Alice in Wonderland has been named as the world’s most popular bedtime story by a study for World Book Day 2023.
My 1st Years, which designs personalised books for youngsters, used Google data to analyse the number of searches for more than 370 popular books in 181 countries in the past year.
The Lewis Carroll classic was first in 57 countries, while Coraline and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory were second and third. In the UK, the Mr Men books were ranked on top.
World Book Day 2023 will be held on Thursday.
Gareth Chadwick, head of marketing at My 1st Years, said: “Children will often have a favourite story that they want to hear again and again, and likewise, parents will often have a trusty book that they enjoy reading to their child.
“In this case, it may be no surprise that Alice in Wonderland has been revealed as the most popular, with the fantasy land of Wonderland allowing a child’s imagination to truly run free.
“However, we hope that this research may inspire parents to pick up a new book and see if they can find a different story to make a part of the bedtime routine.”
First published in 1865, Alice in Wonderland is one of the best-known books of the Victorian era and has maintained its popularity ever since. The story has been translated into 174 languages.
The dark fantasy children’s novella Coraline is next on the list, taking second place with a little more than 572,000 searches. It was ranked the most popular book in 28 countries, including Australia, the United States and Peru.
And despite the recent controversy around sections of his books being rewritten, Roald Dahl features prominently with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in third and Matilda in fourth.
Mr Chadwick added: “For children of all ages, bedtime stories are often a prominent part of their bedtime routine.
“Not only does the association of bedtime reading help to trigger relaxation that helps with sleep, but bedtime stories are also shown to aid language development, imagination, create conversation and strengthen the bond between parent and child.”
The Top 20 Most Popular Children’s Bedtime Stories
Rank |
Bedtime Story |
No. of Google Searches |
1 |
Alice in Wonderland |
587,280 |
2 |
Coraline |
572,730 |
3 |
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory |
419,520 |
4 |
Matilda |
327,910 |
5 |
Winnie the Pooh |
324,920 |
6 |
Shrek |
309,040 |
7 |
Mr. Men |
288,900 |
8 |
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone |
271,110 |
9 |
Artemis Fowl |
262,790 |
10 |
Where the Wild Things Are |
240,160 |
11 |
The Rainbow Fish |
231,180 |
12 |
Corduroy |
213,450 |
13 |
Madeline |
212,030 |
14 |
The Cat in the Hat |
203,670 |
15 |
Pete the Cat |
193,750 |
16 |
The Little Prince |
190,330 |
17 |
Treasure Island |
189,240 |
18 |
Peter Pan |
184,770 |
19 |
Fantastic Mr Fox |
182,250 |
20 |
Charlotte’s Web |
178,640 |
