Top 10 Circulated Books 2012: K-2nd Grade

Don’t even think about dipping that brush. It’s time to once again take an unvarnished look at the most popular books at my school libraries this year. Last time out, we covered 3rd-4th grade. This time around, we’re looking at books for the lower elementary crowd, grades K-2.

10. Boo Hoo Bird by Jeremy Tankard

This surprised me a bit. I knew Boo Hoo Bird was a popular title, but not one of the most popular. A fun book with loads of shelf appeal.

9. Star Wars Lightsabers: A Guide to the Weapons of the Force by Pablo Hidalgo

A typical scene from my K-2 school:

Checkout time begins and a mass of students head for the Star Wars Section. If there are any to be had, they are snatched up. The group of students then disperses to look for other books.

Star Wars is the most popular thing at my K-2 school.

8. Some Pig! A Charlotte’s Web Picture Book by E.B. White (Elwyn Brooks)

I didn’t expect this one. The picture book adaptation of what is often considered the best children’s novel of all time was also one of the most popular at my K-2 school.

7. Bad Kitty Vs. Uncle Murray: Uproar at the Front Door by Nick Bruel

These days, it seems that no most circulated list is complete without some Bad Kitty. I expect this to continue for the foreseeable future.

6. Batman: The Story of the Dark Knight by Ralph Cosentino

Ralph Cosentino’s superhero picture book biographies are consistently popular at by K-2 school. We have Superman, Wonderwoman, and this – all three are constantly checked out.

5. We Are in a Book! by Mo Willems

Good to see some Mo on this list. We have a fully-stocked Elephant & Piggie section, and We Are in a Book! seems to have risen to the top. If you saw our Top 20 Books of 2010 list, you know Mr. Schu and I agree.

4. Star Wars: The Clone Wars Character Encyclopedia

As a kid, I was all about the DC Comics Who’s Who issues, containing bios of every DC character, so I can see the appeal here.

3. Pokémon: Let it Snow! by Tracy West

Pokémon continues to be popular at my K-2 school. Due to high demand, I added these lower-level easy reader titles to the collection and they’ve been going like gangbusters.

2. Star Wars: Stories of the Jedi and Sith by Simon Beecroft

Somehow, I couldn’t find an image of this book online. I think it’s one of those “only available to the school market” titles that they sell at the Scholastic bookfair. Recently, it seems the Sith has been gaining on the Jedi in popularity. I see the emergence of Darth Vader as a character that kids love akin to the way Gordon “Greed is good” Gekko went from the villain of the film Wall Street to a sort of capitalist hero. Bad guys have never been cooler.

1. All That Glitters by Lara Bergen

Ooh, boy. Oh, man. Sometimes tongue biting can be very difficult. Here it is, he book checked out more than any other at my K-2 school. Princesses continue to reign.

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