Tiny Treasury

A reader wants to know, “What is the best selling children’s book of all time?”

Okay, this is a much harder question than I thought it would be. According to Publishers Weekly, the top selling hardback book through the end of 2000 was The Poky Little Puppy.

1. The Poky Little Puppy, Janette Sebring Lowrey (1942)
2. The Tale of Peter Rabbit, Beatrix Potter (1902)
3. Tootle, Gertrude Crampton (1945)
4. Green Eggs and Ham, Dr. Seuss (1960)
5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J. K. Rowling (2000)
6. Pat the Bunny, Dorothy Kunhardt (1940)
7. Saggy Baggy Elephant, Kathryn and Byron Jackson (1947)
8. Scuffy the Tugboat, Gertrude Crampton (1955)
9. The Cat in the Hat, Dr. Seuss (1957)
10. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, J. K. Rowling (1999)
11. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, J. K. Rowling (1999)
12. Where the Sidewalk Ends, Shel Silverstein (1974)
13. One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, Dr. Seuss (1960)
14. The Giving Tree, Shel Silverstein (1964)
15. The Littlest Angel, Charles Tazewell (1946)
16. Hop on Pop, Dr. Seuss (1963)
17. Oh, the Places You’ll Go!, Dr. Seuss (1990)
18. Dr. Seuss’s ABC, Dr. Seuss (1960)
19. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, J. K. Rowling (1998)
20. The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Eric Carle (1969)

You can see the rest of the list of hardback best sellers here.

The top selling paperback book was Charlotte’s Web. The list is as follows:

1. Charlotte’s Web, E. B. White; illustrated by Garth Williams (1974)
2. The Outsiders, S. E. Hinton (1968)
3. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, Judy Blume (1976)
4. Love You Forever, Robert Munsch; illustrated by Sheila McGraw (1986)
5. Where the Red Fern Grows, Wilson Rawls (1973)
6. Island of the Blue Dolphins, Scott O’Dell (1971)
7. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, J. K. Rowling (1999)
8. Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret, Judy Blume (1972)
9. Shane, Jack Schaeffer (1972)
10. The Indian in the Cupboard, Lynne Reid Banks (1982)
11. A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L’Engle (1974)
12. Little House on the Prairie, Laura Ingalls Wilder; illustrated by Garth Williams (1971)
13. Little House in the Big Woods, Laura Ingalls Wilder; illustrated by Garth Williams (1971)
14. The Incredible Journey, Sheila Burnford (1984)
15. The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1968)
16. Johnny Tremain, Esther Forbes (1969)
17. Just Me and My Dad, Mercer Mayer (1977)
18. Go Ask Alice, Anonymous (1976)
19. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, J. K. Rowling (2000)
20. Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great, Judy Blume (1976)

You can see the rest of the paperback list here.

So what’s complicated about that? Well, a couple of sites from mid-2000 claim that Harry Potter is #1. That would make sense if those sites were posted in, say, 2003, when my information might be outdated (I don’t think there’s been a comprehensive list since 2000). However, the mid-2000 thing doesn’t quite fit with the list provided by Publishers Weekly since the PW list is through the end of 2000.

All that said, I’m keeping this list as my “go to” list for now - unless someone can point me to a reliable source that says otherwise.

For the record, I’ve read 13 of the hardbacks and 11 of the paperbacks. You?

If you’ve got a question for me, send me a note. I’ll do my best to find out the answer.

Publishers Weekly, best selling children’s book, Poky Little Puppy, Charlotte’s Web, Harry Potter