Parents want their children to read Charles Dickens' classic 'A Christmas Carol' more than any other book during their lifetime.
A survey by the University of Worcester discovered one in five parents wanted their children toexperience the Victorian Christmas tale more than any other fictional novel.
2000 adults were asked to reveal which books they considered to be must-reads for the next generation.
The Harry Potter series by JK Rowling was a close second, followed by The Lord of The Rings triology by JRR Tolkien in third place.
Others in the list were Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen, Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland and Animals Farm by George Orwell.
The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien, which is set to appear in cinemas as a Hollywood blockbuster later this year, sits at ninth in the list, and To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is the tenth must-read.
The findings mark the opening of The Hive - Europe's first joint University and public library.
Anne Hannaford, Director of Information and Learning Services at the University of Worcester, said: "It is interesting to see that most of the popular books to pass down the generations have strong moral messages entwined in them.
"The books that feature in the top 10 all provide thought-provoking content and characters, so it is clear that parents value these books for providing challenging thoughts which can last a lifetime.”
From the poll, it was also revealed 'Alice in Wonderland' is today's most-read book, with 41 percent of adults having read it.
More than one third have read CS Lewis' 'The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe', which was following closely by Kenneth Grahame's 'The Wind in The Willows' and Roald Dahl's 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' with 37 percent and 36 percent of adults having read these books.
The University of Worcester's top-ten of must-read titles:
1. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
2. The Harry Potter Series, JK Rowling
3. The Lord of The Rings, JRR Tolkien
4. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
5. Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
6. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, CS Lewis
7. Animal Farm, George Orwell
8. Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens
9. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien
10. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
父母們最想讓孩子讀的書是查爾斯·狄更斯的經典小說《圣誕頌歌》。
英國伍斯特大學的一項調查發(fā)現(xiàn),五分之一的父母最想讓孩子讀的小說是這本維多利亞時期的圣誕故事。
2000名成人參與了該項調查,揭露出他們心中認為下一代必讀的書目。
J·K·羅琳的《哈利·波特》系列小說以微弱差距位居第二,排第三位的是J·R·R·托爾金的《指環(huán)王》三部曲。
其他入榜的還有簡·奧斯汀的《傲慢與偏見》、劉易斯·卡羅爾的《愛麗絲漫游奇境記》,還有喬治·奧威爾的《動物農莊》。
J·R·R·托爾金的《霍比特人》被改編成好萊塢大片,今年晚些時候將在影院上映,該書名列第九位,而哈珀·李的《殺死一只知更鳥》則排在必讀書目的第十位。
這一調查是為了紀念歐洲首個高校與大眾共用圖書館The Hive的開放。
伍斯特大學信息與學習服務部主任安妮·漢娜佛德說:“很有意思的是,這些父母想傳給后代的受歡迎書籍中,大部分都交織著強烈的道德教化訊息。
“排名前十的書籍中都包含發(fā)人深思的內容和人物,顯然父母們認為這些書有價值,是因為書中蘊含了有啟發(fā)性、讓人受益終生的思想!
調查結果還揭示,《愛麗絲漫游奇境記》是當代最多人閱讀的書籍,41%的成人都讀過這本書。
超過三分之一的人讀過C·S·劉易斯的《納尼亞傳奇:獅子、女巫和魔衣櫥》,閱讀人數(shù)緊隨其后的是肯尼斯·格雷厄姆的《柳林風聲》和羅爾德·達爾的《查理和巧克力工廠》,分別有37%和36%的成人讀過這兩本書。
伍斯特大學評出的十大必讀書目:
1.《圣誕頌歌》,查爾斯·狄更斯
2.《哈利·波特》系列,J·K·羅琳
3.《指環(huán)王》三部曲,J·R·R·托爾金
4.《傲慢與偏見》,簡·奧斯汀
5.《愛麗絲漫游奇境記》,劉易斯·卡羅爾
6.《納尼亞傳奇:獅子、女巫和魔衣櫥》,C·S·劉易斯
7.《動物農莊》,喬治·奧威爾
8.《霧都孤兒》,查爾斯·狄更斯
9.《霍比特人》,J·R·R·托爾金
10.《殺死一只知更鳥》,哈珀·李