New York Times, Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Boston Globe children’s books bestseller lists are just a few of the many lists that we have to tell us what are the best and hottest children’s books on the market. But what does a bestseller list really tell you? Are bestselling children’s books really the best books for your children on the market? Unfortunately, it’s that black and white. Surely, bestselling children’s books lists contain many highly effective children’s books that are both educational and positively stimulating, they aren’t a slam-dunk to be the best books for your children.
This article isn’t an expose on the scandalous, seedy side of children’s books lists (because, frankly, there isn’t one). The point I want to make is that consumers don’t provide a completely accurate beacon for guidance on which children’s books to buy your children. Bestseller lists are great, and they are often times very helpful to narrow down the field of options in the massive sea of children’s books. Personally, I think that an even better beacon for helping to choose children’s books is a different type of list – Awards Lists. I wrote an article on children’s book awards and awards lists that can be found in our “Awards” section. We also have listed winners of America’s top three children’s book awards.
I found a fun list of bestseller children’s books the other day. The list did not indicate recent book sales trends, but was a list of all-time best selling children’s books in America. Let’s take a closer look.
Can you guess the #1 bestselling book of all time? You guessed it (or not): The Poky Little Puppy by Janette Sebring Lowrey (1942). Is that a little too old school for your taste? Which modern day, best selling series do you think landed a book at number 5? That was an easy one; I gave it away when I said “series”, right? You guessed it: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J.K. Rowling (2000). You may not have known which Potter book, but I’ll bet you knew it was one from that series. Harry Potter books also hold the numbers 10, 11 and 19 in the top 25 list of all time best selling children’s books. The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter (1902) comes in at number two, while Tootle by Gertrude Crampton (1945) is the third best selling children’s book of all time. I have to admit that I’ve never heard of that one…A very recognizable Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss (1960) is number four on the list. Dr. Seuss also has a hand full of other great classics in the top 25, such as, The Cat in the Hat (#9), One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish (#13), Hop on Pop (#16), Dr. Seuss’s ABC (#18) and The Cat in the Hat Comes Back (#25). Classic and brilliant authors like Shel Silverstein, Richard Scarry, Dr. Seuss and Beatrix Potter can be found time and time again throughout the top 150 best selling children’s books of all time list.