Bear Essential
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He may look fearsome with his curved horns, bright orange eyes and slimy black tongue. But when it comes to popularity, The Gruffalo just keeps getting bigger and bigger. Last month, he celebrated his 25th birthday and still he reigns supreme with 1 in 8 children being introduced to him as their first book.
To mark World Book Day last month, The Works surveyed the very first books that parents are most likely to read to their children. The favourites take a real trip down memory lane and include The Very Hungry Caterpillar, The Tale of Peter Rabbit and Winnie the Pooh all making the top 10.
The study also found that nearly half (44 per cent) of parents read to children from birth. However, those parents who were late to books themselves could be stunting their own child’s progression. One in 10 parents don’t remember reading their first book until they were in secondary school, making them less likely to read to their child under the age of two.
Just outside the top 10 was Zog and Room on the Broom, meaning one in five children have a Donaldson book read to them as their very first story.
The full top 10 first books parents read to their children:
1. The Gruffalo
2. The Very Hungry Caterpillar
3. That’s Not My…
4. Guess How Much I Love You
5. Peppa Pig
6. Spot
7. The Tale of Peter Rabbit
8. Dear Zoo
9. Winnie the Pooh
10. Harry Potter
Visit www.theworks.co.uk
