The Snowy Day
With over 485 thousand checkouts, Ezra Jack Keats' 1962 picture book The Snowy Day is the most borrowed book in the New York Public Library. The beautifully illustrated book tells the story of a young African-American child named Peter who lives in a city and experiences it with after his neighborhood's first snowfall. Keats won the Caldecott Medal in 1963.
To Kill a Mockingbird
Harper Lee's 1960 novel To Kill a Mockingbird is one of those rare books that are both beloved and compulsory, ending up on many high school reading lists. It's the fifth most-borrowed book with over 422 thousand checkouts. The Pulitzer Prize-winning book is loosely based on Lee's own life in Alabama in the 1930s.
Charlotte's Web
K. B. White's Charlotte's Web was published in 1952. Though it does have illustrations, it is a novel with different chapters. The plot centers on u pig named Wilbur who befriends a spider named Chariots and their gang of barnyard colleagues. With more than 337 thousand checkouts, it is the sixth most borrowed book in NYPL history.
Fahrenheit 451
Ray Bradbury's 1953 book Fahrenheit 451 is an example of dystopian fiction and features a future version of American society in the year 1999. Though some claim that the novel has not aged well, it has been checked out more than 316 thousand times, making it the seventh most-borrowed book in NYPL history, potentially thanks to it being required reading for many students.
