Entertainment/Literature - Childrens
The Snow Queen, The Little Mermaid, Thumbelina, The Steadfast Tin Soldier, The Red Shoes – Hans Christian Andersen (1805 – 1875)
Thumbelina emerged from a flower. First published in 1835
The Ugly Duckling is a literary fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen
The Tinderbox is a fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen about a soldier who acquires a magic tinderbox capable of summoning three powerful dogs to do his bidding
The Railway Series – Rev W. Awdry. On a visit to the Diocese of Sodor and Man in 1950. Awdry noted that while there was an Isle of Man, there was no similar Island of Sodor
Children in Peter Pan – Wendy, John and Michael. Dog – Nana, an old English sheepdog. Written by JM Barrie (1860 – 1937)
Lost Boys – boys who fall out of their prams when the nurse is not looking and were lost by their nannies in places such as Kensington Gardens. Having gone unclaimed for seven days, they were whisked off to Neverland, in Peter Pan
The Little White Bird – introduced the character and mythology of Peter Pan
The Emerald City of Oz – L Frank Baum (1856 – 1919)
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz – written by L Frank Baum and illustrated by WW Denslow
The Scarecrow wants to get a brain, the Tin Woodman a heart, and the Cowardly Lion, courage
Good Witch of the North, Glinda the Good Witch of the South, Wicked Witch of the East, Wicked Witch of the West – in the Wizard of Oz
Toto – a cairn terrier. Dorothy traveled to the Emerald City in the Wizard of Oz
The Marvelous Land of Oz – follow-up book
Carrie's War is a 1973 children's novel by Nina Bawden, set during the Second World War and following two evacuees, Carrie and her younger brother Nick
Noughts and Crosses series – Malorie Blackman
Quentin Blake – illustrated Roald Dahl books
Quentin Blake – first Children’s Laureate
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret – Judy Blume
Noddy – Enid Blyton (1897 – 1968). Over 700 stories
Famous Five – Enid Blyton. Julian, Dick, Anne, George (a girl) and Timmy (a border collie)
Five on a Treasure Island – first of the 21 Famous Five books
The Five Find-Outers and Dog, also known as the Enid Blyton Mystery Series, was written by Enid Blyton and first published between 1943 and 1961. Set in the fictitious village of Peterswood, close to Marlow, the children encounter a mystery every school holiday, always solving the puzzle before Mr Goon, the village policeman
The Faraway Tree is a series of novels for children by Enid Blyton. The titles in the series are The Enchanted Wood (1939), The Magic Faraway Tree, The Folk of the Faraway Tree and Up the Faraway Tree. The forest and the tree are discovered by three children named Jo, Bessie, and Fanny
Enid Blyton wrote books about St Clare’s and Malory Towers schools
Aunt Lucy sent Paddington bear to London, in the Michael Bond books
Paddington Bear lives with the Brown family at 32 Windsor Gardens
The Snowman – Raymond Briggs
Fungus the Bogeyman – Raymond Briggs
Jim and the Beanstalk – Raymond Briggs
Anthony Browne was the sixth Children’s Laureate. Gorillas are frequently featured in Browne's books
Miffy is a small female rabbit in a series of picture books drawn and written by Dutch artist Dick Bruna
Babar created by Jean de Brunhoff
Jennings and Rex Milligan series – Anthony Buckeridge
The Incredible Journey – Sheila Burnford
Cedric Errol – title character of Little Lord Fauntleroy, by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Frances Hodgson Burnett (1849 – 1924) was an English–American playwright and author. She is best known for her children's stories, in particular The Secret Garden and A Little Princess
The Very Hungry Caterpillar – Eric Carle
The Hunting of the Snark, Jabberwocky – Lewis Carroll (1832 – 1898)
The Hunting of the Snark describes ‘with infinite humour the impossible voyage of an improbable crew to find an inconceivable creature’. The crew consists of ten members, whose descriptions all begin with the letter B
Alice Liddell inspired Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, whose protagonist Alice was named after her. She was the daughter of Henry Liddell, the Dean of Christ Church, Oxford
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was published in 1865
Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There (1871) – Lewis Carroll. It is based on his meeting with another Alice, Alice Raikes
Dinah – Alice’s cat in Alice in Wonderland
Charlie and Lola Sonner are the principal characters from a series of children's picture books by Lauren Child. The stories are all narrated by seven year-old Charlie, and focus on the antics of his feisty four year-old sister, Lola. The first Charlie and Lola book, I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato, published in 2001, won the Kate Greenaway Medal
Artemis Fowl, The Arctic Incident – Eoin Colfer
What Katy Did – Susan Coolidge. Real name – Sarah Woolsey
How to Train Your Dragon – Cressida Cowell
Lizzie Dripping books – Helen Cresswell
Jumble – William Brown’s dog, in the Just William stories by Richmal Crompton
Violet Bott – character in Just William stores
Just William books illustrated by Thomas Henry
The Demon Headmaster – Gillian Cross
Roald Dahl (1916 – 1990) was born in Llandaff, Cardiff, to Norwegian parents. He served in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, in which he became a flying ace and intelligence agent, rising to the rank of Wing Commander. He was shot down over Libya. Best known for his children’s books, Dahl also wrote the screenplays for You Only Live Twice and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
The Gremlins – first Roald Dahl book (1943)
Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator – sequel to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Willy Wonka hides a Golden Ticket in five chocolate bars
Golden Tickets won by Charlie Bucket, Augustus Gloop, Veruca Salt, Violet Beauregarde and Mike Teavee
James Henry Trotter – in James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
Boggis, Bunce and Bean – famers in Fantastic Mr. Fox
Matilda, The Witches, and The BFG – Roald Dahl
Matilda’s surname is Wormwood
Danny, the Champion of the World – Roald Dahl
The Twits – Roald Dahl. Mr and Mrs Twit have a family of pet monkeys, the Muggle-Wumps, who are friends of the Roly-Poly Bird
The Great Big Glorious Book for Girls – Rosemary Davidson and Sarah Vine
Horrible Histories – written by Terry Deary and Peter Hepplewhite
Lynley Dodd is best known for her Hairy Maclary series, and its follow-ups, all of which feature animals with rhyming names
The Gruffalo – Julia Donaldson. Illustrated by Axel Scheffler
The Gruffalo’s Child – Julia Donaldson, Children's Laureate from 2011 to 2013, taking over from Anthony Browne. Succeeded by Malorie Blackman
Romney Marsh and Punchbowl Farm – series of children’s novels of Monica Edwards
Little Red – Sarah Ferguson
Anne Fine was appointed the second Children's Laureate, in succession to Quentin Blake, holding the position from 2001 to 2003. Her books for older children include the award winning The Tulip Touch and Goggle-Eyes. Twentieth Century Fox filmed her satire novel Alias Madame Doubtfire as Mrs Doubtfire
Alan Garner – author of children’s books based around Alderley Edge
Barry Trotter is a series of Harry Potter parodies written by Michael Gerber
Hansel and Gretel, Snow White – written by the Brothers Grimm
The first collection of fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm (Jakob and Wilhelm) Children's and Household Tales was published in 1812 with more than 200 fairy tales. Many of the stories had already been written by Charles Perrault in the late 1600s
Orlando (The Marmalade Cat) is the eponymous hero of a series of 19 illustrated children's books written by Kathleen Hale
Ugenia Lavender is the title character in a series of children's novels written by Geri Halliwell
Can you Feel the Force – children’s physics book by Richard Hammond
A Series of Unfortunate Events is a series of 13 children's novels by Lemony Snicket (the pen name of American author Daniel Handler) which follows the turbulent lives of Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire after their parents' death in a fire. The children are placed in the custody of their relative Count Olaf, who attempts to steal their inheritance
Mr. Tickle – first Mr. Men book, 1971. Roger Hargreaves
Little Miss Bossy – first Little Miss book, 1981
SilverFin – Young Bond novel by Charlie Higson
Tim the Tiny Horse – Harry Hill
Alex Rider books – Anthony Horowitz
Stormbreaker – first novel in Alex Rider spy series
The Iron Man – Ted Hughes, made into the film The Iron Giant
Moomins are the central characters in a series of books and a comic strip by Swedish-Finn illustrator and writer Tove Jansson. They are a family of trolls who are white and roundish, with large snouts that make them resemble hippopotamuses
Snork Maiden – character in Moonim books
Biggles stories – WE Johns
Howl's Moving Castle is a young adult fantasy novel by British author Diana Wynne Jones
Emil and the Detectives – Erich Kastner. Set in Berlin
Mog series and The Tiger Who Came to Tea – Judith Kerr
Stig of the Dump – Clive King
The Water-Babies, A Fairy Tale for a Land Baby – Charles Kingsley (1819 – 1875). The story is thematically concerned with Christian redemption, though Kingsley also uses the book to argue that England treats its poor badly, and to question child labour, among other themes. The protagonist is Tom, a young chimney sweep, who falls into a river after encountering a girl named Ellie
The Sheep-Pig – Dick King-Smith. Made into the film Babe
Diary of a Wimpy Kid series – Jeff Kinney
Horrible Harry is a popular children's book series written by Suzy Kline
Tales from Shakespeare – Charles Lamb and Mary Lamb
The Jumblies – Edward Lear (1812 – 1888). First line – “They went to sea in a Sieve, they did”
The Pobble Who Has No Toes – Edward Lear
CS Lewis (1898 – 1963) was born in Belfast
Chronicles of Narnia (in publication order) – Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe (1950); Prince Caspian; Voyage of the Dawn Treader; Silver Chair; Horse and His Boy; Magician’s Nephew; Last Battle
Magician’s Nephew is the first in the internal chronology
Aslan – lion in Narnia
Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy – Pevensie children in Narnia
Jadis – white witch in Narnia
Miraz – Prince Caspian’s uncle
Pauline Baynes illustrated Chronicles of Narnia books
Pippi Longstocking books by Astrid Lindgren
Pippi Longstocking lives with a monkey named Mr Nilsson. She befriends the two children living next door: Tommy and Annika Settergren
Joan Lingard is the author of the Kevin and Sadie series of children’s books
The English Roses, Mr. Peabody’s Apples, Yakov and the Seven Thieves, The
Adventures of Abdi, Lotsa Da Casha, The English Roses – Too Good to be True – Madonna’s children’s books
Go the Fuck to Sleep – Adam Mansbach. Described as a ‘children's book for adults’
The Midnight Folk, The Box of Delights – children’s books written by John Masefield
Winnie the Pooh lived in Hundred Acre Wood – AA Milne (1882 – 1956)
The first collection of stories about the character was the book Winnie-the-Pooh (1926), and this was followed by The House at Pooh Corner (1928). Milne also included a poem about the bear in the children’s verse book When We Were Very Young (1924) and many more in Now We Are Six (1927). All four volumes were illustrated by E. H. Shepard
Gentle Ben – Walt Morey. The book concerns the friendship between the title character who is a bear, and a young boy named Mark
War Horse – Michael Morpurgo. A boy named Albert makes an odyssey to the World War I trenches in search of his beloved horse Joey. Michael Morpurgo was the third Children’s Laureate
The Worst Witch – Jill Murphy
The Railway Children – Edith Nesbit. Waterbury family. Children – Bobbie, Phyllis and Peter. Station porter – Albert Perks
The Story of the Treasure Seekers, Five Children and It – E Nesbit
The Borrowers – Mary Norton
Arrietty Clock is an adventurous fourteen-year-old Borrower girl who is not allowed to go borrowing with her father until her mother decides to let her in The Borrowers
Mary Norton's novels The Magic Bed Knob; or, How to Become a Witch in Ten Easy Lessons and Bonfires and Broomsticks were adapted into the 1971 Disney film Bedknobs and Broomsticks
Amelia Bedelia is the protagonist and title character of a series of American children's books written by Peggy Parish
Tom’s Midnight Garden – Philippa Pearce
Tales of Mother Goose – Charles Perrault
Bluebeard is the title character in a famous fairy tale about a violent nobleman and his over-curious wife. It was written by Charles Perrault and first published in 1697. The character of Bluebeard is believed to have been based on the 15th century Breton nobleman and serial killer, Gilles de Rais
Sleeping Beauty (La Belle au bois dormant) is a fairytale by Charles Perrault
Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey is a series of American children's books about two fourth graders, George Beard and Harold Hutchins, and the aptly named superhero they accidentally create
Pollyanna – 1913 novel by Eleanor H. Porter. The title character's name has become a popular term for someone with the same very optimistic outlook
The Tale of Peter Rabbit (1902) – first Beatrix Potter (1866 – 1943) book
The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin (1903) – second Beatrix Potter book
The Tale of Timmy Tiptoes – Beatrix Potter
Samuel Whiskers – rat in Beatrix Potter books
Mr McGregor – farmer in Peter Rabbit
Miss Moppet – cat in Beatrix Potter
Tailor of Gloucester – only Beatrix Potter title with a human
His Dark Materials is a trilogy by Philip Pullman (born 1946), comprising Northern Lights, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass. The trilogy follows the coming of age of two main characters, Lyra Belacqua and Will Parry
Pantalaimon – Lyra Belacqua’s demon
Jordan College – fictional Oxford college in His Dark Materials trilogy
Northern Lights was released as The Golden Compass in North America
The Shadow in the North – Philip Pullman
The Golden Compass – title taken from Paradise Lost by Milton
Arthur Rackham illustrated the children's books Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm (1900), Rip van Winkle (1905), Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens (1906), and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1907)
Arthur Ransome had an affair with Trotsky’s secretary, admired Lenin, and worked both for MI6 and the Bolsheviks
Swallows and Amazons series is a series of twelve children's books by Arthur Ransome, named after the title of the first book in the series. The books involve adventures by groups of children almost all during the school holidays between the two World Wars. The stories revolve around outdoor activities, especially sailing. It tells the story of the Walker children, who sail a dinghy named Swallow, and the Blackett children, who sail a dinghy named Amazon
Swallowdale – Arthur Ransome
Winter Holiday – Arthur Ransome
Billy Bunter – written by Frank Richards, real name Charles Hamilton. Serialized in The Magnet
Sad Book – Michael Rosen, who was the fifth Children’s Laureate
JK Rowling’s full name is Joanne Rowling, not, as is often assumed, Joanne Kathleen Rowling. The publishers, Bloomsbury, requested that Rowling use two initials, rather than reveal her first name
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was published in1997. Published as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in USA
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was published in 2007
The Tales of Beedle the Bard – JK Rowling
Haroun and the Sea of Stories, Luka and the Fire of Life – Salman Rushdie
Holes – Louis Sachar
The Little Prince – Antoine de Saint-Exupury. All-time bestseller with French as the original language
Maurice Sendak is an American writer and illustrator of children's literature who is best known for his book Where the Wild Things Are, published in 1963. The book tells the story of Max
“The sun did not shine. It was too wet to play” – opening lines of The Cat in the Hat by Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss)
Horton Hears a Who! – Dr. Seuss. Horton is an elephant
If I Ran The Zoo – Dr. Seuss
McElligot’s Pool – Dr. Seuss
One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish – Dr. Seuss
Horrid Henry books – Francesca Simon
Goosebumps – RL Stine
Rover Boys, Bobbsey Twins, Tom Swift, Nancy Drew – Edward Stratemeyer
The Hardy Boys, Frank and Joe Hardy, are fictional characters who appear in various mystery series for children and teens. The characters were created by Edward Stratemeyer
Ballet Shoes – Noel Streatfield
Brother in the Land is a 1984 post-apocalyptic novel by Bob Swindells. It follows the adventures of a teenage boy as he fights for survival following a nuclear war
Worzel Gummidge – Barbara Euphan Todd. Scatterbrook Farm. First Puffin Book, published in 1941
Rupert Bear – written by Mary Tourtel, first appeared in the Daily Express in 1920. Books illustrated by Alfred Bestall
The Queen and I – Sue Townsend
The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13¾ is the first book in the Adrian Mole series of comedic fiction, written by Sue Townsend. The book is written in a diary style, and focuses on the worries and regrets of a teenager who believes himself to be an intellectual
Adrian Mole: The Prostrate Years – Sue Towensend. Aged 39 ¼
Here Comes Mumfie – Katharine Tozer. Mumfie is an elephant
Alison Uttley is best known for her children's series about Little Grey Rabbit, and Sam Pig
The Boy in the Dress, Mr Stink, Billionaire Boy, Gangsta Granny, Ratburger – David Walliams
Charlotte’s Web – EB White. Published in 1952. It tells the story of a barn spider named Charlotte and her friendship with a pig named Wilbur, who is owned by a girl called Fern. Charlotte has the idea of writing words in her web extolling Wilbur's excellence, reasoning that if she can make Wilbur sufficiently famous, he will not be killed. Illustrated by Garth Williams
Stuart Little – EB White
Little Wolf's Book of Badness – Ian Whybrow
Nigel Molesworth is the supposed author of a series of books (actually written by Geoffrey Willans), with cartoons by Ronald Searle. Molesworth is a schoolboy at St Custards
Tracy Beaker books – Jacqueline Wilson, the fourth Children’s Laureate
Hank Zipzer books – Henry Winkler
Children's Laureate
1999 – 2001 Quentin Blake
2001 – 2003 Anne Fine
2003 – 2005 Michael Morpurgo
2005 – 2007 Jacqueline Wilson
2007 – 2009 Michael Rosen
2009 – 2011 Anthony Browne
2011 – 2013 Julia Donaldson
2013 – 2015 Malorie Blackman
2015 – 2017 Chris Riddell
2017 – 2019 Lauren Child
2019 - Cressida Cowell
