Following are the all-time best-selling children’s books in the United States, according to Publishers Weekly. The numbers of copies sold reflect domestic sales from the date of original publication through the end of 1988; books in the public domain generally are not included, the magazine says, since aggregate sales figures are unavailable.
Cloth
1.The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter (Frederick Warne, 1902) 9,000,000
.Pat the Bunny by Dorothy Kunhardt (Golden Books, 1940) 4,857,417
3.The Littlest Angel by Charles Tazewell (Children’s Press, 1946) 4,665,209
.The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss (Random House, 1957) 3,693,197
.Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss (Random House, 1960) 3,683,097
.The Children’s Bible (Golden Books, 1965) 3,654,743
.The Real Mother Goose, illustrated by Blanche F. Wright (Rand McNally, 1916) 3,600,000
8.Richard Scarry’s Best Word Book Ever by Richard Scarry (Golden Books, 1963) 3,303,583
9.One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss (Random House, 1960) 2,970,833
0.Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss (Random House, 1963) 2,953,324
1.Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein (Harper & Row, 1974) 2,851,477
2.Dr. Seuss’s ABC by Dr. Seuss (Random House, 1963) 2,753,823
3.The Cat in the Hat Comes Back by Dr. Seuss (Random House, 1958) 2,470,305
4.The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein (Harper & Row, 1964) 2,453,679
5.Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne, illustrated by Ernest H. Shepard (Dutton, 1926) 2,445,398
6.Fox in Socks by Dr. Seuss (Random House, 1965) 2,056,614
7.The Cat in the Hat Beginner Book Dictionary by P.D. Eastman (Random House, 1964) 2,048,572
8.Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman (Random House, 1960) 2,035,631
9.A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein (Harper & Row, 1981) 2,015,181
0.Richard Scarry’s Best Mother Goose Ever by Richard Scarry (Golden Books, 1964) 1,921,457
1.Walt Disney’s Storyland by Walt Disney (Golden Books, 1962) 1,917,357
2.Never Talk to Strangers by Irma Joyce, illustrated by George Buckett (Golden Books, 1967) 1,916,040
3.My Book About Me (by Me, Myself) by Dr. Seuss (Random House, 1969) 1,865,591
4.Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White, illustrated by Garth Williams (Harper & Row, 1952) 1,828,019
5.I Am a Bunny by Ole Risom, illustrated by Richard Scarry (Golden Books, 1963) 1,823,832
26.The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, illustrated by Tasha Tudor (J.B. Lippincott, 1921) 1,820,820
7.Go, Dog, Go! by P.D. Eastman (Random House, 1961) 1,685,428
8.How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss (Random House, 1957) 1,620,309
9.Richard Scarry’s Best Sto13lrybook Ever by Richard Scarry (Golden Books, 1968) 1,541,913
0.The Macmillan Dictionary for Children (Macmillan, 1975) 1,500,000
31.Love Is a Special Way of Feeling by Joan Walsh Anglund (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1960) 1,361,700
2.Bible in Pictures for Little Eyes by Kenneth N. Taylor (Moody Press, 1956) 1,347,807
3.Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Clement Hurd (Harper & Row, 1947) 1,298,001
4.Richard Scarry’s Cars and Trucks and Things That Go by Richard Scarry (Golden Books, 1974) 1,251,586
5.The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1943) 1,202,180
6.Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak (Harper & Row, 1964) 1,191,477
7.The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper (Platt & Munk, 1930) 1,147,830
8.E.T.--The Extra-Terrestrial Storybook by William Kotzwinkle (Grosset & Dunlap, 1983) 1,096,338
9.Santa Mouse by Michael Brown, illustrated by Elfrieda DeWitt (Grosset & Dunlap, 1966) 1,078,215
0.The Clear and Simple Thesaurus Dictionary by Harriet Wittels and Joan Greisman (Grosset & Dunlap, 1976) 1,046,763
1.Big Bird’s Color Game by Children’s Television Workshop (Golden Books, 1980) 1,038,903
2.The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams, illustrated by William Nicholson (Doubleday, 1926) 1,000,000
3.The Golden Songbook (Golden Books, 1965) 989,289
4.The Tall Book of Nursery Tales, illustrated by Feodor Rojankovsky (Harper & Row, 1944) 960,253
5.Richard Scarry’s What Do People Do All Day? by Richard Scarry (Random House, 1968) 928,699
6.Hardy Boys #1: The Tower Treasure by Franklin Dixon8(Grosset & Dunlap, 1927) 923,574
7.Richard Scarry’s Early Words by Richard Scarry (Random House, 1976) 914,174
48.Richard Scarry’s Storybook Dictionary by Richard Scarry (Random House, 1966) 908,802
9.Nancy Drew #1: The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene (Grosset & Dunlap, 1930) 900,217
0.Album of Horses by Marguerite Henry, illustrated by Wesley Dennis (Rand McNally, 1950) 900,051
1.I Can Read With My Eyes Shut by Dr. Seuss (Random House, 1976) 888,229
52.Put Me in the Zoo by Robert Lopshire (Random House, 1960) 880,253
53.Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl, illustrated by Joseph Schindelman (Knopf, 1964) 861,894
54.Dr. Seuss’s Sleep Book by Dr. Seuss (Random House, 1962) 850,325
55.Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey (Viking, 1941) 850,000
56.Stuart Little by E.B. White, illustrated by Garth Williams (Harper & Row, 1945) 809,401
57.The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg (Houghton Mifflin, 1985) 800,000
58.Stories of the Gods and Heroes by Sally Benson, illustrated by Steele Savage (Dial, 1940) 793,000
59.The Star Wars Storybook, adapted by Geraldine Richelson (Random House, 1978) 779,259 (out of print)
0.Yertle the Turtle & Other Stories by Dr. Seuss (Random House, 1958) 775,878
Paper
1.The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton (Dell/Laurel-Leaf, 1968) 5,855,085
.Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume (Dell/Yearling and Laurel-Leaf, 1974) 5,278,412
.Charlotte’s Web By E.B. White, illustrated by Garth Williams (Harper Trophy, 1973) 4,607,131
.Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume (Dell/Yearling, 1976) 4,582,039
.Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder, illustrated by Garth Williams (Harper Trophy, 1971) 3,803,209
.The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1968) 3,667,861
.Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder, illustrated by Garth Williams (Harper Trophy, 1971) 3,495,079
8.That Was Then, This Is Now S.E. Hinton (Dell/Laurel-Leaf, 1972) 3,351,194
9.Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls (Bantam, 1974) 3,347,000
0.Superfudge by Judy Blume (Dell/Yearling, 1981) 3,243,442
1.Freckle Juice by Judy Blume (Dell/Yearling, 1978) 2,835,052
2.Blubber by Judy Blume (Dell/Yearling and Laurel-Leaf, 1976) 2,745,782
3.Little Town on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder, illustrated by Garth Williams (Harper Trophy, 1971) 2,539,486
4.On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder, illustrated by Garth Williams (Harper Trophy, 1971) 2,559,265
5.Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder, illustrated by Garth Williams (Harper Trophy, 1971) 2,533,801
6.The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder, illustrated by Garth Williams (Harper Trophy, 1971) 2,473,063
7.The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth Speare (Dell/Yearling and Laurel-Leaf, 1971) 2,445,000
8.By the Shores of Silver Lake by Laura Ingalls Wilder, illustrated by Garth Williams (Harper Trophy, 1971) 2,417,192
9.Then Again, Maybe I Won’t by Judy Blume (Dell/Yearling, 1973) 2,366,758
0.The First Four Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder, illustrated by Garth Williams (Harper Trophy, 1971) 2,285,335
1.These Happy Golden Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder, illustrated by Garth Williams (Harper Trophy, 1971) 2,273,800
2.A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle (Dell/Laurel-Leaf, 1976) 2,246,000
3.Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes, illustrated by Lynd Ward (Dell/Yearling and Laurel-Leaf,1968) 2,242,000
4.Rascal by Sterling North (Avon/Camelot, 1964) 2,215,000 (out of print)
5.The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams, illustrated by William Nicholson (Avon/Camelot, 1982) 2,192,000
6.The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore, illustrated by Douglas Gorsline (Random House, 1975) 2,113,542
7.Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell (Dell/Yearling, 1971) 1,876,000
8.500 Words To Grow On by Harry McNaught (Random House, 1973) 1,808,375
29.The Berenstain Bears’ New Baby by Stan and Jan Berenstain (Random House, 1974) 1,803,154
0.The Pigman by Paul Zindel (Bantam, 1978) 1,786,000
1.Richard Scarry’s Please & Thank You by Richard Scarry (Random House, 1973) 1,710,074
2.The Berenstain Bears and the Messy Room by Stan and Jan Berenstain (Random House, 1983) 1,615,704
3.Grover and the Everything in the Whole Wide World Museum by Norman Stiles and Daniel Wilcox, illustrated by Joe Mathieu (Random House, 1974) 1,606,388
34.Just For You by Mercer Mayer (Golden Books, 1975) 1,604,062
5.Stuart Little by E.B. White, illustrated by Garth Williams (Harper Trophy, 1974) 1,570,727
6.Just Me and My Dad by Mercer Mayer (Golden Books, 1977) 1,562,955
7.The Little Duck by Judy Dunn, photos by Phoebe Dunn (Random House, 1976) 1,517,787
8.Deenie by Judy Blume (Dell/Laurel-Leaf, 1976) 1,500,970
9.Dinosaurs by Peter Zallinger (Random House, 1977) 1,500,441
40.Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne, illustrated by Ernest H. Shepard (Dell/Yearling, 1970) 1,483,000
1.Iggie’s House by Judy Blume (Dell/Yearling, 1976) 1,464,310
2.Eric by Doris Lund (Dell/Laurel-Leaf, 1975) 1,443,000
3.The House at Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne (Dell/Yearling, 1970) 1,386,000
4.The Alphabet Book by P.D. Eastman (Random House, 1974) 1,376,551
45.The Berenstain Bears Visit the Dentist by Stan and Jan Berenstain (Random House, 1981) 1,375,552
6.How To Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell (Dell/Yearling, 1975) 1,360,000
7.Merry Christmas, Mom and Dad by Mercer Mayer (Golden Books, 1982) 1,351,214
8.Richard Scarry’s Find Your ABC’s by Richard Scarry (Random House, 1973) 1,350,378
9.From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg (Dell/Yearling, 1973) 1,335,000
0.The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson (Avon/Camelot, 1979) 1,309,497
51.The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White, illustrated by Edward Frascino (Harper Trophy, 1974) 1,295,813
52.Grover’s Hide & Seek by Jon Stone, illustrated by Michael J. Smollin (Random House, 1976) 1,270,360
53.Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor (Bantam, 1978) 1,262,000
54.The Berenstain Bears in the Dark by Stan and Jan Berenstain (Random House, 1982) 1,225,590
With permission of Publishers Weekly, published by the Bowker Magazine Group of Cahners Publishing Company, a division of Reed Publishing USA. Copyright 1989 by Reed Publishing USA.
55.Fifteen by Beverly Cleary (Dell/Laurel-Leaf, 1980) 1,225,000
56.The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, illustrated by Tasha Tudor (Dell/Yearling, 1971) 1,220,000
57.Rumble Fish by S.E. Hinton (Dell/Laurel-Leaf, 1976) 1,204,000
58.A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck (Dell/Laurel-Leaf, 1977) 1,202,000
59.Sounder by William Armstrong (Harper Trophy, 1970) 1,197,206
60.The Truck Book by Harry McNaught (Random House, 1978) 1,196,110
