Looking for something to keep the kids occupied on a rainy day? Check out this handy guide to the best children's books from Surrey writers. These literary gems come from writers who were born in, lived in, or have connections to Surrey and some of them are sure to surprise you...
1. The Crows of Pearblossom - Aldous Huxley
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Born into a family of intellectuals in Goldaming, satirical writer Aldous Huxley is best known for the ground-breaking dystopian novel Brave New World. A keen cyclist, Huxley was known to cycle in the Surrey Hills, frequenting the landmark the Devil’s Punchbowl. The famous writer’s ashes are now interred at the Watts Cemetery near Guildford. His only children’s book, The Crows of Pearblossom, was penned as a Christmas present for his niece and recounts the tale of Mr and Mrs Crow of Cottonwood Tree. The happy couple are at odds with their rattlesnake neighbour, who systematically devours every one of their unhatched eggs whilst Mrs Crow is out grocery shopping. However, when they enlist the help of their friend Old Man Owl it seems Rattlesnake may have finally bitten off more than he can chew…
2. Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
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Victorian writer Charles Dickens holds close ties to Surrey, he frequently visited the Star and Garter Hotel on Richmond Hill and is believed to have written parts of The Pickwick Papers during his time as a guest at the White Horse Hotel, Dorking. Oliver Twist is one of Dickens’ most famous and popular works; the story is likely to already be familiar with children, which can help to counteract the perhaps daunting prospect of reading a 300-page Victorian novel. With a band of pickpockets, a club wielding villain, and a heroine with a heart of gold, Oliver Twist has plenty to interest children. However, timing is essential with dated classics; little ones will find it a handful. Interestingly, parts of the novel are even set in Surrey, you will recognise the place names of Hampton and Chertsey when Bill Sikes takes Oliver along to a burglary.
3. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
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Renowned author Lewis Carroll was born in Daresbury, Cheshire. However, later in life, he moved his six spinster sisters to Guildford, setting them up in The Chestnuts, a house now marked with a memorial plaque. He was a frequent visitor to this family nest and regularly hiked across the ridges between Guildford and Farnham. His presence is still felt in the area today, visitors can spot his grave in The Mount cemetery or stumble across a life-size Alice Through the Looking Glass statue set in the grounds of Guildford Castle. So, if you want your children to enjoy some home grown fiction, why not suggest Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland; they can tumble down the rabbit hole along with the heroine to meet the Mad Hatter and play hedgehog croquet with the Queen of Hearts! Carroll’s humorous, fantastical writing style makes this unique read perfect for children.
4. Cat Among the Pigeons - Agatha Christie
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One of the most successful crime writers of all time, Agatha Christie has a curious connection with Surrey. In 1926, she faked her own death, which led to a man hunt and a £100 reward offered by the Daily News for her discovery. After ditching her car next to a chalk quarry in West Clandon and disappearing without a trace, she was eventually found 11 days later in Harrogate. On one occasion the author addressed the mystery: ‘For 24 hours I wandered in a dream, and then found myself in Harrogate as a well-contented and perfectly happy woman who believed she had just come from South Africa.’ Very odd, I think we can all agree. So, if you want to introduce your eldest to the work of this enigmatic woman, why not start with Cat Among the Pigeons? This murder mystery features a gym teacher shot at point blank range, rubies smuggled from the Middle East, and a moustached Poirot. All this drama goes down in a seemingly innocuous, posh girl’s school.
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J.M. Barrie found the inspiration for this timeless classic in Surrey. When walking through Kensington Gardens he met the eldest two Llewellyn Davies boys, the children to whom he would later tell the stories that became Peter Pan. Barrie rapidly became a close friend of the boys’ family, a relationship that was only strengthened when the family moved close to Barrie’s summer residence Black Lake Cottage, Tilford. The relationship between Barrie and the boys is dramatized in the 2004 film Finding Neverland starring Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet, while Peter Pan itself has two entertaining adaptions: the 1953 Disney animation, and the 2003 film. However, why not encourage your children to read the novel? With magic, pirates, mermaids and stroppy fairies, it has all the ingredients to capture your child’s imagination.
6. Warrior Scarlet - Rosemary Sutcliff
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Rosemary Sutcliff, a respected children’s author known for her historical fiction novels, has penned over 50 works and in 1922 was awarded a CBE for services to children’s literature. Born in East Clandon, Sutcliff possessed a great interest in English history and covered a range of eras in her novels, including the Bronze Age, the Roman invaders, the Angles and the Saxons. One of her most famous novels, Warrior Scarlet, is set in the South Downs during the Bronze Age and follows the life of Drem, a disabled boy who wishes to accepted by his tribe and pass the wolf slaying initiation test. Sutcliff sympathised with outcasts and characters with physical handicaps in her novels, which is likely explained by her contraction of Still’s disease as a toddler, which resulted in paralysis. So, if your child is a history enthusiast looking for detailed, realistic writing, Sutcliff could become their next favourite author.
7. Kameko and the Monkey-King - Melissa Addey
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Melissa Addey, the 2016 Leverhulme Trust Writer in Residence at the British Library, is gaining a PhD in Creative Writing at the University of Surrey. She specialises in historical fiction and works to bring to light the hidden stories of the past, tales she describes as ‘the footnotes of history’. Her children’s book Kameko and the Monkey-King follows the fictional story of a little Japanese girl, Kameko, whose mother falls mysteriously ill with an ailment that seems incurable. Kameko has to summon her courage and embark on a quest to find the Monkey-King and fetch a precious jewel that is said to hold magical healing properties. This adventure-filled fairy tale is accompanied by beautiful lino prints from illustrator Claire Loescher.
8. Gulliver's Travels - Jonathan Swift
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Born in Dublin, writer Jonathon Swift was undoubtedly an Irishman through and through, and his grave can now be found in St. Patrick’s Cathedral. However, in order to learn the ropes of politics, he worked under Sir William Temple, a Whig statesman, at Moor Park in Farnham. Whilst there he met the love of his life Esther Johnson, the daughter of the housekeeper, who was 14 years his junior. Gulliver’s Travels, Swift’s most famous work, has remained a popular classic since its first publication and has never been out of print. Swift originally intended the novel to be a satirical reflection on mankind, but this story, which sees Lemuel Gulliver wake up stranded on the isle of Lilliput and surrounded by people shorter than a 15cm ruler, is also a perfect adventure book for children. After they have read the novel, both the 1939 Gulliver’s Travels animation and the 2010 Jack Black film are ideal for a family film afternoon.
9. Borka: The Adventures of a Goose with no Feathers - John Burningham
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John Burningham, the renowned writer and illustrator of more than 60 children's picture books, was born in Farnham, Surrey. During the second world war, his father opted out of the fighting as a conscientious objector, and instead, the family let out their Surrey residence and toured the country in a caravan. Attending the alternative A.S. Neill Summerhill School in Suffolk, he passed English but ironically flunked his Art exam. Nonetheless, he later was accepted into the Central School of Art (now Central Saint Martins) in London to study illustration and graphic design. If you fancy enjoying Burningham's work with your children, why not start with Borka: The Adventures of a Goose With No Feathers? Published in 1963, this was the illustrator's first book and tells the story of Borka, a flightless bald goose, who must embark on a voyage to follow his family when they take to the sky during migration season. This recipient of the Kate Greenaway medal features charming, colourful illustration and is sure to delight your little ones.
10. The Bad Child’s Book of Beasts - Hilaire Belloc
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Hillaire Belloc, known for his rhyming light verse in children’s books, was French-born but died at Mount Alvernia Nursing Home, Guildford, in 1953 following a fall into a fireplace which resulted in serious burns. While some have praised Belloc for being the most accomplished writer of light verse since Lewis Carroll, this Oxford graduate was a controversial figure in his time and publicly rowed with the likes of H.G. Wells. Certain aspects of Belloc’s work have not aged well, but nonetheless, The Bad Child’s Book of Beasts is a funny collection of couplets, which hilariously describe a range of animals. The poetry was extremely popular upon publication and is accompanied by quirky line drawings from illustrator Basil Temple Blackwood.
11. The Lost Words- Robert MacFarlane and Jackie Morris
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The distribution of this beautiful illustrated book in schools was recently the subject of a campaign launched on BBC Radio Surrey, and financed by donations made on a crowd-funding page. In 2015 acclaimed author Robert MacFarlane teamed up with celebrated author and illustrator Jackie Morris to create a book honouring 20 nature-themed ‘Lost Words’ (including acorn, newt, and dandelion) that were removed from a popular children’s dictionary in favour of words such as blog and hashtag. Each page introduces children to an animal, plant, nut or bird described in an acrostic poem and accompanied by a delightful illustration. The campaign reached its target of £5,000 in April 2019, and every primary and special school in Surrey was duly supplied with a copy. But, why not encourage your child to engage with nature and treat them to their very own edition?
