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Children in the East Midlands are ditching traditional fairy tales for funny stories dubbed ‘Jokelore’ according to new research recently released by the National Year of Reading.
Three times as many parents (27 per cent) say their children enjoy funny stories the most compared to traditional fairy tales (9 per cent). Gentle childhood classics such as Beatrix Potter and Enid Blyton are being trumped at bedtime by parents and kids alike, in favour of the laugh-out-loud stories of Roald Dahl and Dr Seuss.
The study also suggests the art of storytelling is in danger of being lost. Under half of parents (39 per cent) say their children are read to every day – the lowest in the country, while one in ten parents admit to skipping pages to get to the end more quickly. Watching TV or a DVD has edged in front of a bedtime story as the more common pre-sleep habit amongst children, with children in the East Midlands the most likely to watch a DVD before going to bed (79 per cent). The findings come despite recent research that reveals children as old as 12 wish they were read to much more often, and the evidence that children who are read to learn to read more quickly and more confidently, and get more pleasure from reading through life as a result.
The research was conducted to coincide with the launch of the Telling Tales campaign – a search for and celebration of the nation’s most enthusiastic storytellers. The aim of the campaign is to encourage and inspire more parents to enjoy and feel confident about reading aloud with their kids as part of the National Year of Reading.
Parents are responding to children’s demand for ‘Jokelore’ by keeping their kids entertained, with 80 per cent of storytelling parents putting on different accents for each character:
- a South Western accent tops a list of the kids’ favourite regional accents for a hero/heroine
- for villains, kids in the East Midlands cited Cockney and the West Midlands as the most dastardly accents!
Ed Balls, Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, said: “Reading to your kids is not only pivotal to their success in later life but, as this research shows, can be great fun and rewarding. As a parent myself, I know how hard it can be to find time, but just ten minutes a day can make a real difference to a child’s future – with or without the accents!”
Honor Wilson-Fletcher, Director of the National Year of Reading, said: “Laughing and sharing stories together has to be one of life’s simple pleasures, so this trend toward ‘Jokelore’ comes as no surprise. It’s great to see so many parents embracing humour to make reading aloud really fun for both them and their children. But we need to get all parents confident as storytellers, reading aloud with their kids as a matter of habit. I can’t think of a better way to unwind after a stressful day! That’s why today we are launching Telling Tales: a search for the nation’s most enthusiastic storyteller. It’s time to get everyone happily storytelling – because if you’re having fun, your kids will too.”
Comic Jon Culshaw, who is supporting the launch of Telling Tales, comments: “I remember when I was young I loved funny books told in funny ways by funny people – Spike Milligan and Michael Palin were particular favourites. So if parents are entering into the spirit and bringing storybooks alive through funny voices then that is good news for children. A bit of fun adds fuel to the imagination and also sprinkles that sense of mischief that children like so much. If all parents did that then what a jolly world it would be!.”
Storytelling enthusiasts (over 18) are invited to upload a clip of themselves reading their favourite story to: www.yearofreading.org.uk to be in with a chance of being crowned the nation’s most exciting storyteller.
Barefoot Books is launching a Young Storyteller competition across Europe. For more information visit barefootbooks.com.
