NYT: The Most Checked-Out Books

The New York Times published a list of the top ten most checked-out books of all time, in the history of New York Public Library.

The list is part of NYPL’s 125th anniversary celebration. Although not quite as old as The Floating Hospital’s 154 years, NYPL has worked out what books have a special place in New Yorkers’ hearts.

Most important for The Floating Hospital, six of the top ten are childrens’ books.

Books and The Floating Hospital’s education program

Director of Education, Meghan Miller, says, “There’s so much research that shows the good in reading to children. From increased knowledge, to increased vocabulary, to all-around better communications skills. All of these are part of The Floating Hospital’s mission to empower our patients.”

Our Director of Community Outreach, Cynthia Davis, developed the reading corner of our classroom. Cynthia says: “It was gifted to us by the husband of one of our volunteers who passed away. She was passionate about reading, and we’re forever grateful for this gift.”

The Floating Hospital has worked with Reach Out and Read for some years now. They encourage reading to children from six months to five years old. When a provider meets a child at the start of a wellness session, they give the child a book, and see how the child responds.

Of course, The Floating Hospital plans to keep encouraging reading for the next 125 years of NYPL.

Certainly, it’ll be interesting for future generations to compare it to this list – and to see if any current entries will still be there.

And yes, we have the children’s books from the list!