The Very Hungry Caterpillar is the most read children's book in Britain, a study revealed yesterday.
 
Researchers estimate Eric Carle’s 1969 classic is read an average of nine times a year by the nation's 5.5 million primary school children.
 
The second most popular book is the classic Cinderella fairytale which is read around 8.7 times a year by each family.
 
The third most reread books are Roger Hargreaves’ Mr Men series while in fourth place were the Peppa Pig books based on the Channel 5 children’s television show with both being read eight times a year.

Parents and children read about Postman Pat’s adventures an average of 7.5 times a year while The Gruffalo, Julia Donaldson's animated modern fantasy, is likely to be read at least 7 seven times a year.

This bank robber shot himself in the foot during a recent raid in Brazil, and not just metaphorically… but in a very painful bullet in the foot way.

CCTV footage shows the robber walking into the bank in northern Paraná, Brazil, along with two other gunmen and demanding that staff hand over cash.

And it was all going to plan until the hapless crook -- who was standing lookout at the door -- got an itchy-trigger finger.

He accidentally pulled the trigger and proceeded to shoot himself in the foot. He can then be seen in the footage limping behind he less bungling colleagues.

The view from these homes really is rubbish -- because a refuse dump has been allowed to accumulate so much it is now piled higher than the flats around it.

The tip, in Brierley Hill, West Midlands, has now reached a point that it towers over neighbouring four-storey buildings and can be seen from a mile away.

Standing at more than 30ft tall the rubbish heap is made up of household rubbish, rubble and industrial refuse and residents claim it's a health hazard.

They also say rats have been spotted running around the rubbish and that clouds of black dust coat their windows… which we guess means they don't have to look at it.

An opera-singing pizza chef from Farmingdale, Long Island, has become an online hit after a video of him showing off his vocal talents was uploaded to YouTube.

In the footage Carmelo Raccuglia can be seen singing as he emerges from behind the salad-bar at a pizza restaurant.

After a few bemused looks from diners he ups the volume as he belts out the operatic vocals like a pro.

Once he has finished there is just a quick thumbs up to the applauding patrons and he heads off back into the kitchen.

Racehorses carrying the No1 cloth win more races than any other nag, new figures have revealed.
 
A detailed analysis of results from 9,500 races in the UK during 2010-- which took six weeks to compile -- revealed No1 wins on 15 per cent of occasions.
 
It also emerged there is no such thing as a lucky No 7, with the hapless horse accounting for 20 per cent of all disqualifications throughout the season.
 
More jockeys are unseated by horses wearing the No 3 than on any other number and No 2 is the most likely to fall.

This dog is lucky to be alive after his hapless owner got into a lift and forgot his pooch -- which had his leash attached -- was still outside.

CCTV footage shows the horrified button-punching reaction of the dog owner when he realises what's happened and that his pet could be seriously injured.

As he travelled towards his Chicago apartment, the man realised that he is still holding the lead but that his 18-month-old bulldog cross is not in the lift with him.

Luckily, video from another camera shows that while the dog was lifted from the ground as the lead travelled upwards, it snapped and he survived the ordeal relatively uninjured.

Amy Childs, Ed Miliband and Christine Bleakley might be among the UK’s most well known faces, but most of us think they have got less personality than a houseplant.

A bizarre study recently examined how interesting members of the public found a host of celebs -- and then compared this to the stimulation provided by a flower.

Research subjects were played footage of public figures in conversation and instructed to leave the room when they felt boredom or irritation kicking in.

Without fail, it was Amy Childs’ airhead TV observations and Ed Miliband’s wooden Westminster interviews that induced the fastest rates of tedium -- 19 and 28 seconds respectively.
 
However, when shown a Stephanosis and the aura of an Orchid, people found themselves mentally stimulated for a average of four minutes and 48 seconds. 

An artist yesterday installed a giant fake sun in London's Trafalgar Square -- in a bid to beat the morning blues for commuters.

The Trafalgar Sun is a giant luminous ball (slightly smaller than the real sun) which was raised in Trafalgar Square at 6.51am by art collective Greyworld.

Said to be 30,000 times bigger than a football and as bright as 60,000 light bulbs, the work was commissioned by Tropicana fruit juice and stayed illuminated until 7.33pm.

Some hardy Londoners and tourists even took time out of their day to sit in the provided deck-chairs and sunbathe… though it still looks a bit chilly to us.

It's no secret that musicians hate it when a rogue mobile phone ring interrupts their performance, but this violist has found a novel way to deal with the problem.

Lukas Kmit had been playing his violin at a Jewish Orthodox synagogue in Slovakia when a irritating Nokia ringtone sounded out from the crowd.

But rather than get angry with the mobile-holding recital-goer, Kmit instead played along with the ringtone on his instrument.

When he was finished the audience burst into a spontaneous round of applause -- as have many of the 1 million people who have viewed the clip on YouTube.

TV magician Paul Daniels has revealed how he accidentally made one of his fingertips vanish… in a circular saw accident.

The 73-year-old had been working in his garden shed creating new props for his act when he accidentally sliced through his left hand.

Doing so he chopped off top of his ring finger and also injured his forefinger and little finger -- requiring him to dash to Towlands Hospital for emergency surgery.

Luckily doctors were able to reattach his index finger and it's hoped he will be back to his quick-fingered magical ways soon.

Speaking of his upcoming tour Daniels said: "I decided that I had best write a plan A and a plan B. Plan A is that everything is working fine and plan B is that we take that trick out, because I physically cannot do it yet."