Why we yearn to return to magical land of our youth

IT seems the magic of Narnia hasn’t worn off for adults as The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe topped a list of children’s books grownups most want to revisit.

C S Lewis’s 1950 classic pipped Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden to the number one spot in the poll.

The Railway Children, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Animal Farm also made it into the top ten.

The survey found that three in five of us have wanted to revisit a book from our childhood, while two-thirds say reading helps us to sleep.

Hope Bastine, psychologist for bedding website Simba, which ran the poll, said: ‘Children’s classics like The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe play a fantastic role in transporting us back to a magical part of our youth and could play more of a role in helping us to sleep than many of us realise.

‘Our research shows 10.7million of us in the UK believe that tuning into nostalgic memories helps us to unwind.

‘Revisiting favourite books from our childhood not only reminds us of an early brain-encoded bedtime habit, they also help to ignite our imagination.’

According to the study, 58 per cent of us feel happy when reading a story from our childhood, while half get feelings of warmth and comfort.

Miss Bastine added: ‘When our mind is swirling with the facts and thoughts of the day, stories can help us shift down a gear before bed. The evocative journey literature takes us on serves many purposes for adults and children alike.’

Actor Bill Nighy, who is working with Simba, said: ‘Children often arrange to be at their most entertaining around bedtime. It’s a time-honoured sleep delaying strategy.

‘A story is the traditional trade off and one of the nicest things that ever happens for parent and child.

‘It’s a profound exchange that informs the rest of our lives and a story doesn’t stop being delicious when we become adults.’