This year, the New York Public Library is celebrating its 125th anniversary and in honor of that incredible milestone, the library has announced a list of the top 10 most checked-out books in its history, CNN reported.
While plenty of the titles that made the list come at no real surprise (even seeing just one “Harry Potter” text was a given), the fact that the diverse children’s story, “The Snowy Day,” took the top spot is definitely noteworthy.
Ezra Jack Keats’ “The Snowy Day” was first published in 1962 during the Civil Rights movement.
The beautifully illustrated book tells the story of a little boy named Peter enjoying the city after the first snowfall of the season. Although it’s never explicitly pointed out in the text, Peter is African-American. But that’s because that wasn’t the point.
“It wasn’t important,” Deborah Pope, the executive director of the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation, told NPR . “The point is that this is a beautiful book about a child’s encounter with the snow, and the wonder of it.”
Although Keats wasn’t trying to make a statement about race, “The Snowy Day” inevitably became a literary hit.
In 1963, it won the Caldecott Medal given to outstanding picture books. But more importantly, it helped change the way that some children saw themselves.
“There was a teacher who [who] wrote in to Ezra, saying, ‘The kids in my class, for the first time, are using brown crayons to draw themselves,'” Pop said. “These are African-American children. Before this, they drew themselves with pink crayons. But now, they can see themselves.”
Since it was published, “The Snowy Day” has been checked out of the New York Public Library a total of 485,583 times.
As incredible as that number is to see for any story in its inventory, New York Public Library President Anthony W. Marx explained , “It’s even more amazing that the top-ranked book is a book that has that element of diversity.”
“The story… is one of the earliest examples of diversity in children’s books,” the library said online . “At the end of the day, though, it’s all about the story — and how the brilliantly told tale of Peter and his wintry adventure transcends generations.”
To celebrate “The Snowy Day” coming in at number one, all NYPL locations are issuing new, special-edition library cards with the book’s illustrations.
According to the library’s website , existing members can get the beautiful new card by making a $1 donation.
If you love the book but aren’t necessarily in need of a library card, the NYPL has also teamed up with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to issue a special-edition MetroCard. Check here for a full list of stations offering the unique card.
“The Snowy Day” isn’t the only children’s book that made the prestigious list.
Coming in second is Dr. Seuss’ beloved tale, “The Cat in the Hat”, which was checked out 469,650 times.
Also included on the list are Maurice Sendak’s “Where the Wild Things Are” (436,016), E.B. White’s “Charlotte’s Web” (337,948), and Eric Carle’s “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” (189,550).
“Goodnight Moon” by Margaret Wise Brown, earned an honorable mention since it could have very well made the list if not for one NYPL librarian who hated the story when it was first released in 1947, and so the library didn’t actually carry it until 1972.
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Andrew Medlar, one of the experts who helped compile the list, explained there’s a reason why so many children’s books appear on the list.
“The shorter the book, the more turnover or circulation,” he told CNN in a statement. “The adult books on the list tend to be shorter, such as ‘1984’ and ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’.”
Other factors include how many languages the book is available in, how long it has been in print, and its overall universal appeal.
Medlar said the library’s goal is still the same as it was 125 years ago: to provide New Yorkers with “knowledge, information, and a lot of great books.”
Here’s the full list of the library’s top 10 checkouts of all time:
#1: “The Snowy Day,” by Ezra Jack Keats (485,583 checkouts)
#2: “The Cat in the Hat,” by Dr. Seuss (469,650)
#3: “1984,” by George Orwell (441,770)
#4: “Where the Wild Things Are,” by Maurice Sendak (436,016)
#5: “To Kill a Mockingbird,” by Harper Lee (422,912)
#6: “Charlotte’s Web,” by E.B. White (337,948)
#7: “Fahrenheit 451,” by Ray Bradbury (316,404)
#8: “How to Win Friends and Influence People,” by Dale Carnegie (284,524)
#9: “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” by J.K. Rowling (231,022)
#10: “The Very Hungry Caterpillar,” by Eric Carle (189,550)
Honorable Mention: “Goodnight Moon,” by Margaret Wise Brown
