Children’s picture book market data, sources and findings
Library circulation data
Data from the three principal county library systems in the Portland, Oregon, metropolitan area from calendar year 2024.
2024 circulation data of all Picture Books circulated in the City of Lake Oswego libraries, an affluent suburb of Portland, Oregon, regardless of publication date. “This is circulation of Lake Oswego-owned books by all of our LINCC patrons in the shared network.” (Thanks to Anya Woodhouse, Circulation Services Manager, City of Lake Oswego Library.)
RESULTS: of the 7407 individual book titles checked out in CY2024, approximately 34 percent had animals as main characters, and of those, nearly three percent were cats and the largest category was large animals (cows, elephants, etc.) at 4.53 percent. Dogs were 2.1 percent.
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No circulation data were available, but readers were encouraged to rank 0 to 5 stars the Picture Books published and acquired by the Washington County, Oregon, libraries in 2024 (The first 322 books were ranked at least 4.0 out of 5.0 stars.) The libraries acquired 1750 picture books published in 2024; many were not ranked and/or had no comments associated with rankings. (Thanks to Katie Anderson with the WCCLS Support Team.)
RESULTS: Out of the 322 books ranked four to five stars, 76 books or 23.6 percent involved animals as main characters. Nearly 4 percent were about cats; birds (penguins) and large animals were 17 percent and 15.7 percent respectively. Dogs were 5.2 percent.
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Multnomah County Library: “For an idea of scale, we have statistics that we regularly collect. Here’s an example. For Fiscal Year 2024 (June 2023-June 2024) we recorded owning 102,002 picture books (copies, not titles). They checked out 292,788 times. On average, each one was used 2.87 times in that period. Some were used many more times and some were used less.” The ranked list includes 1,489 unique titles that were circulated in calendar year 2024. (Thank you Amy Clark, Librarian, MLIS-Materials Section.)
RESULTS: 507 or 34 percent of the 1489 picture books circulated included animals as main characters. Cat characters were nearly 6 percent and the only greater category was large animals at 6.5 percent. Dogs were 1.4 percent.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL REPORT.
New York Times Children’s Picture Book Best Sellers
(www.nytimes/books/best-seller/picture-books) Top ten Children’s Picture Books on the weekly best sellers lists published each Sunday. the data list culled from 52 weekly lists from January 7, 2024, through January 5, 2025, count the number of times the title appeared on the list regardless of previous times on the list, rankings or times below top ten.
RESULTS: There were 103 unique titles on the 52 weekly lists, 32 of which had animals as main characters. Cat characters comprised 5.8 percent with “bugs” higher at 6.8 percent. Dogs were only 2.9 percent.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL REPORT.
Children and pet census data
How many US households own cats? The American Veterinary Medical Association estimates the percentage of US households owning cats is 32.1 percent (42.2 million households) vs 45.5 percent (59.8 million households) owning dogs.
How many US households have children under 18 in the home? In 2022, according to the US Census and reported by the National Association of Realtors, 40 percent of US households have children under 18, declining eight percent in 20 years.
2023 populations (“Child population by age group in the United States.” The Anne E. Casey Foundation, Kid Count Data Center, https://www.datacenter.aecf.org):
– Ages 0-4: 18,511,160
– Ages 5-11: 28,326,610
Books about kids and cats and Amazon search of “girl and cat picture books”
Stretchy and Beanie By Judy Schachner (Skippjyon Jones author)
Beanie, a ginger-haired girl with a fierce heart, is the perfect pal for her newfound companion, Stretchy McHandsome the cat. That is, until Beanie gets it into her head that she should teach Stretchy how to be a perfect pet. Her lessons really curl his whiskers, and when hiding from Beanie isn’t enough, he has to take an even bigger leap. Then it’s Beanie who needs a lesson of her own: how to be an accepting friend rather than a bossy-boots.
Andy and the Lion By James Daugherty
The story centers on Andy, who comes across an injured circus lion. The boy and the cat develop an unlikely friendship and embark on an outlandish adventure together. With its expressive illustrations, this story celebrates friendship, imagination, and the love of reading.
A Cat and Her Girl By Julie G Fox (Author), Leonora Bulbeck (Editor)
A Cat and Her Girl tells a sweet story about a cat Cali and her favourite human, Adrienne. A Valentine’s Day special book for all ages.
Ellie and the Cat By Malorie Blackman, Matt Robertson (Illustrator)
Ellie is the rudest, most spoilt child her grandma has ever met and it’s time that she learnt a lesson! So with a little bit of magic and some help from Jolly the cat, Grandma’s going to make sure that Ellie changes her ways.
Izzy and Pudding the Cat By Linda Brooks (CreateSpace Publishing)
Izzy has just turned five years old. It will soon be time to start school. She had a really wonderful party with her friends. Now, Mum and Dad have brought home a baby brother. Izzy likes her new brother, but she is bored playing on her own. She decides to take her cat, Pudding, for a walk in the new pram., but she has forgotten the rule about being safe. When she get s lost in the city streets, it is Pudding who helps her find her way home. Mum and Dad are really worried. Izzy is very tired. It has been quite an adventure for a little girl.
Theodore and The Cat with the Missing Sock: A Children’s Picture Book about Love, Loyalty and Courage! By Cory Q Tan
This is a story about a little black cat with a ‘missing’ sock who goes on a quest for a complete set of four, in the hope for happiness and acceptance. In his quest, he meets a kind little girl named Annabelle and her talking teddy bear Theodore who have just the right solution for him – Annabelle’s baby sock! Just when all seems well and good, a sudden gust of wind blasts through the window and turns the whole world upside down.
Hi, Cat! By Ezra Jack Keats
On his way to hang out with the neighborhood kids, Archie very innocently greets a stray cat who follows him and gets in the way. The cat ruins everything – Archie’s street show is a mess and his audience drifts away. But things aren’t all bad: when Archie goes, the cat follows him all the way home, too!
The Adventures of Kitty Baby By Fred Beeman
Explore the fun and beauty of the outdoors with Kitty Baby, a wild golden kitty who finds adventure wherever he goes! We meet Kitty Baby as he is becoming friends with Charlie, a kind young man with a soft spot for cats. Kitty Baby and Charlie explore the woods near his house together and meet new friends along the way.
Lilly and Tommy: A Cats Adventure & A Girl’s Devotion By Aeysha Mahmood
What would you do if your best friend disappeared? When Tommy, Lilly’s beloved grey Persian cat, goes missing, she embarks on a courageous adventure to bring him back home. “Perfect for young readers who enjoy cat stories and adventures with pets books…”