Customer Reviews

The Magic Faraway Tree

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

One of my favourite books of my childhood. I flicked through this new edition in the bookshop the other day and was disappointed to note not only that the original charming illustrations been replaced by awful characterless rubbish, but 'Cousin Dick' has been renamed throughout as 'Cousin Rick', presumably because a'modern' publisher would be ashamed to let a child read the word 'Dick' for fear that they'd undergo a paroxysm of giggling from which they'd never recover, or perhaps through fear of not appearing sufficiently streetwise.... Senseless, pointless meddling by marketing idiots with nothing better to do; lamentable pre-emptive cowardice; total lack of respect for an author who has served the publishing industry well for more than half a century; and insulting condescension to her audience (would they do this to an author whose books are bought by any other section of the reading public? "Moby Rick", perhaps? I don't think so).

It's a great book anyway, but boycott these idiots and find a secondhand copy of the older edition if you can.

I agree completely with "Angry Tree Dweller" who articulated my fury perfectly. I too will continue to search the second-hand bookshops for this favourite from my childhood.

All the faraway tree stories are wonderfully vivid. Kids will love following the adventures of the faraway tree as it leads to the fascinating lands that appear at the top of the tree. Mr SaucePanMan, Dame WashALot, MoonFace and the other adorable characters never cease to entertain. Unfortunately like most Enid Blyton books, you cannot get this title easily in the US. I ordered my copy from the UK Amazon.com

As a child I adored The Magic Faraway Tree book. I have fond memories of the book and the adventures they took me on. I am 27 and when I when I remember back to the books I used to read, this book sticks in my mind most of all. My advice to any child is to read it, you will not be disappointed.

This book has a great lot of fantasy.Enid Blyton has really got wonderful imagition.All the characters in the book have suitable names for their nature, for example Moonface has a moon-shaped face,Dame Washalot loves to wash a lot,Silky the fairy has silky hair and wears a dress made of silk.there are many more other charactersin this book. You will have to read the book to find out about them.The Lands too are totaly amazing. My favourate ones are The Land of Goodies because they are made up of all the things i love to eat,The Land of Magic Medicines so that my family can get well soon when they are not feeling well and The Land of Spells so that i can make my cat sing too. The book is about four children- Jo,Fanny,Bessie and Dick who explore lands in the magic faraway tree with moonface,silky and
saucepan man and have narrow escapes.

I remembered reading this book and it's companions when I was a child with my British Granny, so I purchased it to use as a read-aloud in my first grade classroom. My class LOVED it from the first page, and many requested the title and author so that they can read it at home too. Unlike many of the other popular children's titles available to the children in my class, this book is rich, full or detail and very wholesome while still being appealing. Your child will love it!

Enid Blyton is one of the best writers any new reader can be introduced to. She is the absolute master when it comes to making little eyes open wide with wonder and little hearts beat faster with the excitement of adventure and fairies and secrets and picnics and all the absolutely wonderful things that would tickle the imgagination of any little reader. And I must admit that I can read any one of her books even today.
The Faraway tree series are specially one of my favorites!The characters in these books are absolutely delightful and memorable. Be it silly old Saucepan man who can never hear straight , or the Angry pixie who will never suffer anybody peeping into his home , or Dame Washalot who keeps herself busy washing clothes and then pouring the soapy water down the tree,soaking many an unsuspecting climber! And those are just a few of them...lets not forget Moonface and silky and Whatsisname and of course Dame Slap!!!It was with great pleasure and excitement that I shared these books with my children, who absolutely loved them! Its a pity that books by Enid Blyton are not easily available in the US.

If you look forward to reading the Narnia series by C.S.Lewis to your children, then read the Far-Away Tree stories to them first. Three fantastic stories in one volume. It is a wonderful read-aloud for the kindergarten through third grade age group. The characters are endearing and the story is a journey to many places full of spice and excitement and a little bit of danger but always returning home safely. Each chapter is long enough for one bedtime sitting and leaves you and the children eager for the next installment. This should be next to the Narnia series, the Oz series and your other favorite children's fantasy titles.

It's great to catch up with these characters and stories after nearly twenty years.

They are still fun stories, and I find the lack of violence and the innocence of them charming in a world that now seems drunk with violent stories for both kids and adults.

If you're new to the famous five, then this will be a great discovery for you and a journey you will want to continue.

Enid Blyton's books are a staple for British children...but little known in the US. After discovering these books with my 8 year old daughter i have to say i wish i had known about them when i was growing up.
Blyton has an incredible imagination and these tales of magical lands at the top of a faraway tree in an enchanted forest are a pure delight. The stories chronicle the adventures of three siblings, two girls and a boy, and they make interesting reading for both boys and girls. The interactions among the children -- how they take care of each other on their adventures -- as well as their interactions with all the curious folk they encounter are a pleasure to read and give young and old readers something to think about.
The books were written in the late 1930s-mid 1940s, but they are timeless -- so visual and entertaining that that they continue to charm new readers. My daughter has re-read them several times and proclaims them to be among her favorite books ever.