Children's literature reigned supreme in a recent British poll that named Enid Blyton, Roald Dahl and J.K. Rowling the U.K.'s "most cherished and best-loved" authors.

Blyton, the writer behind the still-popular adventure-filled Famous Five series, emerged victorious in a survey of the British public that was commissioned to mark the 2008 Costa Book Awards and carried out earlier this month.

Dahl, the beloved author of such titles as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach and The Witches, placed second in the poll of approximately 2,000 adults.

Rowling, creator of the blockbuster Harry Potter series, came in third and was one of just two modern authors who cracked the list's top 10. The other was horrormeister Stephen King, who landed in ninth place.

Canadian Margaret Atwood placed 24th, while other notable names that made the list of 50 include Dr. Seuss (39), Judy Blume (33), Mark Twain (40), Jackie Collins (21), Isaac Asimov (23), Dan Brown (19), Leo Tolstoy (45) and Martin Amis (22).

A full list is available on the Costa Awards website.

The Costa Book Awards, formerly known as the Whitebread Literary Awards, recognize work by writers based in the U.K. and Ireland.

Each year, winners in five separate categories (novel, first novel, children's book, biography and poetry) go on to compete for the overall best book of the year title.