scrapbook

Famous Five top child book poll

Two million Enid Blyton books are sold around the world each year

The Famous Five books, which were penned by Enid Blyton, have topped a poll to discover which books adults most enjoyed as children.

Over 1,000 adults, aged between 25 and 54, were asked to name their favourite children's book while growing up.

Blyton's series of 21 Famous Five adventures, written between 1942 and 1963, narrowly beat classics like Treasure Island and Lord of the Rings.

Two million copies of the Famous Five novels are sold worldwide each year.

The adventure series featuring Julian, Dick, George, Anne and Timmy the dog made Blyton the most successful children's author all time.

The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - the 1950 fantasy tale penned by CS Lewis - came second in the survey, which was carried out by the Cartoon Network.

---

Children's Top Five

1. The Famous Five
2. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe
3. Treasure Island
4. The Secret Seven
5. Black Beauty

---

And Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island, published in 1883, came third.

Another Blyton creation, The Secret Seven, came fourth in the poll.

The adventure series aimed at younger readers featured the likes of Peter, Janet, Jack and Scamper the dog.

Enid Blyton's daughter Gillian Baverstock, who lives in Ilkley, West Yorkshire, welcomed the results of the poll.

She said: "It is wonderful that my mother's books are remembered so fondly.

"The secret of their success is that they centre squarely on children, with adults only ever playing a minor role.

"The injection of adventure and excitement on to every page stimulates a child's desire to continue to read not just one book but the whole series."

The survey was done for the Prince of Wales' StoryQuest Children's Literary Festival, which takes place across the UK in October.

[original article]

Posted by thinkum at August 27, 2004 09:27 PM