Book-A-Day Almanac
Discover the stories behind the children’s book classics and the new books on their way to becoming classics.
Rabbit Hill
Elementary School, FantasyToday for National Rabbit Week, we’ll look at one of our timeless classics. The Newbery winner Rabbit Hill has been much loved from the time it was published in 1944, during the height of World War II, at least in part because it seems very contemporary in its concerns. Robert Lawson was one of those […]
Animals, Award Winning, Newbery, RabbitsFeatured on July 19
My Friend Rabbit
Elementary School, Picture Book, PreschoolJuly 15–21 has been designated National Rabbit Week to pay tribute to this animal for being such a great companion for humans. What is it about rabbits that so inspire children’s book authors and illustrators? Ever since Peter Rabbit went lippety, lippety down the road, rabbits have multiplied like—well—bunnies in children’s books. I’ll be talking […]
Animals, Award Winning, Caldecott, Humor, Imagination, RabbitsFeatured on July 16
Words to My Life’s Song
Elementary School, Memoir, Middle SchoolToday marks a very special birthday: the 88th of author and illustrator Ashley Bryan. Born in Harlem and raised in the Bronx, Ashley has lived on an island off the coast of Maine for years. He gets to stay there less than he might like, because he is in so much demand as a speaker. […]
20th Century, African American, Art, Award Winning, History, MulticulturalFeatured on July 13
The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate
Elementary School, Historical Fiction, Middle SchoolToday marks the birthday of Étienne de Silhouette, the French finance minister. In 1759, because of France’s credit crisis during the Seven Years War, he had to impose severe economic demands on the country, particularly the wealthy. Something of an artist, Silhouette enjoyed making cut-paper portraits, and his name became synonymous with these creations. After […]
19th century, Award Winning, History, Newbery, ScienceFeatured on July 8
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Elementary School, Historical Fiction, Middle SchoolJuly has been designated both Family Reunion Month and National Black Family Month. We all need to take time to celebrate the strengths and virtues of our families. For some writers, their family and their family stories provide the necessary ingredients for great books. Such is the case of our author of the day, Mildred […]
African American, Award Winning, Family, History, Multicultural, NewberyFeatured on July 3
Officer Buckle and Gloria
Elementary School, Picture BookJune has been designated National Safety Month to promote safety at work, at home, on the road, and in our communities. Safety might seem a bit dull as a topic for a book for children, but the book of the day, Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann, demonstrates that highly creative people can make […]
Award Winning, Caldecott, Humor, SchoolFeatured on June 30
Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present
Elementary School, Picture Book Today marks the birthday of Charlotte Zolotow, legendary publisher, editor, and writer. Sometime in the late seventies I first met Charlotte; Bill Morris, Harper’s devoted head of Marketing, adored her and wanted us to get to know each other. From that day on, I suddenly had a new goal—I wanted to grow up to be […]
Animals, Award Winning, Caldecott, Imagination, RabbitsFeatured on June 26
My Louisiana Sky
Elementary School, Fiction, Middle SchoolAround this time of year the Squire Creek Louisiana Peach Festival takes place with a rodeo, parades, and a cooking contest. If you are in the area and want some local culture, the next two days will provide that and more. But if you aren’t, I have an alternative: Kimberly Willis Holt’s My Louisiana Sky, for […]
Award Winning, Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, Family, Special NeedsFeatured on June 24
The Wall
Elementary School, High School, Middle School, Picture BookOn June 17, 1969, in Prague, Czechoslovakia, ten months after the Soviet Union invaded the city with tanks, the Beach Boys gave a concert in Lucerna Hall. Although police with dogs waited nearby, in this dark time the American band provided “a glimmer of hope.” Peter Sís, recipient of a MacArthur genius grant, captured these […]
Autobiography, Award Winning, Caldecott, Cold War, History, SibertFeatured on June 17
Anne Frank: Her Life in Words and Pictures
Elementary School, Middle School, NonfictionOn June 12, 1929, a young German girl was born. Had history played out differently, she might well have been celebrating her 82nd birthday today. Anne Frank lived in extraordinary times—and in recording those times, she ultimately became the world’s most famous young writer. Scores of books providing supplementary reading for The Diary of Anne […]
Award Winning, Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, History, Jewish, Multicultural, Social Conscience, World War IIFeatured on June 12
Maurice Sendak
Elementary School, Picture BookToday marks the birthday of someone who might best be described as the father of the American picture book—or, probably today, its grandfather. When Maurice Sendak published his masterpiece, Where the Wild Things Are, in 1963, he changed the scope and the possibilities of the picture book for every artist to come after him. He […]
Adventure, Award Winning, Caldecott, Family, ImaginationFeatured on June 10
One Morning in Maine
Elementary School, Picture Book“I scream, you scream, we all scream, for ice cream,” goes the old ditty, and today marks National Chocolate Ice Cream Day. What a wonderful idea—two of the world’s most popular foods, chocolate and ice cream, celebrated together. For me, chocolate ice cream in June conjures up wonderful summer days, the ocean, sea gulls wailing, […]
Award Winning, Caldecott, Geography, Nature, Seasons, SummerFeatured on June 7
Jumanji
Elementary School, Picture BookJune 4 has been designated Drawing Day or Pencil Day. Today we are encouraged to create art and to remember the joy we had when we first picked up a pencil and drew. If I ask myself what is the most amazing book I ever watched being published that was created by a pencil, the […]
Animals, Award Winning, Caldecott, Family, Games, ImaginationFeatured on June 4
The Schwa Was Here
Elementary School, Fiction, Middle SchoolGet out your party clothes! Today those in the know celebrate National Paper Clip Day. The modern version of this lowly but extremely useful object was patented on November 9, 1899 by William D. Middlebrook of Waterbury, Connecticut. But during World War II the paper clip became the symbol of national unity in Norway. Forbidden […]
Animals, Award Winning, Blindness, Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, Dogs, Humor, School, Special NeedsFeatured on May 29
First the Egg
Babies and Toddlers, Picture Book, PreschoolMay has been designed Egg Month—dedicated to the versatility, convenience, and good nutrition of “The incredible edible egg.”TM Children’s book writers and illustrators have always been bullish on eggs—at least as the subject matter for books. Just think of classics like Dr. Seuss’s Horton Hatches the Egg or Oliver Butterworth’s The Enormous Egg. But my […]
Animals, Award Winning, Caldecott, NatureFeatured on May 25
Tom Feelings
Elementary School, High School, Middle School, Picture BookOn May 19, 1933, Tom Feelings was born in Brooklyn, New York. An African-American, he chose to spend many years of his adult life in Africa, seeking to understand his heritage. As an artist and picture book illustrator, he presented what he discovered about African culture and history. While in Africa in the 1960s, Feelings […]
African American, Award Winning, Caldecott, History, Multicultural, SlaveryFeatured on May 19
The Relatives Came
Elementary School, Picture Book May 18 has been designated Visit Your Relatives Day. The idea of a trip to see family members can bring many different images to mind. When I was a child, one of my happiest times each year came during the month of July when my father, my mother, my two sisters, and I got in […]
Award Winning, Caldecott, Family, HumorFeatured on May 18
The Circuit
Elementary School, High School, Memoir, Middle SchoolMay has been designated both Personal History Month and Latino Book Month. Both experiences can be found in one of the most remarkable autobiographies of the last twenty years, Francisco Jiménez’s The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child. Now a university professor, Jiménez began his journey toward United States citizenship as a […]
20th Century, Award Winning, Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, History, Latino, MulticulturalFeatured on May 16
Esperanza Rising
Elementary School, High School, Historical Fiction, Middle SchoolIn an ongoing effort to promote books by Latinos, the Association of American Publishers has designated May as Latino Book Month. During May they hope booksellers, librarians, and teachers will encourage people in their communities to read Latino books in both English and Spanish. Later in the month we’ll look at a book by Francisco […]
Award Winning, Family, Great Depression, History, Latino, Multicultural, Pura BelpréFeatured on May 12
A Chair for My Mother
Elementary School, Picture Book, PreschoolToday we celebrate Mother’s Day, a time to remember all of the sacrifices and kindnesses of our mothers. As a body of stories, children’s books are probably kinder to fathers than mothers. But our Book-of-the-Day is about a memorable mother and a child who appreciates her. Vera Williams grew up in a household where her […]
Award Winning, Caldecott, Family, Multicultural, WomenFeatured on May 8
Rascal
Elementary School, MemoirFrom May 1–7 we celebrate National Pet Week, with a theme this year of “Save a Life, Adopt a Pet.” Desiring a pet is almost a universal experience of childhood. Usually, the term pet bring to mind dogs, cats, fish, hamsters, or other domesticated animals. But, of course, a pet can be any animal that […]
20th Century, Animals, Award Winning, History, NewberyFeatured on May 6
Holes
Elementary School, Fiction, Middle SchoolFor Get Caught Reading Month I want to talk about a book published in 1998 destined to become a classic. Whenever I ask audiences which book of the last fifteen years seems most poised for classic status, one title leads all the rest, Louis Sachar’s Holes. A rare winner of the Triple Crown in prizes […]
Adventure, Award Winning, Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, Humor, National Book Award, Newbery, SurvivalFeatured on May 3
The Arrival
Elementary School, Graphic Novel, High School, Middle SchoolOn May 1 we celebrate a relatively new holiday, Immigration Day. Except for Native Americans, the United States is a nation of immigrants; consequently, hundreds of books for children present the experience of our ancestors from different perspectives. But none enable readers to experience the emotions of an immigrant to a strange country as brilliantly as Shaun […]
Award Winning, Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, Social ConscienceFeatured on May 1
Red-Eyed Tree Frog
Babies and Toddlers, Elementary School, Nonfiction, Picture Book, Preschool April 29 has been designated Save the Frogs Day, a day of amphibian education. Although there will be an event in Washington, D.C., the third annual Save the Frogs Day organizers encourage people to recognize the day in their own communities. Their website contains lesson plans and activities that can be adapted by teachers and […]
Animals, Award Winning, Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, Frogs, NatureFeatured on April 29
Madeline
Elementary School, Picture BookBorn on April 27, 1898, Ludwig Bemelmans came to the United States when he was sixteen, after having been raised in Austria. As a child he lived in a hotel that his father ran; later he worked in a New York hotel to pay his bills. His true love, drawing and painting, had always been […]
Award Winning, Caldecott, ParisFeatured on April 27
In the Small Pond
Elementary School, Picture Book, PreschoolSince 1970 Earth Day has been celebrated worldwide on April 22. With an emphasis on the resources of the planet and renewable energy, Earth Day reminds us to take a closer look at the world around us. Suggested activities and local events can be found at the Earth Day Network. Today I’d like to take […]
Animals, Award Winning, Caldecott, Nature, SeasonsFeatured on April 22
The Gardener
Elementary School, Picture Book April has been designated National Gardening Month. The mere idea of gardening brings me joy. As I write the first draft of this essay in February, two feet of snow sit outside the window. Will I ever see my gardens again? Gardening month reminds me of that desperate plea from Mary Lennox in The Secret […]
Award Winning, Caldecott, Family, Gardening, Great Depression, HistoryFeatured on April 19
Because of Winn-Dixie
Elementary School, FictionApril has been set aside as “Dog Appreciation Month.” My own dogs serve as my writing muse. Just now Lancelot, eating with relish, makes small pig noises. He encourages me to write with gusto. The bond between child and dog remains one of the universal experiences of childhood, as does the longing for a dog if […]
Animals, Award Winning, Dogs, NewberyFeatured on April 17
Mr. Gumpy’s Outing
Babies and Toddlers, PreschoolToday, I want to talk about two of our classic books for babies and toddlers. As Julie Roach, Manager of Youth Services of the Cambridge (MA) Public Library, has told me on many occasions, the best titles for this age group include a text with few words that encourages participation and simple images and plots […]
Animals, Award Winning, Caldecott, Trains, TransportationFeatured on April 11
Maniac Magee
Elementary School, Fiction, Middle SchoolTwenty-one years ago, in April 1990, Jerry Spinelli’s Maniac Magee was published. I first read an advanced reading copy of the book before it was published and then watched it sweep the prizes, including the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award and Newbery Medal. Still going strong, it has now become a classic, one of the books […]
Award Winning, Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, Family, Humor, Newbery, SchoolFeatured on April 8
The Teacher’s Funeral
Elementary School, Historical Fiction, Middle SchoolOn April 5, 1934, Richard Peck was born in Decatur, Illinois. After training to be a teacher, he spent years working with students and did not write his first novel until he was thirty-seven. Then he made up for lost time! If ever there was a Renaissance figure in the field of children’s and young […]
Award Winning, Family, History, Humor, Newbery, SchoolFeatured on April 5
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.
