LOST AND FOUND.

Though I can't say that I was a huge lover of Enid Blyton, I loved her FARAWAY TREE BOOKS with Jo, Bessie and Fanny (now, thanks to political correctness, known as Joe because the character is a boy and Joe is the more accepted spelling, Beth, and  Frannie because Fanny is slang for the vagina in some countries, England included) who had wonderful adventures in the lands that came and went in the clouds above the tree. Ah, how I loved to visit Moonface, Silky, the Saucepan man (pictured left), and especially, Dame Washalot who always reminded me of my nana.
Not just popular with my generation, recently Enid Blyton books have seen an increase in both popularity and sales with a whole new era of readers enjoying her stories - imagine then how exciting it is to learn that a 'lost' book has recently been discovered.

Mr Tumpy's Caravan is a 180-page fantasy story about a magical caravan with a mind of its own who, together with Mr Tumpy, his friends and a dog called Bun-Dorg, crosses an ocean before facing a dog-headed dragon in an attempt to save a princess's land. Click HERE to read more and to see video footage.

Yet another book to be recently unearthed ......

 A 'MACABRE' DAPHNE DU MAURIER SHORT STORY has been discovered 70 years later.

The Doll, written around 1928, tells of a man who becomes infatuated with a woman he meets at a party. He visits her home, only to discover the real object of her affection: a life-size, mechanical male doll.

A dark story of obsession and jealousy, t is one of 13 du Maurier short stories in a new anthology to be published in May. - Anita Singh, the Telegraph, 21/02/2011

Going back to childhood favourites, I asked my mam if there were any books that I read and re-read as a little girl.

Her answer? When I was really, really small it turns out I loved THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR by Eric Carle which was first published a year after I was born, then, a little older, my favourite book which apparently I read and read and read again was  a Disney book based on the film SONG OF THE SOUTH, author unknown.

The reason I asked?

Well .........

Children who demand the same story be read to them over and over may be learning more than those who choose a different tale every time, according to academics.

Research at the University of Sussex has found that repetition in reading storybooks is more likely to help a child acquire a broader vocabulary.

The study is published in Frontiers In Psychology - click HERE to read.

 - the Telegraph, 21/02/2011

So, what were your favourite stories as a child? And do you think the re-reading of books really does help vocabulary?

PLEASE NOTE - Whenever I use newspaper articles I will always endeavour to post  the links to the full item if possible.