Book-A-Day Almanac
Discover the stories behind the children’s book classics and the new books on their way to becoming classics.
Harold and the Purple Crayon
Elementary School, Picture Book, PreschoolSeptember 25 has been designated National Comic Book Day. From Jennifer L. and Matthew Holm’s Babymouse series to Jeff Kinney’s Wimpy Kid offerings, comic books (sometimes called graphic novels) have been the hottest publishing phenomena of the past few years—including in books for children. Entire imprints, like First Second, have been established to explore what […]
Humor, ImaginationFeatured on September 25
Punctuation Takes a Vacation
Elementary School, Picture Book What if we had the English language as we know it, but no punctuation had been invented? The sentences you are reading now would be nearly impossible to comprehend. The importance of punctuation in communication lies at the heart of today’s holiday, the annual National Punctuation Day. For the organizers, today serves as a “celebration of […]
Humor, SchoolFeatured on September 24
Art Dog
Elementary School, Picture BookFor National Dog Week, which began yesterday, I’d like to look at a highly original and amusing protagonist, Thacher Hurd’s Art Dog. In terms of children’s book, Thacher Hurd has lived a charmed life. He was the son of not only one, but two, great children’s book creators—writer Edith Thacher Hurd and artist Clement Hurd, […]
Animals, Art, DogsFeatured on September 23
The World’s Greatest Elephant
Elementary School, Nonfiction, Picture Book Elephant Appreciation Day, which took place yesterday, has been set aside to celebrate the “earth’s largest, most interesting, and most noble endangered land animal.” Certainly elephants have always had enormous appeal to children. In fact, circus founder P. T. Barnum once said, “When entertaining the public, it is best to have an elephant.” In 2006 […]
20th Century, Animals, Elephants, HistoryFeatured on September 22
Where’s Spot?
Novelty, Picture Book, PreschoolSeptember has been designated World Animal Remembrance Month—and today I’m going to talk about one of the dogs most loved by the preschool set, Eric Hill’s Spot. It is hard to believe that this pooch has only been around for thirty-one years. The ongoing saga of Spot began not with Spot himself, but his mother […]
Animals, DogsFeatured on September 16
Strega Nona
Elementary School, Picture BookOn September 15, 1934, in Meriden, Connecticut, a boy who would become one of the world’s best storytellers was born. Tomie dePaola always credited his Irish and Italian family for providing him with the material for many of his sagas. I don’t know if he came out of the womb spinning tales, but he claims […]
Award Winning, Caldecott, Food, Humor, MagicFeatured on September 15
Dog Heaven
Elementary School, Picture BookSeptember is World Animal Remembrance Month, and yesterday marked National Pet Memorial Day. One of life’s most heart-wrenching experiences, both for children and adults, is without question the death of a beloved pet. So I’d like to take today to remember and honor a very special dog. I wasn’t able to have a dog until […]
Animals, Death, DogsFeatured on September 12
Grandpa Green
Elementary School, Picture Book, PreschoolSince 1978 the first Sunday after Labor Day has been celebrated as National Grandparents Day to encourage grandchildren to tap into the wisdom and heritage of their grandparents. Encapsulating both the spirit and the intent of this holiday, our book-of-the-day is Grandpa Green by Lane Smith. As editor of The Horn Book Magazine I watched the […]
Art, Gardening, ImaginationFeatured on September 11
Swimmy
Elementary School, Picture BookSeptember has been set aside as a month to “Be Kind to Authors and Editors.” On the Almanac, I could use that as my moto 365 days of the year. Authors and editors are the people who make our best books possible, who work to provide quality content for children, and they deserve kindness and […]
Animals, Award Winning, Caldecott, Fish, Social ConscienceFeatured on September 10
David Goes to School
Elementary School, Picture BookOver the last two months, we’ve been looking at some optimistic books about a child going back to school. Whether it is The Magic School Bus or Kindergarten Diary, these books end happily with their protagonists very satisfied to be in school. But for some children, school may be a bit more of a challenge. […]
Humor, SchoolFeatured on September 8
The Library
Elementary School, Picture Book Over the years I have collected a list of titles, shared by teachers and librarians, to use for the beginning of school. Many, of course, started classes in August, but some schools still begin after Labor Day. So I’m going to focus on two more crowd pleasers that adults love to share. I’d be happy […]
SchoolFeatured on September 7
Amos and Boris
Elementary School, Picture Book“On the sixth of September, with a very calm sea, he waited till the high tide had almost reached his boat; then, using his most savage strength, he just managed to push the boat into the water, climb on board, and set sail.” Who is our sailor with savage strength? A mouse named Amos; his […]
Adventure, Animals, MiceFeatured on September 6
Pinkerton, Behave!
Elementary School, Picture BookSeptember has been designated World Animal Remembrance Month. So since I like to think about dogs, I’m going to feature some famous dog protagonists who deserve to be remembered: Spot, Art Dog, the unnamed heroes of Go, Dog. Go! and Steven Kellogg’s irrepressible Pinkerton. Possibly September should just be designated Steven Kellogg appreciation month. Steven […]
Animals, Dogs, HumorFeatured on September 3
Me . . . Jane
Biography, Elementary School, Picture BookSeptember 1 has been set aside to celebrate International Primate Day. I can think of no better way to mark this day than look at the life of Jane Goodall, who has devoted herself to the study and the conservation of chimpanzees. In 2011 Patrick McDonnell published an exquisite picture book Me . . . […]
Animals, Monkeys, Science, Women, ZoologyFeatured on September 1
Miss Nelson Is Missing!
Elementary School, Picture BookAs August comes to a close, many children head back to or have already started school. Today I’m recommending one of my favorite stories about school, one that some teachers like to use at this time. It not only tells a great story, but also sends a subtle message. By the time James Marshall created […]
Humor, SchoolFeatured on August 31
Life Story
Elementary School, Picture BookHer sons called her “Ginnee.” Every now and then, she might be, “Oh, Mom,” but she seemed, even in childhood, their best friend. And because of them, she became the best friend, or author, for millions of boys and girls over the years. Today we celebrate the birthday of an artist who created not only one […]
Award Winning, Caldecott, History, ScienceFeatured on August 30
Rah, Rah, Radishes!
Elementary School, Picture Book, PreschoolToward the end of August, those of us with vegetable gardens find ourselves with an abundance of crops—and those who don’t grow their own vegetables can delight in all of the produce available at local Farmers’ Markets. August has been designated Celery, Fennel and Cactus Month along with Mushroom and Onion Month. But for me […]
Food, GardeningFeatured on August 29
Make Way for Ducklings
Elementary School, Picture BookIn August of 1941 a picture book appeared that has become synonymous with the city of Boston for millions of readers. While he was an art student there, Robert McCloskey got the idea for Make Way for Ducklings from a true story that appeared in the newspaper. However, he developed the book in New York […]
Animals, Award Winning, Boston, Caldecott, DucksFeatured on August 28
The Magic School Bus
Elementary School, Nonfiction, Picture Book Children around the country have either headed back to school or are about to do so. Much of the drama of these first days centers on the teacher: Who will he or she be? Will the teacher be nice or mean? Easy or hard? The best I can wish for these children is that they might […]
Adventure, School, ScienceFeatured on August 27
This is Paris
Elementary School, Nonfiction, Picture BookAt dawn on August 25, 1944, the Second French Armored Division entered Paris, ending the German occupation. Charles de Galle led a parade that day down the Champs Elysees. Although Hitler had ordered the destruction of the city, the occupying German officer ignored that decree and surrendered instead. The book of the day, This is […]
Geography, History, ParisFeatured on August 25
Pompeii Lost and Found
Elementary School, Nonfiction, Picture Book On this day in 79 A.D. an active volcano in southern Italy, Mount Vesuvius, erupted and destroyed the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Escaping the disaster, Pliny the Younger wrote: “[B]lack and horrible clouds, broken by sinuous shapes of flaming winds, were opening with long tongues of fire.” What a stylist! Modern authors can […]
Ancient, Art, HistoryFeatured on August 24
The People Could Fly
Elementary School, Picture Book August 23 of each year has been designated by UNESCO as the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and Its Abolition. This date was chosen because from August 22–23, 1791, an uprising began on the island of Saint Domingue, now Haiti, which helped bring about the end of the slave trade. If […]
African American, Folktale, History, Multicultural, Slavery, Social ConscienceFeatured on August 23
Bats at the Beach
Elementary School, Picture BookAs I mentioned yesterday, August serves as National Beach Month, reminding us to get out and enjoy this environment before the summer season ends. When I think of beaches, dogs instantly come to mind. But what if creatures we don’t normally associate with it inhabited the beach? Incongruity, of course, can be one of the most […]
Animals, Bats, Food, Nature, Seasons, SummerFeatured on August 22
Sally Goes to the Beach
Elementary School, Picture BookAugust has been designated National Beach Month and during this time people are encouraged to make one more trip to their local beach and enjoy the scenery and warm weather before it vanishes. As a landlocked child in Indiana, I envied people their ocean beaches—although we did have beautiful sand dunes bordering Lake Michigan. If […]
Animals, Asian American, Dogs, Family, Multicultural, Seasons, SummerFeatured on August 21
Kindergarten Diary
Elementary School, Picture Book, PreschoolOur book of the day yesterday, Wemberly Worried, has been around for a decade. But last year, Antoinette Portis added a new book to read during Get Ready for Kindergarten Month. Kindergarten Diary explores what a young child might think and experience each day in a new school. Portis, the very creative inventor of Not […]
Humor, Imagination, SchoolFeatured on August 20
Wemberly Worried
Elementary School, Picture Book, PreschoolFor some children, the end of August means preparing to go to school for the very first time. For them August has been designated Get Ready for Kindergarten Month. If you are hunting for a book that might help the very young overcome some of their anxieties about school, today we’ll look at Kevin Henkes’s […]
Animals, Humor, Mice, SchoolFeatured on August 19
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
Corduroy
Elementary School, Picture Book, PreschoolOn August 11, 1908, Don Freeman was born in San Diego, California. Freeman showed early skills as both a musician and an artist. In the late twenties he moved to New York City to make a living. He arrived a few days before the stock market crash and always carried a guilt complex about the […]
Bedtime, Teddy Bears, ToysFeatured on August 11
Dog and Bear
Elementary School, Picture BookSince 1935, the first Sunday in August has been celebrated as Friendship Day. The organizers of the event often quote Albert Camus on the subject: “Don’t walk in front of me, I may not follow. Don’t walk behind me, I may not lead. Walk beside me and be my friend.” Some of our most long-lasting […]
Animals, Dogs, Friendship, ToysFeatured on August 7
Blueberries for Sal
Elementary School, Picture Book, PreschoolJuly has been designated National Blueberry Month, to alert the public that this is the best time for fresh blueberries. I hope you can pick up some today—and while you are doing so, take a look at a classic children’s book that celebrates this delicious fruit. One of the most beloved children’s books of all […]
Animals, FamilyFeatured on July 29
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.
-
