During my childhood in the 1970s, I learnt to read with a series of Ladybird books with the two main characters, Peter and Jane.

Then the Enid Blyton books, which were not school books, as far as I can recall. But novels that my friends and I borrowed from each other as we acquired them.

Then I graduated to Mills & Boons, are those accepted as among childhood books?

It was really great to learn how to read, while reading books set in other cultures. Now when I read books set in my culture, I know how to appreciate them even the more.

Most importantly, I was fortunate to grow up reading for fun, to enjoy, as opposed to reading for the purpose of purely passing an exam; which can be a put off books.