The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe voted the children’s book most adults want to read again

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails

Sign up to our free breaking news emails

Please enter a valid email address

Please enter a valid email address

SIGN UP

I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy

Childhood classic The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis has been voted the children’s book the nation's grown-ups most want to read again.

The classic fantasy novel, which was first published in 1950, beat tough competition from another widely-held children’s favourite- Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden.

The Railway Children, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Animal Farm all appeared in the top 10.

​Two thirds of adults agree that reading before bed helps them to sleep, the survey found.

The study also revealed there are certain types of fiction which are more effective at relaxing Britons than others, and nearly one in five would reach for a fantasy if they needed to sleep.

Three in five have wanted to revisit or re-read a book that they enjoyed from their childhood, and one in ten believe that children’s books settle their mind best before bed.

According to the study, turning back to children’s literature promotes overwhelmingly positive emotions amongst the nation.

More than half of people get feelings of happiness when reading a story from their childhood.

Embracing fiction from our youth before bed might also help boost our creativity the next day, the survey suggested.

The study, commissioned by Simba, revealed that two fifths of adults use books from their childhood to spark their imagination, whilst one in ten said they help when they need to be more creative.

TOP 30 - CHILDREN’S BOOKS ADULTS WANT TO RE-READ:

South West News Service