The Power of Harry Potter
Fri Jul 26,11:09 AM ET

LONDON (Reuters) - As if by magic, virtually all British parents have suddenly picked up the habit of reading to their children, a report published on Friday said.

A poll commissioned by UK electricity utility Powergen found that Harry Potter, as well as older classics, had created a veritable bedtime reading revolution.

Ninety percent of British parents now read to their children, the survey found, up from only 40 percent in 2000. "With the current revival of children's classics like the Lord of the Rings at the cinema, parents are rediscovering books they read when they were younger or are feeling inspired to read them for the first time," a Powergen statement quoted psychologist Aric Sigman as saying.

"Just as both parents and children can enjoy escapism and fantasy, these stories also raise important issues that they can talk about together. This sharing of ideas and opinions is critical to the emotional and creative development of children."

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