Book-A-Day Almanac
Discover the stories behind the children’s book classics and the new books on their way to becoming classics.
On the Farm
Elementary School, Poetry, Preschool Since the eighties the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi has been honored with World Farm Animals Day. If I were to pick a single book that celebrates living farm animals, it would have to be On the Farm, an inspired collaboration between poet David Elliott and illustrator Holly Meade. David once actually worked on a farm—although […]
AnimalsFeatured on October 2
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
The Tale of Peter Rabbit
Elementary School, Picture Book, PreschoolJuly 28, 1866, one year after the end of the American Civil War, a baby girl was born into an affluent English family. She would eventually create the world’s bestselling picture book. Helen Beatrix Potter loved drawing as a child, both images of the natural world and of the multitude of pets her family kept—rabbits, […]
Animals, London, Rabbits, ScienceFeatured on July 28
The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog
Elementary School, Picture Book, PreschoolToday is National Hot Dog Day, and July is National Hot Dog Month. So it seems a good time to focus on hot dogs, one of America’s favorite and “most patriotic” foods according to promoters. Although the book of the day seems like a natural for publication, Mo Willems’s first book about the pigeon, Don’t […]
Animals, Birds, Food, Humor, ImaginationFeatured on July 23
The Runaway Bunny
Elementary School, Picture Book, Preschool For National Rabbit Week, we’ll look at several books, starting with two bunny books ideal for preschoolers. We have a bumper crop of rabbits in my neighborhood this year, and my Bernese Mountain Dog Lancelot is obsessed with them. Possibly he is a candidate for both books of the day. A graduate of Bank Street […]
Animals, Family, Imagination, RabbitsFeatured on July 17
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
Zoo-ology
Elementary School, Nonfiction, PreschoolOn July 1, 1874, the first zoo in the United States opened its doors to visitors in Philadelphia. A quarter for adults and a dime for children allowed visitors to view 813 animals housed there. Three thousand people traveled by foot, horse and buggy, or steamboat to look at the wonders. Thousands of books about […]
Art, Nature, Science, ZoologyFeatured on July 1
Camp Babymouse
Elementary School, Graphic Novel, PreschoolJune has been designated the Great Outdoors Month, to celebrate our nation’s natural beauty and renew our commitment to protecting the environment. In June many people and families head to the great outdoors, often to camp out. Many children go to camp for a week or two, giving them experiences that they might not have […]
Adventure, Seasons, SummerFeatured on June 27
Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that Type
Elementary School, Picture Book, Preschool On June 23, 1868, the first American typewriter was patented by Luther Sholes. Beginning in 1937 the dairy industry has dedicated June as National Dairy Month, a time to call attention to the important role that milk and milk products play in our diets and the outstanding contributions made by dairy farmers. So how do […]
Animals, Cows, HumorFeatured on June 23
Curious George
Elementary School, Picture Book, PreschoolSeventy years ago in 1941, three days before Hitler’s army marched into Paris, two German Jews who had come to the city on a honeymoon and stayed for a couple of years, found themselves trapped in Paris. Although Hans and Margret Rey had secured railroad tickets, the trains stopped running. So Hans scoured bicycle stores, […]
Animals, History, Humor, Imagination, Monkeys, World War IIFeatured on June 11
Duck on a Bike
Babies and Toddlers, Elementary School, Picture Book, PreschoolOrganizers of National Bike Month—established to celebrate bicycling for fun, fitness, and transportation—estimate that five million people will participate in biking activities across the country during May. Certainly for many people, nothing says “good weather” and “good times” as much as the idea of a bike trip, however long or short. I just wish the […]
Animals, Ducks, HumorFeatured on May 26
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
Margaret Wise Brown
Babies and Toddlers, Picture Book, PreschoolToday marks the birthday of one of the greatest children’s book creators of the twentieth century, Margaret Wise Brown. Although she died suddenly of an embolism at the age of forty-two, Brown wrote more than one hundred books, including Runaway Bunny and her classic Goodnight Moon. Born in Brooklyn, New York, Brown grew up on Long […]
Animals, Bedtime, RabbitsFeatured on May 23
The Carrot Seed
Babies and Toddlers, Picture Book, Preschool In May of 1945—around the time of Victory in Europe Day in World War II—a small book appeared on the list of Harper and Brothers. A quirky, offbeat title, it was not advertised that year and did not seem a likely candidate for celebrity status in the picture book world. But when it comes to […]
Family, GardeningFeatured on May 17
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
Shark vs. Train
Elementary School, Picture Book, Preschool May has been designated Get Caught Reading Month, a campaign launched in 1999 by the Association of American Publishers. The month has been set aside to remind people how much fun it is to read; posters for the event show favorite children’s book characters or celebrities celebrating books and reading. I’m going to feature two […]
Humor, Imagination, ToysFeatured on May 2
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
Brontorina
Elementary School, Picture Book, Preschool From April 26- May 5, we celebrate National Dance Week, a time to reflect on the benefits and beauty of dance and its ability “to enrich our lives, our bodies, our spirits and our culture.” Dance, dancers, and ballet have always proved fertile ground for children’s book creators. Angelina Ballerina and Ballet of the Elephants […]
Dance, Dinosaurs, HumorFeatured on April 28
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
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
Henry and Mudge
Beginning Readers, Elementary School, Preschool April 1 marks a lot of holidays. It begins Laugh at Work Week and International Pooper Scooper Week and has been designated Reading is Funny Day and National Fun Day. April has been set aside to celebrate National Humor, Pets Are Wonderful (PAW), and Dog Appreciation. When I saw all of these events, I had […]
Animals, Dogs, Family, SeasonsFeatured on April 1
A Sick Day for Amos McGee
Elementary School, Picture Book, Preschool Today marks National Doctor Day, when we should show our personal doctor appreciation with a card or a gift. It commemorates March 30, 1933, the first use of anesthesia in surgery. If by any chance you want to give a book as a gift, for yourself or your doctor, I can think of no better […]
Animals, Award Winning, Bedtime, CaldecottFeatured on March 30
Busy, Busy Town
Elementary School, Picture Book, PreschoolToday has been designated International Goof-Off Day—a day to relax, be yourself, and avoid what you are supposed to do. If you are in the position to celebrate International Goof-Off Day, you first might want to read Tony Fucile’s Let’s Do Nothing for tips. But I myself am happiest when working at something I like […]
Animals, Humor, ImaginationFeatured on March 22
Brown Bear Brown Bear
Babies and Toddlers, Picture Book, Preschool Born on March 20, 1916, in Hiawatha, Kansas, Bill Martin Jr. served as a teacher and textbook editor before he became a children’s book writer. Growing up in Kansas, he struggled with reading, but adored listening to his grandmother, who was a storyteller. Also, he was saved from a lifetime of hating books by a […]
Animals, NatureFeatured on March 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.
-
