Posted by Most Valuable American Children’s Books
The information in my book, the Children’s Picturebook Price Guide (Flying Moose Books; 2006), was sourced from my database of 23,000 children’s books. Today this database and has expanded to nearly 26,000 titles.
My database is collectible for first edition American picturebooks, published from 1928 to the present. Determining whether a book is’collectible’ is based upon the six factors impacting a children’s picturebook’s desirability, which I’ve written about extensively in the past.
I recently updated the values in the Price Guide for many key first edition books, and thought some might be interested in the most valuable children’s books in my database. The following table provides an estimated value for first edition American picturebooks with dust jacket, both in very good (VG) condition (per A.B. Bookman’s standard definition).
Since 1998, either in pursuit of their acquisition or for upgrading an existing copy, I’ve performed structured queries for internet offerings of specific first edition children’s books. Summary information from formal searches were published in 2013 Search For The First Forty Caldecott Medal Books’. Jan. 13, 2013, Search For The First Forty Caldecott Medal Books’. Jan. 19, 2015 and again in 2024 Search For First Forty Caldecott Medal Books’. Feb. 15, 2015.
Scarcity Index & Collectibility Index
Performing daily, weekly, and monthly searches for specific first editions over the past 25 years has given me a certain perspective on both the book’s scarcity and it’s perceived market value. The table provides the Scarcity Index and Collectibility Index I’ve given each first edition book. Each index is a 1-to-10 scale where ’10’ would be most scarce or most collectible. I developed these indexes over 20 years ago specifically for the database, as it provided me with a means to consider the first edition books comparatively.
In this list of most valuable first edition American picturebooks the collectibility is heavily influenced by:
- Fondly embraced by the public (i.e. high lifetime sales of the book).
- Pop culture cross-over appeal outside of being a book.
- Authored and illustrated by Dr. Seuss.
- Earning a Caldecott Medal or Honor award.
- Authored Margaret Wise Brown with a notable illustrator.
Most Valuable American Picturebooks #1-to-#20
| Year | Book Title | Award | Illustrator | Author | Collect ibility | Scarc ity | Value$ |
| 1941 | Curious George | Rey, H.A. | Rey, H.A. | 9.5 | 9.5 | $28,400 | |
| 1947 | Goodnight Moon | Hurd, Clement | Brown, Margaret Wise | 9.0 | 10.0 | $26,600 | |
| 1937 | And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street | Geisel, Theodore | Geisel, Theodore | 9.5 | 9.0 | $22,000 | |
| 1962 | The Snowy Day | CM | Keats, Ezra Jack | Keats, Ezra Jack | 9.0 | 10.0 | $21,800 |
| 1940 | Horton Hatches The Egg | Geisel, Theodore | Geisel, Theodore | 9.0 | 9.0 | $16,000 | |
| 1941 | Make Way For Ducklings | CM | McCloskey, Robert | McCloskey, Robert | 10.0 | 8.0 | $15,600 |
| 1969 | The Very Hungry Caterpillar | Carle, Eric | Carle, Eric | 9.5 | 9.0 | $14,400 | |
| 1963 | Where The Wild Things Are | CM | Sendak, Maurice | Sendak, Maurice | 10.0 | 8.0 | $11,600 |
| 1942 | The Little House | CM | Burton, Virginia Lee | Burton, Virginia Lee | 8.5 | 8.5 | $8,800 |
| 1936 | Story Of Ferdinand | Lawson, Robert | Leaf, Munro | 9.5 | 7.0 | $6,800 | |
| 1942 | The Runaway Bunny | Hurd, Clement | Brown, Margaret Wise | 7.5 | 9.0 | $6,800 | |
| 1938 | The 500 Hats Of Bartholomew Cubbins | Geisel, Theodore | Geisel, Theodore | 8.0 | 8.0 | $5,200 | |
| 1938 | Bumble Bugs And Elephants | Hurd, Clement | Brown, Margaret Wise | 7.0 | 9.0 | $5,200 | |
| 1939 | The King’s Stilts | Geisel, Theodore | Geisel, Theodore | 8.0 | 8.0 | $5,200 | |
| 1960 | Green Eggs And Ham | Geisel, Theodore | Geisel, Theodore | 10.0 | 6.5 | $5,000 | |
| 1947 | McElligot’s Pool | CH | Geisel, Theodore | Geisel, Theodore | 8.0 | 8.0 | $4,600 |
| 1948 | Thidwick: The Big-Hearted Moose | Geisel, Theodore | Geisel, Theodore | 8.0 | 8.0 | $4,600 | |
| 1928 | Millions Of Cats | NH | Gág, Wanda | Gág, Wanda | 9.0 | 6.5 | $4,200 |
| 1954 | Horton Hears A Who | Geisel, Theodore | Geisel, Theodore | 8.0 | 8.0 | $4,200 | |
| 1933 | The Story Of Babar | Brunhoff, Jean de | Brunhoff, Jean de | 8.5 | 7.0 | $4,000 | |
No real surprises in the top 20, with Curious George and Goodnight Moon at the top. Eight Dr. Seuss first edition books are in the top 20 most valuable American children’s picturebooks, along with four Caldecott Medal winning books. First edition The Snowy Day is proving quite difficult to find, thus far.
Most Valuable American Picturebooks #21-to-#40
| Year | Book Title | Award | Illustrator | Author | Collect ibility | Scarc ity | Value$ | 1939 | Mike Mulligan And His Steam Shovel | Burton, Virginia Lee | Burton, Virginia Lee | 7.5 | 8.0 | $3,800 |
| 1964 | The Giving Tree | Silverstein, Shel | Silverstein, Shel | 9.0 | 7.0 | $3,600 | |
| 1967 | Drummer Hoff | CM | Emberley, Ed | Emberley, Barbara | 7.5 | 8.5 | $3,600 |
| 1970 | A Story, A Story | CM | Haley, Gail E. | Haley, Gail | 7.0 | 9.0 | $3,400 |
| 1930 | The Little Engine That Could | Lenski, Lois | Piper, Watty | 7.0 | 8.0 | $3,200 | |
| 1957 | How The Grinch Stole Christmas | Geisel, Theodore | Geisel, Theodore | 10.0 | 5.5 | $3,000 | |
| 1938 | The Five Chinese Brothers | Wiese, Kurt | Bishop, Claire Huchet | 6.0 | 9.0 | $3,000 | |
| 1939 | Madeline | CH | Bemelmans, Ludwig | Bernelmans, Ludwig | 9.0 | 6.0 | $2,800 |
| 1939 | Little Toot | Gramatky, Hardie | Gramatky, Hardie | 8.0 | 7.0 | $2,800 | |
| 1949 | Song Of The Swallows | CM | Politi, Leo | Politi, Leo | 7.5 | 7.5 | $2,600 |
| 1951 | Finders Keepers | CM | Mordvinoff, Nicholas | Lipkind, William | 7.0 | 8.0 | $2,600 |
| 1969 | Sylvester And The Magic Pebble | CM | Steig, William | Steig, William | 7.5 | 8.0 | $2,600 |
| 1948 | The Big Snow | CM | Hader, Berta & Elmer | Hader, Berta & Elmer | 7.0 | 8.0 | $2,600 |
| 1952 | The Biggest Bear | CM | Ward, Lynd | Ward, Lynd | 7.0 | 8.0 | $2,400 |
| 1953 | Journey Cake, Ho! | CH | McCloskey, Robert | Sawyer, Ruth | 7.0 | 8.0 | $2,400 |
| 1930 | Angus And The Ducks | Flack, Marjorie | Flack, Marjorie | 6.5 | 8.0 | $2,400 | |
| 1950 | If I Ran The Zoo | CH | Geisel, Theodore | Geisel, Theodore | 8.0 | 7.0 | $2,400 |
| 1957 | The Cat In The Hat | Geisel, Theodore | Geisel, Theodore | 10.0 | 5.0 | $2,200 | |
| 1960 | Baboushka And The Three Kings | CM | Sidjakov, Nicolas | Robbins, Ruth | 6.0 | 9.0 | $2,200 |
The second 20 most valuable children’s books are dominated by Caldecott Medal and Honor award winning books, claiming 11 of the places. I’m not confidant yet on the scarcity of Drummer Hoff, but thought to flag it for you – should it prove more common (than it has been over the past decade), then its market value could drastically be reduced.
Most Valuable American Picturebooks #41-to-#60
| Year | Book Title | Award | Illustrator | Author | Collect ibility | Scarc ity | Value$ |
| 1938 | Andy And The Lion | CH | Daugherty, James Henry | Daugherty, James Henry | 7.5 | 7.0 | $2,200 |
| 1934 | The Travels Of Babar | Brunhoff, Jean de | Brunhoff, Jean de | 7.5 | 7.0 | $2,200 | |
| 1955 | Harold And The Purple Crayon | Johnson, Crockett | Johnson, Crockett | 9.0 | 6.0 | $2,200 | |
| 1937 | Animals Of The Bible | CM | Lathrop, Dorothy P. | Fish, Helen Dean | 7.0 | 7.5 | $2,200 |
| 1947 | Curious George Takes A Job | Rey, H.A. | Rey, H.A. | 8.0 | 6.5 | $2,000 | |
| 1942 | Cecily G. And The 9 Monkeys | Rey, H.A. | Rey, H.A. | 8.0 | 6.5 | $2,000 | |
| 1946 | The Little Island | CM | Weisgard, Leonard | MacDonald, Golden | 8.0 | 6.5 | $2,000 |
| 1948 | Blueberries For Sal | CH | McCloskey, Robert | McCloskey, Robert | 7.5 | 7.0 | $2,000 |
| 1947 | White Snow, Bright Snow | CM | Duvoisin, Roger | Tresselt, Alvin R. | 7.0 | 7.5 | $2,000 |
| 1931 | Angus And The Cat | Flack, Marjorie | Flack, Marjorie | 6.0 | 8.0 | $1,800 | |
| 1933 | The ABC Bunny | NH | Gág, Wanda | Gág, Wanda | 8.0 | 6.0 | $1,800 |
| 1932 | Angus Lost | Flack, Marjorie | Flack, Marjorie | 6.0 | 8.0 | $1,800 | |
| 1952 | Five Little Monkeys | CH | Kepes, Juliet | Kepes, Juliet | 7.0 | 7.5 | $1,800 |
| 1957 | Little Bear | Sendak, Maurice | Minarik, Else Holmelund | 8.0 | 6.5 | $1,800 | |
| 1939 | Daniel Boone | NM | Daugherty, James Henry | Daugherty, James Henry | 8.0 | 6.0 | $1,600 |
| 1944 | Mother Goose | CH | Tudor, Tasha | Tudor, Tasha | 8.0 | 6.0 | $1,600 |
| 1938 | Pumpkin Moonshine | Tudor, Tasha | Tudor, Tasha | 8.0 | 6.0 | $1,600 | |
| 1943 | A Child’s Good Night Book | CH | Charlot, Jean | Brown, Margaret Wise | 7.0 | 7.0 | $1,600 |
| 1939 | Abraham Lincoln | CM | d’Aulaire, Ingri & Edgar Parin | d’Aulaire, Ingri & Edgar Parin | 7.5 | 6.5 | $1,600 |
The next 20 most valuable children’s books are dominated by Caldecott Medal and Honor award winning books, claiming 9 of the places. Overall this group of books is really solid. Probably the lone surprise is Juliet Kepe’s Five Little Monkeys, which is very difficult to find in first edition.
Most Valuable American Picturebooks #61-to-#80
| Year | Book Title | Award | Illustrator | Author | Collect ibility | Scarc ity | Value$ |
| 1945 | The Rooster Crows | CM | Petersham, Maud & Miska | Petersham, Maud & Miska | 7.0 | 7.0 | $1,600 |
| 1938 | Mei Li | CM | Handforth, Thomas | Handforth, Thomas | 7.0 | 7.0 | $1,600 |
| 1936 | Little Tim And The Brave Sea Captain | Ardizzone, Edward | Ardizzone, Edward | 8.0 | 6.0 | $1,600 | |
| 1939 | Alexander The Gander | Tudor, Tasha | Tudor, Tasha | 8.0 | 6.0 | $1,600 | |
| 1943 | Katy And The Big Snow | Burton, Virginia Lee | Burton, Virginia Lee | 7.0 | 7.0 | $1,600 | |
| 1939 | Noisy Book | Weisgard, Leonard | Brown, Margaret Wise | 7.0 | 7.0 | $1,600 | |
| 1938 | The Streamlined Pig | Wiese, Kurt | Brown, Margaret Wise | 7.0 | 7.0 | $1,600 | |
| 1946 | Little Fur Family | Williams, Garth | Brown, Margaret Wise | 7.0 | 7.0 | $1,600 | |
| 1959 | The Moon Jumpers | CH | Sendak, Maurice | Udry, Janice May | 7.0 | 7.5 | $1,600 |
| 1949 | The Wild Birthday Cake | CH | Woodward, Hildegard | Davis, Lavinia R. | 6.0 | 8.0 | $1,400 |
| 1955 | Frog Went A-Courtin | CM | Rojankovsky, Feodor | Langstaff, John | 8.0 | 6.0 | $1,400 |
| 1956 | Gillespie And The Guards | CH | Daugherty, James Henry | Elkin, Benjamin | 7.0 | 7.0 | $1,400 |
| 1929 | The Funny Thing | Gág, Wanda | Gág, Wanda | 7.5 | 6.0 | $1,400 | |
| 1949 | Bartholomew And The Oobleck | CH | Geisel, Theodore | Geisel, Theodore | 8.0 | 6.0 | $1,400 |
| 1954 | Wheel On The Chimney | CH | Gergely, Tibor | Brown, Margaret Wise | 7.5 | 6.5 | $1,400 |
| 1953 | A Very Special House | CH | Sendak, Maurice | Krauss, Ruth | 8.0 | 6.0 | $1,400 |
| 1975 | Why Mosquitoes Buzz In People’s Ears | CM | Dillon, Leo & Diane | Aardema, Verna | 7.5 | 7.0 | $1,400 |
| 1931 | Snippy And Snappy | Gág, Wanda | Gág, Wanda | 7.5 | 6.0 | $1,400 | |
| 1953 | Green Eyes | CH | Birnbaum, Abe | Birnbaum, Abe | 6.0 | 8.0 | $1,400 |
| 1952 | Ape In A Cape | CH | Eichenberg, Fritz | Eichenberg, Fritz | 6.0 | 8.0 | $1,400 |
Again Caldecott first editions dominate the next 20, claiming 12 of the places. Notice the strength of the Caldecott Honor books. Sendak/Udry’s The Moon Jumper is difficult to find in first edition, as well as the other Caldecott Honor books in this portion of the list. Note the Scarcity is driving the value more so than the first edition’s Collectibility.
Most Valuable American Picturebooks #81-to-#97
| Year | Book Title | Award | Illustrator | Author | Collect ibility | Scarc ity | Value$ |
| 1943 | Pierre Pidgeon | CH | Bare, Arnold Edwin | Kingman, Lee | 6.0 | 7.5 | $1,200 |
| 1943 | SHHhhhh……Bang | De Veyrac, Robert | Brown, Margaret Wise | 6.0 | 7.5 | $1,200 | |
| 1937 | The Children’s Year | Rojankovsky, Feodor | Brown, Margaret Wise | 7.5 | 6.0 | $1,200 | |
| 1938 | Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs | CH | Gág, Wanda | Gág, Wanda | 7.5 | 6.0 | $1,200 |
| 1958 | No Fighting, No Biting! | Sendak, Maurice | Minarik, Else Holmelund | 7.0 | 7.0 | $1,200 | |
| 1937 | Choo Choo | Burton, Virginia Lee | Burton, Virginia Lee | 6.5 | 7.0 | $1,200 | |
| 1942 | Don’t Frighten The Lion! | Rey, H.A. | Brown, Margaret Wise | 7.5 | 6.0 | $1,200 | |
| 1955 | Eloise | Knight, Hilary | Thompson, Kay | 9.0 | 5.0 | $1,200 | |
| 1947 | Stone Soup | CH | Brown, Marcia | Brown, Marcia | 6.5 | 7.0 | $1,200 |
| 1943 | Many Moons | CM | Slobodkin, Louis | Thurber, James | 7.0 | 6.5 | $1,200 |
| 1938 | The Little Fireman | Slobodkina, Esphyr | Brown, Margaret Wise | 7.0 | 6.5 | $1,200 | |
| 1941 | Polite Penguin | Rey, H.A. | Brown, Margaret Wise | 7.5 | 6.0 | $1,200 | |
| 1952 | Curious George Rides A Bike | Rey, H.A. | Rey, H.A. | 7.5 | 6.0 | $1,000 | |
| 1954 | Cinderella, Or The Little Glass Slipper | CM | Brown, Marcia | Perrault, Charles | 7.0 | 6.5 | $1,000 |
| 1953 | The Steadfast Tin Soldier | CH | Brown, Marcia | Andersen, Hans Christian | 6.5 | 7.0 | $1,000 |
| 1933 | Donkey-Donkey | Duvoisin, Roger | Duvoisin, Roger | 6.5 | 6.5 | $1,000 | |
| 1953 | Madeline’s Rescue | CM | Bemelmans, Ludwig | Bernelmans, Ludwig | 8.0 | 5.5 | $1,000 |
Some nice books in this last part of the list, with five books written by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by four different artists! The books illustrated by H.A. Rey and authored by Brown are probably underappreciated in the market.