Simon Brooke

#PhantastikPrompts 02.08.2025: What were your favorite stories as a child?

Many. But high on the list (in order of age suitability) were

A. A. Milne's Winnie the Pooh and sequels;
James Thurber's The Thirteen Clocks;
John Masefield's Midnight Folk and The Box of Delights;
Alan Garner's Weirdstone of Brisingamen and sequels;
anything by Arthur Ransome but particularly Peter Duck (now hard to find, probably because of incidental racism) and Missee Lee;
Snorre Sturluson's Heimskringla.

Aug 2, 2025 at 7:37amWeb
Show threadSarah WAug 2, 2025

@simon_brooke
I loved the 13 Clocks, such a wonderful story.
And Winnie the Pooh of course.
Also Wind in the willows.

Another favourite author was Elizabeth Goudge, sadly many of her books are out of print now.
My favourite is probably Linnets and Valerians but difficult to choose.

Show threadSimon BrookeAug 2, 2025
@Sarahw Ah, yes, I should have included The Wind in the Willows... and Elizabeth Gouge: there's a book I'm trying to remember which featured a semi-magical, talking animal with a magnificent tail the animal referred to as its 'en tout case', I think... was that by Elizabeth Gouge? Does anyone remember its title?
Show threadSarah WAug 2, 2025
@simon_brooke
That vaguely rings a bell but I don't think it was Elizabeth Goudge. I'll put on my thinking cap!
As a child I was rather fond of realistic magic.
Another series of books I loved was Carbonel by Barbara Sleigh, it wasn't that you were thinking of? Carbonel was the king of cats who was magical and could talk.
Show threadSimon BrookeAug 2, 2025
@Sarahw No, definitely not that. Castle, dense, dark pine woods, moonlight, evil villain, young female protagonist, and this rather vain magical helper animal with the remarkable tail.
Show threadSarah WAug 2, 2025
@simon_brooke
The Little White Horse, Elizabeth Goudge?
The rest fits but Wrolf the dog (lion) didn't have a particularly spectacular tail.
Show threadSimon BrookeAug 2, 2025
@Sarahw I do remember The Little White Horse, but I don't think this is the same story although it does have a lot of the same themes.
Show threadAnna Saultron Aug 2, 2025

@simon_brooke hey in case you don't want to translate the prompts yourself I uploaded a English version too.

https://nerdculture.de/@AnnaSaultron/114954161881355418

Your answer brought back many memories of waiting for another Winnie the Pooh story. Stuff I almost forgot.:)

Anna Saultron :progresspride: (@[email protected])

Attached: 2 images Dear English speaking writing persons as a special one off for August, because I am the hostess for the German Phantastik Prompts this month, I let a site translate them into English. So in case your not already drowning in prompt games, here is a little glimpse into the German community run writing prompts. If you want to participate, please use the hashtag #FantasticPromptsEnglish to participate & not fill the original hashtag with to many English answers, some are fine but it gets absurd to run a specific language prompt if we all start speaking English in that language room, also people can mute/follow them separately. I don't plan to provide more translations & please do not expect it from the other hosts, we all have lives outside social media & different levels of time & energy Instead of Alt text in the description I post the text in the toots below so people can easily read & copy them. Here are the share pics, have fun. :) #FantasticPromptsEnglish #August2025 #writing

NerdCulture
Show threadStuart WilkinsonAug 4, 2025
@simon_brooke Winnie the pooh and Box of Delights loved here too. Also a big #ArthurRansome fan and having recently re-read them all after 30 years of first doing so, astonished I remember enjoying Peter Duck as Black Jake was such a frightening enemy. I generally went for pretty tame stuff as a child. Always thought Peter Duck would make a great film.