Bear of little brain comes out tops

London - Winnie-the-Pooh has been voted the best-loved children's book of the past 150 years.

The 1926 classic by AA Milne was the first volume of stories about Christopher Robin, Piglet, Eeyore, Kanga, Roo and the 'bear of very little brain'.

It follows the adventures of naive but steadfast Pooh and his friends in the Hundred-Acre Wood, which was based on Ashdown Forest, Sussex, close to where Milne owned a country home.

Second place in the poll of more than 2 500 adults went to Lewis Carroll's psychedelic tale Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865), followed by the Very Hungry Caterpillar (1969) by US author Eric Carle.

In fifth place, The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson, published in 1999 and about a monster’s encounter with a little brown mouse, is the most recent book on a list dominated by British writers.

No books published since 2000 made it in to the top 10 results of a YouGov poll commissioned by John Lewis and Barnardo’s.

Roald Dahl has two books in the top 10. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory (1964) came in sixth place and The BFG (1982), which is set to be adapted into a new film directed by Steven Spielberg, came in ninth.

The rest of the top 10 include The Hobbit (1937), in fourth place, Black Beauty (1877), in seventh, Treasure Island (1883), in the eighth slot and in tenth place The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe (1950).

The results were published as Doctor Who star Peter Capaldi launched Story Time with Barnado’s and John Lewis, to promote reading and support vulnerable children in the UK.

Capaldi said: “Being read to as a child is something most of us take for granted but for many of the children Barnardo’s supports, storytelling and communicating are skills that their parents don’t have.

“I would encourage people across the country to embrace storytelling, bury your head in a good book and donate as much as you can through Story Time in aid of Barnardo’s.

“You’ll be helping the charity reach out to parents of some of the UK’s most vulnerable children and ensuring they build the confidence and knowledge to help their little one thrive.”

Top 10 Winnie-the-Pooh quotes

These are the top quotes from AA Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh books as chosen by users of Goodreads, the book recommendations social network.

* '“How do you spell 'love'?” - Piglet

“You don't spell it...you feel it.” - Pooh.'

* '“When you wake up in the morning, Pooh,” said Piglet at last, “what's the first thing you say to yourself?”

“What's for breakfast?” said Pooh. “What do you say, Piglet?”

“I say, I wonder what's going to happen exciting today?” said Piglet.

Pooh nodded thoughtfully. “It's the same thing,” he said.'

'“Rabbit's clever,” said Pooh thoughtfully.

* “Yes,” said Piglet, “Rabbit's clever.”

“And he has Brain.”

“Yes,” said Piglet, “Rabbit has Brain.”

There was a long silence.

“I suppose,” said Pooh, “that that's why he never understands anything.”'

* '“I might have known,” said Eeyore. “After all, one can’t complain. I have my friends. Somebody spoke to me only yesterday. And was it last week or the week before that Rabbit bumped into me and said ‘Bother!’. The Social Round. Always something going on.”'

* 'No brain at all, some of them, only grey fluff that's blown into their heads by mistake, and they don't Think.'

* '“There's the South Pole,” said Christopher Robin, “and I expect there's an East Pole and a West Pole, though people don't like talking about them.”'

* 'You are braver than you believe,

Stronger than you seem,

And smarter than you think.'

* 'As soon as I saw you, I knew a grand adventure was about to happen.'

* '“We'll be Friends Forever, won't we, Pooh?” asked Piglet.

“Even longer,” Pooh answered.'

* 'Any day spent with you is my favourite day. So today is my new favourite day.'

Favourite children’s books of the last 150 years from YouGov poll of 2 652 adults

1. Winnie The Pooh - A.A. Milne (1926)

2. Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland - Lewis Carroll (1865)

3. The Very Hungry Caterpillar - Eric Carle (1969)

4. The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien (1937)