Book-A-Day Almanac
Discover the stories behind the children’s book classics and the new books on their way to becoming classics.
Josephine
Elementary School, Picture Book 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, ParisFeatured on February 17
How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight?
Elementary School, Picture Book, Preschool The first week of February has been set aside to celebrate children’s authors and illustrators. I’ve already written about the author of the book of the day, How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? Jane Yolen. Today I would like to sing the praises of illustrator Mark Teague. I recently had the pleasure of sharing an […]
Bedtime, DinosaursFeatured on February 4
The Iridescence of Birds
Biography, Elementary School, Picture Book 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 […]
ArtFeatured on January 19
I’m My Own Dog
Elementary School, Picture Book, PreschoolToday we celebrate National Dress Up Your Pet Day. But not my dog Lancelot. Like many Bernese Mountain Dogs, he possesses an incredible sense of dignity. The only item he has ever allowed added to be added to his already regal appearance is a jingle-bell collar at Christmas. For all who are thinking about dressing […]
Animals, Dogs, HumorFeatured on January 14
Rain Reign
Elementary School, FictionDecember has been designated Read a New Book Month, and today I want to talk about my favorite new book of 2014, Ann M. Martin’s Rain Reign. For some time Ann Martin has qualified as one of the heroines of the 20-something crowd I teach in various graduate programs. Always, when I ask my students […]
Animals, Autism, Dogs, Special NeedsFeatured on December 22
Greenglass House
Elementary School, Middle School, Mystery/Thriller On November 29, many authors will head to one of their favorite bookstores to become booksellers for a day. Indies First was the brainchild of author Sherman Alexie, who wanted to celebrate what every author knows: that without independent bookstores and booksellers to carefully select books and support authors, our lives would be so much […]
Seasons, WinterFeatured on November 24
The Family Romanov
Elementary School, Middle School, NonfictionOn November 7, 1917, a revolution began in Russia that would change the twentieth century. In what is sometimes called the October Revolution, Bolshevik Revolution, or the October Uprising (because at the time Russia used the Julian or Old Style calendar), Bolshevik Red Guards began to seize buildings in Moscow, Saint Petersburg, and the Winter […]
20th Century, History, World War IFeatured on November 10
The Doll People
Elementary School, Fantasy Tomorrow marks the publication of the fourth installment of Ann M. Martin and Laura Godwin’s The Doll People series, The Doll People Set Sail. Since, for some inexplicable reason, I have not talked about the original book, published in 2000, on the Almanac, today seemed appropriate to sing its praises. Many consider The Doll People […]
Dolls, Family, ToysFeatured on October 13
Krabat & the Sorcerer’s Mill
Elementary School, Fiction, Middle SchoolSeptember is Library Card Sign Up Month, and I hope everyone who reads the Almanac has such a card. I personally owe the Westwood (MA) Public Library an invaluable debt; every book I have written would have been impossible without them. For several years, our book of the day—Krabat & the Sorcerer’s Mill by Otfried […]
History, Religion/Spirituality, World War IIFeatured on September 29
The Shadow Hero
Elementary School, Graphic Novel, Middle School September has been designated a month to be kind to editors and writers, which is always good advice. One of the writers and artists I have not mentioned enough on the Almanac, Gene Luen Yang, is our hero of the day. Those who have had a chance to meet this charismatic and charming creator in […]
Asian American, History, Imagination, MulticulturalFeatured on September 22
Brave Chicken Little
Elementary School, Picture BookAugust has been designated Get Ready for Kindergarten month, so this month’s Almanac entries focus on books that discuss the kindergarten experience. When I think about what reading heritage all kindergarten-bound children should be familiar with, I think of folklore and fairy tales. Robert Byrd’s Brave Chicken Little, a variation on the familiar tale, was […]
Animals, Fairy TaleFeatured on August 28
Seven Stories Up
Elementary School, Fantasy, Historical FictionRecently I came across an excellent summer reading list pulled together by teacher extraordinaire Mike Lewis. It made me reflect on how some books just beg to be read in the summer. I hope that Laurel Snyder’s new book Seven Stories Up graces many future summer reading lists. In a compelling opening, readers encounter Annie […]
Family, Grandparents, Great Depression, History, Time TravelFeatured on July 28
Half A Chance
Elementary School, FictionOne of my most cherished summer memories centers on reading. In it, I’m nine years old, and I have just returned from the Marietta, Ohio, public library with my grandmother and a pile of books. As I settle into a favorite chair to read, I know I will have days of uninterrupted time to go […]
Family, Friendship, Seasons, SummerFeatured on July 14
The Pilot and the Little Prince
Elementary School, Picture BookAntoine de Saint-Exupery was born in Lyon, France, on June 29, 1900. Called the Sun King by his family because of his golden hair, the young boy truly had his eyes on the sky. At the age of twelve he made his first flying machine from a bicycle. In The Pilot and the Little Prince, […]
History, Planes, True Story, World War I, World War IIFeatured on June 29
Coaltown Jesus
Elementary School, Fiction, Middle School, PoetryJune has been designated Rebuild Your Life Month. In Ron Koertge’s extraordinary book Coaltown Jesus, the protagonist, fourteen-year-old Walker, who lives in Coaltown, Illinois, does indeed need to rebuild his life. Two months ago his brother Noah died at age seventeen, and his mother hasn’t stopped crying. Walker struggles with guilt, believing that he might […]
Poetry, Religion/SpiritualityFeatured on June 16
Our Solar System
Elementary School, NonfictionOn May 19, 1961, Venera 1 became the first man-made object to fly by another planet, Venus, as part of the ongoing exploration of Earth’s solar system. May not only marks this occasion but is also the month we celebrate Get Caught Reading Month . Together these two facts make me think of Seymour Simon and […]
ScienceFeatured on May 19
Ira Sleeps Over
Elementary School, Picture BookThis week we celebrate the annual observance of Children’s Book Week. In April, an exhibit of the work of Bernard Waber opened at the Eric Carle Picture Book Museum in Amherst, Massachusetts. About a hundred people attended the opening, including a roster of writers and illustrators who had known and loved Bernie Waber. Meeting Bernie’s […]
Family, ToysFeatured on May 12
World Rat Day
Elementary School, Poetry Today I would like to wish a happy birthday to J. Patrick Lewis. Among the many things Pat and I share in common is a Hoosier childhood; he grew up with a twin brother in Gary, Indiana, and attended Indiana University and Ohio State, where he received his doctorate in economics. But Pat left the […]
Animals, Holidays, PoetryFeatured on May 5
What the Heart Knows: Chants, Charms and Blessings
Elementary School, Poetry All month we have been celebrating National Poetry Month. As I mentioned in the essay on Firefly July, a large number of quality poetry picture books have started to appear over the last year or so. My mentor once told me that publishing trends are like sunspots—things come and go for no earthly reason. Well, […]
Feelings, PoetryFeatured on April 28
Pug and Other Animal Poems
Elementary School, Poetry April is National Poetry Month; on the Almanac site I have already talked about one of my favorite books of poetry, Valerie Worth’s All the Small Poems and Fourteen More. Today let’s look at a picture book of Worth’s poems illustrated by Steve Jenkins, Pug and Other Animal Poems. A graduate of Swarthmore who worked […]
Animals, PoetryFeatured on April 21
Firefly July: A Year of Very Short Poems
Elementary School, Poetry April is, of course, National Poetry Month, and there is good news to report this year. For a period of time, well-chosen and well-illustrated poetry compilations were as rare as hen’s teeth in the children’s book world, mainly because of the costs of poetry permissions. But recently, thanks to the success of poetry picture books, […]
Poetry, SeasonsFeatured on April 14
The Glassblower’s Children
Elementary School, Historical Fiction This week, from April 8-10, marks the London Book Festival, a huge international gathering of publishers who exchange rights for books. At the end of March, children’s book publishers gathered in Bologna, Italy, for the Bologna Book Festival, where the Hans Christian Andersen Medal was announced. In honor of international book exchange I’d like to […]
FolktaleFeatured on April 7
Calvin Coconut #9: Extra Famous
Elementary School, Fiction March has been designated Humorists Are Artists Month. I totally agree with this sentiment. So often, when children are asked what kind of book they want to read, they respond, “a funny book.” And yet the craft of making this type of book often gets overlooked and is rarely awarded. So today I’d like to […]
HumorFeatured on March 24
Who Says Women Can’t Be Doctors?
Biography, Elementary School, Picture Book 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, WomenFeatured on March 10
When You Reach Me
Elementary School, FantasyThis week has been designated Write a Letter of Appreciation Week. Consequently, I will use this essay to send a note to Rebecca Stead about her novel When You Reach Me. Many of my readers have probably already picked up this Newbery Medal–winning book, which is clearly on its way towards becoming a classic. But […]
Award Winning, Newbery, ScienceFeatured on March 6
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
Lifetime: The Amazing Numbers in Animal Lives
Elementary School, Nonfiction, Picture Book February has been designated Plant the Seeds of Greatness Month. Of course, any time we connect children with a good book, seeds are being planted. But certainly children of the twenty-first century will need both math and science skills for the duration of their lives, and exciting books in this area are far too hard […]
Animals, ScienceFeatured on February 17
The Port Chicago 50
Elementary School, Middle School, NonfictionFebruary has been designated Black History Month since 1976, and this observance has allowed for both the acquisition and publishing of many fine children’s and young adult books. But although there are so many stories from Black American history to be told, these books often focus on the same subject areas or heroes. Hence I […]
20th Century, African American, History, Multicultural, World War IIFeatured on February 10
Ghost Hawk
Elementary School, Fantasy, Historical FictionThis week we celebrate Children’s Book Authors and Illustrators week, and I’d like to use the day to talk about an author whom I have admired for more than forty years. As a young Horn Book assistant editor, I read the galleys of the second children’s book by Susan Cooper, The Dark Is Rising, and […]
Colonial America, History, Multicultural, Native AmericanFeatured on February 5
The Other Side
Elementary School, Picture Book Today, many in the blogging community will be celebrating multiculturalism in children’s books. For a list of those participating, check pragmaticmom and Jump Into a Book. In a society where our children come from a variety of racial backgrounds, the plea for high-quality content, featuring characters of all races, has never been more important. On […]
African American, Civil Rights, History, MulticulturalFeatured on January 27
The Bear’s Song
Elementary School, Picture Book, PreschoolFrom January 19–25, we celebrate Hunt for Happiness Week. A perfect book for this week has been sitting on my shelf for months: Benjamin Chaud’s The Bear’s Song. A large picture book at 14 ½ inches tall by 9 ¾ inches wide, The Bear’s Song first appeared in France and has been published in the […]
Animals, Bears, ImaginationFeatured on January 20
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.
-
Tools
SUBSCRIBE
SEARCHFind A Book!
Search the archives for recommendations by age group, book type, subject, date, and more.
-
