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Once Upon a Time in Great Britain: A Travel Guide to the Sights and Settings of Your Favorite Children's Stories
Visiting England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales? Don't miss Narnia, Wonderland, Hogwarts and Middle-Earth!
If you're planning a trip abroad--or just a flight of fancy into literature's best-loved magical lands-- Once Upon a Time in Great Britain is a wonderful chance to read all about the creation of your favorite children's books. This book is both a practical travel guide for your family vacation to the UK, and a terrific source of armchair-travel fascination.
Each chapter covers classics such as Peter Rabbit and Paddington Bear for the youngest tourists, Alice in Wonderland, Kidnapped and The Secret Garden for the older kids, and C.S. Lewis' Narnia Chronicles and J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books for everyone.
Read about the real chocolate factory that made such an impression on the young Roald Dahl, or the cozy pub where C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien introduced their friends to Narnia and hobbits. Treat your kids to a visit to the real "100 Aker Wood" that helped A.A. Milne create Winnie the Pooh , or the station where Thomas the Tank Engine lives. And enjoy the many original illustrations that made the books so distinctive on their first publications.
From parents who grew up on Wind in the Willows, Mary Poppins and Peter Pan to kids who thrill to Harry Potter, Once Upon a Time in Great Britain is a must-have addition to the libraries of children-and adults-everywhere.
If you're planning a trip abroad--or just a flight of fancy into literature's best-loved magical lands-- Once Upon a Time in Great Britain is a wonderful chance to read all about the creation of your favorite children's books. This book is both a practical travel guide for your family vacation to the UK, and a terrific source of armchair-travel fascination.
Each chapter covers classics such as Peter Rabbit and Paddington Bear for the youngest tourists, Alice in Wonderland, Kidnapped and The Secret Garden for the older kids, and C.S. Lewis' Narnia Chronicles and J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books for everyone.
Read about the real chocolate factory that made such an impression on the young Roald Dahl, or the cozy pub where C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien introduced their friends to Narnia and hobbits. Treat your kids to a visit to the real "100 Aker Wood" that helped A.A. Milne create Winnie the Pooh , or the station where Thomas the Tank Engine lives. And enjoy the many original illustrations that made the books so distinctive on their first publications.
From parents who grew up on Wind in the Willows, Mary Poppins and Peter Pan to kids who thrill to Harry Potter, Once Upon a Time in Great Britain is a must-have addition to the libraries of children-and adults-everywhere.
288 pages, Paperback
First published August 22, 2002
23 people are currently reading
156 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
January 26, 2019
Getting ready to travel is one of the most exciting things about a trip. You plan, you plot and you hope that you and are going to have the most amazing trip ever. I really love certain books and authors so the idea that I'm going to visit their homes just fills me with delight. “Once Upon a Time in Great Britain: A Travel Guide to the Sights and Settings of Your favorite Children's Stories” is a terrific travel guide and has proved invaluable for my next trip ahead. Should I visit the 17th century farmhouse “Hill Top” in the Lakeside district of England that once was the home of Beatrix Potter? Or how about “Cotchford Farm” in the village of Hartfield, East Sussex where A.A. Milne wrote “Winnie the Pooh” for his son Christopher Robin? The author has written plenty of information on the pubs and homes of J.R.R. Tolkien and Lewis Carroll as well. Both authors are favorites of mine. I enjoyed this book and look forward to researching her suggestions. Obviously I plan to use other books as well but this travel guide made me very happy.
March 7, 2018
What a wonderful, charming idea for a book.I do have to admit that I'm very puzzled and disappointed by the author leaving out my favorite book of all time ,Black Beauty, and its author Anna Sewell. The book is one of the most famous English children books ever , yet nary a mention of it.
Meanwhile, some much lesser known books were included, which were interesting but doesn't make much sense .
I still enjoyed the book but the omission stops me from giving it a perfect rating.
August 17, 2015
Literary tourism in the UK is my crack. There are only two small reasons I knocked a star off my review of this really enjoyable book. First is simply that it is old and needs updating. Secondly, there are a couple holes in the travel guide portions in a couple of spots. For example, Guildford isn't even mentioned in the Lewis Carroll section, even though there are at least four great Carroll/Alice-related things to see in that town. There is no mention of the fact that you can see the original Pooh drawings at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, not in an exhibit, but you can actually go into a room, ask the person behind the desk if you can see them, and that person will hand you a box full of them that you can actually touch and peruse at your leisure. Fill in those holes, update the book, and it will be a great guide. (Bonus would be if the trim size were a bit bigger, with more photos, and in color.) But reading this book was super fun, and really made me want to reread Watership Down yet again.
March 21, 2017
This book was FULL of fascinating facts! It does seem that every single children's book author lived very depressing lives though. I hope I'll be able to visit some of these locations this summer!
December 24, 2022
Brilliant idea - scant execution.
Written by a teacher who spent a year in England and Scotland with her family and visited the sights mentioned in various kids' books. Not being from that area it is fun to visit the England that you are looking for whether it is the old Roman Empire or Shakespeare. For kids, this book carries you through England and Scotland fairytales and stories. Each site has a small blurb and a black-and-white sketch. There are a few monochrome photos but there is nothing consistent. It may be useful as a starting point.
Written by a teacher who spent a year in England and Scotland with her family and visited the sights mentioned in various kids' books. Not being from that area it is fun to visit the England that you are looking for whether it is the old Roman Empire or Shakespeare. For kids, this book carries you through England and Scotland fairytales and stories. Each site has a small blurb and a black-and-white sketch. There are a few monochrome photos but there is nothing consistent. It may be useful as a starting point.
June 25, 2024
This is a fun look into the back stories of children's books written (mostly) by British authors as well as the writers biographies. The author creates a mostly child friendly itinerary due each book/author of things to see & do if you are in the area. This edition was written in the early 2000s and many of the included links to museums, parks, etc. are no longer active, but I'm guessing an internet search will bring you to updated information. I found the stories of the authors inspiration for writing their stories to be delightful little reads.
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July 7, 2022From Follett:
A practical travel guide to the United Kingdom that focuses on the cities, sites, and regions where classic children's stories are set, including "Peter Rabbit", "Alice in Wonderland", and "The Secret Garden".
A practical travel guide to the United Kingdom that focuses on the cities, sites, and regions where classic children's stories are set, including "Peter Rabbit", "Alice in Wonderland", and "The Secret Garden".
October 16, 2024
Read this when waiting for appointments. Informative travel book. Enjoyed biographies of authors.
September 4, 2015
"As our family prepared for a trip to Britain, I searched through travel book sections in local bookstores hoping to find a guide that would help me locate the Britain that was alive in my imagintion" So opens this text detailing the Wentz's trip to England, a trip that would last a year and form the research opportunities for this guide towards storybook Britain.
Wentz's highlighted texts are, as ever with this genre of travel guide, niche and specific. She focuses in the first section on classics such as Peter Pan, The Secret Garden and Alice in Wonderland, before a second section on 'more-recent favourites' including Watership Down, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The 101 Dalmatians before finally highlighting 'British favorites for Americans to enjoy' which includes Greyfriars Bobby, Cider With Rosie and The Railway Children.
Some of these entries in these sections are more successful than others. One example that I was surprised to see was an entry for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, a book with no specific link to location as far as I was aware. Wentz links Charlie to the location of Cadbury World in Birmingham before discussing 'Places connected with Other Roald Dahl Stories' such as Buckingham Palace and Hyde Park Corner (The BFG) and the Roald Dahl museum in Aylesbury. Finally, this section sees a discussion of 'Other Places Connected with Roald Dahl's life' with entries on the Norwegian Church Arts Centre in Cardiff and Gipsy House in Great Missenden.
The entry for Charlie highlights the great dichotomy that is Wentz's approach towards literary tourism. She highlights locations that are thematically relevant to the text (such as Eton and the Hedge Maze at Leeds Castle for Harry Potter) whilst interspersing these with locations that are very much more textually intrinsic such as The Manor House at Hemingford Grey for the The Children of Green Knowe series. It's a complicated approach to take and one that occasionally irks. I'm thinking in particular of the entries for The 101 Dalmatians and Greyfriars Bobby which in their respective sections for 'Other Activities...' both reference Crufts dog show and share a lot of similar text within 10 pages of one another.
Whilst I've highlighted one moment where the construction of this guidebook does prove problematic, it's also worthwhile to acknowledge the uniqueness of this approach towards literary tourism. I'm not sure I'm able to comment effectively on its success or even on its legitimacy, but I am intrigued by the notion of forcefully situating a text where you wish it to be. These ideas of readerly power and control upon a source text are something that fascinate me greatly. It's an approach worth thinking about. I do however think that were I to have relied solely on Wentz's guidebook as a guidebook, I would have been somewhat frustrated by the experience.
Wentz's highlighted texts are, as ever with this genre of travel guide, niche and specific. She focuses in the first section on classics such as Peter Pan, The Secret Garden and Alice in Wonderland, before a second section on 'more-recent favourites' including Watership Down, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The 101 Dalmatians before finally highlighting 'British favorites for Americans to enjoy' which includes Greyfriars Bobby, Cider With Rosie and The Railway Children.
Some of these entries in these sections are more successful than others. One example that I was surprised to see was an entry for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, a book with no specific link to location as far as I was aware. Wentz links Charlie to the location of Cadbury World in Birmingham before discussing 'Places connected with Other Roald Dahl Stories' such as Buckingham Palace and Hyde Park Corner (The BFG) and the Roald Dahl museum in Aylesbury. Finally, this section sees a discussion of 'Other Places Connected with Roald Dahl's life' with entries on the Norwegian Church Arts Centre in Cardiff and Gipsy House in Great Missenden.
The entry for Charlie highlights the great dichotomy that is Wentz's approach towards literary tourism. She highlights locations that are thematically relevant to the text (such as Eton and the Hedge Maze at Leeds Castle for Harry Potter) whilst interspersing these with locations that are very much more textually intrinsic such as The Manor House at Hemingford Grey for the The Children of Green Knowe series. It's a complicated approach to take and one that occasionally irks. I'm thinking in particular of the entries for The 101 Dalmatians and Greyfriars Bobby which in their respective sections for 'Other Activities...' both reference Crufts dog show and share a lot of similar text within 10 pages of one another.
Whilst I've highlighted one moment where the construction of this guidebook does prove problematic, it's also worthwhile to acknowledge the uniqueness of this approach towards literary tourism. I'm not sure I'm able to comment effectively on its success or even on its legitimacy, but I am intrigued by the notion of forcefully situating a text where you wish it to be. These ideas of readerly power and control upon a source text are something that fascinate me greatly. It's an approach worth thinking about. I do however think that were I to have relied solely on Wentz's guidebook as a guidebook, I would have been somewhat frustrated by the experience.
July 27, 2013
A travel book is a success when it inspires your imagination and longing. “Once Upon a Time in Great Britain: A Travel Guide to the Sights and Settings of Your Favourite Children's Stories” by Melanie Wentz is a terrific guide. Yes, at eleven years on the hours of operations and prices of admission are no longer accurate. However, those titbits of information were always irrelevant unless you were actually planning your tour. If, like me, you do most of your travelling vicariously, this book will serve you well. All your favourites from British children’s literature are featured (at least the most famous). There are brief biographical notes about each author (and some illustrators), and anecdotal entries concerning the origins of the stories. There are detailed descriptions of the locales and places featured in the works; local attractions and places of interest. I found it all fascinating. I’ve read most of the works featured and have been inspired to read quite a few of those I haven’t.
April 30, 2014
Disappointing but still worth the read for the biographies and some of the sights and settings. I forgot how much I loved my British children's stories and how much they were such an essential part of my growing up: Peter Pan, The Secret Garden, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, The Wind in the Willows, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, Winnie the Pooh, Beatrix Potter's stories, Watership Down, Paddington, and The 101 Dalmations.
Actually, I read all of these before ever setting foot in Britain and to a large extent they probably formed the ideas I had about England. It would be nice to re-read some of these now that I've been there. But, then again, maybe not. Perhaps it's best to keep the childhood impressions.
Actually, I read all of these before ever setting foot in Britain and to a large extent they probably formed the ideas I had about England. It would be nice to re-read some of these now that I've been there. But, then again, maybe not. Perhaps it's best to keep the childhood impressions.
July 6, 2014
Not comprehensive, but detailed in the stories it does address. I appreciated the author's notes about certain activities or attractions that might not work for travelers with young children due to long lines, steep climbs, etc. It's over 10 years old at this point so it would be a good idea to check all the information online before planning a visit. Even so, it was the best guide I could find on this subject, either in print or online.
February 23, 2016
Interesting and fun facts about the authors, background and settings of famous children's books set in England. If I'm ever fortunate enough to visit England again I'll be sure to make a list of places to visit based on the information found here about books such as The Secrret Garden The Wind in the Willows and Winnie-the-Pooh. It also contains information on more contemporary books such as the Harry Potter series in addition to classics.
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July 12, 2016Anyone on this service who is planning a trip to Great Britain or Scotland should take this book along. Brief bios of children's authors such as J.M. Barrie, J.R.R. Tolkien, Robert L. Stevenson, and P.L. Trevers and where their childhood homes and literary haunts are located in England and Scotland. It is part of a series identifying literary tours in various places. Good directions and tips. A bit outdated for pricing but I imagine the directions would still be pretty good.
May 28, 2008
Children's literature from Winnie the Pooh and Thomas the Tank Engine to Alice and the Hobbit. Brief bios of the authors and illustrators, then places to visit connected with the books and authors. Interesting, and we'll see some of them soon!
I have a couple of new books on my to-read list, and could easily plan another trip to see some the places in this one!
I have a couple of new books on my to-read list, and could easily plan another trip to see some the places in this one!
March 2, 2014
Interesting travel guide to England, using famous children's books as your focus.
Nice little capsule history of the book and author and then some information about the area.
A book to be read in small chunks rather than in one sitting, as it's very formulaic.
by the end though, you will have added a half dozen things to both your 'To be read' and 'To be visited' lists.
Nice little capsule history of the book and author and then some information about the area.
A book to be read in small chunks rather than in one sitting, as it's very formulaic.
by the end though, you will have added a half dozen things to both your 'To be read' and 'To be visited' lists.
February 2, 2008
Lots of fun
January 22, 2008
The author and her family spent a year in Britain researching this guide to places related to children's authors and storybook characters.
August 21, 2008
Wonderful guide to finding read settings in Great Britain related to a wide range of children's books.
August 2, 2011
A really informative book about literature based sites to see in Great Britain.
July 20, 2014
A little outdated, but some good information in here.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews