The map above was created by TheToyZone and shows the most popular kids book from 111 countries around the world.
Below you can see the maps for different parts of the world, and a list for each country.
Full list of books:
| Country | Title | Author | Rating | Published |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | The Wisdom of Ahmad Shah: An Afghan Legend | Palwasha Bazger Salam | 4.25 | 2015 |
| Albania | Five hundred grosh | Odhise Grillo | 5 | 1993 |
| Antigua and Barbuda | Summertime Fun | Darlene Beazer-Parker | 5 | 2020 |
| Argentina | Dailan Kifki | María Elena Walsh | 4.41 | 2002 |
| Armenia | Tales, stories, fables | Khnko Aper | 5 | 2010 |
| Australia | Then | Morris Gleitzman | 4.4 | 2009 |
| Austria | The little I-am-me | Mira Lobe | 4.48 | 1972 |
| Bahamas | Black Girl Magic: A Book About Loving Yourself Just the Way You Are | Zahra Bryan | 5 | 2021 |
| Bangladesh | The children's home | Manoranjan Bhattacharya, মনোরঞ্জন ভট্টাচার্য, গীতা দত্ত | 4.75 | 1980 |
| Belgium | Everything will be fine, always | Kathleen Vereecken | 4.4 | 2018 |
| Benin | The Beautiful Debo | Béatrice Lalinon Gbado | 3.75 | 2015 |
| Bhutan | Membar Tsho - The Flaming Lake | Kunzang Choden | 4.83 | 2012 |
| Bolivia | Petey | Ben Mikaelsen | 4.3 | 1999 |
| Brazil | Pretty girl | Ana Maria Machado, Elena Iribarren | 4.39 | 1995 |
| Bulgaria | Železniot Svetilnik | Dimitar Talev | 4.73 | 2010 |
| Cameroon | Akissi: Watch out, flying sheep! | Marguerite Abouet | 4.33 | 2019 |
| Canada | Love You Forever | Robert Munsch | 4.35 | 1986 |
| Chile | Stationery | Marcela Paz | 4.11 | 1947 |
| China | Seven Blind Mice | Ed Young | 4.2 | 1992 |
| Colombia | The commission | Claudia Rueda | 5 | 2020 |
| Costa Rica | Air blade | Joaquín Gutiérrez Mangel | 5 | |
| Croatia | Love or death | Ivan Kušan | 4.21 | 1988 |
| Cuba | Los Zapaticos De Rosa | José Martí | 4.44 | 1990 |
| Curacao | Horcan and Mayra | Sonia Garmers | 3.5 | 2008 |
| Cyprus | Seventy years old 10 | Άντρη Αντωνίου, Antri Antoniou | 5 | 2018 |
| Czech Republic | This is San Francisco | Miroslav Sasek | 4.42 | 2003 |
| Denmark | Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen | Hans Christian Andersen | 4.31 | |
| Dominican Republic | Lola (Emotions, values and habits) | Junot Díaz, Leo Espinosa | 4.6 | 2020 |
| Ecuador | Dreams | Edna Iturralde, Roger Ycaza | 5 | 2015 |
| Egypt | Our house | Walid Taher | 5 | 2020 |
| El Salvador | A Movie in My Pillow | Jorge Argueta | 4.35 | 2007 |
| Eritrea | Hoping for a Home After El Salvador | Linda Barghoorn | 5 | 2019 |
| Estonia | The touch of a woman's hand | Leelo Tungal | 4.66 | 2018 |
| Ethiopia | The Ethiop's Scrolls I: The Othering, Xolisa and Asinara | Michael Daniel Ambatchew | 2.5 | 2013 |
| Finland | Who Will Comfort Toffle? | Tove Jansson | 4.45 | 1960 |
| France | Press Here | Hervé Tullet | 4.39 | 2010 |
| Gabon | Taiwan: Lisa Lin's Painting "Making Mooncakes" | Jacquiline Touba, Barbara Glasser | 3 | 1997 |
| Germany | The night before Christmas | Clement C. Moore, Erich Kästner, Walter Sauer | 4.37 | 1823 |
| Ghana | Meliga's Day (Opon Ifa Series, 2) | Meshack Asare | 5 | 2000 |
| Greece | The 88 dolmadas | Eugene Trivizas, Ευγένιος Τριβιζάς | 4.52 | 1997 |
| Grenada | Ay Ya Yai Ivan: A musical play about Hurricane Ivan | Richardo Keens-Douglas | 5 | 2014 |
| Guatemala | The Two of Them | Aliki | 4.28 | 1987 |
| Guyana | Boyhood Days - Book 2 | Dennis E. Adonis | 5 | 2012 |
| Haiti | The Last Mapou | Edwidge Danticat | 4.67 | 2013 |
| Honduras | A Movie in My Pillow/Una pelicula en mi almohada | Jorge Argueta | 4.35 | 2007 |
| Hungary | Answer nicely if they ask! | Éva Janikovszky | 4.68 | 1968 |
| Iceland | Misaligned intersections | Þórdís Gísladóttir | 4.39 | 2019 |
| India | The whole children's literature | Sukumar Ray | 4.74 | 1977 |
| Indonesia | Aliran - Jenis Cerita Pendek | Korrie Layun Rampan | 4 | |
| Iran | One thousand peaches | Samad Behrangi | 4.21 | 1969 |
| Ireland | Kingdom of the Wicked | Derek Landy | 4.5 | 2012 |
| Israel | Ooh-la-la: Max in Love | Maira Kalman | 4.43 | 2002 |
| Italy | Stories on the phone | Gianni Rodari | 4.28 | 1984 |
| Ivory Coast | Children who planted trees | Véronique Tadjo | 5 | 2013 |
| Jamaica | Oxford Literacy Web | Julia Donaldson, Pratima Mitchell, Pamela Mordecai | 5 | 2000 |
| Japan | A Mother for Choco | Keiko Kasza | 4.37 | 1992 |
| Jordan | Who hid the Eid lamb? | تغريد النجار, Taghreed Najjar | 4.52 | 2000 |
| Kazakhstan | Orange and Blue: The World of Barzu | Marina Abrams | 4.88 | 2017 |
| Kenya | Nyambugi and the Ogre | Muthoni Likimani | 5 | 2008 |
| Latvia | A boy with a dog: a story about a kept secret. The first notebook. Fear | Inese Zandere | 4.71 | 2017 |
| Lebanon | Kırmızı Çizgi | Samar Mahfouz Barraj | 5 | |
| Libya | Shadows Over Somerton Court: Novel (Somerton Court Saga 2) | Leila Rasheed | 5 | 2014 |
| Lithuania | Hare Morkus the Great | Kęstutis Kasparavičius | 4.45 | 2008 |
| Malawi | The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Young Readers Edition | William Kamkwamba, Bryan Mealer | 4.32 | 2015 |
| Malaysia | Diary of a Basketball Hero | Shamini Flint | 4.56 | 2015 |
| Malta | Myths From Pepprina Valley | Trevor Żahra | 4.62 | |
| Mexico | Deleted | Lupita Nyong'o | 4.65 | 2019 |
| Montenegro | Tim Lionheart | Čedo Vuković | 4.19 | 1997 |
| Morocco | D'autre voix | Driss Chraïbi | 4 | |
| Mozambique | O bebedor de horizontes (As Areias do Imperador Livro 3) | Mia Couto | 4.67 | 2018 |
| Netherlands | A Color of His Own | Leo Lionni | 4.26 | 1975 |
| New Zealand | Slinky Malinki | Lynley Dodd | 4.36 | 1991 |
| Nicaragua | Več kakor zloščen kamen | Claribel Alegría | 4.71 | 2006 |
| Nigeria | Akata Warrior | Nnedi Okorafor | 4.25 | 2017 |
| Norway | Astrid the Unstoppable | Maria Parr | 4.46 | 2017 |
| Pakistan | Sahab Jee Sultan Jee | Aslam Farrukhi | 5 | |
| Palestine | Who hid the Eid lamb? | تغريد النجار, Taghreed Najjar | 4.52 | 2000 |
| Paraguay | Fencing Manual for Elephants | Javier Viveros | 4.5 | 2012 |
| Peru | Chimoc en Machu Picchu | Andrea Paz, Claudia Paz | 5 | 2015 |
| Philippines | Sirena Ba 'Yan? | Candy Gourlay | 4.25 | 2018 |
| Poland | Run, Boy, Run | Uri Orlev | 4.05 | 2003 |
| Portugal | If you ask about me, say I flew | Alice Vieira | 3.87 | 2003 |
| Romania | Snow wings | Constantin Chiriță | 4.43 | 2010 |
| Russia | Alice: The Girl From Earth | Kir Bulychev | 4.4 | 2002 |
| Rwanda | Her Own Two Feet: A Rwandan Girl's Brave Fight to Walk | Meredith Davis, Rebeka Uwitonze | 4.37 | 2019 |
| Saint Lucia | Ti Koko and Kush Kush | Patricia G Turnbull | 5 | 2018 |
| Serbia | A song for children | Jovan Jovanović Zmaj | 4.67 | 1974 |
| Singapore | The Diary of Amos Lee: Lights, Camera, Superstar! | Adeline Foo | 5 | 2016 |
| Slovakia | Frog | Ľudmila Podjavorinská | 4.8 | 2019 |
| Slovenia | My friend Piki Jakob | Kajetan Kovič | 4.69 | 1988 |
| South Africa | The Land of Green Ginger | Noel Langley | 4.33 | 2010 |
| South Korea | Cloud Bread | Baek Hee Na, 백희나 | 4.5 | 2004 |
| Spain | The resistance | Laura Gallego García | 4.13 | 2006 |
| Sri Lanka | Bright children's path | Sybil Wettasinghe | 5 | 1987 |
| Suriname | Brown Beans With Salty Meat: An Ananse Story | Ismene Krishnadath | 5 | |
| Sweden | Always this Michel | Astrid Lindgren | 4.39 | 1988 |
| Switzerland | Heidi | Johanna Spyri | 4.34 | 2007 |
| Taiwan | Peasprout Chen: Battle of Champions | Henry Lien | 4.18 | 2019 |
| Thailand | The Elven Ambassador | Pieretta Dawn | 4.83 | 2017 |
| Togo | Save a smile! | Gnimdéwa Atakpama, Michel Gay | 3 | 2011 |
| Trinidad and Tobago | Chronicles of Coryn: 7 Days of Fun | Coryn Anaya Clarke | 5 | 2020 |
| Turkey | Bread Money | Muzaffer İzgü | 4.41 | 1979 |
| Uganda | Moses and the School Farm | Barbara Kimenye | 4.75 | 1987 |
| Ukraine | Secret agent Porcha and Cossack Morozenko. Secrets of the Condor Forest | Vsevolod Nestayko | 4.75 | 1981 |
| United Kingdom | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows | J.K. Rowling | 4.62 | 2007 |
| United States | Wonder | R.J. Palacio | 4.42 | 2012 |
| Uruguay | Los Cazaventura and the lost path of the Andes (Cazaventura, # 1) | Helen Velando | 4.24 | 2003 |
| Vietnam | A Different Pond | Bao Phi | 4.28 | 2017 |
| Zambia | E Is for E-Waste | Ellen Banda-Aaku | 5 | 2013 |
| Zimbabwe | Fire Storm | Lauren St. John | 4.34 | 2014 |
Popular Children’s Books In Europe
The map shows the most popular children’s books from various European countries. Each country is represented by a book that is popular there, along with its author, page count, and a Goodreads rating.
Europe has a long and rich history of fairy and folk tales, but Tomo, the second picture book in the Moomin series written by Tove Jansson, is the oldest book on this map. It was first published in 1960 and is the most popular children’s book in Finland.
Here are some notable details from the map:
- United Kingdom: “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” by J.K. Rowling, 759 pages, 4.62 rating.
- Germany: “Momo” by Michael Ende, 304 pages, 4.33 rating.
- France: “Press Here” by Hervé Tullet, 56 pages, 4.34 rating.
- Italy: “Catoons per telefono” by Gianni Rodari, 191 pages, 4.42 rating.
- Russia: “Alice: The Girl from Earth” by Kir Bulychev, 504 pages, 4.37 rating.
- Sweden: “Pancakes for Findus” by Sven Nordqvist, 22 pages, 4.68 rating.
- Denmark: “Fairy Tales of Christian Andersen” by Hans Christian Andersen, 244 pages, 4.31 rating.
- Norway: “Astrid the Unstoppable” by Maria Parr, 320 pages, 4.46 rating.
- Poland: “Run, Boy, Run” by Uri Orlev, 192 pages, 4.05 rating.
- Finland: “Who Will Comfort Toffle?” by Tove Jansson, 24 pages, 4.45 rating.
- Switzerland: “Heidi” by Johanna Spyri, 156 pages, 4.34 rating.
- Netherlands: “A Color of His Own” by Leo Lionni, 32 pages, 4.06 rating.
- Spain: “La resistencia” by Laura Gallego, 556 pages, 4.13 rating.
- Portugal: “Meia Grama Por Mim Diga Ouve” by Alice Vieira, 144 pages, 3.87 rating.
Popular Children’s Books In North America
Here’s a detailed overview based on the map:
Text at the Top:
“Anne of Green Gables” is the oldest book here, going all the way back to 1921. But it’s a more modern book that’s the most well-known. “Wonder”, published in 2012, is USA’s favorite children’s book. R.J. Palacio’s modern classic is about embracing the beauty that’s all around us.
Notable Details from the Map:
- United States: “Wonder” by R.J. Palacio, 315 pages, 4.42 rating.
- Canada: “Love You Forever” by Robert Munsch, 32 pages, 4.35 rating.
- Bahamas: “Magia De Una Chica Negra: Un Libro Sobre Amarte a Ti Misma Tal Como Eres” by Zahra Bryan, unknown page count, 5 rating.
- Cuba: “Los Zapatitos De Rosa” by José Martí, unknown page count, 4.44 rating.
- Mexico: “Sulwe” by Lupita Nyong’o, 48 pages, 4.65 rating.
- Guatemala: “The Two of Them” by Aliki, 32 pages, 4.28 rating.
- El Salvador: “A Movie in My Pillow/Una película en mi almohada” by Jorge Argueta, 32 pages, 4.35 rating.
- Honduras: “A Movie in My Pillow/Una película en mi almohada” by Jorge Argueta, 32 pages, 4.35 rating.
- Costa Rica: “La hoja de aire” by Joaquín Gutiérrez Mangel, 56 pages, 4.5 rating.
- Jamaica: “Oxford Literacy Web [Set]” by Julia Donaldson, Pratima Mitchell, Pamela Mordecai, unknown page count, 5 rating.
- Barbados: “Bajan Baby What Do You See?” by Mrs. Terri-Ann M. Hopkin, unknown page count, 5 rating.
- Trinidad and Tobago: “Chronicles of Coryn: 2 Days of Fun” by Caryn Anaya Clarke, unknown page count, 5 rating.
- Saint Lucia: “Ti Koko and Kush Kush” by Patricia G Turnbull, unknown page count, 5 rating.
- Antigua and Barbuda: “Summertime Fun” by Darlene Beazer-Parker, 28 pages, 5 rating.
- Grenada: “Ay Ya Yai Tanti: A musical play about Hurricane Ivan” by Richardo Keens-Douglas, 116 pages, 5 rating.
- Haiti: “The Last Mapou” by Edwidge Danticat, 34 pages, 4.67 rating.
- Curacao: “Horan y Mayra” by Sonia Garmers, 124 pages, 3.5 rating.
- Dominican Republic: “Lola (Emociones, valores y hábitos)” by Junot Díaz, Leo Espinosa, unknown page count, 4.6 rating.
Popular Children’s Books In South America
Papelucho by Marcela Paz is the most popular children’s book in Chile, and it has been rated more times than any other book on this map. It’s also the oldest book here, published in 1947. The most recent book was only published in 2020: El encargo by Claudia Rueda.
Notable Details from the Map:
- Colombia: “El encargo” by Claudia Rueda, 48 pages, 5 rating.
- Ecuador: “Sueños” by Edna Iturralde, Roger Ycaza, unknown page count, 5 rating.
- Peru: “Chimoc en Machu Picchu” by Andrea Paz, Claudia Paz, unknown page count, 5 rating.
- Bolivia: “Petey” by Ben Mikaelsen, 256 pages, 4.9 rating.
- Chile: “Papelucho” by Marcela Paz, 111 pages, 4.11 rating.
- Argentina: “Dailan Kifki” by María Elena Walsh, 244 pages, 4.41 rating.
- Uruguay: “Los Cazaventura y el camino perdido de los Andes (Cazaventura, #1)” by Helen Velando, 373 pages, 4.24 rating.
- Paraguay: “Manual de esgrima para elefantes” by Javier Viveros, 87 pages, 4.5 rating.
- Brazil: “Nina Bonita” by Ana Maria Machado, Elena Iribarren, 24 pages, 4.99 rating.
- Guyana: “Boyhood Days – Book 2” by Dennis E. Adonis, 92 pages, 5 rating.
- Suriname: “Bruine Bonen Met Zoutvlees: Een Anansi-verhaal” by Ismene Krishnadath, 16 pages, 5 rating.
Popular Children’s Books In Asia & Oceania
Then, written by Morris Gleitzman, tells the story of Jewish orphan Felix and his best friend Zelda, who have been captured during the Nazi occupation of Poland during the Second World War.
It’s the most popular children’s book from Australia and sits alongside some wonderful stories in this region.
Notable Details from the Map:
- Pakistan: “Sahab Jee Sultan Jee” by Aslam Farrukhi, unknown page count, 5 rating.
- Bhutan: “Membar Tsho – The Flaming Lake” by Kunzang Choden, 48 pages, 4.83 rating.
- South Korea: “구름빵” by Baek Hee Na (백희나), 37 pages, 4.5 rating.
- China: “Seven Blind Mice” by Ed Young, 40 pages, 4.2 rating.
- Japan: “A Mother for Choco” by Keiko Kasza, 32 pages, 4.37 rating.
- Taiwan: “Peasprout Chen: Battle of Champions” by Henry Lien, 368 pages, 4.18 rating.
- Philippines: “Sirena Ba Yan” by Candy Gourlay, 26 pages, 4.25 rating.
- Vietnam: “A Different Pond” by Bao Phi, 32 pages, 4.28 rating.
- Thailand: “The Elven Ambassador” by Piraetta Dawn, 447 pages, 4.68 rating.
- Malaysia: “Diary of a Basketball Hero” by Shamini Flint, 108 pages, 4.56 rating.
- New Zealand: “Slinky Malinki” by Lynley Dodd, 32 pages, 4.36 rating.
- Myanmar: “The Ghost City” by Wa Lone, 221 pages, 5 rating.
- Singapore: “The Diary of Amos Lee: Lights, Camera, Superstar!” by Adeline Foo, 156 pages, 5 rating.
- Sri Lanka: “දිය” by Sybil Wettasinghe, 275 pages, 5 rating.
- India: “সবুজ শিশিরভেজা” by Sukumar Ray, 168 pages, 4.74 rating.
- Bangladesh: “ভৌতিক অলৌকিক” by Manoranjan Bhattacharya, 300 pages, 4.75 rating.
- Australia: “Then” by Morris Gleitzman, 164 pages, 4.4 rating.
Popular Children’s Books In Africa
Akata Warrior by Nnedi Okorafor is Nigeria’s most popular kids book, and with almost nine thousand ratings is the most well-known book on this map. With 496 pages, it’s the longest book here. If you’re looking for a quicker read, E is for E-Waste (Zambia) is short and sweet at only nine pages.
Notable Details from the Map:
- Ghana: “Meliga’s Day (Opon Ifa Series, 2)” by Meshack Asare, unknown page count, 5 rating.
- Togo: “Sauve-souris !” by Ginmidèwa Atakpama, Michel Gay, 24 pages, 5 rating.
- Nigeria: “Akata Warrior” by Nnedi Okorafor, 496 pages, 4.25 rating.
- Egypt: “Notre maison” by Walid Taher, 40 pages, 5 rating.
- Rwanda: “Her Own Two Feet: A Rwandan Girl’s Brave Fight to Walk” by Meredith Davis, Rebeka Uwitonze, 208 pages, 4.37 rating.
- Eritrea: “Hoping for a Home After El Salvador” by Linda Barghoorn, 32 pages, 5 rating.
- Ethiopia: “The Ethiop’s Scrolls I: The Othering, Xolisa and Asina” by Michael Daniel Ambatchew, unknown page count, 2.5 rating.
- Kenya: “Nyambugi and the Ogre” by Muthoni Likimani, 27 pages, 5 rating.
- Uganda: “Moses and the School Farm” by Barbara Kimenye, 110 pages, 4.75 rating.
- Malawi: “The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Young Readers Edition” by William Kamkwamba, Bryan Mealer, 304 pages, 4.32 rating.
- Zimbabwe: “Fire Storm” by Lauren St. John, 224 pages, 4.34 rating.
- Zambia: “E is for E-Waste”, a short story by Ellen Banda-Aaku, 9 pages, 5 rating.
- South Africa: “The Land of Green Ginger” by Noel Langley, 149 pages, 4.3 rating.
- Namibia: “When You Dance with the Crocodile” by Erna Muller, 114 pages, 4.33 rating.
- Gabon: “Taiwan: Lisa Lin’s Painting ‘Making Mooncakes'” by Jaqueline Touba, Barbara Glasser, unknown page count, 5 rating.
- Benin: “The Beautiful Debo” by Béatrice Lalinon Gbado, 15 pages, 3.75 rating.
- Ivory Coast: “Les enfants qui plantaient des arbres” by Véronique Tadjo, 28 pages, 5 rating.
Popular Children’s Books The Middle East
Samad Behrangi portrayed the lives of poor children and used allegorical themes to criticize the Shah’s regime. His book One Thousand Peaches (یک هلو هزار هلو) tells the story of two friends who find a peach and decide to plant its seed.
Notable Details from the Map:
- Turkey: “Ekmek Parası” by Muzaffer İzgü, 132 pages, 4.41 rating.
- Lebanon: “Kırmızı Çizgi” by Samar Mahfouz Barraj, unknown page count, 5 rating.
- Kazakhstan: “Orange and Blue: The World of Barzu” by Marina Abrams, 96 pages, 4.68 rating.
- Israel: “Ooh-la-la: Max in Love” by Maira Kalman, 40 pages, 4.49 rating.
- Palestine: “خروف العيد” by Taghreed Najjar, 26 pages, 4.52 rating.
- Jordan: “خروف العيد” by Taghreed Najjar, 26 pages, 4.52 rating.
- Afghanistan: “The Wisdom of Ahmad Shah: An Afghan Legend” by Palwasha Bazger Salam, 40 pages, 4.25 rating.
- Iran: “یک هلو هزار هلو” by Samad Behrangi, 32 pages, 4.21 rating.
And if you’re curious about their methodology:
We compiled a list of children’s writers from every country using Wikipedia and pulled data on every single one of their books from Goodreads, including rating, number of ratings and number of reviews. For each country, we defined the most popular as the highest-rated among the 20 books with the most user ratings.
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