A tribute to the classic Ladybird storybooks

I grew up reading well-loved Ladybird books such as King Arthur, Robin Hood, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves and Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp. My son is growing up with Hi-5, an iPad and YouTube.

I would like him to enjoy the stories that I read when I was growing up like him. I would like him to know what the significance of the words “Open Sesame!” and “rubbing the lamp” are. I would like him to know how Sir Lancelot of the Lake defeated Sir Turquine of the Fort in a duel, and what the “Twelve Labours of Hercules” are. I would like him to know that there was a wealth of children’s books and fairy tales – long before the Internet and a purple dinosaur called Barney came onto the scene.

I would also like Ladybird UK to give me one good reason why they do not continue to print these well-loved and timeless (read: no revisions required, just re-print them as they were – and in Kindle format, if that is the way to go in the 21^st century) classics – despite them still thriving healthily in the children’s book publishing business after all these years. As a parent of Generation X who grew up on and loved these storybooks, I believe I speak for many of my contemporaries when I appeal for the resurrection and return of these literary treasures for the sake of our children and grandchildren – many of whom will grow up not knowing an iota of these wonderful tales.

The collage below is a small tribute to just some of the classic Ladybird storybooks that helped to shape my childhood, my grasp of the English language at a very early age, and my rich imagination. And for that, I have my parents to thank for instilling the Ladybird reading habit in me.