Animals and nature are top page-turners for children across generations - new reader research

Was the world in black and white when you were young?
Why is water wet?
Can I be a vampire when I grow up?

Children ask the most awkward and inventive questions. So where do parents go to find the answers? According to a poll of over 1500 parents and carers across the UK, they are more likely to turn to books than the internet to explore their children’s questions about the natural world. 72% of young parents (aged 16-24) say that books are a useful way of exploring these answers whilst only 30.6% cite the internet as useful.

The research which is published today (19 October) was undertaken as part of the launch of Booktime 2010 which will give over 1.3 million books to reception aged children in England.

A staggering 97% of the parents who took part in the research stated that reading books encourages their child to talk with them about new things. The research also found that 52% of children (and 49% of parents when they were young) say that animals and nature are their favourite subject matter in books. Perhaps this is because 92% of parents and carers feel that reading books where animals are the main characters can help children to make sense of human feelings, experiences and relationships.

The results of the research demonstrate the pivotal role reading together (and particularly reading about the natural world and animals) has in opening up important parent/child discussions and triggering inquisitive minds. The results also demonstrate that reading about the environment and nature is creating a generation of children who are increasingly interested in looking after the natural world. 90% of parents state that reading books about animals increases their child’s interest in the natural world.

According to the poll, the top three children’s books all feature animals. The Gruffalo is favourite for 18% of children; 11% plumped for The Very Hungry Caterpillar with the same number picking Peppa Pig. Interestingly, The Very Hungry Caterpillar also featured in the top three of parents favourite books when they were 5 years old, coming in second with 15%.

The top five children’s favourite animal characters were Peppa Pig (21%), Winnie the Pooh (11%), Tigger (11%), Fantastic Mr Fox (10%), and The Very Hungry Caterpillar (8%).

Book Trust