Leave classic children’s books ALONE!

When I was about 10 my primary school went for their weekly visit to the library and I chose a small hardback which I immediately fell in love with. The book was Little Women, and it was originally published in 1868.

Did the fact that I didn't have a clue what popovers are or that I had no direct experience of living through the Civil War make any difference to my enjoyment of the book? Of course not. If anything, it enhanced it, because I loved the fact that Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy belonged to a different time.

I was never a fan of the Famous Five – No 1 Son hasn't read a single book – but I did like Mallory Towers and St Clare's when I was a child. So I'm despairing of the news that Enid Blyton's books are being 'updated' with language that is considered more 2010 than 1940s.

For goodness sake, give kids some credit. They're perfectly capable of coping with 'classics'. What are we to expect next – The Lord of the Rings reissued in Noughties slang? 'Yo Legolas, where's da ring at?'

Give me strength.

written by Liz Jarvis