A TRIBUTE TO ENID BLYTON (1897-1968)
By Roman Ahsan (March 2010)
[Given here, are some
of the storybook titles for children by Enid Blyton (1897-1968) followed by a
message for elders!]
"The Children of Willow Farm"
"The Magic Faraway Tree"
"Well Done Secret Seven" - The Secret Seven Series
"Mr. Galliano's Circus"
"Six Cousins Again"
"Five on a Treasure Island" - Famous Five Series
Childhood is the most
beautiful period of one’s life but it passes so quickly. What a child gains in
those formative years helps throughout the life. The little ones have fragile
minds and need to be nurtured with love and care.
They have to be
cultivated with the right messages but today’s world poses a dangerous
situation. Now they are more drawn to artificial stimuli like computer games,
cable TV and mobile phones which steal away their innocence while creating an
abstract thought process in their minds.
What can we do? How
can we ensure that our children become good human beings and good role models
for the society when they grow up? As one step, we can make a difference here
by introducing good storybooks (both English and Urdu) and reading them out to
our children.
One writer that has
done wonders in creating fantasy worlds for children is the British Enid Blyton
whose storybooks make the children live with the characters as the stories
proceed. Also, her stories focus on lessons of courage, bravery, forgiveness
and compassion (for human beings as well as animals).
Shared here are some
of the titles from her books that I have read myself. Do ask your vendor to get
them from abroad if they are not available here, while of course finding more
about Enid Blyton’s work! And one thing more…if you want your child to learn
beautiful English, then Enid Blyton and “Reader’s Digest” will definitely come
to your rescue!!!
A WORD OF CAUTION:
We as Muslims need to bring up our children with the right
balance between everything. These storybooks will provide a base of good
English to the children in this competitive world. However, our own cultural
and Islamic heritage is not to be compromised upon in this process, we should
remember. It is strongly advisable to first introduce good Urdu storybooks
(like good novels from Ferozesons and others) to the children till class 4 or 5
and English storybooks should be presented later on. This way we can at least
expect the children to remain close to their values when they grow up. It is a
gamble and the trick is to play it safe, and keep monitoring your children. Make
them your friends and keep discussing their likes and dislikes with them so
that they don’t feel alienated from you!
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