In a recent survey conducted by UK television station ITV3, Roald Dahl has come out on top. The survey was looking for the top ten children’s authors and surveyed people up to 34 years old. The author of classics like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Danny the Champion of the World beat out other luminaries C S Lewis and J M Barrie to take the top spot. Harry Potter’s magic just wasn’t strong enough, pushing Rowling into fourth place. But coming fourth after three names like that is a pretty sterling achievement for someone that we didn’t know existed ten years or so ago.
Roald Dahl
Dahl’s estate’s literary director, Amanda Conquy, said of the poll, “It’s always great to hear how enduringly popular Roald Dahl’s stories are. They truly seem to be passed on from one generation to the next with the utmost enthusiasm and affection.”
The results were released a couple of weeks ago to coincide with Roald Dahl Day on September 13th. It’s true. There’s a newletter, even a Roald Dahl Day blog. You can learn all about it here.
The full top ten from the ITV3 poll is:
1. Roald Dahl
2. CS Lewis
3. JM Barrie
4. JK Rowling
5. Anthony Horowitz
6. Jacqueline Wilson
7. Dr Seuss
8. Philip Pullman
9. Francesca Simon
10. Enid Blyton
Quite a decent mix of old and new in there and it’s heartening to see that the classics are still respected. Particularly as this poll only surveyed people up to 34 years old. There’s hope for our kids yet.
