Nearly 90% of Scottish parents love reading to their children, with more than half believing it helps generate a special bond between them.

Parents in Scotland also voted for Merida, the lead character in the Disney movie Brave, as the best role model for their children.

A survey, which polled 2000 parents in February this year, also found that, despite living in a digital age of iPads and online entertainment, more than one-third of children said a "really good story" included the traditional joy of being read to in bed.

The survey, conducted by Census Wide, also found that nearly half of parents said they would be more likely to read their children if a fictional character displayed traits that they would like their children to adopt.

The survey asked which character trait this would be, and 54% of mothers chose courage and 50% of fathers chose honesty.

The poll, for Sainsbury's, found that the famous person most children in the Scotland would like to be read a story to them is the singer and actress Katy Perry.

Overall the most popular role models were Merida for her confidence and Superman for his selflessness, although these characters are better known for appearing in films than books.

Three out of five parents polled said the reason they like reading books to their child is because it gives them a "special bond".

In Scotland, 86% of parents surveyed said that they "love reading to their children."

In the UK, more than one-third of parents said they wished they could "read more to their kids to encourage them to read, learn and let their imagination run wild."

The study of 2000 parents and children aged between four and 10 found 60% of parents saying their favourite childhood books encouraged them to read by "capturing their imagination."

Scotland's literary festivals involve children's events as a major part of their programming. The Edinburgh International Book Festival's annual review, published in the last week, said that last year's children's programme, of 223 events, entertained nearly 18,000 and its schools programme offered events for infant, primary and secondary schools.

More than 13,000 children will take part in Scotland's first major book festival dedicated to young readers this month. Glasgow's Wee Write! festival will run from March 5 to 14 and features more than 100 events.

Organisers for the festival have revealed that the event, which features a free schools programme, has received more than 10,000 bookings.

The festival, in its debut year, will host the awards ceremony for the 2014 Scottish Children's Book Awards on Wednesday.