Conversation:

Big Ears was a brownie in the original Noddy books not a gnome.

I read the books when I was a kid and loved them, I am now reading them to my little boy, he adores them, but because we are using the original books they do require some fast thinking tweaking as you are reading them as the characters can over-react in quite a serious way. The thrashing that Big Ears gave Bumpy Dog for spoiling his cat's party was heavily trimmed. As for the racism and sexism, it is just about being sensitive to possible issues isn't it. They are lovely books though.

Isn't it strange the way children's sensiblities as well as adults one's change. I read the Billy Bunter books as a child and remember canings being presenting in a humerous way, which shocked me at the time.

Glad you're enjoying them.

Z

But if Big Ears was a Brownie, was Noddy also a Brownie?

Here in France, kids are still reading them, but here Noddy is "Oui Oui"; which makes sense!

They also like the Famous 5, but all the names have been changed.

*waves at Z* how are you?

Terri.

I'm going to go up the Noddy expert cul-de-sac here but Noddy was a little nodding doll, it was established that he was a toy and so could live in Toyland in a trial (which was quite dark for pre-schoolers!) in the first book.