Traditional children's characters being forgotten Even when it came to Harry Potter only half of children questioned claimed to have heard of the boy wizard, putting him slightly ahead of Robinson Crusoe (46 per cent) and Alice in Wonderland (45 per cent). When asked which books they had actually read there were promising signs for some of the most popular children's stories, with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (33 per cent), Wind in the Willows (29 per cent) and Winnie-the-Pooh (28 per cent) among the favourites. But other classics such as Anne of Green Gables (six per cent), The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood (six per cent) and Swallows and amazons (nine per cent) fared less strongly. Asked to name their favourite author, Roald Dahl topped the poll with a third of all votes followed by JK Rowling with 21 per cent. Prof Jean Webb, who oversaw the survey, said: "Thankfully, to counteract this possible downturn in children experiencing the classics, there is still a very strong interest in our rich literary heritage. This is clearly demonstrated by the popularity of the courses in children's literature currently run across the UK and also internationally. The survey came two weeks after the English Folk Dance and Song Society launched a campaign to revive traditional children's songs amid fears too many are dying out or being "sanitised." The society warned that children in some schools songs like Humpty Dumpty have either been abandoned or had sections changed or removed because they make references to "unsuitable" subjects like war, death and disease.