Narnia Rules The Shelves
Last updated: 04/10/2006 - 14:49
According to the nation's librarians the book that is most recommended for every child's present list this year is The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The results of the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council's (MLA) survey of librarians coincides with the release of Disney's film adaptation of the CS Lewis children's classic on UK cinema screens.
In answer to the question "What book should be on every child's Christmas list?'" many of the recommendations were unsurprising with popular children's authors, such as Roald Dahl, A.A. Milne and Enid Blyton, receiving numerous recommendations. However, less than 1% of librarians recommended the Harry Potter titles by JK Rowling as stocking fillers.
Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar and titles by Allan and Janet Ahlberg were popular nominations for younger readers.
Thwarted
Set during the Second World War, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is the tale of four evacuees that find access to a land known as Narnia, through the back of a wardrobe. Their presence in Narnia is thwarted by an evil White Witch who has subjected the land to a permanent snowy state where it is always winter but never Christmas. The children join forces with a lion named Aslan to fight the White Witch and free the land of Narnia.
Ruth Sheppard, Library Service Manager at Newent, Gloucestershire was one librarian that nominated the title. She commented: "My son read this when he was young, and he has now bought all of the Chronicles of Narnia and still re-reads them today as a thirty year old!"
Mark Wood, Chairman of MLA commented on the results: "One of the best gifts parents can give their children is a love of reading and it would be great if every child received at least one book in their stocking this Christmas. It is interesting to see that librarians have recommended many titles that were written over ten years ago, showing that many children's classics have timeless appeal. If children aren't lucky enough to get one in their Christmas stocking all the children's classics will be available to borrow from your local library."
MLA is the national development agency for museums, libraries and archives, advising the government on policy and priorities for the sector. MLA's roles are to provide strategic leadership, to act as a powerful advocate, to develop capacity and to promote innovation and change.