Who Won Picture Book Madness?

To celebrate March Madness, the Lee Road and Noble branches of the Cleveland Heights-University Heights public library system held Picture Book Madness competitions. We pitted your favorite picture books against each other — from old favorites to new classics — until only one book was left standing at each branch.

At Lee Road, we started with 16 books and held a round of voting each week to see which books would be eliminated and which would move on. The competition culminated in a dog-gone close final as Go, Dog. Go! by P.D. Eastman faced Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion. But in the end, Harry the Dirty Dog pulled out the victory.

At Noble, we started with 32 picture books and held a vote between two books every day. One book would be eliminated, and one would move on to the next round.

Our final four books were a mix of classics and newer favorites: Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans, The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka, Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson, and Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems. The True Story of the Three Little Pigs won out against Knuffle Bunny in the championship! This was our second annual Picture Book Madness tournament at Noble.

Congratulations, Harry and The Three Little Pigs! And thanks to everyone who participated. We’re already looking forward to next year.