Book-A-Day Almanac
Discover the stories behind the children’s book classics and the new books on their way to becoming classics.
Revenge of the Witch
Elementary School, Fantasy, SeriesJune has been designated Audio Book Appreciation Month. It’s the time of year when many families hit the road—and turn to an audio book in the car. The right audio can save countless repetitions of that familiar question: Are we there yet? One of the best audio books that I have listened to lately, the […]
GhostsFeatured on June 24
The World According to Humphrey
Elementary School, Fiction, SeriesToday marks a new holiday, Take Your Child to the Library Day. Patterned after Take Your Child to the Bookstore Day, the holiday emphasizes one of the most important trips that can occur for any child: going to a library, securing a library card, and learning to feel comfortable in a library. No matter how extensive your home […]
Animals, Hamster, SchoolFeatured on February 4
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
The Stratemeyer Syndicate
Elementary School, Mystery/Thriller, SeriesOn May 10, 1930, Edward Stratemeyer, author and empire builder, died. He began his career as a ghostwriter for the Horatio Alger series, then fashioned his own adventures about the Rover Boys. In 1906 Stratemeyer began to hire freelance writers to develop his ideas. He created nothing less than a literary assembly line—in the end […]
WomenFeatured on May 10
Like the Willow Tree
Elementary School, Historical Fiction, SeriesIn honor of Women’s History Month, the book of the day is a title by veteran writer Lois Lowry, Like the Willow Tree. After a hiatus, the Dear America series, a historical fiction series told in diary formats, has been revitalized with this one of the first volumes. Among its many accomplishments, the book presents […]
20th Century, History, Religion/Spirituality, WomenFeatured on March 14
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
Ranger’s Apprentice
All Ages, Fantasy, Middle School, SeriesToday we celebrate Australia Day, when in 1788 the first settlement was established at Port Jackson, now part of Sydney. The Australian writing and illustrating community seems to me to be the most vibrant and original group of children’s book creators working any place in the world. In a few short years Australian writer Marcus […]
Adventure, Magic, QuestFeatured on January 26
Captain Underpants
Elementary School, Fantasy, Graphic Novel, SeriesToday is set aside to “Run it up the flagpole and see if anyone salutes.” The concept behind the day, and the phrase, is to get people to try out a new idea. But often for children, these sayings take on literal meanings, such as in Jerry Spinelli’s Who Ran My Underwear Up a Flagpole. […]
Adventure, Humor, Imagination, SchoolFeatured on January 2
The Dark Is Rising
Fantasy, Middle School, SeriesToday we celebrate the winter solstice. On the solstice, one of the most appealing characters in classic children’s fantasy celebrates his eleventh birthday. The seventh son of a seventh son, he will be in for some pretty big surprises this holiday season. He learns that he is the last of the Old Ones, the Sign […]
Adventure, Magic, Other WorldsFeatured on December 21
Judy Moody Declares Independence
Elementary School, Fiction, Series On December 16, 1773, the Boston Tea Party took place. The details of the event have always sounded a bit like a college prank to me. A bunch of rebels, dressed up in disguise with faces painted, descend on a small British ship and dump some boxes of tea overboard. Of what significance would such […]
Family, History, Revolutionary WarFeatured on December 16
C. S. Lewis
Elementary School, Fantasy, SeriesWe are going to end the month with two birthday celebrations—one a writer, the other an illustrator. C. S. Lewis, today’s celebrant, was born on this day in 1898 in Belfast, Ireland. But he would live and write in Oxford, England, where he taught on the English faculty with his good friend and fellow author, […]
Adventure, Animals, Magic, Other WorldsFeatured on November 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.
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