Children’s books dominate Irish library charts as Diary of a Wimpy Kid tops the list
By Cillian Sherlock, PA
Children’s books dominated the borrowing charts at Irish libraries last year, with the series Dog Man and Diary of a Wimpy Kid topping the list.
Books for children and teenagers accounted for the top 37 spots on the in-house and online borrowing lists within the library service.
Liz Nugent’s 2023 award-winning crime novel, Strange Sally Diamond, featured at number 38, the first adult book to break the pattern.
Dav Pilkey’s Dog Man; The Adventures of Dog Man 2: Unleashed; and Dog Man: A Tale of Two Kitties, took the top three spots, borrowed by readers a combined 17,395 times.
Diary Of A Wimpy Kid: No Brainer by Jeff Kinney, Dog Man And Cat Kid and Dog Man: Brawl Of The Wild, made up the top six.
The top 10 was completed by four books in Jamie Smart’s Bunny Vs Monkey series, with JK Rowling the first female author on the list for Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone – the 15th most borrowed.
Marita Conlon-McKenna was the first Irish author on the list at number 22 with her bestselling children’s book, Under The Hawthorn Tree, set during the Great Famine.
The most-borrowed list was compiled using data from Ireland’s 330 public libraries and published by the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA) ahead of Ireland Reads Day on February 22.
The national campaign, led by Libraries Ireland, is designed to encourage people to “get lost in a good book” during February.
Stuart Hamilton, head of libraries development with the LGMA, said: “Not for the first time, children’s titles have dominated the most-borrowed books in Irish libraries, reflecting well on efforts to improve reading among children and teenagers.
“The full list is a brilliant testament to the different tastes and interests of Irish readers – who are being entertained, informed and challenged by engaging with their local library.
“Ireland Reads celebrates reading being a hugely enjoyable and healthy activity to have in our lives.
“This can be supported by creating a habit amongst adults and children of visiting our public libraries, which have hundreds of resources to suit all interests.”
Pilkey and Kinney were also at the top of the charts for most borrowed titles by author.
Pilkey’s works were physically borrowed or checked out online 129,955 times in 2024, followed by Kinney’s at 112,950 times.
Daisy Meadows, the collective of authors who produces the Rainbow Magic series; The Gruffalo creator Julia Donaldson; and Roger Hargreaves of Mr Men fame, make up the top five most-borrowed authors.
Little Britain star David Walliams also makes the list for his books, but classic authors are still popular with Roald Dahl at number 11; Enid Blyton at 14 and Dr Seuss at 28.
– Reading recommendations and a list of Ireland Reads Day events nationwide are available at irelandreads.ie.
