| Title | : | The Enchanted Wood (The Faraway Tree, #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0749748001 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780749748005 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 213 |
| Publication | : | First published May 1, 1939 |
The Enchanted Wood (The Faraway Tree, #1) Reviews
-
The Enchanted Wood has been censored by an anonymous politically correct brigade, which is unfortunate. More of that later. The concept of the Faraway Tree was brilliant. A magical tree where magical beings live was a great idea, but having various lands come to the top of the tree was a stroke of genius.
Jo, Bessie and Fanny are three kids who move from the town to the countryside that borders on a mysterious wood. They discover brownies (not of the confectionery type) pixies and elves. Their adventures are varied. There is no lesson learned here. It's just pure mindless fun.
Like I said, censorship ruined the newer versions of the book. I think Fanny is now called Franny. Dame Slap is called Dame Snap. She doesn't slap naughty students anymore. All the more reason to cherish my unhurt version of the book. This was a reread and I couldn't give it less than 5 stars. -
The first thing to note about the Faraway Tree is that it's not far away at all, it's actually very close to where our heroes live. If it wasn't a tree the whole thing would be a lie! They often harp on about how lucky they are that the Enchanted Wood starts across the lane from their house.
The second thing to note is that if you read this book as a child then all four children in the modern edition will have changed their names!
Dick and Fanny are now Rick and Franny.
Jo is Joe. And Bessie is Beth.
Did they change Jo and Bessie so it wasn't so obvious why they changed Dick and Fanny? Who knows...
Additionally Dame Slap is now Dame Snap, and disciplines the children in her school by scolding them rather than slapping them.
If you pay attention reading this book (published 1939) you will see a good number of ideas re-used later by authors such as Roald Dahl and JK Rowling. Whether Enid Blyton was copying them in turn from some earlier writer I can't say. 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 ... roots.
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.
The mechanics of the Faraway Tree are a mystery. It seems incredibly easy to climb and in all the rushing about nobody every seems in danger of falling off. The branches appear to be twenty feet wide and flat... There's a ladder up into the clouds at the top of it and this leads to ever-changing magic lands that swing into position one after the next.
The tree is populated by a good number of folk, though only a few are ever named. There appears to be no water supply or sanitation, and yet Dame Washalot is endlessly tipping dirty water down the tree. Being soaked by this water offers endless amusement to all but the soakee.
Another repeated (again and again and again and again) 'gag' is where the Old Saucepan Man miss-hears every second thing said to him. "Can I have that?" "A rat you say? Where? I don't see a rat!" And on it goes. How we ... laughed.
The mechanics are further stressed in the final chapter where a pony comes down the ladder...
Anyway. I was reading it (a second time) to my daughter Celyn (without snarky commentary - a great effort I can tell you). The excitement comes from the adventures in the magic lands, and the short chapters offer a great number of them, including the land of ice and snow, the land of toys, the land of take what you want, the land of birthdays, the rocking land (not music related), and the land of the red goblins. It's all imaginative wish-fulfillment stuff and Celyn liked it very much.
While I'm wondering why in the land of take what you want they took 7 chickens for their financially struggling mother rather than the gold ingots lying around ... Celyn is enjoying the description of the chickens' antics. So it's all good.
There's no over-arching plot, just a series of chapters that more-or-less stand alone. You can dip into it, skip ahead, go away and come back in a year, makes no difference.
Have fun.
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.
Join my Patreon
Join my 3-emails-a-year newsletter #prizes
. -
Rather than this being a review of the book, I'm going to use this space mainly to rant and get out all my angry feels about the 'updating' of Enid Blyton's books. I've loved this book for nearly 18 years now and I encourage anyone, adult or child to try and find an original unedited Enid Blyton book to read. As a general review, this book is about three very close-knit siblings that work hard to complete their chores around the house and are subsequently rewarded with free time and adventures with magical folk. The ideal life, really.
There have been many times when I've visited the local library and eventually ended up in the children's section of the library. I find their section extremely exciting and I'm always filled with happy nostalgia going through the shelves.
This happy nostalgia is usually shot through the face when I go through the 'Blyton' section of the library though. I cannot seem to convince myself that it is ok that Enid Blyton's books have been changed to be 'politically correct' or for 'sensitivity considerations'.
I first listened to my library teacher read this to the class back in 1996 and I loved every moment of it. Sure my friends and I got a bit of a snigger out of the names the first time we heard them, but if my own experience is anything to go by, most likely children will get over the connotations in the names because they're more interested in the adventures the characters have. If a kid now days asks why the characters have names that are slang for genitalia, would it actually be that hard to tell them that these names were popular back when the book was written, and such names didn't have those connotations then? The whole avoidance technique with changing the names and actions of characters (like Dame Slap) in Enid Blyton's books just bubble wraps kids now and suggests to me that adults really fear children coming into contact with anything 'controversial', or reading anything that might require adults to sit down, talk and spend time with their kids, rather than shoving an electronic device at them and telling them to go and do whatever.
What exactly is the matter with reading outdated English to a child? Do these PC editors really think a set of books will entirely change the way a kid speaks when modern English surrounds them every other waking minute? For me, even as a kid, reading Enid Blyton was a way for me to learn about the attitudes of that time, how people spoke just a few decades ago, and how it has progressed. Not only did reading The Enchanted Wood and many others of Enid Blyton's books creatively stimulate my mind, but it was also a learning experience for me, and one that I'm very glad I got before adults got all touchy and concerned about children being too damn delicate to be faced with anything 'different'.
My dismay at not finding an unedited copy of Enid Blyton's books had me go to Ebay and buy my top four favourite Enid Blyton books that I didn't have already, all of which were published in the 70s and 80s: The Enchanted Wood, The Magic Faraway Tree, The Folk of the Faraway Tree and The Wishing Chair. Four different sellers, four different prices, some with a shipping fee, some without. Altogether I had to spend $44.95 and to some that might be a bit costly, but I don't regret spending my money on these four books at all. My version of The Wishing Chair Again might not be an original Dean & Sons cover but the 1998 version of the story still follows Blyton's original text. These books remind me of a happy childhood, where I spent a good portion of it learning and reading in the library. 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.
/end rant -
Read this as part of 2018 Ultimate Reading Challenge, Category: "A book you were supposed to read in school but haven’t yet".
'It's called the Enchanted Wood,' said their father. 'People don't go there if they can help it. It's funny to hear things like this nowadays, and I don't expect there is really anything strange about the wood. But just be careful not to go too far into it, in case you get lost.'
I picked this book up as it was recommended to me as an excellent read and as part of the challenge I had to read a book that I was supposed to read in school but haven't and here we are.
When I started reading this, I felt I have read this already but then parts of it I couldn't remember. There is a character called Moonface which I was sure I have read about somewhere but then again I was equally sure I haven't in fact read this book.... And finally I figured out why this story and characters felt a bit familiar...It's because I have watched
Enchanted Lands which is based on this book series.
This book is absolutely fun and a page turner... There are different lands that we visit as part of this book, each land has a special nature to it. I immensely enjoyed reading about each and every land and looked forward to what would come next.
This book is a fantasy and there is an innocence to it which I adored. All the characters are likable even though Jo can sometimes be a brat...
Definitely reading more of this series. -
Rereading a childhood favourite can sometimes prove hazardous. Often, what so appealed to our younger selves we later find riddled with plot holes, become distanced from the young protagonists, or find them just generally unsuited for an adult readership. For this reason I had stayed away from my once beloved Enid Blyton, for so long.
The Faraway Tree series were particular favourites of mine however, and I had been hankering to revisit them for some time. I knew I was taking the risk of marring my rose-tinted memories of this series but decided to proceed, regardless.
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. This series is just an absolute joy to behold! Of course there is an element of predictability to the events and the safety of the characters is continually ensured, but the whimsical beauty of the setting, the hilarious anecdotes from the characters, the soaring feats of bravery, the fantastically odd beings, and the wonderful (and sometimes not so) lands visited, all made this an utterly charming read and escape from reality for my my pre-teen, my teenage, and my (now) adult self. -
I have revisited this book at least once a year since first reading it when I was eight years old. If I have ever told any of you what my all-time favourite book was, know that I was LYING about it. It's really the cute, chaotic piece of art that is The Enchanted Wood.
'Please could you tell me the way to the Three Bears' House?' Moon-Face asked a blue teddy-bear politely.
The bear pressed himself in the middle and answered in a nice growly voice, 'Up the lane and down the lane and around the lane.'
'Thank you,' said Moon-Face.
F*ck critical thinking; I'm letting nostalgia cloud my judgement for this. Everything in this story is so wholesome and cute and brings back so many memories.
'Two pigs for the pigsty,
Two shoes for the horse,
Two hats for the tigers,
Pink ones, of course.'
Five stars! -
Following the resounding success of my
Locus Quest, I faced a dilemma: which reading list to follow it up with? Variety is the spice of life, so I’ve decided to diversify and pursue six different lists simultaneously. This book falls into my
BEDTIME STORIES list.
I have a little boy and love reading to him, so this reading list will cover the classic (and new) children’s stories we’re enjoying together.
My wife, Millie, and I are taking it in turns to pick bed-time stories for our baby boy, Fin.
Winnie-the-Pooh was my choice and then to follow it, for her pick, we’ve just had
The Enchanted Wood . I’ve already picked
The Wind in the Willows to follow.
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.
The premise is simple enough: a family from the city with three children (a boy and two girls) move out to the countryside. The children are told of an enchanted wood nearby and in that wood they discover a magic tree. Many magical folk live in the woods and up the tree, but at the very top of the tree is a ladder through the clouds to a magical land. The question is, which magical land will be through the clouds today? For it changes, quite regularly, you see. And you never know if the land through the clouds is nice or nasty – but you’re guaranteed an adventure!
We picked up a copy of this book from a second hand book store in the Cardiff arcades and it was a modern re-print. I was only a few pages in when she started complaining that it wasn’t how she remembered it –two of the children’s names were different! She stole the book from me and started flicking through it – “she's called Dame Slap, not Dame Snap!” she muttered. Having never read the stories before I was none the wiser, but apparently at some point the books have been amended by the Politically-Correct Brigade. Determined that we stay true to her childhood nostalgia, Millie picked up her original copies of the series from her Grandmother’s house.
I think this PC editing is all a bit over the top. They changed the little girls, Bessie and Fanny to Beth and Frannie (why bother?) and the evil schoolmistress, Dame Slap (who slaps naughty children) to Dame Snap. I’m sure there are other changes too – having now read the original book there are gollywog dolls and a pony called Blackie –I doubt those survived the editor’s scalpel. All of which, while quite interesting, is an odd subplot for a widely beloved children’s book - and quite apart from the magic of the story itself.
Reading a book aloud gives you a different outlook on a writer’s style, its rhythm and meter, vocabulary and narrative flourishes.
Blyton’s work is an absolute pleasure to read aloud, with a wonderful flow and even though dated, the language is infectious – I found myself using
Blyton-esque phrases in regular conversation, “oh, how absolutely tremendous!”, “that’s a simply marvellous idea!”, etc.
Some of the magical lands at the top of the tree were playful and imaginative and will stick with me – The Rocking Land, The Land of Take-What-You-Want and The Land of Birthdays. But some others seemed rather uninspired and forgettable – The Roundabout Land, The Land of Ice and Snow, The Land of the Saucepan Man, etc.
Likewise, the characters who inhabit the enchanted wood and the faraway tree were a bit hit and miss for me. Moon-face – a bit weird. Silky – lovely! Mister Whatzisname and Dame Washalot – one note wonders. The Red Squirrel – cute. The Old Sacepan Man – annoying! As for the three children – I never developed different voices for them with my read aloud as I did with the characters of
Winnie-the-Pooh because quite frankly they all spoke exactly the same way and had near identical characters. They’re all idealised clone-kids, (good, kind, considerate, hardworking, respectful, etc). Considering how many of these identikit kids
Blyton uses in her stories , she must have had a production line churning them out… Famous Five + Secret Seven + Faraway Tree Three = the Fiction Factory Fifteen?
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.
After this I read:
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell -
Earlier this week during a coversation with KC 2.0, I was reminded of my favourite childhood novel EVER !
I'm not ashamed to admit that I've read this little book so many times, even as an adult. It's a comfort novel for me, because it always fills me with happiness and reminds me of the times as a little girl when I would turn on my bedside lamp late at night and read my storybooks while my 2 dogs Ike and Nicky slept right beside me. May Ike and Niklaus rest in peace up there in doggy heaven ! The poet William Blake once said that the one way to achieve innocence is to look at life through the eyes of a child. Later on, with his Songs of Experience his vision was altered a bit because he realized that life is a dynamic dialectic and that pure innocence can never be restored once one has viewed life through the cynical eyes of an adult. But, I always prefer to believe that even if we can never regain our childhood innocence, then we can at least borrow some of it for a temporary time while reading the storybooks that made us so happy when we were kids. It always astounds me how little it takes to make a small kid happy.
Anyway, where was I ? Yeah, this book enraptured my daydreams and imagination so much that I used to wish I had a faraway tree in my backyard, so I could climb to the top of it and visit all the exciting lands that came there each week. I prefer the old, original novel before they changed the names of the characters. This story can teach kids so many wonderful lessons, even though it was written during an era when a parent ( the kids' mom ) would never send her children off to tea with a strange man wearing saucepans and kettles all over his body like accessories ! I guess that's because it was written during a more innocent time when the fear of stuff like pedophiles didn't exist. I am not saying that this didn't exist long ago during Enid Blyton's time, but that it wasn't something that people spoke about. It made me realize just how much more difficult it is for present day children's books authors to write marketable storybooks in an age that's become so rightfully fearful and much more protective of kids.
In this novel, the 3 sibling protagonists are free to wander all over the enchanted wood and have their many fun adventures because their mother wasn't so protective as mothers are today. But the best part of this novel was the fabulous minor characters like Moon Face, Silky, Mr. Whatizname, Dame Washalot, the Old Saucepan Man, Dame Slap, Mr. Whiskers the brownie, Barny the Barn Owl, the cute squirrel who collected the cushions, the 3 bears and Goldilocks, the evil magical snowman etc. The part of this story that always captured my imagination the most was the fact that the magical faraway tree had a winding inner slide in its trunk. That slide was called the slippery slip and it was only when I grew to be an adult that I wondered how on earth the dwellers of the tree were able to have their houses in the trunk when this long internal tube was supposed to be there ! 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 tree was even magical so that different fruits grew at different locations all at the same time ! What more could a little kid want ? The Harry Potter series stole my attention when I got older but this novel ( and its sequels
The Magic Faraway Tree and
The Folk of the Faraway Tree ), will always reign as my top # 1 favourite kids series.
In this storybook, Enid Blyton wrote about all the fascinating lands that visited at the top of the tree, like:
The Land of Birthdays;
The Land of Take What You Want;
The Roundabout Land ( which was horrible ! );
The Rocking Land;
The Land of Goblins;
The Land of the Saucepan Man and more...
Here are some lovely photos:
This one shows the 3 kids and their friends:
This is Moon Face, Silky the fairy and Jo with a saucepan on his head:
This is the Angry Pixie, outside Moon Face's house:
This is Dame Washalot and Silky:
This is just a general illustration of the kids and the treefolk:
-
This was one of my favourite books when I was younger and it was lovely to revisit a a familiar story, this time in an edition beautifully illustrated by Janet & Anne Grahame Johnstone. Their artwork is perfectly suited to the book.
I have a newer version, so names have been changed from Jo, Bess and Fanny to Joe, Beth and Frannie. I have mixed feelings about the update. I understand why some people would object to Fanny in particular. It's the loss of Bessie that I find saddest as it was updated because Bess/Bessie has fallen out of fashion. While I like the name Beth too, I don't see the issue with an old-fashioned children's book maintaining an older style of name.
Although I don't always click with Enid Blyton's writing, I loved this series (and the Children of Cherry Tree Farm books), with the cast of eclectic characters such as Moonface, Silky the Fairy and the Saucepan Man. The adventures are gentle and any conflict is swiftly sorted. If I remember rightly continuity didn't always play a part-- I'll have to keep reading and confirm, but I'm not sure if aspects from the final chapter of this book are ever referred to again - - - if I read on and this proves incorrect I will of course hurry back to amend this sentence! -
One of my all-time favourite authors when I was young, this stories never failed to keep me entertained and build a foundation in english.
4/5 Great read
---
Like my post to be mentioned ;) (and get a shoutout if you follow my bookstagram, wattpad and pinterest
I am usually found here:
https://beacons.ai/chevreads
Find me on:
Instagram: @chevreads
Wattpad: @writerthursday
Pinterest: @thursdayfrappe
Youtube: @chevreads
P.S. Add me as a friend :) I like to read romance novels and mystery stories -
I'm visiting my eldest daughter and my three month old granddaughter this weekend. My daughter and I got to talking about children's books and I began telling her about The Faraway Tree. She interrupted me to say that I'd bought them for her when she was young. I'd forgotten!
I loved those books so you can imagine how peed off I was when I discovered that the books have been edited to make them more politically correct!
Honestly, how stupid are some people to want to change perfectly delightful books about a magic tree and the folk that live there? 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.
I still love them and I'll be searching for the original stories for my granddaughter and not the edited ones. -
![Corinne [semi-hiatus]](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1603449181i/94376563._UY200_CR13,0,200,200_.jpg)
Far from my usual romance genre but I thought that I could also post about the books my kids read as I am sure there may be parents with children around you. I am always doing a lot of research regarding the best books for my kids and maybe this will help you as well.
This is a great adventures book for kids starting 7 years old. It is equally interesting for boys and girls.
The main characters are 3 siblings, 1 boy and 2 girls who move to the country side and uncover an enchanted forest. There is a magical tree inside the forest that can take them to magical worlds.
Their adventures are delightful. I had a lot of fun reading this with my kids. -
She is very much out of favor these days, but Enid Blyton's old-fashioned adventure books are still popular in many countries like India and Australia. Children still enjoy her books, while adults frown at their “racism” and “sexism”. I must admit that I devoured her books as a child, and I don’t think I’m any the worse for it. But quite the most enchanting books she has ever written have got to be The Faraway Tree series: The Enchanted Wood, The Magic Faraway Tree and The Folk of the Faraway Tree. Three children living near an enchanted wood discover an enormous tree peopled with fairy folk, at the very top of which is a ladder that leads to a different magical land every few days. What’s not to love? I used to pretend that I was Bessie or Fanny and had been invited to eat google buns (possibly the first ever use of the word google?) and pop biscuits by Silky and Moonface.
A must-read for ever kid and every adult with a kid inside. :-) -
Originally published in 1939, Enid Blyton was an early writer of tween fantasy. Jo, Bessie and Fanny are three kids who move from the town to the countryside that borders on a mysterious wood. While exploring in between daily chores, they discover brownies, pixies and elves, and a magical tree containing all sorts of characters. What really makes the tree magical is the various lands that can be accessed at the top of the tree, and we follow the three kids on various adventures in these places. A bit tame and out of date for today's readers.
-
I really missed out on a gem with this series; I know I would have loved this when I was younger. I still enjoyed it very much though. I decided to actually listen to this on audiobook and loved it! Narrated by Kate Winslet she did an absolutely amazing job with it. :)
-
The discovery of the faraway tree
10 March 2012
Enid Blyton turns out (according to
Wikipedia) to be a rather strange woman and not somebody who one would expect to the a very successful author of children's books. However, the views of Wikipedia, and some of those who wrote about her, do tend to be somewhat tainted. This does not mean that Blyton was necessarily a person of high moral standing. It appears that she had two marriages, and at one stage, allegedly, was quite promiscuous. It also appeared that after her divorce she pretty much took her ex-husband to the cleaners. However, much of this was written by one of her daughters who did seem to have a chip on her shoulder.
As for her writings, she wrote over 600 children's books, many of them being a staple of our generation. I grew up with the Famous Five (which had been converted into a TV series), and am familiar with Noddy. These are probably her most famous works, though it is interesting to note that she did churn out an awful lot of books using other characters and settings. It also appears that she got into the publishing industry through her first husband and after the divorce allegedly shut him out. Despite all that, it is very clear that she was a very successful author who has had a significant influence upon the literary culture of the English speaking world.
This story is the first story in the 'Magic Faraway Tree' series. It is actually not a single adventure but a collection of at least five different adventures that three children, Jo, Bessie, and Fanny, have after moving into the country. At the beginning of the book we are told that their father had got a job in the country, so they moved out to a cottage at the edge of an enchanted wood. We are not given much glimpse into the adult world here namely because not only is this a children's book, but we are looking at the world through the eyes of the children. 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. However, to a child, many of these problems were far away, though they do come upon them occasionally. At one point in the story we are told that their father had lost a lot of money and they were struggling to make ends meet when all of the sudden the children return with the solution.
It is difficult to tell whether all of this is real or just the vivid dreams of a child's imagination. We cannot see this would as an adult, only as a child, and whether this world is imaginary or not, it is irrelevant because it is the children that see, experience, and consider this world to be real. The Enchanted Wood is simply just that, a magical wood inhabited by magical creatures. In the middle of the wood is the Magic Faraway Tree, a tree that grows right up to the clouds and from the top of the tree you can travel to magical worlds. However, if you stay too long you the land will move on and you will not be able to return to the tree. The tree is also inhabited by a number of characters. At the top of the tree is Moon-face, a friendly man who loves his toffee. There are also a number of other characters, such as Wat-is-name, the angry pixie, and Mrs Washalot.
As mentioned, this book has five adventures in it which are not strictly tied together. The first involves the discovery of the tree, the next involves Jo getting trapped by the magic snowman in the land of ice, then there is the land of everything you want, then the tree gets taken over by the red goblins who are after powerful magic, and finally there is the land of Birthdays where Bessie goes and celebrates her birthday. In this book Blyton brings in the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. I have seen this strategy before, and one can tell that Blyton is weaving familiar stories into her book mostly to appeal to children. One is almost tempted to consider the Faraway Tree to be an extension of Jack's beanstalk, particularly since it grows up to the clouds. However, the tree has been around for a long time and is inhabited by many strange peoples.
It is great that I have managed to dig up my old Enid Blyton books. I originally thought they had been given away by my parents but after digging around in the back shed, lo and behold, I found the entire collection. Unfortunately one of the Famous Five books are missing, but I can deal with that. At least I can make my way through them one by one because not only will it refresh my memory from when I read them as a child, but by reading them I can also get a better understanding of the structure of a modern children's book. -
This book was literally one of my all time favourite children's books ever, so I jumped at the chance to purchase the series again but as audiobooks instead. I was so excited at the chance to have such a classic read to me and by none other than Kate Winslet at that. My only worry was that I wouldn't enjoy the books now that I am an adult, along with worrying that my brain had perhaps overhyped these books a little too much in my head. I needn't have worried however, this book made me so unbelievably happy and nostalgic.
First of all, I'd like to discuss and get out of the way a few changes that have taken place in this whole series. I can understand why some of the changes have been done, though I can't say I completely agree with them. First of all, Jo is now Joe, which makes sense as this small spelling change has brought the spelling of the name into the modern day. Secondly, Bessie is now Beth and I don't feel like this change was needed. I haven't let this small thing change my rating, but this unnecessary name change did bother me. In this day and age, with children getting weirder names by the year, I really don't feel it mattered that Bessie had now fallen out of favour, as it is still obviously just a girls name. Finally, Fanny is now Franny, and I can understand why they made this change, for very obvious reasons and so it was probably the best course of action. The final name change, which bothers me the most of all however, is Dame Slap, who is now Dame Snap. I understand that times have changed and that smacking children is now frowned upon, but this is just a harmless children's story and I find this change extremely irritating because I feel it to be idiotic. Again, I haven't let this change affect my rating, but I am extremely disappointed all the same at how political correctness and everything else is even creeping into classic children's stories.
With the above ranting out the way, I can now go back to talking about how incredibly happy this book made me. I enjoyed taking the experience in via audio even more than I could have ever imagined. I didn't think much of Kate Winslet being the narrator before starting to listen, by this I mean I hadn't cared much either way about who the narrator even was. I can't praise her highly enough though, she is easily one of the best narrators I have ever had the pleasure to listen to. Her voice has such a pleasant and soothing tone to it, that you can't help but want to listen to. Even better than that though, was her ability to create so many different amazing voices for all the characters to the point where you could hear a voice and recognise it and know who it is speaking, without even needing to hear name. I really think that Kate Winslet helped bring this series into the modern day and I would very highly recommend getting younger children the audiobooks to this series as they would absolutely love it.
I also loved getting re-aquainted with all my favourite old characters, even the ones I had forgotten about. Now of course I had never forgotten the likes of Moonface and Silky, or Dame Washalot for that matter. I had forgotten about The Angry Pixie, Mr Whotsisname and The Saucepan Man though. I had also forgotten how much this book sparked my imagination as a child. I remember looking at woods and imagining them to be The Enchanted Wood, or seeing a large Tree and imagining it to be The Faraway Tree. My mind use to get so carried away thinking about all the different lands and the funniest thing is, my now adult mind, got just as carried away this time too. Enid Blyton's writing is just an absolute wonder and joy and I can't recommend this series enough. Don't just stop here after reading this book, continue on with the series, you won't regret it. -
I'm so disappointed that the publishers thought it was a good idea to Americanise, and make a classic story politically correct. Shame. Shame. Shame.
-
Reliving my childhood with Enid Blyton. I love how the trees whisper and you can travel to magical lands. One I remember really enjoying was Dame Slap's school. Her classwork was entertaining. Is it me or does one really not find distinctive characteristics for Jo, Bessie or Fanny? They sound the same... Then again, it's a children's book and I cannot be too critical. Lovely book.
-
Follow
Just A Girl High On Books for more reviews.
The main reason why I picked up this book was simple. It was an Enid Blyton book and as a kid, I was a huge fan of her works. I mean, "Famous Five", "Secret Seven", "Malory Towers", "Amelia Jane". You name it, I would have read at least one book of each. This was probably one of the few series that I hadn't read and I was rather excited to get deep into it.
So when I began reading The Enchanted Wood, all I had read was its title. Yep, you got me right. I hadn't even read the blurb. I mean, I had thought of reading it but then I thought, eh, it's an Enid Blyton book. I'll love it either way. So I didn't read it and jumped into it without a single thought in my mind. And guess what? I was not disappointed despite that!
The book starts off with a family moving to the countryside. The three children, Joe, Beth and Fanny are very excited about the idea of countryside. They think up of all the fun that they will have there. So when they spend their first evening out in the woods, they are nothing but surprised. Because you know, the trees whisper there. Or at least, the sound is as if they whisper! And that is how their adventure starts! Or well, when they find the faraway tree but it's sort of the same. They wouldn't have found the tree if not for the enchanted wood.
So yeah, whatever I say about this book will be less. I mean, I loved it. Naturally. I love Blyton's writing style and this book just added to that. I also rather like the way she narrates her works. So even though her narratives don't much appeal to people of older generation, for the kids, they are nothing but brilliant. And well, for a person like me, who was her great fan as a kid, it is nothing but amazing!
I hope to read more of these books soon enough. -
The Enchanted Wood (#1) by Enid Blyton is a children’s classic fantasy originally published in 1939. I was able to find a 2002 uncensored copy to read FREE online at BooksVooks.com. What a precious and creative story! You have three siblings: Jo, Bessie and the youngest Fanny who’s family is moving from the city to the country. They are excited because they discover an “enchanted” forest at the back edge of their property.
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. The kids discover and eventually befriend all the inhabitants of the tree...pixies, fairies, and, of course, the happy, go-lucky Moon-Face. At the top of the tree is a ladder that allows entry through a hole in the cloud and into the wild and unpredictable, forever changing fantasy lands. Each day or week, or even just a few hours, the land above changes, potentially locking you in until it would eventually come around again to the Faraway Tree. Some fantasy lands are good and some are bad. In either case, the kids were on an unforgettable adventure with their new forest friends every time they entered the forest and climbed the tree.
NOTES ON CENSORSHIP OF BOOK
I have not verified and compare today's version with the original, but, apparently, cancel culture has got a hold of this book. The author has been labeled a sexist, homophobe and racist and many changes have been made to her book. The names of the characters have been changed from Fanny to Franny, and Dame Slap to Dame Snap, who doesn’t go around slapping the naughty pixies and fairies in the school of discipline for all their wrongs on one of the fantasy lands that Jo, Bessie, Fanny and their forest friends were trapped in for a little while.
‘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?
‘Some' feel the youngest sister was fat shamed for helping herself to too many toffees "because she was a very greedy girl"...as most young kids are when face to face with delicious candy. I have 10 grandchildren, and I have to put my foot down all the time and say, "That's enough!" No shame there. That's just the nature of kids. Yes. They are all greedy with candy and want more and more!
Okay. So she used the word "queer" a few times. But, she always used it in the right context. The true, original meaning of queer means 'odd' or 'strange'. The author spoke of some of the fantasy lands as being queer...because they were (very strange). The Saucepan Man, with all of the pots and pans attached to his body, was one queer man (odd, strange). There is absolutely nothing suggestively evil by her use of the word queer. The author also talked about “crackers” that had legs and were playing chase with the kids and forest friends in one of the fantasy lands. When caught, they would pop, kind of like a firecracker, and expose a prize inside. The crackers were laughing and happy and so, yes, she used the word “gay crackers” (Chp. XXIX, p. 127). I sure hope these two words used in their proper context weren't the conditions for calling her a homophobe. More ridiculousness!
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. GOLLIWOG* is the issue. The author writes: "...three golliwogs got into their carriage and stared at them very hard. One was so like Bessie's own golly at home that she couldn't help staring back." (Chp. IX, p. 38 in online edition). Hmmm...Now, I would say this right here might actually be a bit racist, and it doesn’t really add to the story at all. MAYBE, that would be the only thing partially justified to be removed from this children’s classic fantasy book. The other option is to not buy the book for your child OR maybe be encouraged to write your own book. But, I don’t agree with making so many changes to any author’s work. Otherwise, everything in the novel, as it is only fantasy, is a great reading adventure for all young readers.
*GOLLIWOG - This is the first I ever heard of a golliwog. I had to Duck Duck Go the meaning of the word. Golliwogs were fabric rag dolls depicting images of black people: black body, frizzy hair, wide black eyes with white rings, and big red lips. It was created by cartoonist, Florence Kate Upton, in the late 19th century. After World War II, the doll became popular and was a substitute for the soft teddy bear for a short period of time, but then later was considered racist. -
Three kids in (probably) pre-war Britain move out to the countryside, and find that they're living next to an Enchanted Wood, with at the heart of it the Faraway Tree, whose trunk is well-populated by different magical characters - pleasant and (at least initially) un- - and from whose topmost branch is a ladder which leads to a succession of different magical worlds.
This is probably the best Blyton I've read so far. I thought it quite good in pre-reading, and when it came time to include the kids, they were absolutely enthralled - Blyton really did know her audience. She was fairly shameless about incorporating things that they would like - a visit to the Land of Birthdays, where the characters had the Most Fun Party Ever, was the capstone.
The initially reluctant DS#1 (age 8) was sold after a chapter or two, stole the book, and immediately read the whole thing - further, he read it at least twice while I was still doling it out a chapter or two at a time to his siblings.
The version I read has had some recent changes, one of which was glaringly (and stupidly) obvious. In addition to modernizing the names of the characters, they changed the fearsome Dame Slap, who indulges in corporal punishment of her students, to Dame Snap, who instead makes the poor dears cry by yelling at them. I haven't read the original version, but when I read it out loud, I changed her name back and with a few on-the-fly substitutions was hopefully able to restore the Dame to her delightfully menacing condition. -
Ah, one of my absolute childhood favourites. I consider it a privielige that I get to read it to both my own child (5 years old) and my class (NZ yr 3, so 7 turning 8). And it appears that the appeal has not diminished with time.
I do have some bugbears, mostly that the 'pc-ifying' has seen it necessary to change some of the character names. Frankly I do not care if Fanny means something in one country that it doesn't mean in another - look at all the different meanings that we discovered 'Suri' had when someone decided to name their child that. Mostly though, Dame Snap should have stayed Dame Slap, it was far more accurate a name for her and made her even more horrifying! My class agreed when I told them about this.
Still, the loveliness of the era remains, a time when children would leave the house for the day and you wouldn't worry that someone had snatched them, innocent and magical. I still wish I could find that tree and visit the wonderful lands at the top. I am desperate to try pop cakes, and that slippery slip still sounds like the very best way to get down a tree. -
Well I certainly interpreted a lot of that differently as an adult... Alternate chapter titles:
"Jo participates in the goblin slave trade"
"Mother negligently allows her children to wander off with a strange man wearing saucepans"
"Violent abuse perpetuated in boarding school institution"
"Father and Mother do not question where their destitute children obtained expensive goods"
"Three racist things in almost as many pages" (a 'Red Indian' costume, a horse named 'Blackie' and a golliwog badge)
On the plus side, the bond between the children was sweet, and loyalty and friendship are important themes throughout. -
To read this book as a child was pure joy. To read this book as an adult, now that's pure escapism from the cruel world. I really love this book and I'm pleased to say that re-reading this as an adult made me rediscover the simple joy of imagining about the wonderful world around me. It is such a misfortune that we no longer get these kinds of books in the market. Such a shame that our children's and YA genre is infested with vampire, werewolves and whatnot. Back then, we just had pure, unadulterated literary fun instead of the darker tones of tales!
-
What a delight to read it to your 6 yr old and see him giggle, laugh and get anxious on this adventurous journey. A first big book for my lil one where he takes his tiny steps to enter the world of imagination and what joy and pride to see him fall in love with my first fav author whom I grew up reading.
-
The Enchanted Wood tells the story of Jo, Bessie and Fanny (remodelled Joe, Beth and Franny in later years), three siblings who move to the English countryside and proceed to have various adventures in a magical wood backing the yard of their new home. Importantly, the protagonists discover the Magic Faraway Tree, inhabited by fantastical beings, and at the top of which different ‘lands’ (e.g. Roundabout Land, Land of Take-What-You-Want, Land of Birthdays, etc.) rotate on a regular basis.
Like many others, of every generation, I loved this book as a child. I actually remember the very day I bought it, using Christmas money from my grandparents. I had a big hardback edition with a green cover and delightfully-1970s illustrations, which I found were still embedded in my mind as I revisited the book.
I listened to the ABC Audio version, which was narrated by Kate Winslet. She did a fantastic job and has the perfect accent to say things like “toffee”, “goodness gracious!” and “oh, look!” (which happens quite a lot). 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.
Otherwise this book unfortunately did not translate well at all for me as an adult reader. I found the formulaic plot and repetition extremely tedious (1. Children visit tree, vowing not to enter current land at top. 2. Children decide it will be okay just to “peep” to see which land it is. 3. Children find themselves unwittingly trapped in land when door leading back to tree disappears. 4. Children assist each other through adversity to escape land and arrive home just in time to avoid parents’ censure. 5. Children vow not to return to tree for extended period, as “it’s just getting a bit too exciting”. 6. Repeat.) I found myself wishing that each adventure/episode would hurry up and be over with. I also found the character of the Saucepan Man incredibly annoying and cursed Joe, Beth and Franny each time they invited him to another event because it meant I had to sit through another ten minutes of his drawing entirely unreasonable conclusions from misheard words.
I do understand that the repetitive and predictable features of The Enchanted Wood are the kind of thing kids love, and considering its perennial popularity, it’s fair to say that Enid Blyton was a genius in her own way. For me personally, however, this is a book would have been much better left in the fond memories of my childhood. -
This has to be one of the most fantastic childrens' books I've ever read. I discovered it existed while reading a magazine article about the top book picks of certain authors. It is published only in the UK, but is so worth searching out.
The tale revolves around three children who live next to the Enchanted Wood, which houses the Faraway Tree. The Faraway tree is home to many wonderful people -- Mister Whatizname, Dame Washalot, Silky the Fairy, Moon Face, and eventually The Saucepan Man -- but the best part of the Faraway Tree is that at the very top is a ladder that reaches through the clouds. At the top of the ladder can be any sort of lovely or demented land you can imagine, such as The Land of Take-What-You-Want, The Roundabout Land (everything turns like a carousel, including the land itself), The Land of Snow (presided over by a bossy snowman, to boot), and The Land of Birthdays. Each land is there only for a short amount of time before it swings away to be replaced by another, and if you're in there when it goes ... let's just say that it's quite an adventure to get you back to The Enchanted Wood!
I read this book to my son and it's one of the few that he begged me to keep reading night after night. There are a few sequels and I have to admit that I can't wait to see what happens next, either! -
This was my favourite series when I was a kid. I have been waiting years until my kids were old enough to read it to them. Their grandparents gave them a copy for Christmas. It's not quite the same with Beth, Frannie and Jo instead of Bessie, Fannie and Joe, but still a great tale.
**Interview with my 6 year old son**
Me: What did you think of the book?
Him: It was really awesome!
Me: Which bit did you like the best?
Him: My favourite bit was when they found the secret forest. And my other favourite bit was when they found Sparkle... what's her name?
Me: Silky
Him: Yeah Silky and Moonface.
Me: Who was your favourite character?
Him: Ahh... every single one of them. Even Dame Wash-a-lot.
Me: Which land would you like to go to?
Him: I would like to go to present for your Mum land. We didn't read about that one, I just made it up because I love you and if I went to the land where you get your Mum a present land I would be able to get you a present for Mother's Day.
Me: What about a land that was in the book?
Him: I would like to go to toyland too, to get a present for me.
Me: Do you want to read more about them?
Him: Yes!
Him: I want to write something.
Me: OK
Him typing:
I lik the storRee so Much.
