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Lincoln: A Photobiography

by Russell Freedman

February 21st, 2011 | ,

Today I feel sorry for George Washington. He is, after all, the father of the country, yet he has to share a birthday celebration with Abraham Lincoln on President’s Day. Of the two, Lincoln has received the best treatment in children’s books, so today we’ll celebrate his accomplishments. Of all the hundreds and thousands of […]

Award Winning, Civil War, History, Holidays, Newbery, President's Day

Viva Frida

by Yuyi Morales

May 26th, 2015 | , , ,

May has been designated both Personal History Month and Latino Book Month, and our book of the day, Yuyi Morales’s Viva Frida, could be used effectively for either celebration. In this passionate celebration of Frida Kahlo for very young readers, ages 2-8, Morales captures the spirit of an artist who has been her inspiration from […]

Art, Award Winning, Caldecott, Latino, Multicultural, Women

El Deafo

by Cece Bell

April 6th, 2015 | , , ,

From March 13 through April 15, we celebrate Deaf History Month. Until last year, I had difficulty finding a book that I could recommend for this period of time. But Cece Bell’s El Deafo, one of the best books of 2014, won me over from the first time I picked it up. The funny, smart, […]

Autobiography, Deafness, Newbery, Special Needs

The Right Word

by Jen Bryant
Illustrated by Melissa Sweet

March 11th, 2015 | , ,

March has been designated Women’s History Month and the Almanac features many titles, such as Laurie Halse Anderson’s Independent Dames that address the topic of women and history. But while hunting for a different slant on an author study for the elementary level, I realized there might be another way to approach Women’s History Month. […]

19th century, Art, Award Winning, Caldecott, History

Josephine

by Patricia Hruby Powell
Illustrated by Christian Robinson

February 17th, 2015 | ,

Black History Month encourages the sharing of books about African American history with children. And although there has always been a certain predictability to the titles authors and publishers offer for young readers on this topic, we have recently seen some unique and unexpected titles, such as Steve Sheinkin’s Port Chicago 50. Such is the […]

20th Century, African American, Dance, History, Multicultural, Paris

The Iridescence of Birds

by Patricia MacLachlan
Illustrated by Hadley Hooper

January 19th, 2015 | , ,

As all who closely follow the children’s books world know, around this time of year the major children’s book awards (Newbery and Caldecott) get announced at the annual ALA meeting. Many enjoy the process of Mock Caldecott or Newbery award events, a way to get everyone involved. In my case I sit down every year […]

Art

Who Says Women Can’t Be Doctors?

by Tanya Stone
Illustrated by Marjorie Priceman

March 10th, 2014 | , ,

Since 1987, Women’s History Month has been celebrated in March—a time to look at all the unsung heroines and their contributions over the years. In 2013 the talented duo of Tanya Lee Stone and Marjorie Priceman teamed up to create a picture book perfect for Women’s History Month, Who Says Women Can’t Be Doctors? The […]

History, Science, Social Conscience, Women

The Boy Who Loved Math: The Improbable Life of Paul Erdös

by Deborah Heiligman
Illustrated by LeUyen Pham

September 9th, 2013 | , ,

Today we can celebrate Wonderful Weirdos Day, created by the citizens of Austin, Texas. The organizers suggest that we all need to recognize those individuals in our lives who are not normal or average. Our book of the day does just that; even its subtitle suggests that it celebrates a wonderful weirdo as it chronicles […]

History, Science, Technology

Diego Rivera: An Artist for the People

by Susan Goldman Rubin

May 1st, 2013 | , ,

May 1, International Workers Day, is celebrated in more than eighty countries around the world The observance originated in the United States in the 1880s as workers mobilized to secure an eight-hour workday. The Association of American Publishers has designated May as Latino Book Month. So today seems like a perfect time to look at […]

History, Latino, Multicultural, Politics

Little White Duck

by Na Liu
Illustrated by Andrés Vera Martínez

December 27th, 2012 | , , ,

For our last selection for Read a New Book Month, I’d like to look at one of the most original graphic novels to appear in the last couple of years, Na Liu and Andrés Vera Martínez’s Little White Duck. When books for American children focus on other parts of the world, they tend to be […]

20th Century, History, Women, World History

Daily children’s book recommendations and events from Anita Silvey.

Discover the stories behind the children’s book classics . . .

The new books on their way to becoming classics . . .

And events from the world of children’s books—and the world at large.