World Book Day 2015

Today is World Book Day! 

I've written so many times about how much of a bookworm C is. He has a pretty impressive book collection for a 2 year old and although he is a bit too small for the whole "dressing up in nursery/school" thing I will explain to him what World Book Day is as he's starting to understand a bit more. 

To tie in with World Book Day 2015, Sainsbury's have done a study and have published a list of 50 books that all children should read by the age of 16 with Roald Dahl's Charlie & the Chocolate Factory taking the top spot - which I'm not surprised about, it's a great book! Five of his books made the list. Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland came a close second. 

The study showed that 72% of parents said that bedtime reading is one of the most important bonding experiences with their child. I totally agree with this - C and I do seem to read together constantly thought the day though too!

6 in 10 parents like to read stories to their children that their parents once read to them and 75% of parents put on voices to bring the characters to life. 

To celebrate the nation's week of reading, Sainsbury's is encouraging children to read more by exploring the world of books and dress up as their favourite fictional character. 

The 50 Books Every Child Should Read By Age 16

1. Charlie & the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl 

2. Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll

3. The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe - C.S. Lewis 

4. Winnie the Pooh - A.A. Milne

5. Black Beauty - Anna Sewell

6. James & the Giant Peach - Roald Dahl

7. The BFG - Roald Dahl 

8. A Bear Called Paddington - Michael Bond 

9. Treasure Island - Robert Louis Stevenson

10. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - Mark Twain

11. Harry Potter & the Philosopher's Stone - J.K. Rowling

12. Matilda - Roald Dahl 

13. The Railway Children - E. Nesbit

14. Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens

15. Five on a Treasure Island - Enid Blyton

16. The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Graham 

17. The Very Hungry Caterpillar - Eric Carle 

18. The Jungle Book - Rudyard Kipling

19. Charlotte's Web - EB White

20. The Tale of Peter Rabbit - Beatrix Potter

21. Watership Down - Richard Adams

22. The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien 

23. Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows - J.K. Rowling

24. Lord of the Flies - William Golding 

25. The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, aged 13 3/4 - Sue Townsend

26. Great Expectations - Charles Dickens 

27. The Cat in the Hat - Dr Seuss

28. The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson-Burnett

29. The Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank

30. The Twits - Roald Dahl

31. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz - L. Frank Baum

32. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas - John Boyne

33. Anne of Green Gables - L.M. Montgomery

34. The Tiger Who Came to Tea - Judith Kerr

35. Green Eggs & Ham - Dr Seuss

36. The Day of the Triffids - John Wyndham

37. Bambi - Felix Selten

38. Tom's Midnight Garden - Phillipa Pearce 

39. Little House of the Prairie - Laura Ingalls Wilder

40. Funny Bones - Janet and Allan Ahlberg

41. Where the Wild Things Are - Maurice Sendak

42. Carrie's War - Nina Bawden

43. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - Mark Haddon

44. The Magician's Nephew - C.S.Lewis

45. The Golden Compass - Philip Pullman

46. The Story of Doctor Dolittle - Hugh Lofting

47. The Story of Tracy Beaker - Jacqueline Wilson

48. The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins

49. Curious George - H.A. Ray

50. Each Peach Pear Plum - Janet and Allan Ahlberg 

I'm so pleased that Jacqueline Wilson made the list. I had almost all of her books when I was younger! 

Kids always seem to have favourite book characters too and Sainsbury's also compiled a list of the Top 20 Best-Loved Children's Book Characters.

1. Paddington Bear

2. Winnie the Pooh 

3. The Hungry Caterpillar 

4. Postman Pat 

5. Thomas the Tank Engine 

6. The Gruffalo

7. Harry Potter 

8. Cinderella

9. Mr Men

10. Peter Rabbit 

11. Charlie from Charlie & the Chocolate Factory 

12. Peter Pan 

13. The BFG

14. Alice in Wonderland 

15. Noddy

16. Willy Wonka

17. Matilda

18. Mog the Cat

19. Toad from Wind in the Willows

20. Pinocchio  

Have your kids dressed up as anyone on this list today?

(Disclaimer: C received a World Book Day costume for sharing this information.)