Commissioned by The Works, (EDITOR My favourite bookshop!) the survey discovered one in five parents are picking up Julia Donaldson books to read to their children for the very first time, with The Gruffalo leading the way as the most popular first read.
A number of classics featured on the list, including The Very Hungry Caterpillar which is still being enjoyed as a first read over 50 years on from its release.
Also, the study also explored reading trends, uncovering that those parents who were introduced to reading later in their own childhoods, significantly more likely to read to their own children at a later stage in their development.
44% of parents read to children from birth
However, those parents who were late to reading themselves could be stunting their own child’s progression
As the nation celebrates National Book Lovers Day on Wednesday (August 9), a new study has unveiled The Gruffalo as the go-to book when it comes to reading to our children for the very first time.
The Survey, commissioned by The Works, aimed to uncover reading habits among parents and children and whether our own experiences of reading influences how we read to our children, as well as the top books we read to children today.
And the results proved overwhelmingly favourable towards Julia Donaldson titles, with The Gruffalo not only taking the crown as the number one read book to children, but with titles such as Zog and Room on the Broom also popular, a total of one in five children have a Donaldson book read to them as their very first story.
Donaldson books were joined by some old favourites, including The Very Hungry Caterpillar, which is still the second most popular first book read to children, despite being over 50-years-old, while the That’s Not My… series, written by Fiona Watt is the third most common set of books read to children as their first reads.
The full top 10 first books parents read to their children:
The Gruffalo
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
That’s Not My…
Guess How Much I Love You
Peppa Pig
Spot
The Tale of Peter Rabbit
Dear Zoo
Winnie the Pooh
Harry Potter
When it comes to the age in which we’re reading to our children, book lovers will be pleased to see 44% of parents pick up a book to engage their children in storytime from birth, with a further 27% of parents doing so from under the age of two.
But the study also revealed 10% of adults questioned for the survey don’t remember reading their first book until they were in secondary school, resulting in parents 20% less likely to read to their child under the age of two, while less than one in five parents that don’t recall reading until after the age of 12 will introduce reading to their own children from birth.
You can view the full study at: https://www.theworks.co.uk/theworks-blog/book-inspiration/the-first-book-we-remember.html
