Our 2020 Facts and Figures compilation of children’s bestsellers includes a wide variety of titles, dominated by contemporary graphic novel series and their spinoffs, illustrated middle grade novels, and classic picture books. Our lists are based on print unit sales at outlets that report to NPD Bookscan, which tracks approximately 85% of the print market. Here we compile the books that sold more than 100,000 copies in four categories: Hardcover Frontlist, Paperback Frontlist, Hardcover Backlist, and Paperback Backlist. (Click here to see our 2020 compilation of YA bestsellers.)
Last year’s overall top-selling book was Grime and Punishment, book nine in Dav Pilkey’s hugely popular Dog Man series, which sold more than 1 million copies in hardcover. The middle grade series had a strong showing across multiple categories (see below).
In addition to Grime and Punishment, the hardcover frontlist category features Pilkey’s Cat Kid Comic Club, which kicked off a graphic novel series starring Dog Man character Li’l Petey. Jeff Kinney’s mega-selling Diary of a Wimpy Kid series also made a splash: The Deep End and spinoff title Rowley Jefferson’s Awesome Friendly Adventure hold the second and fourth slots, respectively. And Katherine Applegate brought big sales with The One and Only Bob, sequel to her 2013 Newbery winner The One and Only Ivan.
The Baby-Sitters Club graphic novel adaptations rule the paperback frontlist: Logan Likes Mary Anne! (Baby-Sitters Club Graphic Novel #8) by Ann M. Martin, illustrated by Gale Galligan; and Karen’s Roller Skates, book two in the Baby-Sitters Little Sister Graphic Novel series that launched in 2019, illustrated by Katy Farina, earned high rankings. And rounding out the list is holiday staple The Elf on the Shelf.
For hardcover backlist, Eric Carle took the cake with sales for The Very Hungry Caterpillar totaling more than 600,000 copies. Pilkey’s eighth Dog Man title, Fetch-22, also sold like hotcakes. Meanwhile, a pair of cookbooks for young readers—one inspired by America’s Test Kitchen and the other by Harry Potter—held steady, suggesting that kids may be hungry for activity titles during the pandemic.
Finally, paperback backlist reveals the enduring popularity of The Wonky Donkey by Craig Smith, illustrated by Katz Cowley. Sales for the 2009 picture book, which originated in New Zealand, skyrocketed after a read-aloud by “the Scottish Granny” went viral in summer 2018.
Hardcover Frontlist
500,000+
1. Grime and Punishment (Dog Man #9). Dav Pilkey. Scholastic/Graphix (1,240,277)
2. The Deep End (Diary of a Wimpy Kid #15). Jeff Kinney. Abrams/Amulet (920,709)
200,000+
3. Cat Kid Comic Club. Dav Pilkey. Scholastic/Graphix (412,894)
4. Rowley Jefferson's Awesome Friendly Adventure. Jeff Kinney. Abrams/Amulet (398,133)
5. The Ickabog. J.K. Rowling. Scholastic (300,742)
6. The One and Only Bob. Katherine Applegate. HarperCollins (262,408)
100,000+
7. FGTeeV Presents: Into the Game! FGTeeV, illus. by Miguel Díaz Rivas. HarperAlley (175,899)
8. The Tower of Nero (Trials of Apollo #5). Rick Riordan. Disney–Hyperion (170,604)
9. The World Needs More Purple People. Kristen Bell and Benjamin Hart, illus. by Daniel Wiseman. Random House (166,148)
10. 5 More Sleeps ’Til Christmas. Jimmy Fallon, illus by Rich Deas. Feiwel and Friends (157,342)
11. The Office: A Day at Dunder Mifflin Elementary. Robb Pearlman, illus. by Melanie Demmer. Little, Brown (152,863)
12. The World Needs Who You Were Made to Be. Joanna Gaines, illus. by Julianna Swaney. Tommy Nelson (144,610)
13. The Last Kids on Earth: June’s Wild Flight. Max Brallier. Viking (144,588)
14. I Promise. Lebron James, illus. by Nina Mata. HarperCollins (143,536)
15. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. J.K. Rowling, illus. by MinaLima. Scholastic (142,243)
16. The Last Kids on Earth and the Skeleton Road (The Last Kids on Earth #6). Max Brallier. Viking (129,006)
17. The Bad Guys in Dawn of the Underlord! (The Bad Guys #11). Aaron Blabey. Scholastic (122,924)
18. Dragonslayer (Wings of Fire: Legend #2). Tui T. Sutherland. Scholastic Press (116,584)
19. The Elf on the Shelf. Carol V. Aebersold and Chanda A. Bell, illus. by Coe Steinwart. CCA&B (113,733)
20. Antiracist Baby (board book). Ibram X. Kendi, illus. by Ashley Lukashevsky. Kokila (110,329)
21. Marvel Storybook Collection. Disney/Marvel (104,743)
Paperback Frontlist
100,000+
1. Logan Likes Mary Anne! (Baby-Sitters Club Graphic Novel #8). Ann M. Martin, illus. by Gale Galligan. Scholastic/Graphix (208,413)
2. Karen’s Roller Skates (The Baby-Sitters Little Sister Graphic Novel #2). Ann M. Martin, illus. by Katy Farina. Scholastic/Graphix (102,331)
3. The Elf on the Shelf. Carol V. Aebersold and Chanda A. Bell, illus. by Coe Steinwart. CCA&B (100,285)
Hardcover Backlist
400,000+
1. The Very Hungry Caterpillar (board book). Eric Carle. Philomel (610,032)
2. Fetch-22 (Dog Man #8). Dav Pilkey. Scholastic/Graphix (601,337)
3. If Animals Kissed Good Night (board book). Ann Whitford Paul, illus. by David Walker. FSG (532,454)
4. Oh, The Places You’ll Go! Dr. Seuss. Random House (513,516)
5. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? (50th-anniversary edition board book). Bill Martin Jr., illus. by Eric Carle. Holt (472,186)
6. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (board book). Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault, illus. by Lois Ehlert. Little Simon (435,647)
7. Wrecking Ball (Diary of a Wimpy Kid #14). Jeff Kinney. Abrams/Amulet (429,070)
8. I Love You to the Moon and Back (board book). Amelia Hepworth, illus. by Tim Warnes. Tiger Tales (407,899)
300,000+
9. Goodnight Moon (board book). Margaret Wise Brown, illus. by Clement Hurd. HarperFestival (377,485)
10. Giraffes Can’t Dance (board book). Giles Andreae, illus. by Guy Parker-Rees. Cartwheel (376,397)
11. For Whom the Ball Rolls (Dog Man #7). Dav Pilkey. Scholastic/Graphix (346,017)
12. Green Eggs and Ham. Dr. Seuss. Random House (338,391)
13. First 100 Words (board book). Roger Priddy. Priddy (326,886)
14. How to Catch a Unicorn. Adam Wallace, illus. by Andy Elkerton. Sourcebooks Wonderland (320,509)
15. One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. Dr. Seuss. Random House (311,661)
200,000+
16. How to Catch a Mermaid. Adam Wallace, illus. by Andy Elkerton. Sourcebooks Wonderland (289,393)
17. The Polar Express (30th anniversary edition). Chris Van Allsburg. HMH (288,309)
18. Moo, Baa, La La La! (board book). Sandra Boynton. Little Simon (283,281)
19. The Going to Bed Book (board book). Sandra Boynton. Little Simon (272,477)
20. How the Grinch Stole Christmas! Dr. Seuss. Random House (262,745)
21. Where’s Spot? (board book). Eric Hill. Frederick Warne (259,636)
22. There’s No Place Like Space: All About Our Solar System. Tish Rabe, illus. by Aristides Ruiz. Random House (255,936)
23. Brawl of the Wild (Dog Man #6). Dav Pilkey. Scholastic/Graphix (785,328)
24. The Pout-Pout Fish (board book). Deborah Diesen, illus. by Dan Hanna. FSG (252,371)
25. Dr. Seuss’s ABC: An Amazing Alphabet Book! (board book) Dr. Seuss. Random House (245,902)
26. What Should Danny Do? Ganit and Adir Levy, illus. by Mat Sadler. Elon (244,947)
27. Little Blue Truck’s Christmas (board book). Alice Schertle, illus. by Jill McElmurry. HMH (233,213)
28. The Wonderful Things You Will Be. Emily Winfield Martin. Random House (230,691)
29. The Complete Cookbook for Young Chefs: 100+ Recipes That You’ll Love to Cook and Eat. America’s Test Kitchen Kids. Sourcebooks Explore (230,635)
30. The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook: From Cauldron Cakes to Knickerbocker Glory—More Than 150 Magical Recipes for Wizards and Non-Wizards Alike. Dinah Bucholz. Adams Media (230,616)
31. Grumpy Monkey. Suzanne Lang, illus. by Max Lang. Random House (226,329)
32. Baby Touch and Feel: Animals (board book). DK (223,652)
33. Dog Man (Dog Man #1). Dav Pilkey. Scholastic/Graphix (221,801)
34. The Giving Tree. Shel Silverstein. HarperCollins (219,888)
35. Little Blue Truck (board book). Alice Schertle, illus. by Jill McElmurry. HMH (217,928)
36. Lord of the Fleas (Dog Man #5). Dav Pilkey. Scholastic/Graphix (217,365)
37. The Cat in the Hat. Dr. Seuss. Random House (216,587)
38. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: The Illustrated Edition (Harry Potter #4). J.K. Rowling, illus. by Jim Kay. Scholastic (207,572)
39. Dog Man Unleashed (Dog Man #2). Dav Pilkey. Scholastic/Graphix (201,976)
100,000+
40. I’ve Loved You Since Forever. Hoda Kotb, illus. by Suzie Mason. HarperCollins (198,630)
41. Wonder. R.J. Palacio. Knopf (197,131)
42. Little Blue Truck’s Springtime (board book). Alice Schertle, illus. by Jill McElmurry. HMH (195,712)
43. The Monster at the End of This Book. Jon Stone. Random House/Golden (195,644)
44. Dog Man and Cat Kid (Dog Man #4). Dav Pilkey. Scholastic/Graphix (192,643)
45. Waiting Is Not Easy! Mo Willems. Hyperion (189,039)
46. P Is for Potty! (board book). Naomi Kleinberg, illus. by Christopher Moroney. Random House (185,222)
47. A Tale of Two Kitties (Dog Man #3). Dav Pilkey. Scholastic/Graphix (184,976)
48. Good Night, Little Blue Truck. Alice Schertle, illus. by Jill McElmurry. HMH (181,599)
49. 5-Minute Princess Stories. Disney Press (178,822)
50. 5-Minute Marvel Stories. Disney Press (174,778)
51. Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site (board book). Sherri Duskey Rinker, illus. by Tom Lichtenheld. Chronicle (174,328)
52. Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid: Rowley Jefferson’s Journal. Jeff Kinney. Abrams/Amulet (172,312)
53. Guess How Much I Love You (board book). Sam McBratney, illus. by Anita Jeram. Candlewick (172,190)
54. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone: The Illustrated Edition (Harry Potter #1). J.K. Rowling, illus. by Jim Kay. Scholastic/Levine (171,602)
55. The Night Before Christmas. Clement C. Moore, illus. by Christian Birmingham. Running Press (171,340)
56. Are You My Mother? (board book). P.D. Eastman. Random House (166,148)
57. Your Baby’s First Word Will Be Dada (board book). Jimmy Fallon, illus. by Miguel Ordóñez. Feiwel and Friends (162,813)
58. Dragons Love Tacos. Adam Rubin, illus. by Daniel Salmieri. Dial (162,813)
59. Hair Love. Matthew A. Cherry, illus. by Vashti Harrison. Kokila (162,067)
60. Tales from a Not-So-Best Friend Forever (Dork Diaries #14). Rachel Renée Russell. Aladdin (161,243)
61. The Last Kids on Earth (The Last Kids on Earth #1). Max Brallier. Viking (161,120)
62. Corduroy (board book). Don Freeman. Viking (160,938)
63. I Am Enough. Grace Byers, illus. by Keturah A. Bobo. HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray (160,662)
64. On the Night You Were Born (board book). Nancy Tillman. Feiwel and Friends (159,169)
65. Welcome Little One (board book). Sandra Magsamen. Sourcebooks Wonderland (157,819)
66. 5-Minute Frozen Stories. Disney Press (156,546)
67. Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You? (board book). Dr. Seuss. Random House (156,137)
68. Love You Forever (board book). Robert Munsch, illus. by Sheila McGraw. Firefly (155,706)
69. Are You My Mother? (board book). P.D. Eastman. Random House (152,459)
70. Dear Girl. Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Paris Rosenthal, illus. by Holly Hatam. HarperCollins (151,342)
71. Touch and Feel: Never Touch a Dinosaur (board book). Make Believe Ideas (151,078)
72. The Meltdown (Diary of a Wimpy Kid #13). Jeff Kinney. Abrams/Amulet (150,634)
73. Dear Zoo (board book). Rod Campbell. Little Simon (149,520)
74. You’re My Little Cuddle Bug (board book). Nicola Edwards. Silver Dolphin (149,186)
75. Fox in Socks. Dr. Seuss. Random House (144,033)
76. The Day the Crayons Quit. Drew Daywalt, illus. by Oliver Jeffers. Philomel (143,696)
77. Peek-a-Who? (board book). Nina Laden. Chronicle (141,574)
78. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. Laura Numeroff, illus. by Felicia Bond. HarperCollins (141,547)
79. An Elephant & Piggie Biggie! Mo Willems. Hyperion (140,915)
80. A Is for Apple (board book). Georgia Birkett. Tiger Tales (140,314)
81. Little Blue Truck’s Halloween (board book). Alice Schertle, illus. by Jill McElmurry. HMH (139,610)
82. It’s Not Easy Being a Bunny. Marilyn Sadler, illus. by Roger Bollen. Random House (138,738)
83. Gravity Falls: Journal 3. Alex Hirsch et al. Disney Press (138,283)
84. When God Made You. Matthew Paul Turner, illus. by David Catrow. Convergent (137,418)
85. God Gave Us You. Lisa Tawn Bergren, illus. by Laura J. Bryant. WaterBrook (136,976)
86. Eric Carle: Hear Bear Roar. Veronica Wagner. P I Kids (135,781)
87. Frozen 2 Little Golden Book. Nancy Cote. Random House/Disney (135,776)
88. I’ve Loved You Since Forever (board book). Hoda Kotb, illus. by Suzie Mason. HarperFestival (135,653)
89. Everything Is Mama (board book). Jimmy Fallon, illus. by Miguel Ordóñez. Feiwel and Friends (135,627)
90. Oh Say Can You Say Di-no-saur? Bonnie Worth, illus. by Steve Haefele. Random House (135,586)
91. Refugee. Alan Gratz. Scholastic Press (135,305)
92. I Wish You More. Amy Krouse Rosenthal, illus. by Tom Lichtenheld. Chronicle (134,220)
93. See, Touch, Feel (board book). Roger Priddy. Priddy (131,472)
94. The Book with No Pictures. B.J. Novak. Dial (129,788)
95. 5,000 Awesome Facts (About Everything!). National Geographic (128,953)
96. The Rainbow Fish (board book). Marcus Pfister. NorthSouth (128,703)
97. Disney 5-Minute Snuggle Stories. Disney Press (128,592)
98. Press Here. Hervé Tullet. Chronicle (128,155)
99. The Day You Begin. Jacqueline Woodson, illus. by Rafael López. Penguin/Paulsen (127,766)
100. Eric Carle: Around the Farm. Mark Rader. PI (127,127)
101. The Complete Baking Book for Young Chefs. Sourcebooks Explore (126,311)
102. Where Is Baby’s Belly Button? (board book). Karen Katz. Little Simon (126,117)
103. Bedtime Favorites. Disney (124,191)
104. Go, Dog. Go! P.D. Eastman. Random House (123,653)
105. Trucks (board book). Roger Priddy. Priddy (122,008)
106. Construction Site on Christmas Night. Sherri Duskey Rinker, illus. by A.G. Ford. Chronicle (121,569)
107. Room on the Broom (board book). Julia Donaldson, illus. by Axel Scheffler. Dial (120,316)
108. The Pigeon HAS to Go to School! Mo Willems. Hyperion (119,838)
109. Dr. Seuss’s ABC. Dr. Seuss. Random House (115,774)
110. You're My Little Pumpkin Pie (board book). Natalie Marshall. Silver Dolphin (114,924)
111. An Elephant & Piggie Biggie-Biggie! (#2). Mo Willems. Hyperion (112,753)
112. Hop on Pop. Dr. Seuss. Random House (112,656)
113. My First I See You (board book). Eric Carle. Little Simon (112,537)
114. Pete the Cat: Big Easter Adventure. James Dean. HarperFestival (112,256)
115. Letters ABC (board book). Priddy (111,464)
116. Llama Llama I Love You (board book). Anna Dewdney. Viking (110,152)
117. What Should Darla Do? Ganit and Adir Levy, illus. by Doro Kaiser. Elon (109,295)
118. Seuss-Isms! Dr. Seuss. Random House (109,077)
119. National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book of Why. Amy Shields. National Geographic (108,997)
120. Barnyard Dance! (board book). Sandra Boynton. Workman (108,610)
121. A Is for Awesome!: 23 Iconic Women Who Changed the World (board book). Eva Chen, illus. by Derek Desierto. Feiwel and Friends (108,160)
122. I Am a Big Brother. Caroline Jayne Church. Cartwheel (108,066)
123. Llama Llama Red Pajama (board book). Anna Dewdney. Viking (107,997)
124. I Am a Big Sister. Caroline Jayne Church. Cartwheel (107,128)
125. The Getaway (Diary of a Wimpy Kid #12). Jeff Kinney. Abrams/Amulet (105,586)
126. The Tyrant’s Tomb (Trials of Apollo #4). Rick Riordan. Disney-Hyperion (105,549)
127. The Cool Bean. Jory John, illus. by Pete Oswald. HarperCollins (105,157)
128. Where the Wild Things Are. Maurice Sendak. HarperCollins (101,974)
129. When I Pray for You. Matthew Paul Turner, illus. by Kimberley Barnes. Convergent (101,833)
130. Disney 5-Minute Christmas Stories. Disney (101,673)
131. The Crayons’ Christmas. Drew Daywalt, illus. by Oliver Jeffers. Penguin Workshop (101,482)
132. Noisy Farm (board book). Tiger Tales (101,427)
133. The Lorax. Dr Seuss. Random House (101,281)
134. Where the Sidewalk Ends. Shel Silverstein. HarperCollins (101,206)
135. Charlotte’s Web. E.B. White, illus. by Garth Williams. HarperCollins (100,242)
136. The Last Kids on Earth and the Midnight Blade (Last Kids on Earth #5). Max Brallier. Viking (100,052)
Paperback Backlist
200,000+
1. The Wonky Donkey. Craig Smith, illus. by Katz Cowley. Scholastic (411,032)
2. The One and Only Ivan. Katherine Applegate. HarperCollins (320,378)
3. Love You Forever. Robert Munsch, illus. by Sheila McGraw. Firefly (301,329)
4. Guts. Raina Telgemeier. Scholastic/Graphix (299,299)
5. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Harry Potter #1). J.K. Rowling, illus. by Mary GrandPré. Scholastic (279,936)
6. Where the Wild Things Are. Maurice Sendak. HarperCollins (277,397)
7. I Need a New Butt! Dawn McMillan, illus. by Ross Kinnaird. Dover (273,203)
8. Kindergarten, Here I Come! D.J. Steinberg, illus. by Mark Chambers. Grosset & Dunlap (251,151)
9. The Big Book of Silly Jokes for Kids. Carole Roman. Rockridge (243,245)
10. Room on the Broom. Julia Donaldson, illus. by Axel Scheffler. Puffin (222,998)
11. New Kid. Jerry Craft. Quill Tree (221,718)
12. A Long Walk to Water. Linda Sue Park. Clarion (211,874)
100,000+
13. The Care and Keeping of You: The Body Book for Younger Girls (revised edition). Valorie Schaefer, illus. by Josée Masse. American Girl (196,086)
14. Llama Llama Loves Camping. Anna Dewdney. Penguin (189,955)
15. Hatchet. Gary Paulsen. Simon & Schuster (185,983)
16. The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #1). Rick Riordan. Disney-Hyperion (184,737)
17. The Girl Who Drank the Moon. Kelly Barnhill. Algonquin (178,541)
18. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter #2). J.K. Rowling. Scholastic (175,238)
19. The Bad Guys in the Baddest Day Ever (The Bad Guys #10). Aaron Blabey. Scholastic (153,906)
20. Pax. Sara Pennypacker. HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray (150,034)
21. We’re Different, We’re the Same. Bobbi Kates, illus. by Joe Mathieu. Random House (149,866)
22. The Dinky Donkey. Craig Smith, illus. by Katz Cowley. Scholastic (144,901)
23. Because of Winn-Dixie. Kate DiCamillo. Candlewick (144,644)
24. The Backyard Bug Book for Kids. Rockridge (140,380)
25. Drama. Raina Telgemeier. Scholastic/Graphix (138,776)
26. Karen’s Witch (The Baby-Sitters Little Sister Graphic Novel #2). Ann M. Martin, illus. by Katy Farina. Scholastic/Graphix (138,610)
27. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Harry Potter #3). J.K. Rowling. Scholastic (138,399)
28. The Invisible String. Patrice Karst, illus. by Geoff Stevenson. Little, Brown (137,545)
29. Holes. Louis Sachar. Random/Yearling (137,354)
30. Number the Stars. Lois Lowry. HMH (135,792)
31. Sisters. Raina Telgemeier. Scholastic/Graphix (132,733)
32. Wish. Barbara O’Connor. Square Fish (131,352)
33. Pete the Cat Goes Camping. James Dean. HarperCollins (129,376)
34. The Bad Guys (The Bad Guys #1). Aaron Blabey. Scholastic (126,412)
35. Uni’s First Sleepover. Amy Krouse Rosenthal, illus. by Brigette Barrager. Random House (125,020)
36. Dinosaurs Before Dark (Magic Tree House #1). Mary Pope Osborne, illus. by Sal Murdocca. Random House (124,039)
37. Best Friends. Shannon Hale, illus. by LeUyen Pham. First Second (122,625)
38. Pete the Cat: Trick or Pete. James Dean. HarperFestival (118,199)
39. Esperanza Rising. Pam Muñoz Ryan. Scholastic Press (117,322)
40. Ghosts. Raina Telgemeier. Scholastic/Graphix (116,517)
41. Trapped in a Video Game. Dustin Brady. Andrews McMeel (112,682)
42. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter #5). J.K. Rowling. Scholastic (111,743)
43. Boy-Crazy Stacey (The Baby-Sitters Club Graphix #7). Ann M. Martin, illus. by Gale Galligan. Scholastic/Graphix (111,288)
44. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Harry Potter #4). J.K. Rowling. Scholastic (110,021)
45. The Gruffalo. Julia Donaldson, illus. by Axel Scheffler. Puffin (109,870)
46. The Dragonet Prophecy (Wings of Fire #1). Tui T. Sutherland. Scholastic/Graphix (109,130)
47. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens. Sean Covey. Simon & Schuster (108,998)
48. Smile. Raina Telgemeier. Scholastic/Graphix (108,192)
49. Restart. Gordon Korman. Scholastic Press (103,177)
50. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Harry Potter #6). J.K. Rowling. Scholastic (101,625)
51. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. Judy Blume. Puffin (101,251)
52. The Care and Keeping of You: The Body Book for Older Girls (#2). Cara Natterson. American Girl (101,006)
53. Kristy’s Great Idea (The Baby-Sitters Club Graphix #1). Ann M. Martin, illus. by Raina Telgemeier. Scholastic/Graphix (100,364)
