Top 10 Circulated Books of 2013: K-2nd Grade
The end of the school year is just a couple weeks away and it’s time to reminisce. So with an appropriately wistful faraway stare and slight smile, I bring you the most popular books of the year in my K-2 school library.
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If you’re up for more looking back, click here to relive last year’s favorites.
10. Disney Princess: A Read-Aloud Storybook
It’s fair to say I’m not a princess fan. My students respectfully disagree with my stance on the matter.
9. Brave New Pond (Squish, Book 2) by Jennifer L. Holm; illustrated by Matthew Holm
In 2013 we welcome Squish to the list of most circulated. I added the series at the beginning of the year and it has become a favorite.
8. Bad Dog, Marley! by John Grogan; illustrated by Richard Cowdrey
The K-2 crowd still has Marley Fever. Even though this book came out a couple years ago now, checkouts are still strong.
7. Should I Share My Ice Cream? by Mo Willems
After a lot of careful consideration about what more I can say about Mo Willems’s beginning reader series, I’ll settle for this: the Elephant and Piggie books are outstanding in every way. That includes popularity, too – the mess of them go out nonstop.
6. Bad Kitty vs. Uncle Murray by Nick Bruel
During election season, we had a Bad Kitty vs. Babymouse election. It was close, but Bad Kitty won out. It’s a series that continues to gain steam.
5. Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin; illustrated by James Dean
Speaking of gaining steam, Pete the Cat is on top of the world right now. The books are well-written and the musical hook draws even more fans. It will be interesting to see where the series goes now that it appears Eric Litwin is out of the picture, but for now it’s tough to mess with Pete.
4. Bad Kitty Meets the Baby by Nick Bruel
Our second Bad Kitty appearance. Bruel’s mix of illustrations and, I think, naughty behavior has proven to be an appealing combination.
3. Star Wars: Clone Troopers in Action by Clare Hibbert
There are certain students who always have the same library routine – check for any Star Wars books first, then, if they are out, look for a different book. That explains why this one is at number three.
2. Pete the Cat: Rocking in My School Shoes by Eric Litwin; illustrated by James Dean
Reading Pete the Cat is like creating an instant party – especially if you play the accompanying song available on the Pete the Cat website.
1. Captain Underpants and the Terrifying Return of Tippy Tinkletrousers by Dav Pilkey
Somehow, this was a slight surprise for me. I take the extreme popularity of Captain Underpants as a given these days – information placed off in the corner of my mind labeled “Things I Know for Sure”. The fact that this book bested all the rest reminds me of just how popular this series is. Elementary schools everywhere are awash in devoted Pilkey fans.
Check out previous 2013 top 10s
Filed under: Articles
About Travis Jonker
Travis Jonker is an elementary school librarian in Michigan. He writes reviews (and the occasional article or two) for School Library Journal and is a member of the 2014 Caldecott committee. You can email Travis at scopenotes@gmail.com, or follow him on Twitter: @100scopenotes.
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Do you get these stats through your library management system? We have a middle school librarian who is dying to do this by grade level, but none of us has been able to figure out how to do it (we use Destiny).
Unfortunately, I don’t think I can help. My schools are grouped by grade level (i.e. K-2, 3-4, 5-6), so when I look at the most circulated books for each school, they are automatically for those specific grades.