DESPITE the advent of new technology, reading is still a popular pasttime - and the top 100 books which children should read before finishing primary school has been released by TES magazine in partnership with the National Association for the Teaching of English.
And the enduring appeal of Belfast-born author CS Lewis who lived between 1898 and 1963 is apparent - his book The Chronicles Of Narnia - comes in at number six.
Here are the top 10 children’s fiction books on the list, compiled through surveys with teachers.
10. Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak - Max, a young boy, wreaks chaos in his house dressed in a wolf costume and is sent to bed without dinner. While serving his punishment, his room is transformed into a mysterious jungle and he ends up sailing to an island occupied by malevolent creatures known as the “Wild Things”. Max is hailed as their king after successfully intimidating these beasts. After this fun, Max decides to return home to find a plate of hot dinner waiting for him in his room.
9. Dogger by Shirley Hughes - A little boy, Dave, doesn’t go anywhere without his toy Dogger – until he loses Dogger. The school fair the next day doesn’t interest Dave, as Dogger is still missing. Wandering around the fair miserably, the only thing that brings a smile to Dave’s face is the sight of Dogger hidden behind the toys being sold. Everything seems better, until someone buys Dogger before Dave can. Following tense events Dave is eventually reunited with his best friend.
8. We’re Going On A Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen - Rosen took the old children’s rhyme and turned it into a beautiful watercolour picture book. The tale follows a family that goes on a bear hunt and meets obstacles including mud, water, forest and snow.
7. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle - A baby green caterpillar experiences perpetual hunger from birth and stops at nothing to fulfil this feeling. He eats food including fruit on top of a cupcake and even a cherry pie. He soon feels queasy. He spins a cocoon in order to recover which he stays in for the next two weeks. The cocoon opens to reveal a beautiful multicoloured butterfly.
6. The Chronicles Of Narnia by CS Lewis - Four siblings, two brothers and two sisters, are evacuated to a country house to avoid the bombing of London during the Second World War. While exploring the old house they’re living in, they discover a wardrobe – a portal into another world, Narnia. The four children are thrown into a war, Aslan against The Witch. The children join in, fighting for what they think is right. The chronicles describe the adventures of the four children in Narnia.
5. The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson - A brave mouse walking through woods encounters various animals that want to eat him. The mouse tells all the creatures that he’s on his way to meet a vicious monster, the Gruffalo. But to the mouse’s surprise, the monster he made up turns out to be not so made up, causing the mouse to think quickly.
4. Matilda by Roald Dahl - Young Matilda has neglectful parents who don’t love her and a horrible headmistress, Miss Trunchbull, who tortures her. Matilda doesn’t believe that anyone loves her, causing her to develop telekinesis, which allows her to take revenge on those that have neglected her. Matilda’s teacher, Miss Honey, is the only adult that shows any warmth towards her and the two develop a mother-daughter relationship.
3. Alice In Wonderland by Lewis Carroll - Following a white rabbit into a hole, Alice finds herself in a mysterious world and can’t find her way home. Adventures include tea parties with the Mad Hatter, a court case with the Queen of Hearts and a strange purple talking cat. Eventually, after all the madness, Alice finds her way home.
2. Goodnight Mister Tom by Michelle Magorian - William “Willie” Beach is evacuated from London during World War Two and finds himself in a house with grumpy old Mr Tom. They find it hard to establish a relationship until Mr Tom discovers that Willie has an abusive mother. This motivates Mr Tom to care for the boy and the two go on to have a father-son relationship. But when Willie’s abusive mother demands him back in London, it sets in motion horrific events.
1. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl - Poor little Charlie was astounded to find a golden ticket in a Willy Wonka chocolate bar, winning him a tour of the weird and mysterious chocolate factory. Charlie and his grandfather and other winners embark on the tour seeing how Willy Wonka’s treats are made. Charlie and the other children realise that breaking the rules and being greedy has dire consequences. Dahl also had two other books in the top 100 – The Twits and Esio Trot, at 28th and 33rd respectively.