Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
SA’s most popular children’s books
BABY brand My 1st Years has conducted a study to determine the world’s most popular children’s bedtime stories.
Researchers analysed Google data to reveal the number of searches for over 370 children’s books in 181 countries over the past year in order to discover every country’s most popular stories, as well as the most loved children’s books globally.
The study found that Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland was the world’s most popular bedtime story, topping the list in 57 countries. The story was first published in 1865 and has remained popular ever since, now having been translated into 174 languages.
In second place globally was Neil Gaiman’s dark fantasy children’s novella, Coraline, which was published in 2002. Coraline Jones is a curious, intelligent and courageous young girl who moves – with her parents – into an old house that is divided into flats. Her new neighbours are interesting old people, one of whom is Mr Bobo. Mr Bobo warns Coraline against going through a door that leads to an uninhabited flat, but Coraline goes through anyway and finds herself in the “Other World”, a duplicate of her own.
Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory came in as the world’s third most popular bedtime story. It is the number one most popular bedtime story in South Africa. The story features Charlie Bucket, an 11-year-old boy from a poverty-stricken family who wins a tour to a world-famous chocolate factory.
SA’s fourth and fifth most popular bedtime stories are Winnie the Pooh by AA Milne and The Big Friendly Giant by Roald Dahl.
“For children of all ages, bedtime stories are often a prominent part of their bedtime routine,” said Gareth Chadwick, head of marketing at My 1st Years.
Giveaway: Stand a chance to win a five-book hamper from Wordsworth Books. What is your favourite bedtime story? Send an email with WABOOKS in the subject line, with your name and answer to jellybeanclub@inl.co.za. The competition closes on Wednesday, September 28. Terms and conditions apply.