dahl, I wonder if we'll ever get justice for the Faraway Tree? Even after all these years, I still adore this book. It's filled with the kind of adventures you long for as a child, even adult me would love to climb the Faraway Tree! But when Moon-Face expresses a Blyton-esque sentiment about girls being required to help with domestic tasks, while boys do something more exciting, he is immediately educated on the subject of gender equality.

Non-Series Books

The Faraway Tree Series written by the much beloved Enid Blyton was one of my favorite book series when I was a kid. In fact, I’d be wrong to say it was. The book still is, and will always be very close to my heart.