2018 Favorite Children's Books - Early Readers and Picture Books

We're continuing our lists of the most popular youth books in our library with early readers and picture books today.

These lists are compiled based on the number of times the books were checked out in 2018.

Check our catalog here to reserve any books you'd like to read. 

Picture Books

1. Disney Princess: Princess Collection 
2. (tie) Ella Bella Ballerina and Cinderella by James Mayhew
2. (tie) Ella Bella Ballerina and the Sleeping Beauty by James Mayhew
2. (tie) The Cow Who Climbed a Tree by Gemma Merino
2. (tie) Pony Pop Stars (My Little Pony series)
2. (tie) PAW Patrol: Pup, Pup, and Away (PAW Patrol series)
2. (tie) PAW Patrol Little Golden Book Favorites (PAW Patrol series)
2. (tie) The Pups Save Friendship Day! (PAW Patrol series)
9. (tie) Pete the Cat and the Missing Cupcakes by Kim Dean
9. (tie) Pete the Cat and the Bedtime Blues by Kim Dean

And since there are so many series books in the picture book list, here are a few individual titles and one series that barely missed the top ten:

Sticky, Sticky, Stuck! by Michael Gutch 
Creepy Pair of Underwear! by Aaron Reynolds
The Dino-sports series by Lisa Wheeler
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems
Cookiesaurus Rex by Amy Fellner Dominy

Early Nonfiction

1. The Big Book of Dinosaurs by Angela Wilkes (E 567.9 Wilkes)
2. 5 Wild Creature Adventures! by Martin Kratt (E 590 Kratt)

3. (tie) A World of Pausabilities : an Exercise in Mindfulness by Frank Sileo (E 155.423 Sileo)

3. (tie) The Gingerbread Man retold by Eric Kimmel (E 398.2 Kimmel)

3. (tie) Alphabet Animals : a Slide-and-peek Adventure by Suse MacDonald (E 591 Macdonald)

3. (tie) Where's Waldo? : the Fantastic Journey by Martin Handford (E 793.73 Handford)

7. (tie) Cityblock by Christopher Franceschelli, Christopher (E 307.76 Franceschelli)

7. (tie) The Gingerbread Boy : a Folk Tale Classic retold by Paul  Galdone (E 398.2 Galdone)

7. (tie) First Big Book of the Ocean by Catherine Hughes (E 551.46 Hughes)

7. (tie) Meerkats by Laura Marsh (E 599.742 Marsh)

7. (tie) Robots by Gail Tuchman (E 629.8 Tuchman)

7. (tie) The Disney Princess Cookbook by Cindy Littlefield (E 641.512 Littlefield)

Early Readers

The Elephant and Piggie series by Mo Willems made a clean sweep of the top ten:

1. Happy Pig Day!

2. My New Friend is so Fun!

3. The Thank You Book

4. Waiting is Not Easy!

5. Let's Go for a Drive!

6. I Really Like Slop!

7. I Will Take a Nap!

8. (tie) I Broke My Trunk!

8. (tie) Listen to My Trumpet!

8. (tie) Should I Share My Ice Cream?

8. (tie) I'm a Frog!

Mo Willems completed the Elephant and Piggie series with The Thank You Book.  (The Thank You Book will be more enjoyable if you read the other books in the series first.)  

Piggie and Elephant now introduce books by other authors in the new series Elephant and Piggie Like Reading.  And, Willems has begun a new series, Unlimited Squirrels.  If you've finished all the Elephant and Piggie books, you may want to try one of these new series.

Check back tomorrow for our most popular board books.

Previous Lists

See our lists of juvenile fiction, nonfiction, and graphic novels here.

See other organizations' "Best of 2018" lists here.