These books basically taught me to read. I must have had the basics already but I was behind at that time and these books put me ahead. I think it is because they had a very appealing subject matter.
I loved these books, Oh how I wish my children were reading these, there books are soooo boring (but dont tell them a said so)I've tried to get them but you cant get a set and are now so expense
Thank you for posting. I may be a bit late in responding, but I truly loved these books. I was born in England to Jamaican parents. I left when I was 14 and now live outside of Washington, DC. Now that I have my own children, the subject about this book series keeps coming up between me and my wife. I'd love to meet Sheila McCullagh. She has touched me and so many others with these books.
I had the same experience as Trouty. These are the first books that taught me how to read and learnt to love reading with them. i became fascinated by pirates, not only because of what the author wrote but also because i was living on an island (seychelles) at that time. Now am married to a guy who works on ships!!
My son was struggling to read, he was put on these books by his tutor. Best thing that ever happened. Only thing is some books are now out of print!!! Where can I get missing copies?
Sorry but these books were being used earlier than the '70's. I left in '69 and remember reading them much earlier. They were fantastic and the teacher often read them aloud to us by popular request.
YES!!! I remember these now Brill! I loved Benjamin Blue so much I named my baby doll after him he he he, things you do when younger. thanks for the memories EXCELLENT SITE
I was lucky enough to meet Sheila McCullagh recently and was able to tell her what a wonderful joy she had brought to my childhood primary school days.
My children loved these books at a village primary school in Norfolk...in the 1970s/1980s How I wish I could find some cheap ones to send to my grandchild, now nearly 5...they are so expensive to buy if you find copies and there is nothing like them today Anne Jones
Takes me straight back to being an 8 or 9 yr old in primary school book club. We also had the audio system where a small desk of 6 or 8 kids could each plug a set of headphones onto one massive cassette machine that ONLY the teacher could touch! Lol
Can't believe my luck in finding this webpage. I was thinking about the books that helped me read as a child, stuck in Benjamin the Blue in the search engine and here we are. The pictures were so striking that they have stayed with me for over 40 years. I will have to show this page to my great nephew who is pirate mad. He will delighted. Thanks
I loved these books, and was ahead on my reading in 1977 because of these books. Of course my favorite was Benjamin, but I didnt realise why at the time. Basically he was the dashing good looking one, and with having blonde blue eyes myself, I tended to like all blonde haired people. (Also Hutch over starsky & eagle eyes action man over the dark haired one)The other 2 pirates were slimy looking, and I think it shows that we all have a natural tendancy to judge people by looks - even at 6 years old. Is this a good thing? Even at 43 I judge people by looks, and dont trust sly looking people :)
Last time I was in the UK I found some at a second hand bookstore I read these when I was 7 to 11 back in the 60's. Just saw that someone was selling Gregory the green for a crazy amount so glad I have a copy. The same writer wrote the ladybird "puddle lane " books that my son learned to read from, he is now reading them to his son
I was dyslexic but not diagnosed until grade 2. By then everyone else was reading and I was sent to "the special teacher" I learned how to read with these books and loved them. In fact that school was primary to 2 but when I moved on to another school the special teacher still let me come back and borrow the books until I finished the series. Loved them, I probably had a crush on Benjamin too but was really intrigued by the Griffin. Found this site because I couldn't remember names and really want to get these books. From what I remember they were only tiny paperbacks. I'd like to get them as a whole set but buying individually looks way too expensive.
Bloody brilliant! Suffer from insomnia and have the strangest thoughts going through my head at 4:45 am, and for some reason was thinking about my childhood (l'm 37) and the memory of these books popped into my head so thought I'd try googling them, surprise surprise and there you are! LOVED these books and obviously made me into the avid reader that l am today, Ben was my favourite too, though being a lesbian maybe l just wanted to BE him lol, thanks for the nostalgia
These books made a deep impression on me,maybe that's why I ended up as a fisherman,not many openings in the UK as a pirate back then lol.Have just bought Acrooacree and even after all these years its still great.I love the bit where Ben finally reach's the fabled island of Acrooacree...He did not feel happy,and he did not feel sad.he just stood there very still,and looked across the sea towards acooacree,and said to himself,over and over again,Acrooacree,I have found acrooacree...
I met Sheila on a "once in a life time" holiday in the Maldives in 1996. We spent 2 wonderful weeks sharing some fantastic times and it was a fantastic moment when i found out she was the author of the books i had read as a child. I owe her such a big Thank You for posting me the books with a personel message in each one.I have shown so many of school hood friends these book and it never fails to bring a warm smile to their faces
What a wonderful meeting, Mike. It is amazing how many books she wrote. Even now I'm still finding reading schemes that she wrote that I never knew about it. An amazing lady.
Glad to see that others feel the same way about these books as I did! I loved them to pieces, never thought that as a girl I was excluded from the adventures (apparently that's why they are no longer used) and have tried to find the whole set to use with my own kids when they were learning to read. Unsuccessfully - or at least not within my price range. Now they've moved on, they're a bit older, but it's sad that they never got to know the magic of these books. You're right - quite a few of the reading books today are too boring for words.
Can you give the Synopsis of the story after Alorns Cave? They went in so they could find the white cat but one of the pirates has been turned to stone.
Do you know the highlights of the following books? (white cat, breaking of the chain, stolen ship, Alorns treasure)
Magical wonderful books that should be brought back into the light where kids today would love life on the the high seas,treasure and arhh a pirates life !!
Takes me back to the 1970's when I was attending ''The Y Graig Junior school in Bargoed, South Wales. I went there from 1976 to 1980. I learned to read on these books, which is what we were meant to do. Oh the memories.
27 comments:
REMINDS ME OF PRIMARY SCHOOL AND ALL THE FOND MEMORIES THAT ENTAILED
These books basically taught me to read. I must have had the basics already but I was behind at that time and these books put me ahead. I think it is because they had a very appealing subject matter.
I loved these books, Oh how I wish my children were reading these, there books are soooo boring (but dont tell them a said so)I've tried to get them but you cant get a set and are now so expense
Thank you for posting. I may be a bit late in responding, but I truly loved these books. I was born in England to Jamaican parents. I left when I was 14 and now live outside of Washington, DC. Now that I have my own children, the subject about this book series keeps coming up between me and my wife. I'd love to meet Sheila McCullagh. She has touched me and so many others with these books.
I had the same experience as Trouty. These are the first books that taught me how to read and learnt to love reading with them. i became fascinated by pirates, not only because of what the author wrote but also because i was living on an island (seychelles) at that time. Now am married to a guy who works on ships!!
My son was struggling to read, he was put on these books by his tutor. Best thing that ever happened. Only thing is some books are now out of print!!! Where can I get missing copies?
Sorry but these books were being used earlier than the '70's. I left in '69 and remember reading them much earlier. They were fantastic and the teacher often read them aloud to us by popular request.
Sheila McCullagh wrote so many fantastic series for kids, full of excitement and adventure. I think she got me started reading as well.
YES!!! I remember these now Brill! I loved Benjamin Blue so much I named my baby doll after him he he he, things you do when younger. thanks for the memories EXCELLENT SITE
I was lucky enough to meet Sheila McCullagh recently and was able to tell her what a wonderful joy she had brought to my childhood primary school days.
My children loved these books at a village primary school in Norfolk...in the 1970s/1980s How I wish I could find some cheap ones to send to my grandchild, now nearly 5...they are so expensive to buy if you find copies and there is nothing like them today Anne Jones
Takes me straight back to being an 8 or 9 yr old in primary school book club. We also had the audio system where a small desk of 6 or 8 kids could each plug a set of headphones onto one massive cassette machine that ONLY the teacher could touch! Lol
Oh yes! I loved reading these in the early 1970s. I, too, was in love with the Blue Pirate and was fascinated by the Griffin.
I can remember listening to an audio tape of the stories and the teacher would put up big posters of the pirates on the wall!
Can't believe my luck in finding this webpage. I was thinking about the books that helped me read as a child, stuck in Benjamin the Blue in the search engine and here we are. The pictures were so striking that they have stayed with me for over 40 years. I will have to show this page to my great nephew who is pirate mad. He will delighted. Thanks
I loved these books, and was ahead on my reading in 1977 because of these books. Of course my favorite was Benjamin, but I didnt realise why at the time. Basically he was the dashing good looking one, and with having blonde blue eyes myself, I tended to like all blonde haired people. (Also Hutch over starsky & eagle eyes action man over the dark haired one)The other 2 pirates were slimy looking, and I think it shows that we all have a natural tendancy to judge people by looks - even at 6 years old. Is this a good thing? Even at 43 I judge people by looks, and dont trust sly looking people :)
Last time I was in the UK I found some at a second hand bookstore I read these when I was 7 to 11 back in the 60's. Just saw that someone was selling Gregory the green for a crazy amount so glad I have a copy. The same writer wrote the ladybird "puddle lane " books that my son learned to read from, he is now reading them to his son
I was dyslexic but not diagnosed until grade 2. By then everyone else was reading and I was sent to "the special teacher" I learned how to read with these books and loved them. In fact that school was primary to 2 but when I moved on to another school the special teacher still let me come back and borrow the books until I finished the series. Loved them, I probably had a crush on Benjamin too but was really intrigued by the Griffin. Found this site because I couldn't remember names and really want to get these books. From what I remember they were only tiny paperbacks. I'd like to get them as a whole set but buying individually looks way too expensive.
Bloody brilliant! Suffer from insomnia and have the strangest thoughts going through my head at 4:45 am, and for some reason was thinking about my childhood (l'm 37) and the memory of these books popped into my head so thought I'd try googling them, surprise surprise and there you are! LOVED these books and obviously made me into the avid reader that l am today, Ben was my favourite too, though being a lesbian maybe l just wanted to BE him lol, thanks for the nostalgia
These books made a deep impression on me,maybe that's why I ended up as a fisherman,not many openings in the UK as a pirate back then lol.Have just bought Acrooacree and even after all these years its still great.I love the bit where Ben finally reach's the fabled island of Acrooacree...He did not feel happy,and he did not feel sad.he just stood there very still,and looked across the sea towards acooacree,and said to himself,over and over again,Acrooacree,I have found acrooacree...
Thank you so much for all your wonderful comments.
I met Sheila on a "once in a life time" holiday in the Maldives in 1996. We spent 2 wonderful weeks sharing some fantastic times and it was a fantastic moment when i found out she was the author of the books i had read as a child. I owe her such a big Thank You for posting me the books with a personel message in each one.I have shown so many of school hood friends these book and it never fails to bring a warm smile to their faces
Mike from Canterbury
What a wonderful meeting, Mike. It is amazing how many books she wrote. Even now I'm still finding reading schemes that she wrote that I never knew about it. An amazing lady.
Glad to see that others feel the same way about these books as I did! I loved them to pieces, never thought that as a girl I was excluded from the adventures (apparently that's why they are no longer used) and have tried to find the whole set to use with my own kids when they were learning to read. Unsuccessfully - or at least not within my price range. Now they've moved on, they're a bit older, but it's sad that they never got to know the magic of these books. You're right - quite a few of the reading books today are too boring for words.
Can you give the Synopsis of the story after Alorns Cave? They went in so they could find the white cat but one of the pirates has been turned to stone.
Do you know the highlights of the following books? (white cat, breaking of the chain, stolen ship, Alorns treasure)
Magical wonderful books that should be brought back into the light where kids today would love life on the the high seas,treasure and arhh a pirates life !!
Takes me back to the 1970's when I was attending ''The Y Graig Junior school in Bargoed, South Wales. I went there from 1976 to 1980. I learned to read on these books, which is what we were meant to do. Oh the memories.
Post a Comment