The Early Reader List

The other day Kelly at Big A little a put out a call for great early reader suggestions. Suggestions done flew in. All is well. Kelly then posts her collected list online in a handy dandy PDF file. All continues to be well. I make a passing note of it, but otherwise don't think too much on the subject. Then, not five minutes after I've seen this list, a woman walks up to me.

Woman: I want a recommended list of early readers.

Me: . . . . . .

Woman: One that you could print out and give to me.

Me: . . . . . .

I immediately print out Kelly's list right-quick (we seem to have almost everything on it, thank goodness) and patron woman is incredibly happy. So thank you, Kelly. And for those of you out there in need of this list get it now. It's a bit of a time saver.

Fat Insufferable Cats

So I'm cruising the Children's Picturebook Price Guide for fun, and I come across this piece regarding the The "Top 1000" titles most widely held by Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) member libraries.

The site is poorly laid out, tricking you into believing that Tomie dePaolo's Mother Goose is number three when, in fact, Mother Goose in general is third. Fortunately, the aforementioned Children's Picturebook Price Guide has rounded up all the 172 children's titles for you. So see if you can spot what's wrong with the kidlit holdings. Here are the first numbers:

#3: Mother Goose
#7: Huckleberry Finn
#8: Lord of the Rings (trilogy)
#10: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
#14: Night Before Christmas
#15: Garfield
#16: Tom Sawyer

*screeeeeeeeetch* Back up, back up, back up.
Let me get this straight. GARFIELD is number 15 on the list of books that are in THE MOST libraries worldwide? GARFIELD? Are you pulling my leg?

Oh, it gets better. Garfield beat Aesop's Fables, Arabian Nights, and A Christmas Carol. He beat Treasure Island, Grimm Fairy Tales, and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. He beat, The Hobbit, Little Women, and (and here it gets insulting) The Diary of Anne Frank.

Jim Davis, I am not pleased. Even Peanuts had the good grace not to appear until #69 with Calvin and Hobbes bringing up the rear at #77 alongside Doonesbury (#88).

In any case, for a good time, scroll down to the later titles and see what comes up. I could read this thing all day.