Recent research has revealed that Winnie-the-Pooh, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt and Treasure Island are among the top books most likely to inspire children to embark on an outdoor adventure.
According to the survey of 2,000 parents and their offspring, two-thirds of children claimed that reading an adventure book makes them want to be more adventurous, with the genre the top pick for 52 per cent of kids, beating fantasy and mystery.
The survey also found children’s favourite locations to read about were beaches, islands and woods. It’s no surprise then that nearly half of the parents polled encourage their youngsters to read books that will motivate them to explore the great outdoors.
Many families have even made visits to locations that inspired their favourite book adventures, including the Forest of Dean from Harry Potter, and Ashdown Forest which inspired Winnie-the-Pooh.
Michelle Evans, spokesperson for PGL, said: “It’s wonderful to see how adventure books inspire children to step outside and embrace new challenges. Books open young minds to new experiences, encouraging them to push boundaries and creating a desire to try things they might not have considered before.”
How well do you know these family favourites?
She added that books can also create a desire in children to try things and as a result this can improve their confidence and self-assurance along the way. This benefit was also echoed by Helen Dodd, Professor of Child Psychology at Exeter Medical School.
“Reading plays a crucial role in fostering curiosity and creativity,” she said. “Books introduce children to new ideas and concepts, expanding their world beyond what they already know.
“This not only sparks their imagination, but also encourages them to approach the world with a sense of wonder and exploration.”
More than half of parents have kept books to pass down to their own children as they have their own happy memories of reading them when they were younger. Winnie-the-Pooh, Treasure Island and The Jungle Book were listed as the most popular.
Professor Helen added: “Providing children with opportunities for adventure where they can step outside of their comfort zones helps them learn to recognise and cope with feelings associated with anxiety, such as the sensation of “butterflies” in the stomach.
“If children can experiment with different ways of coping with these feelings in a safe, fun environment, they can build resilience over time. It also strengthens relationships when done with others, fostering a sense of connection and shared experience.”
TOP 30 ADVENTURE BOOKS THAT INSPIRE CHILDREN TO GO OUTDOORS:
- Winnie-the-Pooh – A.A. Milne
- We’re Going on a Bear Hunt – Michael Rosen
- Treasure Island Robert – Louis Stevenson
- The Gruffalo – Julia Donaldson
- The Secret Garden – Frances Hodgson Burnett
- The Famous Five – Enid Blyton
- Look What I Found in the Woods – Moira Butterfield and Jesus Verona
- The Adventures of Robin Hood – Roger Lancelyn Green
- The Jungle Book – Rudyard Kipling
- The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe – C.S. Lewis
- Frankie’s Magic Football Series – Frank Lampard
- Where the Wild Things Are – Maurice Sendak
- The Explorer – Katherine Rundell
- Running Wild – Michael Morpurgo
- The Last Bear – Hannah Gold
- Fantastic Mr Fox – Roald Dahl
- Peter Pan – J. M Barrie
- Harley Hitch and the Iron Forest – Vashti Hardy (Author) and George Ermos (Illustrator)
- Wild Child: A Journey Through Nature – Dara McAnulty
- The Ice Monster – David Walliams
- The Railway Children – Edith Nesbit
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – JK Rowling
- The Faraway Tree – Enid Blyton
- Swallows and Amazons – Arthur Ransome
- The Hobbit – J.R.R Tolkien
- Wind in the Willows – Kenneth Grahame
- The Sky Beneath the Stone – Alex Mullarky
- Gulliver’s Travels – Jonathan Swift
- The Boy Who Met a Whale – Nizrana Farook
- Sabotage on the Solar Express – M.G. Leonard (Author), Sam Sedgman (Author) and Elisa Paganelli (Illustrator)