The 50 Books Every Child Should Read By Age 16

top children's books, top children book characters, top children's books, best, children's, books, readingFor World Book Day we have the Top 50 books every child should read. Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory has topped the list of 50 books which every child should read by the age of 16.

The study of 2,000 reading enthusiasts was created to determine the ultimate list of the top 50 books that should be on every child’s reading list, encouraging bedtime reading for British families.

The research, commissioned by Sainsbury’s to celebrate World Book Day, found C.S. Lewis’ adventures in Narnia are no less thrilling today – The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe finished third in the list of 50 books, while Winnie the Pooh and Black Beauty rounded off the top five.

The research also surveyed parents of children aged under 16 and found a good story really is timeless, results showed – six in ten parents still like to read stories to their children that their own parents once read to them as a little one.

Perhaps it’s no surprise then that 72 per cent of parents said bedtime reading is one of the most key bonding experiences with their child.

Tony Robinson, actor, comedian and author, who worked with Sainsbury’s on the campaign, added: “The response from parents and the lengths they go to in bringing these stories to their children as vividly as possible is amazing.

“It shows that the power of make believe is so important in the development of a child and a key role in parents bonding with their young ones.”

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 characters. Sainsburys.co.uk will be hosting in-store ‘Make Believe’ events nationwide, to support the nation’s reading week complete with reading corners and activities to encourage children to read more and inspire parents to get involved.

 

The 50 Books Every Child Should Read By Age 16

1. Charlie and The Chocolate Factory- Roald Dahl
2. Alice in Wonderland- Lewis Carroll
3.The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe- C.S. Lewis
4.Winnie-the-Pooh – A. A. Milne
5. Black Beauty- Anna Sewell
6.James and The Giant Peach- Roald Dahl
7.The BFG-Roald Dahl
8. A Bear Called Paddington- Michael Bond
9. Treasure Island- Robert Louis Stevenson
10. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn- Mark Twain
11. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone – J.K. Rowling
12. Matilda- Roald Dahl
13. The Railway – E. Nesbit
14. Oliver Twist- Charles Dickens
15.Five on a Treasure Island- Enid Blyton
16.The Wind in the Willows- Kenneth Grahame
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.Tolken
23.Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- J.K. Rowling
24.Lord of the Flies- William Golding
25.The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, aged 13 ¾ 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 and Ham: Green Back Book – Dr Seuss
36.The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham
37. Bambi- Felix Selten
38.Tom’s Midnight Garden- Phillipa Pearce
39.Little House on 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 by Janet and Allan Ahlberg

 

Top 20 Best-Loved Children 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 and 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

 

 

Christmas Gift Ideas For Your Child

Ah, your precious one. The apple of your eye. What isn’t too good for them? These picks all really caught our eye: perfect for your little one.christmasgiftlistforchildren

 

Blade & Rose Christmas Pudding Leggings and Cute Socks

blade&rose

blade&rose socks

christmaspuddingbabyclothes

These are adorable. I mean so unbelievably adorable. One of the best things about babies is that you can dress them however you want, and who wouldn’t melt at the sight of your baby in its festive clothes.

 

Carib Glass Wall Clock from Room To Grow

clockredbignumbers

 

Not only beautiful and stylish, it also has big numbers so your little one will be able to see clearly. Is fun and vibrant and will look stylish in any bedroom or playroom. Coloured glass with contrasting coloured numbers and chrome hands.

 

Peppa Pig 4-in-1 Shaped Bath Time Puzzle

peppapigpuzzle

This is a great bath game, the pieces also stick to the bath. Fun and educational at the same time. From Jumbo Games. Available from Boots.com and argos.co.uk

Peppa Pig Snakes & Ladders

Peppa Pig Snakes & Ladders

You can also buy this amazing giant Peppa Pig Snakes & Ladders game. A brilliant 80x80cm floor game for children over three.

Available from argos.co.uk and Amazon.

 

Gus & Me Book By Keith Richards

gus&me

Yes, THAT Keith Richards. Let’s be honest, it is never too early to get your kid hooked on the Rolling Stones. This is a wonderful children’s book which comes with a CD and has artwork from daughter Theodora Richards, so it is a family affair. Especially cool if your child is musical, or you want them to be. Available here and from foyles.co.uk, thebookpeople.co.uk, waterstones.com

 

Penguin Junior Wellies

penguinwellies

These are super cool and super cute at the same time. We love them and so do little ones. The Penguin Junior Wellies are a fully waterproof, durable and fun product for keeping children’s feet clean and dry. From mountainwarehouse.com

 

Horrid Henry’s Christmas Lunch

horridhenry'schristmaslunch

Perfect and fun for early readers. Horrid Henry would much rather have pizza and chips for his Christmas lunch, and this year, he might just get his way…This is the 100th book in the phenomenally popular Early Reader format, published during Henry’s 20th anniversary year. Available here and foyles.co.uk, thebookpeople.co.uk, waterstones.com

 

What will you get your little one?

 

Roger Moore's Christmas wish to you

Let the bells ring out for every child in the world this Christmas.

This festive season, forget the latest iPhone, toy or gadget and give your family and friends a
truly inspirational present by treating them to a UNICEF Inspired gift, which will be delivered
to a vulnerable child around the world on their behalf.

UNICEF’s Inspired Gift range is unique, suitable for all budgets and easy to buy online.
All the inspired gifts are real lifesaving supplies delivered to children, some living in desperate

conditions around the world. They include items such as medicines, foods, water containers
and education materials. Your friend or family member will receive a gift card, which tells
them how their gift is making a real difference to children’s lives.

Now, with the ‘children’s famine’ affecting nearly 2 million children in Somalia alone and its
impact likely to last for years to come, there is no better time to add a UNICEF Inspired Gift to this year’s Christmas shopping list.

There is a gift for every budget;
• For £13 you can purchase life-saving therapeutic milk to help a child suffering from
severe malnutrition to survive another day.
• You can help five families protect themselves from malaria with mosquito nets for just
£20
• For £12 you could brighten a child’s day with five story books
• For those with a slightly bigger budget, £150 will enable you to deliver an entire
‘school in a box’ to children caught up in an emergency so they get back to learning
as soon as possible

UNICEF is the world’s leading children’s organisation, responding to more than 200
emergencies each year and working in every country to make sure the world’s most
vulnerable children are reached. Every year, more than 8 million children die before their fifth
birthday, mostly from preventable causes, that’s almost one child every four seconds. This is
wrong but by purchasing one of UNICEF’s inspired gifts this Christmas, you can help to put it
right.

See our top 10 Inspired Gifts below, or go online to view the full range:
www.unicef.org.uk/inspired

For those who want to wrap up something to go under the tree then UNICEF also offers a
more traditional selection of cards and gifts including gorgeous handmade leather bags and
ethical jewellery: www.unicef.org.uk/shop

Our top 10 Inspired Gifts
All of the photos can be provided as high-resolution images on request. Product photos also
available. Prices effective as of 1 September 2011

Emergency water kit for a family £8.50

Give a UNICEF Inspired Gift that will enable a family caught up in an emergency or natural
disaster to collect, store and even purify water.

Deliver a baby £27
Provide all the equipment and medicines needed for the safe delivery of a new baby.
Life-saving milk £13
Give life-saving, therapeutic milk for the treatment of severe child malnutrition.
Water pump £320
Buy a water pump and help provide clean, safe drinking water for a whole community.
Peanut paste to save a child from malnutrition £23.50
Help malnourished children with this life-saving therapeutic food. It’s a high-protein, peanutbased
paste that comes in a ready-to-use sachet.
Five mosquito nets £20
Mosquito nets for five families to protect them from malaria. Malaria kills one African child
every 30 seconds.
Three months HIV medicines for a mum and a baby £12
Provide life-saving anti-retroviral medicines for a mother and baby for three months.
Polio vaccines £9.50
Protect 100 children from this highly contagious viral infection.
School-in-a-box £150
This emergency education kit provides the school supplies that children need to continue their
lessons as soon as possible after a disaster.
Story books £12
Open up the delight of story-time for whole groups of children with five story books.

UNICEF’s full range of Cards, Gifts and Inspired Gifts* are available exclusively online at
www.unicef.org.uk/shop or by calling 0844 888 5505.

Rebekah Brooks Expecting First Child

Former News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks is expecting her first child with racehorse trainer husband Charlie.

The couple are having the child through a surrogate. They are the biological parents and it will be born in February 2012.

Brooks’s spokesperson David Wilson said in a statement released on November the 17th: “Charlie and Rebekah are overjoyed. While the pregnancy has not been without its difficulties and sadness, Charlie and Rebekah are obviously hoping for a very happy ending to almost five years of trying to conceive themselves.

“Both parents are acutely aware of the infertility problems encountered by many other couples, and in the longer term hope to recognise their own good fortune by working in some way to help others facing similar challenges.”

The couple are having a girl, who was originally one of twins, but one of the twins died earlier in the pregnancy.

The surrogate mother wishes to remain anonymous.