Birthdays

Jul 102025

Mary O’Hara Alsop (born Cape May Point, New Jersey, 1885; died Chevy Chase, Maryland, October 14, 1980) was a screenwriter, composer, and author. She wrote My Friend Flicka and Wyoming Summer.

Judie Angell (born New York, New York, 1937) writes books for children. Her works include Dear Lola and Don’t Rent My Room!

Mildred Wirt Benson (born Ladora, Iowa, 1905; died Toledo, Ohio, May 28, 2002) wrote many children’s books under a variety of pen names. As Carolyn Keene, she wrote 23 of the 30 Nancy Drew mysteries for the Stratemeyer Syndicate. Under her own name, she wrote the Penny Parker series. Children could visit a website devoted to her at: Mildred Wirt Benson.

Mary McLeod Bethune

Mary McLeod Bethune (born Mayesville, South Carolina, 1875; died Daytona Beach, Florida, May 18, 1955) was born to a family of former slaves. She devoted her life to the improvement of conditions for African Americans. She served as an advisor to Franklin Roosevelt on minority rights. Children could learn more at: Mary McLeod Bethune.

Edmund Clerihew Bentley (born London, England, 1875; died London, England, March 30, 1956) created the clerihew. It is a poem composed of two rhymed couplets of different lengths. Children can read some of his clerihews at: Clerihews. Then they can write some of their own clerihews.

Dianne Ochiltree (born Warren, Ohio, 1953) writes books for children. Her works include Molly, by Golly, and It’s a Firefly Night. Children can visit her website: Dianne Ochiltree.

Martin Provensen (born Chicago, Illinois, 1916; died Staatsburg, New York, March 27, 1987) and his wife, Alice Provensen, wrote and illustrated children’s books. They earned a 1982 Caldecott Honor Award for A Visit to William Blake’s Inn: Poems for Innocent and Experienced Travelers. They also received the 1984 Caldecott Medal for The Glorious Flight: Across the Channel with Louis Bleriot, July 25, 1909.

Candice Ransom (born Washington, DC, 1952) has written at least 150 books for children and young adults. Her works include Rebel McKenzie and Tooth Fairy’s Night. Children could visit her website at: Candice Ransom.

Whistler’s Mother

James Abbott McNeill Whistler (born Lowell, Massachusetts, 1834; died London, England, July 17, 1903) was an artist. One of his best-known works is Arrangement in Grey and Black: Portrait of the Painter’s Mother. The work is commonly called Whistler’s Mother. Children can visit a website at: Whistler.

Birthdays

Jul 112025

John Quincy Adams

John Quincy Adams (born Braintree, Massachusetts, 1767; died Washington, DC, February 23, 1848) was the sixth president (1825-1829) of the United States. The first son of a president to become a president, he was a child during the Revolutionary War. He spoke at least seven languages. He was a senator before he beat Andrew Jackson for the presidency. After he was president, he served for 17 years as a congressperson from Massachusetts. Children can visit a website at: John Quincy Adams. Idea: Students could investigate the languages he spoke. They could learn a bit more about each of the languages.

Pierce Butler (born Ireland, 1744; died Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, February 15, 1822) represented South Carolina at the Constitutional Convention. In his early life he joined the British military at age eleven. He fought in the French and Indian War and decided to remain in America. A wealthy plantation owner, he served as a U.S. senator from South Carolina from 1789 to 1796 and from 1803 to 1804. Children can learn more at: Pierce Butler.

Lester Laminack (born Flint, Michigan, 1956) writes books for children and adults. His children’s books include Three Hens and a Peacock and Jake’s 100^th Day of School. Children can learn more at: Lester Laminack.

Patricia Polacco (born Lansing, Michigan, 1944) has written and illustrated at least 60 books for children. One of her wonderful books is The Keeping Quilt. Children could visit her website, filled with fun activities, at: Patricia Polacco.

James Stevenson (born New York, New York, 1929; died Cos Cob, Connecticut, February 17, 2017) wrote and/or illustrated over 100 books for children and young adults. His works include the Mud Flat series and I Meant to Tell You. He illustrated books by other authors, including Judy Blume and Jack Prelutsky.

E. B. White (born Elwynn Brooks White in Mount Vernon, New York, 1899; died North Brooklyn, Maine, October 1, 1985) wrote for many audiences. He wrote, among other works, Charlotte’s Web (a 1953 Newbery Honor Book), Stuart Little, and The Trumpet of the Swan. Since 2005 the American Booksellers for Children (ABC) have awarded the E. B. White Read-Aloud Award. Children could learn more about White and the E. B. White Read-Aloud Award from Children’s Book Award Handbook by Diana F. Marks.

Birthdays

Jul 122025

Joan Bauer (born River Forest, Illinois, 1951) writes books for children. Her book Hope Was Here received a 2001 Newbery Honor Award. Her other works include Close to Famous. Children can visit her website at: Joan Bauer.

George Eastman (born Waterville, New York, 1854; died Rochester, New York, March 14, 1932) founded Eastman Kodak. He invented the Kodak camera in 1888. The flexible film allowed anyone to take pictures. Children could learn about Eastman at: George Eastman. Children could find out how a camera works by visiting: Camera.

Buckminster Fuller (born Milton, Massachusetts, 1895; died Los Angeles, California, July 1, 1983) was an architect and an educator. He held more than 2,000 patents, and he wrote more than 25 books. One of his most well-known ideas is the geodesic dome. Older children can learn more at: Buckminster Fuller.

Julius Caesar (born 102 B.C.; died March 15, 44 B.C.) was a Roman dictator. He conquered other territories. He is famous for the saying Veni, vidi, vici (I came, I saw, I conquered). He was assassinated by a group of aristocrats on the Ides of March. Children could learn more at: Julius Caesar.

Henry David Thoreau

Henry David Thoreau (born Concord, Massachusetts, 1817; died Concord, Massachusetts, May 6, 1862) was a writer and philosopher. His Civil Disobedience influenced Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. Children can read many of his works at: Project Gutenberg.

Andrew Wyeth (born Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, 1917; died Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, January 16, 2009) was an artist. His paintings often show isolated objects. His father, N. C. Wyeth, was a noted illustrator, and his son Jamie is also an artist. Idea: Wyeth often worked in egg tempera. Children could try the medium and compare it to watercolors. Children can view some of his works at: Andrew Wyeth.

Herbert S. Zim (born New York, New York, 1909; died Plantation Key, Florida, December 5, 1994) wrote more than 100 scientific books and is most known for his Golden Guides series. His books include Rocks and Minerals and Codes and Secret Writing. Children could learn more at: Herbert Zim.

Birthdays

Jul 132025

Marcia Brown (born Rochester, New York, 1918; died Laguna Hills, California, April 28, 2015) was an author and illustrator. She created more than 30 books. She received three Caldecott Medals: Cinderella in 1955; Once a Mouse in 1962; and Shadow in 1983. She also earned six Caldecott Honor Awards: Stone Soup, an Old Tale in 1948; Henry, Fisherman, a Tale of the Virgin Islands in 1950; Dick Whittington and His Cat in 1951; Skipper John’s Cook in 1952; Puss in Boots in 1953; and The Steadfast Tin Soldier in 1954. The Laura Ingalls Wilder Award was presented to her in 1992 for her body of works. Children can learn more at: Marcia Brown.

Ashley Bryan (born New York, New York, 1923; died Sugar Land, Texas, February 4, 2022) was a picture book author and illustrator. He earned two Coretta Scott King Medals for illustration: in 1981 for Beat the Story Drum, Pum Pum and in 2008 for Let It Shine: Three Favorite Spirituals. He also earned seven Coretta Scott King Honor Awards: in 1983 for I’m Going to Sing: Black American Spirituals; in 1988 for What a Morning! The Christmas Story in Black Spirituals; in 1992 for All Night, All Day: A Child’s First Book of African American Spirituals; in 1998 for Ashley Bryan’s ABC of African American Poetry; in 2004 for Beautiful Blackbird; and in 1987 he received both the story award and the illustration award for Lion and the Ostrich Chicks and Other African Folk Tales. The Laura Ingalls Wilder Award was presented to him in 2009 for his body of works. In 2017 he earned a Newbery Honor Award for Freedom Over Me: Eleven Slaves, Their Lives and Dreams Brought to Life by Ashley Bryan. Children can learn more at: Ashley Bryan.

Michael Dooling (born 1958) has written six books and has illustrated at least 65 books. His books include George Washington’s Army and Me and Young Thomas Edison. Children can visit his website at: Michael Dooling.

Anna Grossnickle Hines (born Cincinnati, Ohio, 1946) has written and/or illustrated at least 50 books for children. Her works include William’s Turn and My Pat-a-Cake Grandma. Children can visit her website at: http://www.aghines.com/.

Birthdays

Jul 142025

Gerald Ford

Gerald Rudolph Ford (born Leslie Lynch King, Jr., in Omaha, Nebraska, 1913; died Rancho Mirage, California, December 26, 2006) was the 38th president (1974-1977) of the United States. Ford was in the navy during World War II and was awarded ten battle stars. He was a congressman for thirteen terms. He was the only president not elected to either the presidency or the vice presidency. He was Speaker of the House when Nixon resigned from office. Because the vice president had resigned earlier, Ford became president. Children could visit a website at: Gerald Ford. Idea: Children could research the presidential line of succession.

Woody Guthrie (born Woodrow Wilson Guthrie in Okemah, Oklahoma, 1912; died New York, New York, October 3, 1967) was a singer and a songwriter. One of his most famous works is “This Land Is Your Land.”

Laura Joffe Numeroff (born Brooklyn, New York, 1953) is an author and illustrator. She has written at least 50 books, including If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and its many variations. Children can visit her website at: Laura Numeroff.

Peggy Parish (born Manning, South Carolina, 1927; died Manning, South Carolina, November 19, 1988) was an author. She is known for her Amelia Bedelia series. Her nephew Herman Parish continues to write Amelia Bedelia books. Children could learn more at: http://www.ameliabedeliabooks.com/.

Brian Selznick (born East Brunswick Township, New Jersey, 1966) writes and illustrates books for children. He earned the 2008 Caldecott Medal for The Invention of Hugo Cabret. Other books include Wonderstruck and The Houdini Box. Children can visit his website at: Brian Selznick.

Isaac Bashevis Singer (born Radymin, Poland, 1904; died Surfside, Florida, July 24, 1991) was a writer. He immigrated to the United States in 1935. He wrote in Yiddish, and he received the 1978 Nobel Prize for literature. Idea: Children could read some of the parts of Stories for Children, published in 1934.

Birthdays

Jul 152025

Thomas Bulfinch (born Newton, Massachusetts, 1798; died Boston, Massachusetts, May 27, 1867) was a mythologist. He wrote Bulfinch’s Mythology. Idea: Children could create some plays about some of the myths after they read Bulfinch’s Mythology at: Project Gutenberg.

Walter D. Edmonds (born Boonville, New York, 1903; died Concord, Massachusetts, January 24, 1998) wrote books for both children and adults. He received the 1942 Newbery Medal for The Matchlock Gun.

Marcia Thornton Jones (born Joliet, Illinois, 1958) has written over 135 books for children. Her books include The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids series and Ratfink. Children can visit her website, particularly the Activities and Fun Stuff link, at: Marcia T. Jones.

Clement Clarke Moore (born New York, New York, 1779; died Newport, Rhode Island, July 10, 1863) wrote A Visit from Saint Nicholas. It was published without his permission in a newspaper on December 23, 1823. Idea: Children could celebrate a little Christmas in July and read A Visit from Saint Nicholas at: Project Gutenberg.

Yuko Shimizu (born Tokyo, Japan, 1965) is an illustrator. Her illustrations in The Cat Man of Aleppo, written by Irene Latham and Karim Shamsi-Basha, earned her a 2021 Caldecott Honor Award.

Rembrandt Van Rijn (born Leiden, Netherlands, 1606; died Amsterdam, Netherlands, October 4, 1669) was a painter. He was a prolific artist. About 600 paintings and 1,400 drawings have survived. He created about 100 self-portraits, giving us a great deal of information about himself. Children could visit a website at: Rembrandt Van Rijn.

Birthdays

Jul 162025

Arnold Adoff (born Bronx, New York, 1935; died Yellow Springs, Ohio, May 7, 2021) wrote more than 30 books for children. His work includes poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. His works include The Return of Rex and Ethel and Hard to Be Six.

Amundsen and Others with the Norwegian Flag

Roald Amundsen (born near Oslo, Norway, 1872; died near the Arctic, June 18, 1928) was an explorer. He was the first person to travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean through the Northwest Passage. He traveled to the South Pole in 1911 and soared over the North Pole in a dirigible in 1926. He was attempting to rescue another Arctic expedition when his plane and its crew went down.

Arthur Bowie Chrisman (born Clarke County, Virginia, 1889; died Shirley, Arkansas, February 14, 1953) was a writer. He received the 1926 Newbery Medal for Shen of the Sea: Chinese Stories for Children.

Richard Egielski (born New York, New York, 1952) has written and/or illustrated more than 50 books for children. He received the 1987 Caldecott Medal for Hey, Al, written by Arthur Yorinks. Egielski wrote and illustrated Buz and Slim and Jim.

Shirley Hughes (born West Kirby, United Kingdom, 1927; died London, United Kingdom, February 25, 2022) wrote more than 50 books and illustrated more than 200 books. She earned the 1977 and 2003 Kate Greenaway Medals. Her works include the Alfie books and Dogger. Children could learn more at: Shirley Hughes.

Joshua Reynolds (born Plympton, Devon, England, 1723; died London, England, February 23, 1792) was an artist. He was known primarily for his portraits of English nobility. Children can view over 600 of his works at: Joshua Reynolds.

Ida B. Wells (born Holly Springs, Mississippi, 1862; died Chicago, Illinois, March 25, 1931) was a journalist. The daughter of slaves, she fought against lynchings. Children could visit a website at: Ida B. Wells.

Birthdays

Jul 172025

John Jacob Astor (born Waldorf, Germany, 1763; died New York, New York, March 29, 1848) moved to New York City when he was twenty years old. He made quite a bit of money from a fur trading business. He invested most of his money in real estate in Manhattan Island and became very wealthy.

Chris Crutcher (born Dayton, Ohio, 1946) has written at least fifteen books and a number of short stories for young adults. His books include Ironman and Whale Talk. He received the Margaret Edwards Award in 2000 for his body of work. Children could visit his website at: Chris Crutcher.

Elbridge Gerry (born Marblehead, Massachusetts, 1744; died Washington, DC, November 23, 1814) signed the Declaration of Independence. He represented Massachusetts. He was also the fifth vice president of the United States when he died. His wife was the last surviving wife of a signer to die. Idea: The term gerrymandering relates to some of Gerry’s activities. Children could find out what the term means. Children could learn more at: Elbridge Gerry.

Karla Kuskin (born New York, New York, 1932; died Seattle, Washington, August 20, 2009) wrote and illustrated over 40 books for children. Her works include City Dog and Soap Soup. Children can visit a website about her at: Karla Kuskin.

Rosa Jackson Lumpkin (born Flint, Georgia, 1876; died Buffalo, New York, December 16, 1991) lived to be 115 years old.

Jacqueline Rogers (born Westport, Connecticut, 1958) writes and illustrates books for children. Her works include Best Friends Sleep Over and Kindergarten ABC. She has illustrated books by many other authors, including Beverly Cleary, Jean Marzollo, and Betsy Byars. Children could visit her website at: Jacqueline Rogers.

Birthdays

Jul 182025

Felicia Bond (born Yokohama, Japan, 1954) is a writer and illustrator of books for children. She illustrates the If You Give a Mouse a Cookie series. Her written works include Tumble Bumble and Poinsettia and her Family. Children could visit an interesting website at Mouse.

John Glenn

John Glenn (born Cambridge, Ohio, 1921; died Columbus, Ohio, December 8, 2016) in 1962 was the first American astronaut to circle the earth. He traveled into space again in 1998 as a payload specialist on a shuttle mission. He was also a United States senator from Ohio from 1974 to 1999. Older children could learn more at: John Glenn.

Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela (born Mvezo, South Africa, 1918; died Johannesburg, South Africa, December 5, 2013) was the son of a tribal chief. He became a lawyer and then joined the African National Congress. He was incarcerated for 28 years because he spoke out against apartheid. He was released in 1990, and he served as president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He received the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize. Children could read Nelson Mandela, written and illustrated by Kadir Nelson.

Jerry Stanley (born Highland Park, Michigan, 1941) writes books for children. His works include Children of the Dustbowl: The True Story of the School at Weedpatch Camp and Cowboys and Longhorns.

Yevgeny Aleksandrovich Yevtushenko (born Zimma, Russia, 1933; died Tulsa, Oklahoma, April 1, 2017) was a poet and novelist.

Birthdays

Jul 192025

Samuel Colt (born Hartford, Connecticut, 1814; died Hartford, Connecticut, January 10, 1862) perfected and manufactured the first repeating pistol. He was one of the first manufacturers to use an assembly line. His company, after his death, produced the six-shooters popular in the Old West.

Edgar Degas (born Paris, France, 1834; died Paris, France, September 26, 1917) was an Impressionist painter. Children could view some of his works at: Edgar Degas.

Marilyn Kaye (born New Britain, Connecticut, 1949) has written over 100 science fiction books for children and young adults. Her books include the Gifted series and the Replica series.

Garth Nix (born Melbourne, Australia, 1963) writes books for children and young adults. His work includes the fantasy The Old Kingdom series and The Seventh Tower series. Children can learn more at: Garth Nix.

Eve Merriam (born Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1916; died New York, New York, April 11, 1992) wrote plays, poetry, fiction and nonfiction for a wide range of ages. She published at least 88 books, including Ten Rosy Roses and Twelve Ways to Get to Eleven. Children can learn more at: Eve Merriam.

Mabel Louise Robinson (born Waltham, Massachusetts, 1874; died New York, New York, February 21, 1962) wrote at least thirteen books for young adults and adults. She wrote novels that showed that young women could be strong and independent. She twice received Newbery Honor Awards: in 1938 for Bright Island (illustrated by Lynd Kendall Ward), and in 1940 for Runner of the Mountain Tops: The Life of Louis Agassiz (also illustrated by Lynd Kendall Ward). Louis Agassiz was a paleontologist and naturalist.

Rosalyn Sussman Yalow (born Bronx, New York, 1921; died Bronx, New York, May 31, 2011) was a medical physicist. She, together with two colleagues, developed the radioimmunassay technique, a way to measure many types of medical conditions using only a small amount of blood. She received the 1977 Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology. Children could learn more at: Rosalyn Sussman Yalow.

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