Moonface's Story (The Magic Faraway Tree)

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Punny Name: Most of the folks living in the tree; Moon Face has a face shaped like a round moon, Silky has fine silky hair, Mr. Wazitsname doesn't know his true name, and so on. Of course, the magical lands don't stay at the top of the tree for long, so you've got to know how to get home. In one story, when the children have rescued The Saucepan Man from a fortress, in the Land of Toys, they almost don't make it. Tube Travel: Moon Face has a slide- known as the slippery-slip- all the way from his house at the top to the bottom of the Faraway Tree which runs in a spiral down the middle of the tree to the bottom. You have to bring him toffees next time you visit (at first, no mention of this is made in later books), and a squirrel collects the cushions when you emerge. I have not verified and compare today's version with the original, but, apparently, cancel culture has got a hold of this book. The author has been labeled a sexist, homophobe and racist and many changes have been made to her book. The names of the characters have been changed from Fanny to Franny, and Dame Slap to Dame Snap, who doesn’t go around slapping the naughty pixies and fairies in the school of discipline for all their wrongs on one of the fantasy lands that Jo, Bessie, Fanny and their forest friends were trapped in for a little while.

They knew well that if they were caught, they would be put into the toy fort. And then the Land of Toys would move from the Faraway Tree, and goodness knows how long they might have to stay there. So they ran at top speed. Franny fell behind a little, and Joe took her hand to help her along.

So I didn't love this one at all. Part of that's personal, and part of that's critical. Let's do the personal first... In 1997, The Faraway Tree was adapted into the first season of Enid Blyton's Enchanted Lands, an animated series created for the BBC by Cosgrove Hall. The Saucepan Man mishearing what people say, because he's a little deaf from the clashing of the various pots and pants he keeps strung about his person. Entire passages of the original have been rewritten to remove references to fighting. For instance, when the tree is taken over by Goblins in The Enchanted Wood, the Goblins were originally fought off, with descriptions of Mr. Watzisname 'pummelling them as if he were beating carpets' and the Saucepan Man throwing his saucepans at them. These have been replaced with cursory references to 'chasing'. Adaptations Film So, I’m not sure they’ll make particularly gripping films, but I’ll probably be dragged to see them. Because, just like I did, my daughter loves them – even the Saucepan Man, whose bad hearing makes for endless (unbearable for an adult, hilarious for a child) jokes.

What happens in the course of the kids' adventures in the various faraway fairy realms was fun...I ***really*** want to visit the Land of Topsy-Turvy!...but not a patch on the fact that these childrens' mother/aunt, the Responsible Party of Record for their safety, blithely lets them go off for an entire day, no idea where they are, and when they come home and share their adventures, she doesn't reach for the phone to get a shrink STAT but indulgently laughs and allows them to do it again! (After they finish all their chores, of course. Which they do uncomplainingly. Which is how you know this is a novel.) The Faraway Tree Series written by the much beloved Enid Blyton was one of my favorite book series when I was a kid. In fact, I’d be wrong to say it was. The book still is, and will always be very close to my heart. They unlatched the gate and stood in the lane. they could see the trees in the wood, and hear them talking their strange tree-talk: ‘Wish-wisha-wisha-wisha!’ The Faraway Tree is a series of three novels (and one picture-strip book) by British children's author Enid Blyton.notes: The first dustwrapper had a plain white spine with just the price in red on it. A red line drawing was added to the spine in January 1940 @ 4/- and it became plain white in March 1942 @ 5/- with the book reduced in size to 8¼ X 5¾. This was changed to a full-colour pictorial spine in November 1951 @ 7/-) They meet lots of other people, like Silky the Fairy, and The Saucepan Man Who've all made their homes inside the trunk. This was one of my favourite books when I was younger and it was lovely to revisit a a familiar story, this time in an edition beautifully illustrated by Janet & Anne Grahame Johnstone. Their artwork is perfectly suited to the book. Saucepan joins up with them again in their next foray and as he's very prone to accidents there is a need to visit the Land of Magic to put right something that has happened to him. Poor old Saucepan Man — things go from bad to worse and the picture-panels with the couple of lines of script under them show us exactly what happens to the unfortunate individual. The picture-story moves on with visits to more lands and at one stage Moon-Face's little house is invaded by some horrible people from the Land of Quarrels. The next place to arrive above the Faraway Tree is Toyland which brings plenty of excitement and a little problem involving a couple of straying dolls. Eventually the book ends with a perfectly marvelous land where everyone indulges. Indulges in what? You will find out when you get hold of this fourth and last book in the Faraway Tree collection although there is further Faraway Tree adventure which isn't classed as a separate book not that it couldn't be in this day and age because even single Enid Blyton stories are appearing as mini-novels for young readers. The Enchanted Wood Series is very close to my heart. This was most definitely the first novel I read when I was about 7 or 8, and I was completely mesmerized by Joe, Bessie and Fannie and their adventures in the enchanted woods so much that I just COULD no keep this book down.