Almost a third of young teenagers have so little passion for reading that they cannot name a favourite story book, according to a poll that suggests most youngsters' reading tastes are prompted by the big screen.
A survey of 300 seven- to 14-year-olds, heralding the launch in September of a national storytelling festival for children, indicates that a love of books withers as children get older. Across the age range, one in five has no best-loved read.
The poll, published by the Prince of Wales Arts and Kids Foundation on the eve of the national release of the latest Harry Potter film, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, reveals that the schoolboy wizard is the most popular read of those children naming a favourite book, with just over half placing it in their top three.
JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy, also acquiring new life and new audiences in cinemas, is popular with 25%, followed by Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
The findings were yesterday described by the children's laureate, Michael Morpurgo, a patron of the foundation, as confirmation that "a great welter of children simply don't read".
A fall in the number of parents reading to young children at bedtime, and a lack of love for books among parents and some teachers contributed to youngsters' lack of enthusiasm for reading, he said.
He warned that children could also be turned off by compulsory literacy lessons in schools. They missed out on the "joy and excitement" in favour of analysis and comprehension, he said.
"I think probably most children don't get read to at night," said Mr Morpurgo. "What is clearly evident is that many, many children are stuck in front of the telly, have DVDs and PlayStations and reading does not come high on that list of enjoyments and is not something shared between parent and child."
Mr Morpurgo said he hoped the StoryQuest festival, during which authors would read and talk to children across Britain, would help children "rekindle the secret joy of reading".
He revealed that he disliked books when he was a teenager.
