Classic stories and much-loved authors continue to take pride of place in Kiwi kids’ book bags.

New Zealanders have revealed their favourite children’s books in the Whitcoulls Kids’ Top 50 of 2012-13. Announced today (Sept. 24), the list is compiled from thousands of votes made by families across the country.

The top spot this year goes to The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins, a trilogy that also proved its popularity with adult readers after it came in at number 2 on the Whitcoulls Top 100 list.

The much-loved Harry Potter series takes out second place with The Diary of a Wimpy Kid stories by Jeff Kinney coming in at number three.

While these top three reads may come as no surprise due to the reputation of their on-screen counterparts, Whitcoulls book manager Joan Mackenzie says it’s the on-going popularity of classic stories that’s most pleasing to see.

"A number of timeless books have made the list this year, including titles by Dr Seuss, Roald Dahl, Margaret Mahy and Enid Blyton, which just goes to show the enduring popularity of these authors.

"The old favourites truly stand the test of time and it’s gratifying to know that a good book is as valued today as it ever was," Joan says.

Rounding out the top five are two popular stories perfect for sharing with little ones - Hairy McClary from Donaldson’s Dairy by NZ favourite Lynley Dodd and The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle.

This year, voters were also asked to pick their favourite children’s author. Further proving the popularity of classic storytellers, Roald Dahl, author of infamous books like The Twits, The BFG and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, took out the number one spot. J K Rowling came in second place closely followed by NZ author Margaret Mahy.