Loved it!, 20 Jul 2005
A collection of short stories by some of today's most popular authors... and a good cause thrown in for good measure. This collection is extremely varied, in terms of both writing styles and subject matter, so there's bound to be a few stories in there you'll absolutely love.

Buy this book - you won't regret it.

All you could ask for from a collection of short stories., 11 Jan 2005
I'll be honest, I only bought this book because I'm a J.K.Rowling fan and I have to have everything she's ever had published (even if it's only a foreward). I wasn't expecting too much from the actual stories themselves. But I was more than merely pleasantly suprised. The stories are wonderful. Each one is somehow very different from the others but they all share an element of 'sparkle' which makes the collection jell rather well. This 'sparkle' is not just magic, though there is some magic (of sorts) in some of the stories, but is rather a property of the characters. Though the stories are all about different people the main characters have, in their behaviour, something which makes them stand out, something which makes them just a little bit special. Perhaps it's this which makes the stories so enchanting; the fact that the characters are close to being average and normal, but have some small quality which anyone might possess, but which almost no-one actually does possess. I hope that makes some sense. If not, let me simply say that the stories are not only very original but are also very well written and very enjoyable to read. I highly recommend this collection of short stories.

"Magic Moments", 28 Jun 2002
Tilly has wild aspirations of becoming a famous opera diva.
Sandra dreams of creating the perfect bra to revolutionize womens' lives and what has become of Professor Martin Presley whose scientific discovery has the worst repercussions ever?

These are just some of the topics explored in "Magic", which is an interesting anthology produced for The National Council For One-Parent Families. It aims to raise money to support the millions of single parents, like myself, facing financial hardship in bringing up a child single-handedly.
Its forward is by J.K Rowling, Ambassador of this charity and herself a lone parent once caught in the poverty trap.

The stories are kindly donated by well-accomplished authors including Fay Weldon, Sue Townsend and John O' Farrell.
Oozing originality, its tales stretch the imagination and provide its reader with escapism in abundance whilst also supporting a worthwhile cause.
Hocus Pocus this is not. This is British Fiction at its finest.

"Magic Moments", 28 Jun 2002
Tilly has wild aspirations of becoming a famous opera diva.
Sandra dreams of creating the perfect bra to revolutionize womens' lives and what has become of Professor Martin Presley whose scientific discovery has the worst repercussions ever?

These are just some of the topics explored in "Magic", which is an interesting anthology produced for The National Council For One-Parent Families. It aims to raise money to support the millions of single parents, like myself, facing financial hardship in bringing up a child single-handedly.
Its forward is by J.K Rowling, Ambassador of this charity and herself a lone parent once caught in the poverty trap.

The stories are kindly donated by well-accomplished authors including Fay Weldon, Sue Townsend and John O' Farrell.
Oozing originality, its tales stretch the imagination and provide its reader with escapism in abundance whilst also supporting a worthwhile cause.
Hocus Pocus this is not. This is British Fiction at its finest.

Splendid book, filled with sparkling stories, 21 Jun 2002
I rarely read collections of short stories, but this one attracted me - it contans stories written by today's modern (mostly women) writers, and all of them tempted me to read other works by them.

Each story has magic as its theme - that is not to say the rabbit out of the hat magic, but more often the magic of an emotion or a feeling. My personal favourite is indeed the rabbit from a hat story by Meera Syal!

I can imagine that these stories will not appeal to everyone, but most of them will appeal to most women!

Read and enjoy.

The Enchanted Wood is one of Enid Blyton's most memorable and truly imaginative stories, capturing a world where almost anything can happen if you just believe in the magic of nature and its creatures.

Many adults will have fond memories of discovering the world of The Enchanted Wood: from the delightfully gentle Silky the Fairy, to the wonderfully bizarre but terminally jolly Moon-Face who along with a host of strange and mysterious characters live among the branches of The Magic Faraway Tree.

Kate Winslet, the award-winning actress, was captivated by the stories at an early age and during her pregnancy approached the company who own the rights to the Enid Blyton name to ask them if they would be interested in having her record these magical stories on tape. The result is stunning.

Winslet, with her gentle, singsong voice, captures the pure joy of these unforgettable stories from the moment the tale begins, and Joe, Beth and Fanny--the three young children who move from the city with their family to the country house surrounded by the Enchanted Wood--are captured as the wide-eyed and open-minded children they really are, eager to become involved in all manner of adventure and never once questioning that this strange world they have entered might not be quite, well, normal.

Probably the most memorable and certainly the most magical Enid Blyton stories of all are here brought to life with aplomb, with Winslet's enthusiasm for the tales she tells on this five-hour collection shining through.

This recording of The Enchanted Wood is set to become a classic, and would make a fantastic gift for the young, while providing an enchanting trip down memory lane for the adult who has never quite let go of the magic. (Ages 4 and over) --Susan Harrison

Loved it!, 20 Jul 2005
A collection of short stories by some of today's most popular authors... and a good cause thrown in for good measure. This collection is extremely varied, in terms of both writing styles and subject matter, so there's bound to be a few stories in there you'll absolutely love.

Buy this book - you won't regret it.

All you could ask for from a collection of short stories., 11 Jan 2005
I'll be honest, I only bought this book because I'm a J.K.Rowling fan and I have to have everything she's ever had published (even if it's only a foreward). I wasn't expecting too much from the actual stories themselves. But I was more than merely pleasantly suprised. The stories are wonderful. Each one is somehow very different from the others but they all share an element of 'sparkle' which makes the collection jell rather well. This 'sparkle' is not just magic, though there is some magic (of sorts) in some of the stories, but is rather a property of the characters. Though the stories are all about different people the main characters have, in their behaviour, something which makes them stand out, something which makes them just a little bit special. Perhaps it's this which makes the stories so enchanting; the fact that the characters are close to being average and normal, but have some small quality which anyone might possess, but which almost no-one actually does possess. I hope that makes some sense. If not, let me simply say that the stories are not only very original but are also very well written and very enjoyable to read. I highly recommend this collection of short stories.

"Magic Moments", 28 Jun 2002
Tilly has wild aspirations of becoming a famous opera diva.
Sandra dreams of creating the perfect bra to revolutionize womens' lives and what has become of Professor Martin Presley whose scientific discovery has the worst repercussions ever?

These are just some of the topics explored in "Magic", which is an interesting anthology produced for The National Council For One-Parent Families. It aims to raise money to support the millions of single parents, like myself, facing financial hardship in bringing up a child single-handedly.
Its forward is by J.K Rowling, Ambassador of this charity and herself a lone parent once caught in the poverty trap.

The stories are kindly donated by well-accomplished authors including Fay Weldon, Sue Townsend and John O' Farrell.
Oozing originality, its tales stretch the imagination and provide its reader with escapism in abundance whilst also supporting a worthwhile cause.
Hocus Pocus this is not. This is British Fiction at its finest.

"Magic Moments", 28 Jun 2002
Tilly has wild aspirations of becoming a famous opera diva.
Sandra dreams of creating the perfect bra to revolutionize womens' lives and what has become of Professor Martin Presley whose scientific discovery has the worst repercussions ever?

These are just some of the topics explored in "Magic", which is an interesting anthology produced for The National Council For One-Parent Families. It aims to raise money to support the millions of single parents, like myself, facing financial hardship in bringing up a child single-handedly.
Its forward is by J.K Rowling, Ambassador of this charity and herself a lone parent once caught in the poverty trap.

The stories are kindly donated by well-accomplished authors including Fay Weldon, Sue Townsend and John O' Farrell.
Oozing originality, its tales stretch the imagination and provide its reader with escapism in abundance whilst also supporting a worthwhile cause.
Hocus Pocus this is not. This is British Fiction at its finest.

Splendid book, filled with sparkling stories, 21 Jun 2002
I rarely read collections of short stories, but this one attracted me - it contans stories written by today's modern (mostly women) writers, and all of them tempted me to read other works by them.

Each story has magic as its theme - that is not to say the rabbit out of the hat magic, but more often the magic of an emotion or a feeling. My personal favourite is indeed the rabbit from a hat story by Meera Syal!

I can imagine that these stories will not appeal to everyone, but most of them will appeal to most women!

Read and enjoy.

Enchanted as Enchanted can be!, 13 Jan 2008
See what happens when three children, Jo, and his two sisters, Bessie and Fannie, discover their very own Enchanted Wood, and meet new friends Silky the Fairy, Moon-Face and the Saucepan Man who all live in the magical Faraway Tree. Their real adventures begin when they all climb up and discover the most thrilling and peculiar! Lands that exist beyond the clouds at the top of the tree which some are good and some rather confusing and some plain dreadful. I like most of the Lands and characters like the angry pixie, Mr Watizname and Dame Washalot.
The characters are funny and some of the lands are very exciting like the land of snow and ice where there are evil snowman and even Santa Claus.


My favourite book!!!, 22 Jul 2007
Just the title breathed excitement through me as a child. An English Teacher read it to us in junior school. I never thought about buying a copy until I had children.
Now I read it to my 3 year old girl and 7 year old boy each night and they both can't wait for the next chapter.
Apart from the excellent stories the chapters are just long enough to keep the children awake and just short enough for parents not to lose their voices!
You can also pick out any chapter at random and it will start with the children climbing the tree and end with them tucked up safely in bed.
They are great for reading to children of mixed ages.
This book is so inspiring and reminds me that playing outside with children, making up your own adventures is the best fun ever!!!!
The Wishing Chair books are also made the same way. Although my son hasn't tired of them yet I have just bought him a book from Blyton's Secret series for him to read to himself - although I will still be reading this book to them out loud - I love making up different voices for each of the characters!

Just the best book series ever, 17 Nov 2006
Harry Potter is fabulous, but before JK Rowling there was Enid Blyton. I am 34 and still have copies of the Enchanted wood and Up the Faraway tree with me...my mother was having a spring clean a couple of years ago and I saved these books from being dumped because they have been intergral to my love of reading. Please do your children a favour and turn off the Playstation and Nintendo and spend time reading them Enid Blyton classics. It will be well worth your time. I thank her for her books as I think her writing has kept me a child at heart.

Excellent!! Magical,exciting and enchanting, 18 Mar 2004
This is an excellent book i would recomend it 2 everyone even my mum enjoyed it.It is about joe,beth and frannie who move into a new home in the country right next 2 an enchanted wood.They find the faraway tree which is a massive tree which is higher than the clouds.They make some special new friends who live up the tree and when they climb to the top they find themselves in different magical lands.They get into misceif,have fun and have adventures.It is really exciting and magical.You feel as if you are in the book tasting the delicious sounding cakes they eat with there new friends and you have as much fun and enjoyment readind it as they do in the magical lands.They visit the land of take what you want,roundabout land,The land of ice and snow,The land of birthdays,the land of toys,rocking land and many more exciting,magical,enchanting lands.
I would be here all day explaining how good it is so i will give you 1 word 2 sum this book up-
EXCELLENT!!!!

buy it now u will love it and have loads of fun reading it.

As Enchanting as ever!!, 12 Feb 2004
Although my 5 year old(now 6) daughter had an abundance of books, I felt an urge to read her my old taped up copy (at least 30yrs old) of The Enchanted Wood by Enid Blyton.
Primarily nostalgia, because I remembered it so vividly,secondly,I knew it would capture her imagination.
I received this book as a reward for attending'Sunday School'and,as a young girl,read it several times.
My daughter was fascinated by the stories of the three children and their adventures into the unknown-and I found myself yearning to read more.
This prompted me to search for more stories(which I knew existed),and I found the trilogy-even my 2 year old daughter knows of 'Moonface & Silky'now,through'The Faraway Tree'& The Folk of The Faraway Tree'
If you never read another book to your child, please don't deprive them of this fantastic journey-sorry J.K, I've yet to read yours, but for me the Queen of the Imagination will always be Enid Blyton

Loved it!, 20 Jul 2005
A collection of short stories by some of today's most popular authors... and a good cause thrown in for good measure. This collection is extremely varied, in terms of both writing styles and subject matter, so there's bound to be a few stories in there you'll absolutely love.

Buy this book - you won't regret it.

All you could ask for from a collection of short stories., 11 Jan 2005
I'll be honest, I only bought this book because I'm a J.K.Rowling fan and I have to have everything she's ever had published (even if it's only a foreward). I wasn't expecting too much from the actual stories themselves. But I was more than merely pleasantly suprised. The stories are wonderful. Each one is somehow very different from the others but they all share an element of 'sparkle' which makes the collection jell rather well. This 'sparkle' is not just magic, though there is some magic (of sorts) in some of the stories, but is rather a property of the characters. Though the stories are all about different people the main characters have, in their behaviour, something which makes them stand out, something which makes them just a little bit special. Perhaps it's this which makes the stories so enchanting; the fact that the characters are close to being average and normal, but have some small quality which anyone might possess, but which almost no-one actually does possess. I hope that makes some sense. If not, let me simply say that the stories are not only very original but are also very well written and very enjoyable to read. I highly recommend this collection of short stories.

"Magic Moments", 28 Jun 2002
Tilly has wild aspirations of becoming a famous opera diva.
Sandra dreams of creating the perfect bra to revolutionize womens' lives and what has become of Professor Martin Presley whose scientific discovery has the worst repercussions ever?

These are just some of the topics explored in "Magic", which is an interesting anthology produced for The National Council For One-Parent Families. It aims to raise money to support the millions of single parents, like myself, facing financial hardship in bringing up a child single-handedly.
Its forward is by J.K Rowling, Ambassador of this charity and herself a lone parent once caught in the poverty trap.

The stories are kindly donated by well-accomplished authors including Fay Weldon, Sue Townsend and John O' Farrell.
Oozing originality, its tales stretch the imagination and provide its reader with escapism in abundance whilst also supporting a worthwhile cause.
Hocus Pocus this is not. This is British Fiction at its finest.

"Magic Moments", 28 Jun 2002
Tilly has wild aspirations of becoming a famous opera diva.
Sandra dreams of creating the perfect bra to revolutionize womens' lives and what has become of Professor Martin Presley whose scientific discovery has the worst repercussions ever?

These are just some of the topics explored in "Magic", which is an interesting anthology produced for The National Council For One-Parent Families. It aims to raise money to support the millions of single parents, like myself, facing financial hardship in bringing up a child single-handedly.
Its forward is by J.K Rowling, Ambassador of this charity and herself a lone parent once caught in the poverty trap.

The stories are kindly donated by well-accomplished authors including Fay Weldon, Sue Townsend and John O' Farrell.
Oozing originality, its tales stretch the imagination and provide its reader with escapism in abundance whilst also supporting a worthwhile cause.
Hocus Pocus this is not. This is British Fiction at its finest.

Splendid book, filled with sparkling stories, 21 Jun 2002
I rarely read collections of short stories, but this one attracted me - it contans stories written by today's modern (mostly women) writers, and all of them tempted me to read other works by them.

Each story has magic as its theme - that is not to say the rabbit out of the hat magic, but more often the magic of an emotion or a feeling. My personal favourite is indeed the rabbit from a hat story by Meera Syal!

I can imagine that these stories will not appeal to everyone, but most of them will appeal to most women!

Read and enjoy.

Enchanted as Enchanted can be!, 13 Jan 2008
See what happens when three children, Jo, and his two sisters, Bessie and Fannie, discover their very own Enchanted Wood, and meet new friends Silky the Fairy, Moon-Face and the Saucepan Man who all live in the magical Faraway Tree. Their real adventures begin when they all climb up and discover the most thrilling and peculiar! Lands that exist beyond the clouds at the top of the tree which some are good and some rather confusing and some plain dreadful. I like most of the Lands and characters like the angry pixie, Mr Watizname and Dame Washalot.
The characters are funny and some of the lands are very exciting like the land of snow and ice where there are evil snowman and even Santa Claus.


My favourite book!!!, 22 Jul 2007
Just the title breathed excitement through me as a child. An English Teacher read it to us in junior school. I never thought about buying a copy until I had children.
Now I read it to my 3 year old girl and 7 year old boy each night and they both can't wait for the next chapter.
Apart from the excellent stories the chapters are just long enough to keep the children awake and just short enough for parents not to lose their voices!
You can also pick out any chapter at random and it will start with the children climbing the tree and end with them tucked up safely in bed.
They are great for reading to children of mixed ages.
This book is so inspiring and reminds me that playing outside with children, making up your own adventures is the best fun ever!!!!
The Wishing Chair books are also made the same way. Although my son hasn't tired of them yet I have just bought him a book from Blyton's Secret series for him to read to himself - although I will still be reading this book to them out loud - I love making up different voices for each of the characters!

Just the best book series ever, 17 Nov 2006
Harry Potter is fabulous, but before JK Rowling there was Enid Blyton. I am 34 and still have copies of the Enchanted wood and Up the Faraway tree with me...my mother was having a spring clean a couple of years ago and I saved these books from being dumped because they have been intergral to my love of reading. Please do your children a favour and turn off the Playstation and Nintendo and spend time reading them Enid Blyton classics. It will be well worth your time. I thank her for her books as I think her writing has kept me a child at heart.

Excellent!! Magical,exciting and enchanting, 18 Mar 2004
This is an excellent book i would recomend it 2 everyone even my mum enjoyed it.It is about joe,beth and frannie who move into a new home in the country right next 2 an enchanted wood.They find the faraway tree which is a massive tree which is higher than the clouds.They make some special new friends who live up the tree and when they climb to the top they find themselves in different magical lands.They get into misceif,have fun and have adventures.It is really exciting and magical.You feel as if you are in the book tasting the delicious sounding cakes they eat with there new friends and you have as much fun and enjoyment readind it as they do in the magical lands.They visit the land of take what you want,roundabout land,The land of ice and snow,The land of birthdays,the land of toys,rocking land and many more exciting,magical,enchanting lands.
I would be here all day explaining how good it is so i will give you 1 word 2 sum this book up-
EXCELLENT!!!!

buy it now u will love it and have loads of fun reading it.

As Enchanting as ever!!, 12 Feb 2004
Although my 5 year old(now 6) daughter had an abundance of books, I felt an urge to read her my old taped up copy (at least 30yrs old) of The Enchanted Wood by Enid Blyton.
Primarily nostalgia, because I remembered it so vividly,secondly,I knew it would capture her imagination.
I received this book as a reward for attending'Sunday School'and,as a young girl,read it several times.
My daughter was fascinated by the stories of the three children and their adventures into the unknown-and I found myself yearning to read more.
This prompted me to search for more stories(which I knew existed),and I found the trilogy-even my 2 year old daughter knows of 'Moonface & Silky'now,through'The Faraway Tree'& The Folk of The Faraway Tree'
If you never read another book to your child, please don't deprive them of this fantastic journey-sorry J.K, I've yet to read yours, but for me the Queen of the Imagination will always be Enid Blyton

magic faraway tree, 26 Jun 2008
Arrived quickly and in good order. I bought a second hand and it looks new

Fanrtastic story, but buy the original!, 14 Mar 2008
Dame Slap, who had me under the bed covers quivering with joyful fear, as my Mum read this to me at bedtime is now called DAME SNAP! This cannot be forgiven, and sums up what is wrong with the world today. This version is too PC, if you read the original to your children you can explain how things have changed over time. The use of language can be discussed (ie the word "queer" instead of strange) and even Golliwogs can be introduced into the evenings discussion. Enid was so talented, I have only just realised how prolific she was. By the 1939 version...it is great!

It's amazing!, 10 Feb 2008
This book is just totally fab! I enjoyed it so much. I read it when i was younger and now i still read it. By myself and to my kids. It's so great and a lovely adventure! My kids are constantly playing 'Faraway Tree'
I hope you enjoy it as much as i did! It was really super-duper!

Creating memories for generations, 03 Apr 2007
When i was a little girl i loved this book so much. I used to read it and go to sleep dreaming of the wonderful lands at the top of the faraway tree. I have now just finished reading it to my[...] son and he is similarly enchanted. the combination of magic, adventure and just the kind of things children really want to hear about ( like the Land of Presents) creates a winning combination for every generation. I hope my son will read it to his children one day.

I also like the fact that the kids help their parents so much, maybe this will influence him?? i can hope...

Very, very magical, 06 Jul 2006
Every child is sure to enjoy this tale of magic, fantasy and unusual lands at the top of the Faraway Tree... I still remember with just a bit of nostalgia the Land of Birthdays...the Land of Take What You Want.. The Land of Topsy Turvy. This is a lovely, innocent book for children with an imagination and I just don't understand the rewriting of it Adults should stay away from children's world and remember that children will not think twice about words such as Dick or queer. Why not just rewrite EVERY book that has ever been written before 1990 if we insist on doing that to Enid Blyton?? 5 stars go to the original version, which is the only one my kids will be reading!

Loved it!, 20 Jul 2005
A collection of short stories by some of today's most popular authors... and a good cause thrown in for good measure. This collection is extremely varied, in terms of both writing styles and subject matter, so there's bound to be a few stories in there you'll absolutely love.

Buy this book - you won't regret it.

All you could ask for from a collection of short stories., 11 Jan 2005
I'll be honest, I only bought this book because I'm a J.K.Rowling fan and I have to have everything she's ever had published (even if it's only a foreward). I wasn't expecting too much from the actual stories themselves. But I was more than merely pleasantly suprised. The stories are wonderful. Each one is somehow very different from the others but they all share an element of 'sparkle' which makes the collection jell rather well. This 'sparkle' is not just magic, though there is some magic (of sorts) in some of the stories, but is rather a property of the characters. Though the stories are all about different people the main characters have, in their behaviour, something which makes them stand out, something which makes them just a little bit special. Perhaps it's this which makes the stories so enchanting; the fact that the characters are close to being average and normal, but have some small quality which anyone might possess, but which almost no-one actually does possess. I hope that makes some sense. If not, let me simply say that the stories are not only very original but are also very well written and very enjoyable to read. I highly recommend this collection of short stories.

"Magic Moments", 28 Jun 2002
Tilly has wild aspirations of becoming a famous opera diva.
Sandra dreams of creating the perfect bra to revolutionize womens' lives and what has become of Professor Martin Presley whose scientific discovery has the worst repercussions ever?

These are just some of the topics explored in "Magic", which is an interesting anthology produced for The National Council For One-Parent Families. It aims to raise money to support the millions of single parents, like myself, facing financial hardship in bringing up a child single-handedly.
Its forward is by J.K Rowling, Ambassador of this charity and herself a lone parent once caught in the poverty trap.

The stories are kindly donated by well-accomplished authors including Fay Weldon, Sue Townsend and John O' Farrell.
Oozing originality, its tales stretch the imagination and provide its reader with escapism in abundance whilst also supporting a worthwhile cause.
Hocus Pocus this is not. This is British Fiction at its finest.

"Magic Moments", 28 Jun 2002
Tilly has wild aspirations of becoming a famous opera diva.
Sandra dreams of creating the perfect bra to revolutionize womens' lives and what has become of Professor Martin Presley whose scientific discovery has the worst repercussions ever?

These are just some of the topics explored in "Magic", which is an interesting anthology produced for The National Council For One-Parent Families. It aims to raise money to support the millions of single parents, like myself, facing financial hardship in bringing up a child single-handedly.
Its forward is by J.K Rowling, Ambassador of this charity and herself a lone parent once caught in the poverty trap.

The stories are kindly donated by well-accomplished authors including Fay Weldon, Sue Townsend and John O' Farrell.
Oozing originality, its tales stretch the imagination and provide its reader with escapism in abundance whilst also supporting a worthwhile cause.
Hocus Pocus this is not. This is British Fiction at its finest.

Splendid book, filled with sparkling stories, 21 Jun 2002
I rarely read collections of short stories, but this one attracted me - it contans stories written by today's modern (mostly women) writers, and all of them tempted me to read other works by them.

Each story has magic as its theme - that is not to say the rabbit out of the hat magic, but more often the magic of an emotion or a feeling. My personal favourite is indeed the rabbit from a hat story by Meera Syal!

I can imagine that these stories will not appeal to everyone, but most of them will appeal to most women!

Read and enjoy.

Enchanted as Enchanted can be!, 13 Jan 2008
See what happens when three children, Jo, and his two sisters, Bessie and Fannie, discover their very own Enchanted Wood, and meet new friends Silky the Fairy, Moon-Face and the Saucepan Man who all live in the magical Faraway Tree. Their real adventures begin when they all climb up and discover the most thrilling and peculiar! Lands that exist beyond the clouds at the top of the tree which some are good and some rather confusing and some plain dreadful. I like most of the Lands and characters like the angry pixie, Mr Watizname and Dame Washalot.
The characters are funny and some of the lands are very exciting like the land of snow and ice where there are evil snowman and even Santa Claus.


My favourite book!!!, 22 Jul 2007
Just the title breathed excitement through me as a child. An English Teacher read it to us in junior school. I never thought about buying a copy until I had children.
Now I read it to my 3 year old girl and 7 year old boy each night and they both can't wait for the next chapter.
Apart from the excellent stories the chapters are just long enough to keep the children awake and just short enough for parents not to lose their voices!
You can also pick out any chapter at random and it will start with the children climbing the tree and end with them tucked up safely in bed.
They are great for reading to children of mixed ages.
This book is so inspiring and reminds me that playing outside with children, making up your own adventures is the best fun ever!!!!
The Wishing Chair books are also made the same way. Although my son hasn't tired of them yet I have just bought him a book from Blyton's Secret series for him to read to himself - although I will still be reading this book to them out loud - I love making up different voices for each of the characters!

Just the best book series ever, 17 Nov 2006
Harry Potter is fabulous, but before JK Rowling there was Enid Blyton. I am 34 and still have copies of the Enchanted wood and Up the Faraway tree with me...my mother was having a spring clean a couple of years ago and I saved these books from being dumped because they have been intergral to my love of reading. Please do your children a favour and turn off the Playstation and Nintendo and spend time reading them Enid Blyton classics. It will be well worth your time. I thank her for her books as I think her writing has kept me a child at heart.

Excellent!! Magical,exciting and enchanting, 18 Mar 2004
This is an excellent book i would recomend it 2 everyone even my mum enjoyed it.It is about joe,beth and frannie who move into a new home in the country right next 2 an enchanted wood.They find the faraway tree which is a massive tree which is higher than the clouds.They make some special new friends who live up the tree and when they climb to the top they find themselves in different magical lands.They get into misceif,have fun and have adventures.It is really exciting and magical.You feel as if you are in the book tasting the delicious sounding cakes they eat with there new friends and you have as much fun and enjoyment readind it as they do in the magical lands.They visit the land of take what you want,roundabout land,The land of ice and snow,The land of birthdays,the land of toys,rocking land and many more exciting,magical,enchanting lands.
I would be here all day explaining how good it is so i will give you 1 word 2 sum this book up-
EXCELLENT!!!!

buy it now u will love it and have loads of fun reading it.

As Enchanting as ever!!, 12 Feb 2004
Although my 5 year old(now 6) daughter had an abundance of books, I felt an urge to read her my old taped up copy (at least 30yrs old) of The Enchanted Wood by Enid Blyton.
Primarily nostalgia, because I remembered it so vividly,secondly,I knew it would capture her imagination.
I received this book as a reward for attending'Sunday School'and,as a young girl,read it several times.
My daughter was fascinated by the stories of the three children and their adventures into the unknown-and I found myself yearning to read more.
This prompted me to search for more stories(which I knew existed),and I found the trilogy-even my 2 year old daughter knows of 'Moonface & Silky'now,through'The Faraway Tree'& The Folk of The Faraway Tree'
If you never read another book to your child, please don't deprive them of this fantastic journey-sorry J.K, I've yet to read yours, but for me the Queen of the Imagination will always be Enid Blyton

magic faraway tree, 26 Jun 2008
Arrived quickly and in good order. I bought a second hand and it looks new

Fanrtastic story, but buy the original!, 14 Mar 2008
Dame Slap, who had me under the bed covers quivering with joyful fear, as my Mum read this to me at bedtime is now called DAME SNAP! This cannot be forgiven, and sums up what is wrong with the world today. This version is too PC, if you read the original to your children you can explain how things have changed over time. The use of language can be discussed (ie the word "queer" instead of strange) and even Golliwogs can be introduced into the evenings discussion. Enid was so talented, I have only just realised how prolific she was. By the 1939 version...it is great!

It's amazing!, 10 Feb 2008
This book is just totally fab! I enjoyed it so much. I read it when i was younger and now i still read it. By myself and to my kids. It's so great and a lovely adventure! My kids are constantly playing 'Faraway Tree'
I hope you enjoy it as much as i did! It was really super-duper!

Creating memories for generations, 03 Apr 2007
When i was a little girl i loved this book so much. I used to read it and go to sleep dreaming of the wonderful lands at the top of the faraway tree. I have now just finished reading it to my[...] son and he is similarly enchanted. the combination of magic, adventure and just the kind of things children really want to hear about ( like the Land of Presents) creates a winning combination for every generation. I hope my son will read it to his children one day.

I also like the fact that the kids help their parents so much, maybe this will influence him?? i can hope...

Very, very magical, 06 Jul 2006
Every child is sure to enjoy this tale of magic, fantasy and unusual lands at the top of the Faraway Tree... I still remember with just a bit of nostalgia the Land of Birthdays...the Land of Take What You Want.. The Land of Topsy Turvy. This is a lovely, innocent book for children with an imagination and I just don't understand the rewriting of it Adults should stay away from children's world and remember that children will not think twice about words such as Dick or queer. Why not just rewrite EVERY book that has ever been written before 1990 if we insist on doing that to Enid Blyton?? 5 stars go to the original version, which is the only one my kids will be reading!

funny but short, 25 Oct 2007
The content is funny but in a juvenile kind of way, would appeal to pre-teens. Very short but thats to be expected for the money. More of a stocking filler gift.

Loved it!, 20 Jul 2005
A collection of short stories by some of today's most popular authors... and a good cause thrown in for good measure. This collection is extremely varied, in terms of both writing styles and subject matter, so there's bound to be a few stories in there you'll absolutely love.

Buy this book - you won't regret it.

All you could ask for from a collection of short stories., 11 Jan 2005
I'll be honest, I only bought this book because I'm a J.K.Rowling fan and I have to have everything she's ever had published (even if it's only a foreward). I wasn't expecting too much from the actual stories themselves. But I was more than merely pleasantly suprised. The stories are wonderful. Each one is somehow very different from the others but they all share an element of 'sparkle' which makes the collection jell rather well. This 'sparkle' is not just magic, though there is some magic (of sorts) in some of the stories, but is rather a property of the characters. Though the stories are all about different people the main characters have, in their behaviour, something which makes them stand out, something which makes them just a little bit special. Perhaps it's this which makes the stories so enchanting; the fact that the characters are close to being average and normal, but have some small quality which anyone might possess, but which almost no-one actually does possess. I hope that makes some sense. If not, let me simply say that the stories are not only very original but are also very well written and very enjoyable to read. I highly recommend this collection of short stories.

"Magic Moments", 28 Jun 2002
Tilly has wild aspirations of becoming a famous opera diva.
Sandra dreams of creating the perfect bra to revolutionize womens' lives and what has become of Professor Martin Presley whose scientific discovery has the worst repercussions ever?

These are just some of the topics explored in "Magic", which is an interesting anthology produced for The National Council For One-Parent Families. It aims to raise money to support the millions of single parents, like myself, facing financial hardship in bringing up a child single-handedly.
Its forward is by J.K Rowling, Ambassador of this charity and herself a lone parent once caught in the poverty trap.

The stories are kindly donated by well-accomplished authors including Fay Weldon, Sue Townsend and John O' Farrell.
Oozing originality, its tales stretch the imagination and provide its reader with escapism in abundance whilst also supporting a worthwhile cause.
Hocus Pocus this is not. This is British Fiction at its finest.

"Magic Moments", 28 Jun 2002
Tilly has wild aspirations of becoming a famous opera diva.
Sandra dreams of creating the perfect bra to revolutionize womens' lives and what has become of Professor Martin Presley whose scientific discovery has the worst repercussions ever?

These are just some of the topics explored in "Magic", which is an interesting anthology produced for The National Council For One-Parent Families. It aims to raise money to support the millions of single parents, like myself, facing financial hardship in bringing up a child single-handedly.
Its forward is by J.K Rowling, Ambassador of this charity and herself a lone parent once caught in the poverty trap.

The stories are kindly donated by well-accomplished authors including Fay Weldon, Sue Townsend and John O' Farrell.
Oozing originality, its tales stretch the imagination and provide its reader with escapism in abundance whilst also supporting a worthwhile cause.
Hocus Pocus this is not. This is British Fiction at its finest.

Splendid book, filled with sparkling stories, 21 Jun 2002
I rarely read collections of short stories, but this one attracted me - it contans stories written by today's modern (mostly women) writers, and all of them tempted me to read other works by them.

Each story has magic as its theme - that is not to say the rabbit out of the hat magic, but more often the magic of an emotion or a feeling. My personal favourite is indeed the rabbit from a hat story by Meera Syal!

I can imagine that these stories will not appeal to everyone, but most of them will appeal to most women!

Read and enjoy.

Enchanted as Enchanted can be!, 13 Jan 2008
See what happens when three children, Jo, and his two sisters, Bessie and Fannie, discover their very own Enchanted Wood, and meet new friends Silky the Fairy, Moon-Face and the Saucepan Man who all live in the magical Faraway Tree. Their real adventures begin when they all climb up and discover the most thrilling and peculiar! Lands that exist beyond the clouds at the top of the tree which some are good and some rather confusing and some plain dreadful. I like most of the Lands and characters like the angry pixie, Mr Watizname and Dame Washalot.
The characters are funny and some of the lands are very exciting like the land of snow and ice where there are evil snowman and even Santa Claus.


My favourite book!!!, 22 Jul 2007
Just the title breathed excitement through me as a child. An English Teacher read it to us in junior school. I never thought about buying a copy until I had children.
Now I read it to my 3 year old girl and 7 year old boy each night and they both can't wait for the next chapter.
Apart from the excellent stories the chapters are just long enough to keep the children awake and just short enough for parents not to lose their voices!
You can also pick out any chapter at random and it will start with the children climbing the tree and end with them tucked up safely in bed.
They are great for reading to children of mixed ages.
This book is so inspiring and reminds me that playing outside with children, making up your own adventures is the best fun ever!!!!
The Wishing Chair books are also made the same way. Although my son hasn't tired of them yet I have just bought him a book from Blyton's Secret series for him to read to himself - although I will still be reading this book to them out loud - I love making up different voices for each of the characters!

Just the best book series ever, 17 Nov 2006
Harry Potter is fabulous, but before JK Rowling there was Enid Blyton. I am 34 and still have copies of the Enchanted wood and Up the Faraway tree with me...my mother was having a spring clean a couple of years ago and I saved these books from being dumped because they have been intergral to my love of reading. Please do your children a favour and turn off the Playstation and Nintendo and spend time reading them Enid Blyton classics. It will be well worth your time. I thank her for her books as I think her writing has kept me a child at heart.

Excellent!! Magical,exciting and enchanting, 18 Mar 2004
This is an excellent book i would recomend it 2 everyone even my mum enjoyed it.It is about joe,beth and frannie who move into a new home in the country right next 2 an enchanted wood.They find the faraway tree which is a massive tree which is higher than the clouds.They make some special new friends who live up the tree and when they climb to the top they find themselves in different magical lands.They get into misceif,have fun and have adventures.It is really exciting and magical.You feel as if you are in the book tasting the delicious sounding cakes they eat with there new friends and you have as much fun and enjoyment readind it as they do in the magical lands.They visit the land of take what you want,roundabout land,The land of ice and snow,The land of birthdays,the land of toys,rocking land and many more exciting,magical,enchanting lands.
I would be here all day explaining how good it is so i will give you 1 word 2 sum this book up-
EXCELLENT!!!!

buy it now u will love it and have loads of fun reading it.

As Enchanting as ever!!, 12 Feb 2004
Although my 5 year old(now 6) daughter had an abundance of books, I felt an urge to read her my old taped up copy (at least 30yrs old) of The Enchanted Wood by Enid Blyton.
Primarily nostalgia, because I remembered it so vividly,secondly,I knew it would capture her imagination.
I received this book as a reward for attending'Sunday School'and,as a young girl,read it several times.
My daughter was fascinated by the stories of the three children and their adventures into the unknown-and I found myself yearning to read more.
This prompted me to search for more stories(which I knew existed),and I found the trilogy-even my 2 year old daughter knows of 'Moonface & Silky'now,through'The Faraway Tree'& The Folk of The Faraway Tree'
If you never read another book to your child, please don't deprive them of this fantastic journey-sorry J.K, I've yet to read yours, but for me the Queen of the Imagination will always be Enid Blyton

magic faraway tree, 26 Jun 2008
Arrived quickly and in good order. I bought a second hand and it looks new

Fanrtastic story, but buy the original!, 14 Mar 2008
Dame Slap, who had me under the bed covers quivering with joyful fear, as my Mum read this to me at bedtime is now called DAME SNAP! This cannot be forgiven, and sums up what is wrong with the world today. This version is too PC, if you read the original to your children you can explain how things have changed over time. The use of language can be discussed (ie the word "queer" instead of strange) and even Golliwogs can be introduced into the evenings discussion. Enid was so talented, I have only just realised how prolific she was. By the 1939 version...it is great!

It's amazing!, 10 Feb 2008
This book is just totally fab! I enjoyed it so much. I read it when i was younger and now i still read it. By myself and to my kids. It's so great and a lovely adventure! My kids are constantly playing 'Faraway Tree'
I hope you enjoy it as much as i did! It was really super-duper!

Creating memories for generations, 03 Apr 2007
When i was a little girl i loved this book so much. I used to read it and go to sleep dreaming of the wonderful lands at the top of the faraway tree. I have now just finished reading it to my[...] son and he is similarly enchanted. the combination of magic, adventure and just the kind of things children really want to hear about ( like the Land of Presents) creates a winning combination for every generation. I hope my son will read it to his children one day.

I also like the fact that the kids help their parents so much, maybe this will influence him?? i can hope...

Very, very magical, 06 Jul 2006
Every child is sure to enjoy this tale of magic, fantasy and unusual lands at the top of the Faraway Tree... I still remember with just a bit of nostalgia the Land of Birthdays...the Land of Take What You Want.. The Land of Topsy Turvy. This is a lovely, innocent book for children with an imagination and I just don't understand the rewriting of it Adults should stay away from children's world and remember that children will not think twice about words such as Dick or queer. Why not just rewrite EVERY book that has ever been written before 1990 if we insist on doing that to Enid Blyton?? 5 stars go to the original version, which is the only one my kids will be reading!

funny but short, 25 Oct 2007
The content is funny but in a juvenile kind of way, would appeal to pre-teens. Very short but thats to be expected for the money. More of a stocking filler gift.

worth it for the jd robb title, 03 Nov 2008
There are 4 stories here but only the one story by jd robb was worth reading this book for. Eve Dallas is back but in a very short story although it was still a good read. The other stories feature a wizard who is lost, a ghost who gets his comeuppance and a love story set in the past. Some of you may like these other stories but they were not as enjoyable as the eve dallas/roarke combo.

Loved it!, 20 Jul 2005
A collection of short stories by some of today's most popular authors... and a good cause thrown in for good measure. This collection is extremely varied, in terms of both writing styles and subject matter, so there's bound to be a few stories in there you'll absolutely love.

Buy this book - you won't regret it.

All you could ask for from a collection of short stories., 11 Jan 2005
I'll be honest, I only bought this book because I'm a J.K.Rowling fan and I have to have everything she's ever had published (even if it's only a foreward). I wasn't expecting too much from the actual stories themselves. But I was more than merely pleasantly suprised. The stories are wonderful. Each one is somehow very different from the others but they all share an element of 'sparkle' which makes the collection jell rather well. This 'sparkle' is not just magic, though there is some magic (of sorts) in some of the stories, but is rather a property of the characters. Though the stories are all about different people the main characters have, in their behaviour, something which makes them stand out, something which makes them just a little bit special. Perhaps it's this which makes the stories so enchanting; the fact that the characters are close to being average and normal, but have some small quality which anyone might possess, but which almost no-one actually does possess. I hope that makes some sense. If not, let me simply say that the stories are not only very original but are also very well written and very enjoyable to read. I highly recommend this collection of short stories.

"Magic Moments", 28 Jun 2002
Tilly has wild aspirations of becoming a famous opera diva.
Sandra dreams of creating the perfect bra to revolutionize womens' lives and what has become of Professor Martin Presley whose scientific discovery has the worst repercussions ever?

These are just some of the topics explored in "Magic", which is an interesting anthology produced for The National Council For One-Parent Families. It aims to raise money to support the millions of single parents, like myself, facing financial hardship in bringing up a child single-handedly.
Its forward is by J.K Rowling, Ambassador of this charity and herself a lone parent once caught in the poverty trap.

The stories are kindly donated by well-accomplished authors including Fay Weldon, Sue Townsend and John O' Farrell.
Oozing originality, its tales stretch the imagination and provide its reader with escapism in abundance whilst also supporting a worthwhile cause.
Hocus Pocus this is not. This is British Fiction at its finest.

"Magic Moments", 28 Jun 2002
Tilly has wild aspirations of becoming a famous opera diva.
Sandra dreams of creating the perfect bra to revolutionize womens' lives and what has become of Professor Martin Presley whose scientific discovery has the worst repercussions ever?

These are just some of the topics explored in "Magic", which is an interesting anthology produced for The National Council For One-Parent Families. It aims to raise money to support the millions of single parents, like myself, facing financial hardship in bringing up a child single-handedly.
Its forward is by J.K Rowling, Ambassador of this charity and herself a lone parent once caught in the poverty trap.

The stories are kindly donated by well-accomplished authors including Fay Weldon, Sue Townsend and John O' Farrell.
Oozing originality, its tales stretch the imagination and provide its reader with escapism in abundance whilst also supporting a worthwhile cause.
Hocus Pocus this is not. This is British Fiction at its finest.

Splendid book, filled with sparkling stories, 21 Jun 2002
I rarely read collections of short stories, but this one attracted me - it contans stories written by today's modern (mostly women) writers, and all of them tempted me to read other works by them.

Each story has magic as its theme - that is not to say the rabbit out of the hat magic, but more often the magic of an emotion or a feeling. My personal favourite is indeed the rabbit from a hat story by Meera Syal!

I can imagine that these stories will not appeal to everyone, but most of them will appeal to most women!

Read and enjoy.

Enchanted as Enchanted can be!, 13 Jan 2008
See what happens when three children, Jo, and his two sisters, Bessie and Fannie, discover their very own Enchanted Wood, and meet new friends Silky the Fairy, Moon-Face and the Saucepan Man who all live in the magical Faraway Tree. Their real adventures begin when they all climb up and discover the most thrilling and peculiar! Lands that exist beyond the clouds at the top of the tree which some are good and some rather confusing and some plain dreadful. I like most of the Lands and characters like the angry pixie, Mr Watizname and Dame Washalot.
The characters are funny and some of the lands are very exciting like the land of snow and ice where there are evil snowman and even Santa Claus.


My favourite book!!!, 22 Jul 2007
Just the title breathed excitement through me as a child. An English Teacher read it to us in junior school. I never thought about buying a copy until I had children.
Now I read it to my 3 year old girl and 7 year old boy each night and they both can't wait for the next chapter.
Apart from the excellent stories the chapters are just long enough to keep the children awake and just short enough for parents not to lose their voices!
You can also pick out any chapter at random and it will start with the children climbing the tree and end with them tucked up safely in bed.
They are great for reading to children of mixed ages.
This book is so inspiring and reminds me that playing outside with children, making up your own adventures is the best fun ever!!!!
The Wishing Chair books are also made the same way. Although my son hasn't tired of them yet I have just bought him a book from Blyton's Secret series for him to read to himself - although I will still be reading this book to them out loud - I love making up different voices for each of the characters!

Just the best book series ever, 17 Nov 2006
Harry Potter is fabulous, but before JK Rowling there was Enid Blyton. I am 34 and still have copies of the Enchanted wood and Up the Faraway tree with me...my mother was having a spring clean a couple of years ago and I saved these books from being dumped because they have been intergral to my love of reading. Please do your children a favour and turn off the Playstation and Nintendo and spend time reading them Enid Blyton classics. It will be well worth your time. I thank her for her books as I think her writing has kept me a child at heart.

Excellent!! Magical,exciting and enchanting, 18 Mar 2004
This is an excellent book i would recomend it 2 everyone even my mum enjoyed it.It is about joe,beth and frannie who move into a new home in the country right next 2 an enchanted wood.They find the faraway tree which is a massive tree which is higher than the clouds.They make some special new friends who live up the tree and when they climb to the top they find themselves in different magical lands.They get into misceif,have fun and have adventures.It is really exciting and magical.You feel as if you are in the book tasting the delicious sounding cakes they eat with there new friends and you have as much fun and enjoyment readind it as they do in the magical lands.They visit the land of take what you want,roundabout land,The land of ice and snow,The land of birthdays,the land of toys,rocking land and many more exciting,magical,enchanting lands.
I would be here all day explaining how good it is so i will give you 1 word 2 sum this book up-
EXCELLENT!!!!

buy it now u will love it and have loads of fun reading it.

As Enchanting as ever!!, 12 Feb 2004
Although my 5 year old(now 6) daughter had an abundance of books, I felt an urge to read her my old taped up copy (at least 30yrs old) of The Enchanted Wood by Enid Blyton.
Primarily nostalgia, because I remembered it so vividly,secondly,I knew it would capture her imagination.
I received this book as a reward for attending'Sunday School'and,as a young girl,read it several times.
My daughter was fascinated by the stories of the three children and their adventures into the unknown-and I found myself yearning to read more.
This prompted me to search for more stories(which I knew existed),and I found the trilogy-even my 2 year old daughter knows of 'Moonface & Silky'now,through'The Faraway Tree'& The Folk of The Faraway Tree'
If you never read another book to your child, please don't deprive them of this fantastic journey-sorry J.K, I've yet to read yours, but for me the Queen of the Imagination will always be Enid Blyton

magic faraway tree, 26 Jun 2008
Arrived quickly and in good order. I bought a second hand and it looks new

Fanrtastic story, but buy the original!, 14 Mar 2008
Dame Slap, who had me under the bed covers quivering with joyful fear, as my Mum read this to me at bedtime is now called DAME SNAP! This cannot be forgiven, and sums up what is wrong with the world today. This version is too PC, if you read the original to your children you can explain how things have changed over time. The use of language can be discussed (ie the word "queer" instead of strange) and even Golliwogs can be introduced into the evenings discussion. Enid was so talented, I have only just realised how prolific she was. By the 1939 version...it is great!

It's amazing!, 10 Feb 2008
This book is just totally fab! I enjoyed it so much. I read it when i was younger and now i still read it. By myself and to my kids. It's so great and a lovely adventure! My kids are constantly playing 'Faraway Tree'
I hope you enjoy it as much as i did! It was really super-duper!

Creating memories for generations, 03 Apr 2007
When i was a little girl i loved this book so much. I used to read it and go to sleep dreaming of the wonderful lands at the top of the faraway tree. I have now just finished reading it to my[...] son and he is similarly enchanted. the combination of magic, adventure and just the kind of things children really want to hear about ( like the Land of Presents) creates a winning combination for every generation. I hope my son will read it to his children one day.

I also like the fact that the kids help their parents so much, maybe this will influence him?? i can hope...

Very, very magical, 06 Jul 2006
Every child is sure to enjoy this tale of magic, fantasy and unusual lands at the top of the Faraway Tree... I still remember with just a bit of nostalgia the Land of Birthdays...the Land of Take What You Want.. The Land of Topsy Turvy. This is a lovely, innocent book for children with an imagination and I just don't understand the rewriting of it Adults should stay away from children's world and remember that children will not think twice about words such as Dick or queer. Why not just rewrite EVERY book that has ever been written before 1990 if we insist on doing that to Enid Blyton?? 5 stars go to the original version, which is the only one my kids will be reading!

funny but short, 25 Oct 2007
The content is funny but in a juvenile kind of way, would appeal to pre-teens. Very short but thats to be expected for the money. More of a stocking filler gift.

worth it for the jd robb title, 03 Nov 2008
There are 4 stories here but only the one story by jd robb was worth reading this book for. Eve Dallas is back but in a very short story although it was still a good read. The other stories feature a wizard who is lost, a ghost who gets his comeuppance and a love story set in the past. Some of you may like these other stories but they were not as enjoyable as the eve dallas/roarke combo.

The Shallows, 02 Apr 2008
After the wonderfully written Ingo and Tide Knot I was surprised to find that The Deep ended up being so clunky and slow. Not really much happens in the 320 pages and there's no sense of urgency, mystery or need to keep turning the page.

Sapphire and her brother Conor are summoned back to the ocean when the Kraken (not the giant squid of common lore) threatens to wreak havoc upon the world when he wakes from his thousand year slumber. The kids sort him out rather easily towards the end of the second act, leaving the last third of the book to just ramble on about nothing in particular and sort of fizzle out instead of ending on a high note.

Helen Dunmore could have DONE MORE to make this is as unputdownable as the first two. It should have been structured better and had a stronger storyline. I often guessed that she was just winging it with the slightest of plots and didn't really know how it was going to end up.

With the final book in the series, The Crossing of Ingo, due out in a couple of months I will still be checking it out. I can already tell exactly what gimmicks Dunmore is going to use. But that is because I am a know-it-all.

excellent, 18 Nov 2007
this book is fantastic
deffinately a must read on book.
i recomend it all age groups with imagination!

The Puffin Book of Fantastic First Poems is a magical celebration of poetry for very young children, acting as a stepping stone from nursery rhyme to poetry without being in the least bit patronising but instead providing a unique mix of funny, unusual and exciting work from a wide range of poets.

This highly accessible collection is divided into seven sections where children can read about animals, playtime, families, mealtimes, outings, curling up for bed or just plain nonsense. Featuring some of the best work from over 60 favourite poets and packed tight with bright illustrations which perfectly capture the essence of the words, The Puffin Book of Fantastic First Poems is a book that the whole family can enjoy together. (Ages 3 to 6) --Susan Harrison

Loved it!, 20 Jul 2005
A collection of short stories by some of today's most popular authors... and a good cause thrown in for good measure. This collection is extremely varied, in terms of both writing styles and subject matter, so there's bound to be a few stories in there you'll absolutely love.

Buy this book - you won't regret it.

All you could ask for from a collection of short stories., 11 Jan 2005
I'll be honest, I only bought this book because I'm a J.K.Rowling fan and I have to have everything she's ever had published (even if it's only a foreward). I wasn't expecting too much from the actual stories themselves. But I was more than merely pleasantly suprised. The stories are wonderful. Each one is somehow very different from the others but they all share an element of 'sparkle' which makes the collection jell rather well. This 'sparkle' is not just magic, though there is some magic (of sorts) in some of the stories, but is rather a property of the characters. Though the stories are all about different people the main characters have, in their behaviour, something which makes them stand out, something which makes them just a little bit special. Perhaps it's this which makes the stories so enchanting; the fact that the characters are close to being average and normal, but have some small quality which anyone might possess, but which almost no-one actually does possess. I hope that makes some sense. If not, let me simply say that the stories are not only very original but are also very well written and very enjoyable to read. I highly recommend this collection of short stories.

"Magic Moments", 28 Jun 2002
Tilly has wild aspirations of becoming a famous opera diva.
Sandra dreams of creating the perfect bra to revolutionize womens' lives and what has become of Professor Martin Presley whose scientific discovery has the worst repercussions ever?

These are just some of the topics explored in "Magic", which is an interesting anthology produced for The National Council For One-Parent Families. It aims to raise money to support the millions of single parents, like myself, facing financial hardship in bringing up a child single-handedly.
Its forward is by J.K Rowling, Ambassador of this charity and herself a lone parent once caught in the poverty trap.

The stories are kindly donated by well-accomplished authors including Fay Weldon, Sue Townsend and John O' Farrell.
Oozing originality, its tales stretch the imagination and provide its reader with escapism in abundance whilst also supporting a worthwhile cause.
Hocus Pocus this is not. This is British Fiction at its finest.

"Magic Moments", 28 Jun 2002
Tilly has wild aspirations of becoming a famous opera diva.
Sandra dreams of creating the perfect bra to revolutionize womens' lives and what has become of Professor Martin Presley whose scientific discovery has the worst repercussions ever?

These are just some of the topics explored in "Magic", which is an interesting anthology produced for The National Council For One-Parent Families. It aims to raise money to support the millions of single parents, like myself, facing financial hardship in bringing up a child single-handedly.
Its forward is by J.K Rowling, Ambassador of this charity and herself a lone parent once caught in the poverty trap.

The stories are kindly donated by well-accomplished authors including Fay Weldon, Sue Townsend and John O' Farrell.
Oozing originality, its tales stretch the imagination and provide its reader with escapism in abundance whilst also supporting a worthwhile cause.
Hocus Pocus this is not. This is British Fiction at its finest.

Splendid book, filled with sparkling stories, 21 Jun 2002
I rarely read collections of short stories, but this one attracted me - it contans stories written by today's modern (mostly women) writers, and all of them tempted me to read other works by them.

Each story has magic as its theme - that is not to say the rabbit out of the hat magic, but more often the magic of an emotion or a feeling. My personal favourite is indeed the rabbit from a hat story by Meera Syal!

I can imagine that these stories will not appeal to everyone, but most of them will appeal to most women!

Read and enjoy.

Enchanted as Enchanted can be!, 13 Jan 2008
See what happens when three children, Jo, and his two sisters, Bessie and Fannie, discover their very own Enchanted Wood, and meet new friends Silky the Fairy, Moon-Face and the Saucepan Man who all live in the magical Faraway Tree. Their real adventures begin when they all climb up and discover the most thrilling and peculiar! Lands that exist beyond the clouds at the top of the tree which some are good and some rather confusing and some plain dreadful. I like most of the Lands and characters like the angry pixie, Mr Watizname and Dame Washalot.
The characters are funny and some of the lands are very exciting like the land of snow and ice where there are evil snowman and even Santa Claus.


My favourite book!!!, 22 Jul 2007
Just the title breathed excitement through me as a child. An English Teacher read it to us in junior school. I never thought about buying a copy until I had children.
Now I read it to my 3 year old girl and 7 year old boy each night and they both can't wait for the next chapter.
Apart from the excellent stories the chapters are just long enough to keep the children awake and just short enough for parents not to lose their voices!
You can also pick out any chapter at random and it will start with the children climbing the tree and end with them tucked up safely in bed.
They are great for reading to children of mixed ages.
This book is so inspiring and reminds me that playing outside with children, making up your own adventures is the best fun ever!!!!
The Wishing Chair books are also made the same way. Although my son hasn't tired of them yet I have just bought him a book from Blyton's Secret series for him to read to himself - although I will still be reading this book to them out loud - I love making up different voices for each of the characters!

Just the best book series ever, 17 Nov 2006
Harry Potter is fabulous, but before JK Rowling there was Enid Blyton. I am 34 and still have copies of the Enchanted wood and Up the Faraway tree with me...my mother was having a spring clean a couple of years ago and I saved these books from being dumped because they have been intergral to my love of reading. Please do your children a favour and turn off the Playstation and Nintendo and spend time reading them Enid Blyton classics. It will be well worth your time. I thank her for her books as I think her writing has kept me a child at heart.

Excellent!! Magical,exciting and enchanting, 18 Mar 2004
This is an excellent book i would recomend it 2 everyone even my mum enjoyed it.It is about joe,beth and frannie who move into a new home in the country right next 2 an enchanted wood.They find the faraway tree which is a massive tree which is higher than the clouds.They make some special new friends who live up the tree and when they climb to the top they find themselves in different magical lands.They get into misceif,have fun and have adventures.It is really exciting and magical.You feel as if you are in the book tasting the delicious sounding cakes they eat with there new friends and you have as much fun and enjoyment readind it as they do in the magical lands.They visit the land of take what you want,roundabout land,The land of ice and snow,The land of birthdays,the land of toys,rocking land and many more exciting,magical,enchanting lands.
I would be here all day explaining how good it is so i will give you 1 word 2 sum this book up-
EXCELLENT!!!!

buy it now u will love it and have loads of fun reading it.

As Enchanting as ever!!, 12 Feb 2004
Although my 5 year old(now 6) daughter had an abundance of books, I felt an urge to read her my old taped up copy (at least 30yrs old) of The Enchanted Wood by Enid Blyton.
Primarily nostalgia, because I remembered it so vividly,secondly,I knew it would capture her imagination.
I received this book as a reward for attending'Sunday School'and,as a young girl,read it several times.
My daughter was fascinated by the stories of the three children and their adventures into the unknown-and I found myself yearning to read more.
This prompted me to search for more stories(which I knew existed),and I found the trilogy-even my 2 year old daughter knows of 'Moonface & Silky'now,through'The Faraway Tree'& The Folk of The Faraway Tree'
If you never read another book to your child, please don't deprive them of this fantastic journey-sorry J.K, I've yet to read yours, but for me the Queen of the Imagination will always be Enid Blyton

magic faraway tree, 26 Jun 2008
Arrived quickly and in good order. I bought a second hand and it looks new

Fanrtastic story, but buy the original!, 14 Mar 2008
Dame Slap, who had me under the bed covers quivering with joyful fear, as my Mum read this to me at bedtime is now called DAME SNAP! This cannot be forgiven, and sums up what is wrong with the world today. This version is too PC, if you read the original to your children you can explain how things have changed over time. The use of language can be discussed (ie the word "queer" instead of strange) and even Golliwogs can be introduced into the evenings discussion. Enid was so talented, I have only just realised how prolific she was. By the 1939 version...it is great!

It's amazing!, 10 Feb 2008
This book is just totally fab! I enjoyed it so much. I read it when i was younger and now i still read it. By myself and to my kids. It's so great and a lovely adventure! My kids are constantly playing 'Faraway Tree'
I hope you enjoy it as much as i did! It was really super-duper!

Creating memories for generations, 03 Apr 2007
When i was a little girl i loved this book so much. I used to read it and go to sleep dreaming of the wonderful lands at the top of the faraway tree. I have now just finished reading it to my[...] son and he is similarly enchanted. the combination of magic, adventure and just the kind of things children really want to hear about ( like the Land of Presents) creates a winning combination for every generation. I hope my son will read it to his children one day.

I also like the fact that the kids help their parents so much, maybe this will influence him?? i can hope...

Very, very magical, 06 Jul 2006
Every child is sure to enjoy this tale of magic, fantasy and unusual lands at the top of the Faraway Tree... I still remember with just a bit of nostalgia the Land of Birthdays...the Land of Take What You Want.. The Land of Topsy Turvy. This is a lovely, innocent book for children with an imagination and I just don't understand the rewriting of it Adults should stay away from children's world and remember that children will not think twice about words such as Dick or queer. Why not just rewrite EVERY book that has ever been written before 1990 if we insist on doing that to Enid Blyton?? 5 stars go to the original version, which is the only one my kids will be reading!

funny but short, 25 Oct 2007
The content is funny but in a juvenile kind of way, would appeal to pre-teens. Very short but thats to be expected for the money. More of a stocking filler gift.

worth it for the jd robb title, 03 Nov 2008
There are 4 stories here but only the one story by jd robb was worth reading this book for. Eve Dallas is back but in a very short story although it was still a good read. The other stories feature a wizard who is lost, a ghost who gets his comeuppance and a love story set in the past. Some of you may like these other stories but they were not as enjoyable as the eve dallas/roarke combo.

The Shallows, 02 Apr 2008
After the wonderfully written Ingo and Tide Knot I was surprised to find that The Deep ended up being so clunky and slow. Not really much happens in the 320 pages and there's no sense of urgency, mystery or need to keep turning the page.

Sapphire and her brother Conor are summoned back to the ocean when the Kraken (not the giant squid of common lore) threatens to wreak havoc upon the world when he wakes from his thousand year slumber. The kids sort him out rather easily towards the end of the second act, leaving the last third of the book to just ramble on about nothing in particular and sort of fizzle out instead of ending on a high note.

Helen Dunmore could have DONE MORE to make this is as unputdownable as the first two. It should have been structured better and had a stronger storyline. I often guessed that she was just winging it with the slightest of plots and didn't really know how it was going to end up.

With the final book in the series, The Crossing of Ingo, due out in a couple of months I will still be checking it out. I can already tell exactly what gimmicks Dunmore is going to use. But that is because I am a know-it-all.

excellent, 18 Nov 2007
this book is fantastic
deffinately a must read on book.
i recomend it all age groups with imagination!

Toddlers and beyond will love this book., 03 Jun 2000
Both our 3 year old and 5 year old love this book. It is taken out everyday without fail - even when there's no time for a story, we are asked for "just a quick one" from it. 'When Daddy fell into the pond' is probably the absolute favourite, but the choice is wide and varied. The biggest problem is the fight over which poem to read next.

Loved it!, 20 Jul 2005
A collection of short stories by some of today's most popular authors... and a good cause thrown in for good measure. This collection is extremely varied, in terms of both writing styles and subject matter, so there's bound to be a few stories in there you'll absolutely love.

Buy this book - you won't regret it.

All you could ask for from a collection of short stories., 11 Jan 2005
I'll be honest, I only bought this book because I'm a J.K.Rowling fan and I have to have everything she's ever had published (even if it's only a foreward). I wasn't expecting too much from the actual stories themselves. But I was more than merely pleasantly suprised. The stories are wonderful. Each one is somehow very different from the others but they all share an element of 'sparkle' which makes the collection jell rather well. This 'sparkle' is not just magic, though there is some magic (of sorts) in some of the stories, but is rather a property of the characters. Though the stories are all about different people the main characters have, in their behaviour, something which makes them stand out, something which makes them just a little bit special. Perhaps it's this which makes the stories so enchanting; the fact that the characters are close to being average and normal, but have some small quality which anyone might possess, but which almost no-one actually does possess. I hope that makes some sense. If not, let me simply say that the stories are not only very original but are also very well written and very enjoyable to read. I highly recommend this collection of short stories.

"Magic Moments", 28 Jun 2002
Tilly has wild aspirations of becoming a famous opera diva.
Sandra dreams of creating the perfect bra to revolutionize womens' lives and what has become of Professor Martin Presley whose scientific discovery has the worst repercussions ever?

These are just some of the topics explored in "Magic", which is an interesting anthology produced for The National Council For One-Parent Families. It aims to raise money to support the millions of single parents, like myself, facing financial hardship in bringing up a child single-handedly.
Its forward is by J.K Rowling, Ambassador of this charity and herself a lone parent once caught in the poverty trap.

The stories are kindly donated by well-accomplished authors including Fay Weldon, Sue Townsend and John O' Farrell.
Oozing originality, its tales stretch the imagination and provide its reader with escapism in abundance whilst also supporting a worthwhile cause.
Hocus Pocus this is not. This is British Fiction at its finest.

"Magic Moments", 28 Jun 2002
Tilly has wild aspirations of becoming a famous opera diva.
Sandra dreams of creating the perfect bra to revolutionize womens' lives and what has become of Professor Martin Presley whose scientific discovery has the worst repercussions ever?

These are just some of the topics explored in "Magic", which is an interesting anthology produced for The National Council For One-Parent Families. It aims to raise money to support the millions of single parents, like myself, facing financial hardship in bringing up a child single-handedly.
Its forward is by J.K Rowling, Ambassador of this charity and herself a lone parent once caught in the poverty trap.

The stories are kindly donated by well-accomplished authors including Fay Weldon, Sue Townsend and John O' Farrell.
Oozing originality, its tales stretch the imagination and provide its reader with escapism in abundance whilst also supporting a worthwhile cause.
Hocus Pocus this is not. This is British Fiction at its finest.

Splendid book, filled with sparkling stories, 21 Jun 2002
I rarely read collections of short stories, but this one attracted me - it contans stories written by today's modern (mostly women) writers, and all of them tempted me to read other works by them.

Each story has magic as its theme - that is not to say the rabbit out of the hat magic, but more often the magic of an emotion or a feeling. My personal favourite is indeed the rabbit from a hat story by Meera Syal!

I can imagine that these stories will not appeal to everyone, but most of them will appeal to most women!

Read and enjoy.

Enchanted as Enchanted can be!, 13 Jan 2008
See what happens when three children, Jo, and his two sisters, Bessie and Fannie, discover their very own Enchanted Wood, and meet new friends Silky the Fairy, Moon-Face and the Saucepan Man who all live in the magical Faraway Tree. Their real adventures begin when they all climb up and discover the most thrilling and peculiar! Lands that exist beyond the clouds at the top of the tree which some are good and some rather confusing and some plain dreadful. I like most of the Lands and characters like the angry pixie, Mr Watizname and Dame Washalot.
The characters are funny and some of the lands are very exciting like the land of snow and ice where there are evil snowman and even Santa Claus.


My favourite book!!!, 22 Jul 2007
Just the title breathed excitement through me as a child. An English Teacher read it to us in junior school. I never thought about buying a copy until I had children.
Now I read it to my 3 year old girl and 7 year old boy each night and they both can't wait for the next chapter.
Apart from the excellent stories the chapters are just long enough to keep the children awake and just short enough for parents not to lose their voices!
You can also pick out any chapter at random and it will start with the children climbing the tree and end with them tucked up safely in bed.
They are great for reading to children of mixed ages.
This book is so inspiring and reminds me that playing outside with children, making up your own adventures is the best fun ever!!!!
The Wishing Chair books are also made the same way. Although my son hasn't tired of them yet I have just bought him a book from Blyton's Secret series for him to read to himself - although I will still be reading this book to them out loud - I love making up different voices for each of the characters!

Just the best book series ever, 17 Nov 2006
Harry Potter is fabulous, but before JK Rowling there was Enid Blyton. I am 34 and still have copies of the Enchanted wood and Up the Faraway tree with me...my mother was having a spring clean a couple of years ago and I saved these books from being dumped because they have been intergral to my love of reading. Please do your children a favour and turn off the Playstation and Nintendo and spend time reading them Enid Blyton classics. It will be well worth your time. I thank her for her books as I think her writing has kept me a child at heart.

Excellent!! Magical,exciting and enchanting, 18 Mar 2004
This is an excellent book i would recomend it 2 everyone even my mum enjoyed it.It is about joe,beth and frannie who move into a new home in the country right next 2 an enchanted wood.They find the faraway tree which is a massive tree which is higher than the clouds.They make some special new friends who live up the tree and when they climb to the top they find themselves in different magical lands.They get into misceif,have fun and have adventures.It is really exciting and magical.You feel as if you are in the book tasting the delicious sounding cakes they eat with there new friends and you have as much fun and enjoyment readind it as they do in the magical lands.They visit the land of take what you want,roundabout land,The land of ice and snow,The land of birthdays,the land of toys,rocking land and many more exciting,magical,enchanting lands.
I would be here all day explaining how good it is so i will give you 1 word 2 sum this book up-
EXCELLENT!!!!

buy it now u will love it and have loads of fun reading it.

As Enchanting as ever!!, 12 Feb 2004
Although my 5 year old(now 6) daughter had an abundance of books, I felt an urge to read her my old taped up copy (at least 30yrs old) of The Enchanted Wood by Enid Blyton.
Primarily nostalgia, because I remembered it so vividly,secondly,I knew it would capture her imagination.
I received this book as a reward for attending'Sunday School'and,as a young girl,read it several times.
My daughter was fascinated by the stories of the three children and their adventures into the unknown-and I found myself yearning to read more.
This prompted me to search for more stories(which I knew existed),and I found the trilogy-even my 2 year old daughter knows of 'Moonface & Silky'now,through'The Faraway Tree'& The Folk of The Faraway Tree'
If you never read another book to your child, please don't deprive them of this fantastic journey-sorry J.K, I've yet to read yours, but for me the Queen of the Imagination will always be Enid Blyton

magic faraway tree, 26 Jun 2008
Arrived quickly and in good order. I bought a second hand and it looks new

Fanrtastic story, but buy the original!, 14 Mar 2008
Dame Slap, who had me under the bed covers quivering with joyful fear, as my Mum read this to me at bedtime is now called DAME SNAP! This cannot be forgiven, and sums up what is wrong with the world today. This version is too PC, if you read the original to your children you can explain how things have changed over time. The use of language can be discussed (ie the word "queer" instead of strange) and even Golliwogs can be introduced into the evenings discussion. Enid was so talented, I have only just realised how prolific she was. By the 1939 version...it is great!

It's amazing!, 10 Feb 2008
This book is just totally fab! I enjoyed it so much. I read it when i was younger and now i still read it. By myself and to my kids. It's so great and a lovely adventure! My kids are constantly playing 'Faraway Tree'
I hope you enjoy it as much as i did! It was really super-duper!

Creating memories for generations, 03 Apr 2007
When i was a little girl i loved this book so much. I used to read it and go to sleep dreaming of the wonderful lands at the top of the faraway tree. I have now just finished reading it to my[...] son and he is similarly enchanted. the combination of magic, adventure and just the kind of things children really want to hear about ( like the Land of Presents) creates a winning combination for every generation. I hope my son will read it to his children one day.

I also like the fact that the kids help their parents so much, maybe this will influence him?? i can hope...

Very, very magical, 06 Jul 2006
Every child is sure to enjoy this tale of magic, fantasy and unusual lands at the top of the Faraway Tree... I still remember with just a bit of nostalgia the Land of Birthdays...the Land of Take What You Want.. The Land of Topsy Turvy. This is a lovely, innocent book for children with an imagination and I just don't understand the rewriting of it Adults