Princess Charlotte loves 'Charlotte's Web'.
Princess Charlotte loves Charlotte's Web
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, marked World Book Day on Thursday (03.03.22) by sharing a selection of children's book suggestions with Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall's Reading Room and revealed E.B. White's 1952 classic tale about a spider's efforts to save a pig named Wilbur is a firm favourite in her household because the arachnid heroine shares the same name as her six-year-old daughter.
Catherine said of the book: "[It is an] all-time classic and loved in our house for obvious reasons.
“This is a charming story about friendship, loyalty and love."
The duchess - who also has sons Prince George, eight, and Prince Louis, three, with husband Prince William - also singled out one of her own childhood favourites, 'Stig of The Dump', which had encouraged her to love “spending time outdoors, making dens, digging, discovering and making things out of odds and ends” as a child.
She added of Clive King's 1963 novel: “Whether this was why my father recommended this book to me or whether this book inspired my imagination I can’t remember, but I have never forgotten this brilliant book and the values it teaches."
And that wasn't the only one of the stories she had loved as a little girl that Catherine included in her selection, as she also shortlisted 'The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark' by Jill Tomlinson, which she recently read on the 'CBeebies Bedtime Story' segment.
She said: “I loved this book as a little girl and listening to my own children reading it has brought back so many wonderful memories. A comforting story to help children face their fears and grow in confidence with the help of others.
"I loved this book as a little girl and listening to my own children reading it has brought back so many wonderful memories. A comforting story to help children face their fears and grow in confidence with the help of others.”
Mairi Hedderwick's 'The Katie Morgag Series' - which was written between 1984 and 2007 - were chosen because of how they can help children of different ages bond.
Catherine said they were “fun stories for children of all ages and a great book for older children to read to younger siblings. These books are filled with captivating and beautiful illustrations to accompany the text, so there’s lots to talk about.”
The final choice was the most modern, with Libby Walden's 'Feelings' first published in 2016.
The duchess said: "This little book is a wonderful way to help children understand and recognise their feelings and emotions, and brings to life the importance of empathy.”
The five recommendations can be found on Camilla's Reading Room website, which she established on Instagram during lockdown in January 2021.
Camilla said: “Reading for pleasure is, we know, the biggest indicator of a child’s future success – more than their family circumstances, their parents’ educational background or their income. And yet there are still approximately 400,000 children in our country who don’t have a book of their own.
“World Book Day is a brilliant way to prove how much fun and escapism can be found in a good book.”
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