Book-A-Day Almanac
Discover the stories behind the children’s book classics and the new books on their way to becoming classics.
There Goes Ted Williams: The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived
Elementary School, Picture BookI grew up in the state of Indiana, where basketball stood as the supreme sport, and moved to a city Boston, where baseball reigns. Consequently, like most Bostonians, I know that today the Red Sox play their first game in spring training. So I thought I would use this occasion to talk about one of […]
20th Century, Baseball, History, Sports, World War IIFeatured on February 27
How Tom Beat Captain Najork and His Team of Hired Sportsmen
Elementary School, Picture Book Today on the Almanac, I send birthday greetings to Sir Quentin Blake, born outside of London. While still a teenager, he began contributing to Punch magazine. After studying English at Cambridge, he took life-drawing classes at the Chelsea Art School and, in 1960, began a glorious career as a children’s book illustrator—one that has resulted […]
Humor, Imagination, SportsFeatured on December 16
Tangerine
Elementary School, Fiction, Middle SchoolOn May 21, 1904, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) was founded in Paris. Today the Fédération administers the World Cup. What the rest of the world calls “football” has been renamed soccer in the United States. Over the last decade, because of soccer’s obvious advantages—an exciting game, team play, and inexpensive equipment—the sport […]
Family, Soccer, SportsFeatured on May 21
A Nation’s Hope
Biography, Elementary School, Picture BookDecember has been designated Read a New Book Month, and this week we are celebrating Kwanzaa. The book of the day, A Nation’s Hope: The Story of Boxing Legend Joe Louis, fits for both holidays and combines the talents of Matt de la Peña and Kadir Nelson in one of the best new offerings of […]
African American, Boxing, History, Multicultural, Sports, World War IIFeatured on December 27
The Sailor Dog
Elementary School, Picture Book On October 1, 1942, a brave new experiment in publishing was launched as collaboration between Simon & Schuster and Western Printing and Lithograph Company. The project was described as “a new series of 25 cent books for children,” with an initial print run of 600,000 copies each. Carried in independent bookstores, these volumes also made […]
Animals, Dogs, Sailing, SportsFeatured on October 1
First Pitch
Elementary School, Middle School, NonfictionOn September 2, 1850, Albert Goodwill Spalding was born on a farm in Byron, Illinois. As a boy he began to play baseball in boarding school, and as an adult he became one of the great pitchers in America. Spalding brought four pennants to his Boston Red Stockings club before he headed to the Midwest […]
Baseball, History, SportsFeatured on September 2
Clemente!
Biography, Elementary School, Picture Book On August 18, 1934, one of the most revered National League baseball players of all times, Roberto Clemente, was born in Carolina, Puerto Rico. Considered something of a saint in his native land, Clemente made his fame in America, after being drafted in 1954 by the Pittsburgh Pirates. He brought new life to the team […]
Baseball, History, Latino, Multicultural, SportsFeatured on August 18
The Man Who Walked Between the Towers
Elementary School, Picture BookBorn in France on August 13, 1949, Philippe Petit became a high-wire artist best remembered for an event that took place on August 7, 1974. That day he walked on a tightrope between two World Trade Center skyscrapers in New York City. In the air for around an hour, he danced and performed tricks—as New […]
History, New York, SportsFeatured on August 13
Eyes on the Goal
Elementary School, Fiction, Middle School, SeriesOn May 21, 1904, The Fédération International de Football Association (FIFA) was founded in Paris. Today the Federation administers the World Cup. Football— renamed soccer in the States—is a favorite sport around the world because it’s an exciting game, played as a team, and uses inexpensive equipment. But for years soccer remained a relatively unknown […]
Soccer, SportsFeatured on May 21
Stone Fox
Elementary School, FictionToday the Iditarod, “the last great race on earth,” begins in Anchorage, Alaska. Dog teams and humans will travel 1,150 miles through Alaskan wilderness to Nome. Some families and classes like to encourage children to pick a team and follow it throughout the month, writing about its journey. And for a story to introduce dog […]
Adventure, Animals, Dogs, Multicultural, Native American, Seasons, Sports, WinterFeatured on March 5
Honus & Me
Biography, Elementary School, Fantasy, SeriesOn February 24, 1874, Honus Wagner was born in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. Called “The Flying Dutchman,” because of his great speed and his German heritage, Wagner played shortstop for the Pittsburgh Pirates, won eight batting titles, and became one of the first five players inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Because Wagner disliked smoking, when […]
Baseball, History, SportsFeatured on February 24
Baseball Saved Us
Elementary School, Picture Book Executive order 9066: On February 19, 1942, President Franklin Roosevelt sent 110,000 Japanese Americans, two-thirds of them U.S. Citizens, to concentration camps in remote desert areas. Not allowed to return to their homes until January 2, 1945, these families lost an estimated $400 million worth in property—not to mention their own freedom and sense of […]
Asian American, Baseball, History, Multicultural, Sports, World War IIFeatured on February 19
You Never Heard of Sandy Koufax?!
Biography, Elementary School, Picture Book December 30, 1935, marks the birthday of Sandy Koufax, left-handed pitcher for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers. When inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972, Koufax became the youngest player to receive that honor. But 1972 happened in the dark ages if you are six to ten. How can a baseball player of that […]
Baseball, Jewish, Multicultural, SportsFeatured on December 30
In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson
Elementary School, Historical Fiction On November 3, 1938, Bette Bao was born in Shanghai, China. By the age of eight she came to the United States with her father and mother and one sister. When Mao Zedong and his Communist party won the Chinese civil war, the Boas were stranded in America. Bette’s youngest sister Sansan had been left […]
Baseball, Family, History, Immigration, New York, SportsFeatured on November 3
Bats at the Ballgame
Elementary School, Picture BookToday the boys of October, the World Series contenders, begin the final part of the yearly epic quest—to gain the World Series pennant. For over a century, baseball and baseball legend have been an integral part of American life. If you plan to watch or attend the World Series, or if you just want to […]
Animals, Baseball, Bats, Humor, SportsFeatured on October 27
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.
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