Voices: Roy Hudd, Richard Pearce, Kate Harbour, John Baddeley, Jimmy Hibbert, Janet James and David Holt. The children make several new friends: Moon-face; Silky (a fairy) and the Saucepan man, who help let them know when an interesting land is at the top of the tree, and help them navigate the various lands.

For me, even as a kid, reading Enid Blyton was a way for me to learn about the attitudes of that time, how people spoke just a few decades ago, and how it has progressed. The rabbits that helped the kids back onto the tree wish to descend as well but no one has any of the sweet stuff. We cannot see this would as an adult, only as a child, and whether this world is imaginary or not, it is irrelevant because it is the children that see, experience, and consider this world to be real. I was so excited at the chance to have such a classic read to me and by none other than Kate Winslet at that. She remains one of the world's best-loved storytellers and is consistently voted a children's favourite in reader polls.My mind use to get so carried away thinking about all the different lands and the funniest thing is, my now adult mind, got just as carried away this time too. This was a story read to me by my older sister as a child and my 8 year old daughter has been enjoying stories at night, so thought this would be a treat. Imagine visiting the Land of Take what you Want or the Land of Goodies or the Land of Tea-Parties although, despite their names, things don't necessarily run 100% perfect even in those lands.

The truest text to the original 1939 publication, this is the edition that best preserves Blyton’s magical world for modern readers. Born in South London, Blyton was the eldest of three children, and showed an early interest in music and reading. At least I can make my way through them one by one because not only will it refresh my memory from when I read them as a child, but by reading them I can also get a better understanding of the structure of a modern children's book. Enid Blyton's vivid imagination is really working overtime with this story and we are introduced to a couple of Faraway Tree icons. e. goat, chickens, shovel etc) without showing any curiosity as to how they came into the children’s possession.A little further on they encounter some Brownies who are holding a meeting and Jo spots a sneaky looking gnome who is about to steal one of the Brownie's bags.