Birthdays

Jun 302025

Bow of Titanic

Robert Ballard (born Wichita, Kansas, 1942) is an oceanographer and explorer. He found and investigated the remains of the Titanic. Children could read an interview of him at: Robert Ballard.

David McPhail (born Newburyport, Massachusetts, 1940) has written and/or illustrated close to 200 books for children. His works include Mole Music and The Family Tree. Children could visit his website at: David McPhail.

Elizabeth Kortright Monroe (born New York, New York, 1768; died Oak Hill, Virginia, September 23, 1830) was America’s First Lady from March 4, 1817 to March 4, 1825. She was the wife of James Monroe, the fifth president of the United States. She was the daughter of a British soldier who decided to stay in America after the Revolutionary War. Since she and her husband had traveled so much during his career, she tried to model White House functions after those of Europe. Children can visit a website at: Elizabeth Monroe. Idea: Children might see if they can find out information on the fashions of her time. Did they dress fancily? Did they have extensive wardrobes?

Birthdays

Jul 012025

Princess Diana (born Sandringham, Norfolk, England, 1961; died Paris, France, August 31, 1997) was the former wife of Prince Charles. She was a favorite of many people worldwide.

Diane Hoyt-Goldsmith (born Peoria, Illinois, 1950) has written at least 20 books for children. She specializes in nonfiction books about holidays and cultures. Her books include Totem Pole and Cinco de Mayo: Celebrating the Traditions of Mexico.

Emily Arnold McCully (born Galesburg, Illinois, 1939) has written and illustrated at least 70 books for children. She received the 1993 Caldecott Medal for Mirette on the High Wire. Other books include Caroline’s Comets and Dreaming Code: Ada Byron Lovelace. Children can visit her website at: Emily Arnold McCully.

Jessica Meir (born Caribou, Maine, 1977) is an astronaut, physiologist, and marine biologist. She has participated in three space missions. She and Christina Koch provided the first all-woman space walk on October 18, 2019, when they repaired a broken power controller, an over seven-hour procedure, on the International Space Station. They followed up with two more space walks, one on January 15, 2020, and another on January 20, 2020. Children can learn more at: Jessica Meir.

Cecil John Rhodes (born Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire, England, 1853; died Cape Town, South Africa, March 26, 1902) made a fortune from South Africa’s diamond mines. He founded the Rhodes Scholarships for students attending Oxford University.

Birthdays

Jul 022025

Jack Gantos (born Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania, 1951) writes books for children and young adults. His book Joey Pigza Loses Control received a 2001 Newbery Honor Award. His autobiography Hole in My Life earned both a 2003 Sibert Award and a 2003 Printz Award. Part autobiography, part novel, Dead End in Norvelt gained both the 2012 Newbery Medal and the 2012 Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction. Children can visit his website at: Jack Gantos.

Jean Craighead George (born Washington, DC, 1919; died Valhalla, New York, May 15, 2012) wrote and illustrated at least 100 books for children. Her My Side of the Mountain earned a Newbery Honor Award in 1960. Julie of the Wolves received the 1973 Newbery Medal. Children could visit a website devoted to her at: Jean Craighead George.

Cynthia Kadohata (born Chicago, Illinois, 1956) has written at least twelve books for children. Her book Kira-Kira received the 2005 Newbery Medal. Other works include Checked and A Place to Belong. Children can learn more at: Cynthia Kadohata.

Thurgood Marshall

Thurgood Marshall (born Baltimore, Maryland, 1908; died Washington, DC, January 24, 1993) was the first African American to serve on the Supreme Court. For more than twenty years he directed the legal portion of the NAACP. He was victorious in the case of Brown v Board of Education, ending “separate but equal” public schools. He was nominated to the Supreme Court by President Lyndon Johnson, and he was an associate justice for 24 years. Children could learn more at: Thurgood Marshall.

Darren Shan (born London, England, 1972) writes horror and fantasy books for young adults. His books include the Demonata series and The Saga of Darren Shan series. Young adults can visit his website at: Darren Shan.

Birthdays

Jul 032025

Samuel de Champlain (born Brouage, France, 1567; died Quebec, Canada, 1635) has been called the “Father of New France.” He left France in 1603 to find the Northwest Passage. He did explore the St. Lawrence River and traveled as far as Niagara Falls. In 1608 he founded a fur trading post on the St. Lawrence River and named it Quebec. Over the years he explored more of the region and became good friends with the Algonquin and Huron Indians. He found Lake Champlain and named it after himself.

George M. Cohan (born Providence, Rhode Island, 1878; died New York, New York, November 5, 1942) was an important actor, writer, and producer of American theater. He wrote about forty plays and musicals. However, he is most famous for his songs, including “Give My Regards to Broadway” and “I’m a Yankee Doodle Dandy.” Children can learn more at: George M. Cohan.

Samuel Huntington (born Windham, Connecticut, 1731; died Norwich, Connecticut, January 5, 1796) was president of the Continental Congress and signer of the Declaration of Independence, representing Connecticut. He was also the third governor of Connecticut. He stated in a letter to George Washington, “I will always love my Country.” Children could learn more at: Samuel Huntington.

Birthdays

Jul 042025

Calvin Coolidge

Calvin Coolidge (born Plymouth, Vermont, 1872; died Northampton, Massachusetts, January 15, 1933) was the thirtieth president (1923-1929) of the United States. He was elected governor of Massachusetts in 1918 and was vice president when Harding died. Nicknamed “Silent Cal,” he stressed respectability in government. The stock market went up, and he cut governmental costs. He was more concerned with matters within the country than with foreign affairs. He declined to run in 1928, even though he was a popular figure. Children could visit a website at: Calvin Coolidge.

Stephen Foster (born Lawrenceville, Pennsylvania, 1826; died New York, New York, January 13, 1864) was a songwriter. He composed almost two hundred songs, including “Camptown Races” and “Swanee River.”

Jamie Gilson (born Beardstown, Illinois, 1933; died Wilmette, Illinois, February 11, 2020) wrote 21 books for children. Her books include Hello, My Name Is Scrambled Eggs and Do Bananas Chew Gum? Children can visit her website at: Jamie Gilson.

Rube Goldberg (born San Francisco, 1883; died New York, New York, December 7, 1970) was a cartoonist. He created on paper intricate machines that would activate each other to perform one simple task. Idea: Students could see some of his cartoons and then draw their own Rube Goldbergs. Children can visit a great website at: Rube Goldberg.

Nathaniel Hawthorne (born Nathaniel Hathorne in Salem, Massachusetts, 1804; died New Hampshire, May 18 or 19, 1864) was a writer. Two of his most famous works are The Scarlet Letter and The House of Seven Gables. He wrote at least 100 stories for magazines. Children can read his works at: http://www.gutenberg.org/.

Henrietta Swan Leavitt (born Lancaster, Massachusetts, 1868; died Cambridge, Massachusetts, December 12, 1921) was an astronomer. Women at that time period did not hold prestigious jobs in astronomy, but she did “clerical work” with certain stars and their luminosity. Her work enabled Edwin Hubble to complete his work and to find that the universe is expanding. Children could read Miss Leavitt’s Stars: The Untold Story of the Woman Who Discovered How to Measure the Universe by George Johnson.

Jordan Sonnenblick (born Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, 1969) writes books for young adults. His books include After Ever After and Dodger and Me. Children can visit his website at: Jordan Sonnenblick.

Birthdays

Jul 052025

Phineas Taylor Barnum (born Bethel, Connecticut, 1810; died Bridgeport, Connecticut, April 7, 1891) created Barnum’s American Museum in 1842. It featured unusual acts. He went on to highlight the talents of the singer, Jenny Lind. He opened “The Greatest Show on Earth” in 1871. Later he merged his business interests with J. A. Bailey and formed the Barnum and Bailey Circus. Idea: Children could create their own “Greatest Show on Earth.”

Sylvester Graham (born West Suffield, Connecticut, 1794; died Northampton, Massachusetts, September 11, 1851) was a minister and physician who invented the graham cracker. He was a member of the temperance movement and an early vegetarian. He developed graham flour, a course-ground type of whole wheat. Does his birthday inspire S’Mores?

Meredith Ann Pierce (born Seattle, Washington, 1958) writes fantasy books for young adults. Her work includes the Darkangel trilogy and the Firebringer trilogy.

John Schoenherr (born New York, New York, 1935; died Easton, Pennsylvania, April 8, 2010) was an illustrator. He illustrated 40 books for children, and he received the 1968 Caldecott Medal for Jane Yolan’s Owl Moon. He also illustrated Sterling North’s Rascal. He is perhaps best known for his illustrations of Frank Herbert’s Dune.

Birthdays

Jul 062025

Kathi Appelt (born Fayetteville, North Carolina, 1954) has written at least 40 books for children. Her novel The Underneath received a 2009 Newbery Honor Award. Appelt also wrote Before and After Otis. Children can visit her website at: Kathi Appelt.

George W. Bush

George W. Bush (born New Haven, Connecticut, 1946) was the forty-third president of the United States. He is a former governor of Texas. Children can visit a website at: George W. Bush.

Cheryl Harness (born Maywood, California, 1951) has written and illustrated at least 35 books for children. Her books include Mary Walker Wears the Pants and Just for You to Know. Children can visit her website at: Cheryl Harness.

Ekua Holmes (born Boston, Massachusetts, 1955) is an artist and children’s book illustrator. She received a 2016 Caldecott Honor Award for Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer, Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement. She earned the 2018 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award for Out of Wonder: Poems Celebrating Poets.

John Paul Jones (born Kirkbean, Scotland, 1747; died Paris, France, July 18, 1792) was a Revolutionary War hero. His name was really John Paul, but he added the names Jones when he fled a murder charge in the Caribbean and came to the United States. He was captain of the U. S. S. Bonhomme Richard and battled the British Serapis. When the British captain asked him if he was ready to surrender, he replied, “Sir, I have not yet begun to fight.”

Frida Kahlo (born Coyoacan, Mexico, 1907; died Coyoacan, Mexico, July 13, 1954) was a surrealist painter. She was the wife of Diego Rivera. Children can view some of her works at: Frida Kahlo.

Carol Lerner (born Chicago, Illinois, 1927) has written and illustrated about twenty books for children. Books include Butterflies in the Garden and Plants that Make You Sniffle and Sneeze.

Dhan Gopal Mukerji (born Kajangal, India, 1890; died New York, New York, July 14, 1936) was a writer. He received the 1928 Newbery Medal for Gay Neck, The Story of a Pigeon. Children could read his Kari the Elephant at: Project Gutenberg.

Nancy Reagan

Nancy Davis Reagan (born Anne Francis Robbins in New York, New York, 1921; died Los Angeles, California, March 6, 2016) was America’s First Lady from January 20, 1981 to January 20, 1989. She was the wife of Ronald Reagan, fortieth president of the United States. Her given name was Anne, but she was nicknamed Nancy as a small child. Her parents divorced, and her mother married Loyal Davis. He adopted Nancy. She became an actress and appeared in eleven movies. While she was First Lady, she directed major changes to the second and third floors of the White House. Children can visit a website at: Nancy Reagan.

Gloria Skurzynski (born Duquesne, Pennsylvania, 1930) has written more than 60 books for children. Her books include This Is Rocket Science and Are We Alone? Children can visit her website at: Gloria Skurzynski.

Birthdays

Jul 072025

Nathan Aaseng (born Park Rapids, Minnesota, 1953) has written at least 175 books for children. Many of his books are about sports and athletes, but he does write about a variety of other topics. His works include Sports Great Michael Jordan and Invertebrates.

Marc Chagall (born Vitsyebsk, Russia (now Belarus), 1887; died St. Paul de Vence, France, March 28, 1965) was an artist. He went to France in 1923. His pictures contain elements of dreams and fantasy. Children could visit a website at: Marc Chagall to see how he uses color.

Robert Heinlein (born Butler, Missouri, 1907; died Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, May 8, 1988) is well-known for his works of science fiction. He wrote a number of “Heinlein juveniles,” science fiction for young adults. Those books include Citizen of the Galaxy and Time for the Stars. Children can learn more at: Robert Heinlein.

Leroy “Satchel” Paige (born Mobile, Alabama, 1906; died Kansas City, Missouri, June 8, 1982) was a baseball player. He moved from the Negro leagues to the major leagues. He played for the Cleveland Indians; they won the World Series in 1948. Children could learn more at: Satchel Page. They could find out why his nickname was “Satchel.”

Dr. John Watson “was born” in 1852. Watson was the friend of Sherlock Holmes, created by the writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Older children can read Doyle’s works at: Project Gutenberg.

Wendy Watson (born Paterson, New Jersey, 1942) writes and illustrates books for children. Her books include Moving and Lollipop. Children can visit her website: http://www.wendy-watson.com/.

Harriet Ziefert (born North Bergen, New Jersey, 1941) has written several hundred books for children. Her books include One Smart Skunk and Buzzy’s Birthday.

Birthdays

Jul 082025

James Cross Giblin (born Cleveland, Ohio, 1933; died New York, New York, April 10, 2016) wrote books for children. His works include The Riddle of the Rosetta Stone and The Amazing Life of Benjamin Franklin. He received the 2003 Sibert Medal for The Life and Death of Adolph Hitler.

Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin (born Constance, Baden, 1838; died Berlin, Germany, March 8, 1917) was a German scientist. He traveled to the United States during the Civil War. He went up in Union hot air balloons and realized the importance of air travel. He returned to Europe and developed lighter-than-air dirigibles. These dirigibles are sometimes called Zeppelins. Idea: Children could check out how we use dirigibles today and find out why we do not use them extensively.

Birthdays

Jul 092025

Nancy Farmer (born Phoenix, Arizona, 1941) writes books for children. She has received three Newbery Honor Awards: in 1995 for The Ear, the Eye and the Arm, in 1997 for A Girl Named Disaster, and in 2003 for The House of the Scorpion (which also received a 2003 Printz Honor Award). Children can learn more at: Nancy Farmer.

Elias Howe (born Spencer, Massachusetts, 1819; died Brooklyn, New York, October 3, 1867) invented the sewing machine. Children could see a patent of the sewing machine at: Sewing Machine Patent.

A Pretty Little Pocketbook

John Newbery (born Great Britain, 1713; died Great Britain, December 22, 1767) is one of the first publishers of children’s literature. Experts believe he wrote some of the books he published. The title of one of his books is A Little Pretty Pocket-Book, intended for the Instruction and Amusement of little Master Tommy and pretty Miss Polly….The American Library Association named one of its major awards after him, the Newbery Medal. The Newbery honors the best writer of a children’s book published in the previous year. Children can read more about Newbery and the Newbery Medal from Children’s Book Award Handbook by Diana F. Marks.

Older Entries Newer Entries