Birthdays

Oct 082025

Barthe DeClements (born Seattle, Washington, 1920) is an author. Her works include Sixth Grade Can Really Kill You and Spoiled Rotten.

Frank Herbert (born Tacoma, Washington, 1920; died Madison, Wisconsin, February 11, 1986) was a writer. He is most known for his Dune series. Young adults can learn more at: Frank Herbert.

Jesse Jackson (born Greenville, North Carolina, 1941) is a minister and a civil rights leader.

Trinka Hakes Noble (born Michigan, 1944) writes and illustrates books for children. Her books include the Jimmy’s Boa series and The Last Brother. Children can visit her website at: Trinka Hakes Noble.

Edward Rickenbacker (born Columbus, Ohio, 1890; died Zurich, Switzerland, July 23, 1973) was an aviator and a World War I ace fighter pilot. He received the Medal of Honor.

Faith Ringgold (born Harlem, New York, 1930; died Englewood, New Jersey, April 12, 2024) was an artist. She also wrote and illustrated children’s books. Her book Tar Beach earned a 1992 Caldecott Honor Award and the 1992 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award. Aunt Harriet’s Underground Railroad in the Sky received the 1993 Jane Addams Picture Book Award. Children can visit her website at: Faith Ringgold.

Goosebumps Book

R. L. Stine (born Columbus, Ohio, 1943) has written hundreds of books for children and young adults. His works include the Goosebumps series and the Fear Street series. Young adults can visit his website at: R. L. Stine.

Mike Thaler (born Los Angeles, California, 1936; died Yakima County, Washington, March 23, 2024) wrote at least 210 books for children. His works include The Teacher from… series and another series, Tales from the Back Pew. Children can learn more at: Mike Thaler.

Birthdays

Oct 092025

Johanna Hurwitz (born New York, New York, 1937) has written more than 70 books for children. Her books include Hurray for Ali Baba Bernstein and the Riverside Kids series. Children can visit her website at: Johanna Hurwitz.

Camille Saint-Saëns (born Paris, France, 1835; died Algiers, Algeria, December 16, 1921) was a composer. One of his compositions was The Carnival of the Animals.

Birthdays

Oct 102025

Nancy L. Carlson (born Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1953) has written and illustrated over 60 books for children. Her works include the Harriet series and the Loudmouth George series. Children can visit her website at: Nancy Carlson.

James Marshall (born San Antonio, Texas, 1942; died New York, New York, October 13, 1992) was a children’s author and illustrator. He wrote among other works the Miss Nelson books. He also created the George and Martha series. Children can learn more at: James Marshall.

Daniel San Souci (born San Francisco, California, 1948) is a children’s book author and illustrator. One of his books is Ice Bear and Little Fox. He often worked with his brother, Robert.

Robert San Souci (born San Francisco, California, 1946; died San Francisco, California, December 19, 2014) was a children’s book author. His books include Fa Mulan and Sister Tricksters.

Giuseppi Verdi (born Le Roncole, Italy, 1813; died Milan, Italy, January 27, 1901) was a composer. His works include Rigoletto and Aida.

Benjamin West Self-Portrait

Benjamin West (born near Springfield, Pennsylvania, 1738; died London, England, March 11, 1820) was a painter. Children can view several of his works at: Benjamin West.

Birthdays

Oct 112025

Art Blakey (born Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1919; died New York, New York, October 16, 1990) was a jazz drummer and bandleader.

Russell Freedman (born San Francisco, California, 1929; died New York, New York, March 16, 2018) wrote more than 50 books for children. Lincoln: A Photobiography earned the 1987 Newbery Award. The Wright Brothers: How They Invented the Airplane received a 1992 Newbery Honor Award, and Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery earned a 1994 Jane Addams Honor Award. The Voice that Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights received both a 2005 Newbery Honor Award and the 2005 Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award Medal. In 1998 he received the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award for his lifetime contributions to children’s literature.

Roscoe Robinson, Jr. (Born Saint Louis, Missouri, 1928; died Washington, DC, July 22, 1993) was the first African American to be a four-star general in the army.

Anna Eleanor Roosevelt

Anna Eleanor Roosevelt (born New York, New York, 1884; died New York, New York, November 7, 1962) was wife of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, thirty-second president of the United States. She was probably one of the most influential First Ladies, holding her own press conferences. She was also a writer and a diplomat. She represented the United States at the United Nations. Children might want to read Russell Freedman’s Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery. Children could also visit a website at: Eleanor Roosevelt.

Parson Mason Locke Weems (born Anne Arundel County, Maryland, 1759; died Beaufort, South Carolina, May 23, 1825) was a minister and a bookseller. He is famous for his fiction that he presented as fact. One of his tales was the one where George Washington chopped down the cherry tree. Idea: Children could read some of his works at: Project Gutenberg. Then they could take a real person and “Parson Weems” a story.

Birthdays

Oct 122025

Edward Bloor (born Trenton, New Jersey, 1950) has written at least sixteen books for children and young adults. He is also a playwright. His works include Tangerine and Crusader. Young adults can visit his website at: Edward Bloor.

Luciano Pavarotti (born Modena, Italy, 1935; died Modena, Italy, September 6, 2007) was an opera singer. Idea: Children could listen to a recording of his music.

Birthdays

Oct 132025

Robert Ingpen (born Victoria, Australia, 1936) writes and illustrates books for children. He has illustrated over 100 books, and he received the prestigious 1986 Hans Christian Andersen Award for his body of work. He has also written at least thirteen fiction books and at least twenty nonfiction books. His illustrated works include The Magic Crystal and Ziba Came on a Boat.

Lithograph – Molly Pitcher

Molly Pitcher (born Mary Hays McCauley near Trenton, New Jersey, 1754; died Carlisle, Pennsylvania, January 22, 1832) was a Revolutionary War hero. She was carrying pitchers of water to the men at the Battle of Monmouth on June 28, 1778. When her husband could no longer man the cannon, she took over. Children could learn more at: Molly Pitcher.

Conrad Richter (born Pine Grove, Pennsylvania, 1890; died Pottsville, Pennsylvania, October 30, 1968) was an author. One of his books is The Town, Pulitzer Prize winner for fiction in 1951.

Rudolf Virchow (born Schivelbain, Prussia, 1821; died Berlin, Germany, September 5, 1902) has been called the “Father of Pathology.” He conducted invaluable research in leukemia, rickets, tuberculosis and other diseases. Older children could learn more at: Rudolf Virchow.

Birthdays

Oct 142025

Miriam Cohen (born Brooklyn, New York, 1926) has written over 30 books for children. Her works include Will I Have a Friend? and Don’t Eat Too Much Turkey!

E. E. Cummings (born Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1894; died North Conway, New Hampshire, September 2, 1962) was a poet. He was known for his unusual use of punctuation and capitalization. Children can read some of his work at: http://hellopoetry.com/-e-e-cummings/.

Dwight David Eisenhower

Dwight David Eisenhower (born Denison, Texas, 1890; died Washington, DC, March 28, 1969) was the thirty-fourth president (1953-1961) of the United States. During World War I, he was a tank training instructor. By the end of World War II he was a five-star general and Supreme Allied Commander. He was a popular president. The country was experiencing prosperity. The Korean War ended during his presidency. He did have to send in the military to end segregation in Little Rock, Arkansas. Children could visit a website at: Dwight Eisenhower. Idea: Children could compile some statistics as to the number of presidents who had previously been in the military.

Francis Lightfoot Lee (born Westmoreland County, Virginia, 1734; died Richmond, Virginia, January 11, 1797) signed the Declaration of Independence. He represented Virginia, and his brother Richard Henry Lee was also a signer. The shy and quiet Francis Lightfoot Lee persuaded Virginia to ratify the Constitution. Children could learn more at: Francis Lightfoot Lee.

Strawberry Girl

Lois Lenski (born Springfield, Illinois, 1893; died Tarpon Springs, Florida, September 11, 1974) was a children’s author and illustrator. She earned a 1937 Newbery Honor Award for Phoebe Fairchild: Her Book and a 1942 Newbery Honor Award for Indian Captive: The Story of Mary Jemison. She received the 1946 Newbery Award for her Strawberry Girl. She wrote and illustrated approximatley 100 books, including a series featuring Mr. Small. Children can learn more at: Lois Lenski.

William Penn (born London, United Kingdom, 1644; died Ruscombe, United Kingdom, July 30, 1718) founded Pennsylvania. His father, admiral and politician Sir William Penn, had lent a considerable amount of money to England. The King could not easily repay the debt in money. The king offered a huge land grant instead to William Penn. A Quaker, Penn made sure all inhabitants had religious freedom. He also worked to keep friendly relations with the Native Americans. Actually he spent very little time in his home on the Delaware River. Idea: Children could find out what the words Pennsylvania and Philadelphia mean.

Birthdays

Oct 152025

Katherine Ayres (born Columbus, Ohio, 1947) writes books for children. Her works include Silver Dollar Girl and Macaroni Boy. Children can visit her website at: Katherine Ayres.

Jacob Broom (born Wilmington, Delaware, 1752; died Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, April 25, 1810) represented Delaware at the Constitutional Convention. During the Revolutionary War he surveyed land for Washington’s army. After the convention he was active in Delaware politics. Children could learn more at: Jacob Broom.

Virgil (born 70 B.C.; died 19 B.C.) was a poet who lived in ancient Rome. One of his most famous works is the epic Aeneid. Children can read the Aeneid and other works in several languages, including Latin, at: Project Gutenberg.

Eidth Bolling Galt Wilson

Edith Bolling Galt Wilson (born Wytheville, Virginia, 1872; died Washington, D. C., December 28, 1961) was America’s First Lady from December 18, 1915 to March 4, 1921. She was the second wife of Woodrow Wilson, twenty-eighth president of the United States. She married him while he was president and a year after his first wife died. He suffered a severe stroke in 1919, and for some time she may actually have been making decisions regarding the presidency. Children could visit a website at: Edith Wilson.

Birthdays

Oct 162025

Joseph Bruchac (born Greenfield Center, New York, 1942) has written more than 120 books. His ethnicity includes a Native American background, and his works focus on the “indigenous peoples of America.” One of his books is Between Earth and Sky. Children can visit his website at: Joseph Bruchac.

Jonathan Dayton (born Elizabeth, New Jersey, October 16, 1760; died Elizabeth, New Jersey, October 9, 1824) represented New Jersey at the Constitutional Convention. He was the youngest member. Later, he invested in land in what is today Ohio. The city of Dayton is named after him. Children could learn more at: Jonathan Dayton.

Eugene Gladstone O’Neill (born New York, New York, 1888; died Boston, Massachusetts, November 27, 1953) was an American playwright. He received the 1936 Nobel Prize for Literature and four Pulitzer Prizes for his plays. One of those plays is Long Day’s Journey into Night. Children can learn more at: O’Neill.

Noah Webster

Noah Webster (born West Hartford, Connecticut, 1758; died New Haven, Connecticut, May 28, 1843) was a teacher and a writer. He was also a lexicographer, compiling one of the first American dictionaries, Webster’s Dictionary.

Oscar Wilde (born Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde in Dublin, Ireland, 1854; died Paris, France, November 30, 1900) was a playwright and poet. One of his most important works was The Importance of Being Earnest. Older children can read many of his works at: Project Gutenberg.

Birthdays

Oct 172025

Jupiter Hammon (born probably Long Island, New York, 1711; died circa 1806) was the first African American to publish his poetry. Born into slavery, he learned to read. He published his first poem, “An Evening Thought,” in 1760. Children can read some of his works at: http://www.poemhunter.com/jupiter-hammon/.

Mae Jemison (born Decatur, Alabama, 1956) is a physician and retired astronaut. She is the first African American woman to travel into space. Children could view her TED talk at: Mae Jemison.

Arthur Miller (born New York, New York, 1915; died Roxbury, Connecticut, February 10, 2005) was a playwright. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1949. His works include Death of a Salesman and The Crucible.

Older Entries Newer Entries