Top 30 books that will encourage your children’s sense of adventure

New research has discovered the top 30 adventure books with family-favourites like Winnie-the-Pooh and We’re Going on a Bear Hunt among the list

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 poll two-thirds of kids said reading an adventure book makes them want to be more adventurous – with adventure the top genre of choice for over half of them.

This heightened sense of adventure is the reason 47% of parents purposely encourage their youngsters to read books within genre, in the hope that it will motivate them to explore the outdoors.

Half of those surveyed have even made visits to locations that inspired by their favourite books. These include Forest of Dean, from Harry Potter, or Ashdown Forest which inspired Winnie-the-Pooh.

Other favourite locations for children to read about were beaches (40%), islands (37%) and the woods (36%).

“Books open young minds to new experiences encouraging them to push boundaries” said Michelle Evans, a spokesperson for PGL. She added that books can create a desire in children to try things and as a result this can improve their confidence and self-assurance along the way.

How many of these children’s books do you recognise?

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This sentiment 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 added.

“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.”

Just before bedtime is when children most enjoy reading or being read to. However, 40% of children also enjoy reading a book while at school. More than a third prefer to read to themselves, in contrast to the 21% who favour having their parents read aloud to them.

The majority of mums and dads have shared their favourite childhood books with their own offspring, with Winnie-the-Pooh, Treasure Island and The Jungle Book topping the list, having held onto them for this particular reason.

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.”

Here are the top 30 adventure books that inspire children to embrace the great outdoors:

1. Winnie-the-Pooh – A.A. Milne
2. We’re Going on a Bear Hunt – Michael Rosen
3. Treasure Island Robert – Louis Stevenson
4. The Gruffalo – Julia Donaldson
5. The Secret Garden – Frances Hodgson Burnett
6. The Famous Five – Enid Blyton
7. Look What I Found in the Woods – Moira Butterfield and Jesus Verona
8. The Adventures of Robin Hood – Roger Lancelyn Green
9. The Jungle Book – Rudyard Kipling
10. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe – C.S. Lewis
11. Frankie’s Magic Football Series – Frank Lampard
12. Where the Wild Things Are – Maurice Sendak
13. The Explorer – Katherine Rundell
14. Running Wild – Michael Morpurgo
15. The Last Bear – Hannah Gold
16. Fantastic Mr Fox – Roald Dahl
17. Peter Pan – J. M Barrie
18. Harley Hitch and the Iron Forest – Vashti Hardy (Author) and George Ermos (Illustrator)
19. Wild Child: A Journey Through Nature – Dara McAnulty
20. The Ice Monster – David Walliams
21. The Railway Children – Edith Nesbit
22. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – JK Rowling
23. The Faraway Tree – Enid Blyton
24. Swallows and Amazons – Arthur Ransome
25. The Hobbit – J.R.R Tolkien
26. Wind in the Willows – Kenneth Grahame
27. The Sky Beneath the Stone – Alex Mullarky
28. Gulliver’s Travels – Jonathan Swift
29. The Boy Who Met a Whale – Nizrana Farook
30. Sabotage on the Solar Express – M.G. Leonard (Author), Sam Sedgman (Author) and Elisa Paganelli (Illustrator)

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