The New York Public Library has an ever-growing collection of titles in a wide range of world languages, including classics old and new; fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and picture books; titles in translation, and titles in the languages in which they were originally written. This list of top checkouts reflects many of the languages most widely spoken and read in our communities, which are among the most linguistically diverse in the world.
Titles and author names are presented in their original alphabets with transliterations where appropriate.
Explore NYPL’s World Literature Festival, including free online events and everything the Library has to offer for all ages in a range of world languages.
Top Checkouts: Adult Titles
Shqip (Albanian)
Arti i të gatuarit
Vangjel Kullaj & Miço Garuli
Popular Albanian cookery book containing around 600 recipes. Request Book
العَرَبِية (Arabic)
المجموعة الكاملة لمؤلفات جبران خليل جبران. العربية [al-Majmūʻah al-kāmilah li-muʼallafāt Jubrān Khalīl Jubrān. al-ʻArabīyah]
خليل جبران | Kahlil Gibran
A collection of the works of the Lebanese-American poet and essayist Kahlil Gibran (1883–1931). Request Book
বাংলা (Bangla)
বাদশাহ নামদার [Bādaśāha nāmadāra]
হুমায়ূন আহমেদ | Humayun Ahmed
A historical novel about the Mughal Emperor Humayun by the popular and prolific Bangladeshi novelist and filmmaker Humayun Ahmed. Request Book
中文 (Chinese)
如何解套人生的種種痛苦 [Rú hé jiě tào rén shēng de zhǒng zhǒng tòng kǔ?]
苦海還願人 | Ǩu hǎi huán yuàn rén
A book of Buddhist teachings that promises to rid readers of unhappy feelings. Request Book
Français (French)
L'étranger
Albert Camus
Camus’s classic novella, ranked #1 on Le Monde’s list of books of the century, is a novelistic exploration of the author’s existentialist philosophy. Request Book
Deutsch (German)
Das große deutsche Märchenbuch
Helmut Brackert
A compendium of German fairy tales from the past 500 years. Request Book
Kreyòl Ayisyen (Haitian-Creole)
Les "Proverbes haïtiens" d'Edmond Chenet, transcrits en orthographe moderne et annotés
Max Manigat
Scholarly edition of a collection of Haitian proverbs. Request Book
עבר׳ת (Hebrew)
אהבת תורה: דברים על פרשת השבוע [Ahavat Torah: Devarim ʻal parashat ha-shavuʻa]
חיים סבתו | Hayim Sabato
Commentary on the weekly portion of the Torah and relevant selections of Jewish religious poetry. Request Book
हिन्दी (Hindi)
भगवत की कथाएं [Bhāgavata kī kathāem]
मनुहरि पाठक | Manuhari Pāṭhaka
Stories from the life of Krishna. Request Book
Magyar (Hungarian)
Kard és kasza
Albert Wass
In this two-volume family saga, Hungarian count Albert Wass investigates the history of his ancient family. Request Book
Italiano (Italian)
Ritorna malinconia
Liala
A charming, famous young man enters the life of the rich but bored Lilia, transforming it forever. Request Book
日本語 (Japanese)
白河夜船 [Shirakawa yofune]
吉本ばなな | Banana Yoshimoto
An enchanting collection of stories about three women, written by one of the best writers in contemporary international fiction. Request Book
한국어 (Korean)
토지문화재단에 오신것을 환영합니다 [Tʻoji]
박경리 | Pak Kyong-ni
This classic of Korean literature is the story of five generations of a wealthy family caught up in the struggle between conservative and modernizing forces. Request Book
Polski (Polish)
Angielski bez tajemnic, czyli uczmy się na cudzych błędach
Lidia Kosonocka-Taber
A book for teachers and students alike examining grammatical and stylistic challenges that face the native Polish speaker learning English. Request Book
Português (Portuguese)
O Burrinho Pedrês
João Guimarães Rosa
First published in 1946, Guimarães Rosa’s classic, set in the interior of Minas Gerais, tells the tale of a group of cowboys and a donkey. Request Book
Русский (Russian)
Очищение : зачем Сталин обезглавил свою армию? [Ochishchenie: Zachem Stalin Obezglavil Svoiu Armiiu?]
Виктор Суворов | Viktor Suvorov
An analysis of Stalin’s military policies and purges at the top of the Red Army in the years before the Second World War. Request Book
සිංහල (Sinhalese)
යුගාන්තය [Yuganthaya]
මාර්ටින් වික්රමසිංහ | Martin Wickramasinghe
Part of Wickramasinghe’s classic trilogy about the decline of traditional Sri Lankan life and the rise of the bourgeoisie. Request Book
Español (Spanish)
Hija de la fortuna
Isabel Allende
Moving from Valparaíso to San Francisco, Allende’s novel is the story of one woman’s quest to save her lover, set against the background of the 1849 California Gold Rush. Request Book
Türkçe (Turkish)
Kürk Mantolu Madonna
Sabahattin Ali
A shy young man leaves his home in rural Turkey to learn a trade in 1920s Berlin, where he meets a woman who will haunt him for the rest of his life. Request Book
українська (Ukrainian)
Свіча в свічаді : поезії [Svicha v svichadi: poeziï]
Васи́ль Семе́нович Стус | Vasyl Stus
In this poetry collection, the Ukrainian activist Vasyl Stus seeks to resolve the contradictions of the human experience. Request Book
اُردُو (Urdu)
قرآن کا مطلوب انسان [Qurʼān kā ma̤tlūb insān]
ریحان احمد یوسفی | Rehan Ahmed Yousufi
Study of Islamic religious life according to Qur’anic teaching and guidance. Request Book
Top Checkouts: Kids’ Titles
Many of the most popular books among younger New Yorkers are bilingual titles that explore animals, nature, the body, and the senses. The Library’s online storytime series also includes many multilingual editions, including videos in Español, Deutsch, 日本語, العَرَبِية and עבר׳ת. Explore storytimes in a range of world languages.

Shqip (Albanian)
Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes...: Albanian & English
Annie Kubler (illustrator)
Babies act out the familiar song. Request Book
العَرَبِية (Arabic)
العادات الجيدة [al-ʻĀdāt al-jayyidah]
Hakan Şan Borteçin (designer)
Bilingual Arabic-English title showing how children can make life easier for their parents. Request Book
বাংলা (Bangla)
Plants গাছপালা [Gāchapālā]
Christangelos Seferiadis
Guaranteed to enrich a toddler's vocabulary, this title from a series of bilingual board books introduces readers to words for their favorite plants. Request Book
中文 (Chinese)
我會折摺紙:綜合篇 [Wǒ huì zhé zhé zhǐ: zòng hé piān]
張晉霖 | Zhāng jìn lín
Get creative with this guide to the world of origami. Request Book
Français (French)
Martine fait ses courses
Gilbert Delahaye, illustrated by Marcel Marlier
Martine and her little brother go shopping for their mom. Request Book
Deutsch (German)
Mit Jule durch den Tag
Ulrike Schultheis, illustrated by Petra Probst
A day in the life of Jule and her family from breakfast to bedtime. Request Book
Kreyòl Ayisyen (Haitian-Creole)
Hap, Hap
Catherine Hnatov
Playful pictures of friendly animals hopping and splashing, tweeting and purring. Request Book
עבר׳ת (Hebrew)
אני בעצמי [Ani be-ʻatsmi]
כתבה ואירה טויה טאולו ; עריכה, עמנואל בן-סבו | Ṭuyah Taʼulo, illustrated by ʻImanuʼel Ben Sabo
Lion cub Ari sets out to show his parents that he is able to succeed without their help. Request Book
हिन्दी (Hindi)
13 वीं पहेली [13 vṃī pahelī]
कहानी नडीन डिसूज़ा, चित्र अजंता गुहाठाकुरता | Nadine D’Souza, illustrated by Ajanta Guhathakurta
A fun picture book celebrating riddles and riddlers. Request Book
Italiano (Italian)
Le famiglie Topini va a schuola
Haruo Yamashita, illustrated by Kazuo Iwamuro, translated by Su Kumura
A family of mice goes to school in this charming picture book. Request Book
日本語 (Japanese)
14ひきのかぼちゃ [14 hiki no kabocha]
いわむらかずお | Kazuo Iwamura
A family of 14 mice grows a pumpkin. Request Book
한국어 (Korean)
과자 마녀를 조심해! [Kwaja manyŏ rŭl chosimhae!]
정희재, 김영수 | Hee-Jae Jung, Young-Soo Kim
The cookie witch, jealous of beautiful and healthy children, cooks delicious but unhealthy food for them. This picture book includes information on snacks to avoid and recipes for homemade sweets. Request Book
Polski (Polish)
Rogaś z Doliny Roztoki
Maria Kownacka, illustrated by Janusz Grabiański
A story about a young stag and his adventures in the forest. Request Book
Português (Portuguese)
Harry Potter e a Pedra Filosofal
J.K. Rowling
In the first volume of the best-selling series, our hero enrolls at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Request Book
Русский (Russian)
Вавилонская башня и другие библейские истории [Vavilonskaya bashnia i drugie bibleiskie istorii]
под редакцией Корнея Чуковского | Korney Chukovsky (ed.)
Biblical tales retold for children. Request Book
Español (Spanish)
¡Perros! ¡Perros! Dogs! Dogs!
Ginger Foglesong Gibson
Where are all the dogs going? Find out and improve your language skills at the same time. Request Book
Türkçe (Turkish)
Vahşi Ormanda Spor Günü
Jill Newton, translated into Turkish by Rina Bakis
Monkey teases Sloth because he is too slow to join in the jungle games. Request Book
українська (Ukrainian)
Азбука для малюків [Azbuka dla malukiv]
Г. Я. Шевчук
Early learning fun with letters and numbers. Request Book
اُردُو (Urdu)
Taste ذائقہ [Ẕāʼqah]
Erdem Seçmen, translated from the Turkish by Alvin Parmar, illustrated by Chris Dittopoulos
A bilingual picture book about taste aimed at younger readers learning Urdu and English. Request Book
Explore NYPL’s World Literature Festival
Discover more from The New York Public Library as we celebrate books and writers from around the world, reflecting the many languages spoken by our patrons in immigrant, bilingual, and multilingual communities across New York City. Discover what our patrons are reading in languages other than English, resources the Library offers in world languages, free online events, book recommendations, and more.