15 November,2010 09:05 AM IST | | Subhash K Jha
B-Town talks about their fascination with books that lit up their young lives and inspired their futures
So Children's Day is now over. And your child has got whatever it was that he (Wii games) or she (Barbie's doll house) wanted. Now go out there and buy your babies something they will always remember books.
We asked B-Town folks about the fun reads from their bachpan ke din. Read on to discover what enriched their world when they were kids...
Amitabh Bachchan: As a child, I loved the Aesop's Fable entitled Androcles And The Lion. I still do. It tells us that a good deed is never forgotten.
Shabana Azmi: All the books in Famous 5 series by Enid Blyton. They fire the imagination, are full of adventure and they value friendship. Must-read for all kids.
Juhi Chawla: My favourite book as a child was The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. Tom was very naughty. The book is about friendship, bravery and adventure. It's about right and wrong. Yup, it's nice.
Katrina Kaif: Alice In Wonderland. Because as a child and now as a grown-up in showbiz, I am never quite sure if I can trust the ever-changing world around me.
Sonakshi Sinha: I love reading Charlie & The Chocolate Factory and Matilda by Roald Dahl even today. These books taught me how to think out of the box and let my imagination soar.
Adnan Sami: My favourite book as a child? Tom Brown's School Days by Thomas Hughes. Apart from being a classic on life in a boarding school, the novel was set in the school I attended: The Rugby School. Very inspiring. Made my son read it. Hope-fully his child will read it too.
Asin: I always loved Louisa May Alcott's Little Women. It's a simple story, all heart! Talks of family ties (very important to me and to all of us) and hope in trying times. It also brings out the fact that for ultimate happiness, love has to score over money. Each time I read it I become warm and fuzzy inside. The characters are very real and relatable. Little Women is a book no child should miss. (Do I sound like the book's agent?).
Pooja Bedi: I loved reading The Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton. Fabulous story that stirs your imagination. It conjures such great imagery. The characters like Saucepan Man and Moonface are absolutely adorable and entertaining.
Amole Gupte: Two lady writers nourished my imagination as a child. Enid Blyton and Agatha Christie. And then there was my dad's Perry Mason collection by Erle Stanley Gardner. I didn't have to cut my nails. Reading mystery novels was such a nail-biting experience in those non-electronic times in the 1970s. Happy Children's Day from a Mole Frog.
Vipul Shah: Amar Chitra Katha, Panchtantra, Jataka Tales and the Mahabharat. Our kids need to read all of this to understand how rich our culture is. Also I loved Archie's comics. Still do.
Ashutosh Gowariker: I am a huge Amar Chitra Katha fan. I am to this day.I have the biggest collection of Amar Chitra Katha comics. And I don't lend out a single one(you are welcome to read them in my home).The series was introduced to me by my parents. The range of stories was huge. I was hooked. It was always about valour, dignity which fired my imagination. Jodhaa-Akbar was inspired by Amar Chitra Katha. I read them even today. And now I've introduced my sons to the series. The legends live on!
Dino Morea: As a kid, I loved Aesop's Fables. The moral lesson at the end was always an eye-opener. I also loved my parents reading short stories to me by various writers.
R Balki: Enid Blyton's Family At Redroofs. It was the first book that made me cry. It is a great lesson for children to understand the need for sensitivity without preaching.
Raveena Tandon: The Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton. I will make sure my two children read that one. It is about the need to understand oneself while growing up.
Soha Ali Khan: It has to be The Cat In The Hat by Dr Seuss. It was the first book I read on my own. Since then I must have read it over a 100 times. It's so much fun. So imaginative and exciting andu00a0 full of wonderful illustrations. I recommend it highly to all kids specially since its 236-word count makes it easy on first-time readers. Those looking for challenge, can read the Latin version!
Apoorva Lakhia: George Orwell's Animal Farm. The story of an old boar on the farm calling other animals for a meeting and then comparing humanbeings to parasites fascinated me. Children reading it will get a better better idea of politics, equality,camaraderie and the fight for the right.
Pooja Bhatt: My favourite books as a child? The Hobbit by J R R Tolkien, The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams and The Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton. Why? For the sense of wonderment and the values that these books instil in a child. Rare combination that!And of course I love Alice In Wonderland because I am Alice myself.
Rensil D'Silva: The Secret 7 series by Enid Blyton. As a child, they seemed like great adventure stories.
Siddharth Malhotra: For me, it was always Enid Blyton's Famous 5. I completely loved their world, the food descriptions were always appetising. The idea of five friends always there for one another remains appealing, and alas, impractical in today's day and age. I'm a sucker for adventure and emotions. Would want my kids to read it.
Divya Dutta: Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens. The story of a child facingu00a0 the most awful trials and tribulations of life fascinated me.
Faruk Kabir: The book that I most remember from childhood is The 3 Musketeers by Alexander Dumas. I read it in seventh standard. It remains a sturdy introduction to good easy-reading literature. The story is eventful. It's about valour,friendship, honour, commitment with sou00a0 many nuances. It was and remains an exciting joyride. We had once staged The 3 Musketeers on Children's Day.
Abbas Tyrewala: Tove Jansson's Moominland series. Warm, quirky, touching, philosophical, supremely imaginative and above all,it teaches youngsters the best approach to life and living.
Rahul Khanna: My favourite book was and remains Charlie & The Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl.
Kabir Bedi: Rhymes For Ranga are truly beautiful Indian nursery rhymes. They were written by my mother Freda Bedi 50 years ago. Just re-printed by Random House.
Sanjay Gupta: I loved the Hardy Boys series as a kid. Somewhere, my cinema reflects that sense of mystery suspense and adventure. Great fun! Would recommend it to all kids.
Nishikant Kamat: Faster Fene is a Marathi series written by B R Bhagvat. It's about a child detective, on theu00a0 lines of Enid Blyton's Famous 5 or the Nancy Drew Series. It was my introduction to intrigue and suspense.
Gul Panag: The Wishing Chair series by Enid Blyton. Fun adventure and great food always guaranteed.
Sonu Sood: I loved The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. It was such a thin book but so bulky in thought, imagination and fantasy meant to fire young imgainations.I continue to revisit the book. It is not only delightful but also profound. 'One only sees clearly with the heart. The essential is invisible to the eyes.' Wow!
Tusshar Kapoor: Enid Blyton's Famous 5 series. The adventure and fun are alive in my mind to this day.
Sujoy Ghosh: Anything and everything by Enid Bylton. She was a childhood favourite. Her books allowed my imagination to break free.
Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra: Chandamama always made my imagination run riot; specially the Vikram-Betal series. Within the exciting stories there was always a beautiful moral to be had. In hindsight, Chandamama kept me in touch with the rich Indian heritage and our socio-cultural fabric.
