Birthdays

Dec 292026

Molly Garrett Bang (born Princeton, New Jersey, 1943) has written and/or illustrated at least 30 books for children. She illustrated, among other works, The Grey Lady and the Strawberry Snatcher, a wordless book. It received a 1981 Caldecott Honor Award. Ten, Nine, Eight received a 1984 Caldecott Honor Award. When Sophie Gets Angry – Really Really Angry… earned a 2000 Caldecott Honor Award. Children can visit her website at: Molly Garrett Bang.

Pablo Carlos Salvador Defillio de Casals (born Venrell, Spain, 1876; died Rio Pedros, Puerto Rico, October 22, 1973) was a famous cellist.

Charles Goodyear (born New Haven, Connecticut, 1800; died New York, New York, July 1, 1860) was an inventor. He was trying to develop a form of crude rubber. However, it cracked when it got cold. It stuck to other materials when it got hot. One day Goodyear accidentally dropped some rubber and sulfur on a hot stove. This vulcanization process made the rubber useful. Children can learn more about Goodyear and rubber at: Rubber.

E. W. Hildick (born Bradford, England, 1925; died London, England, February 12, 2001) wrote at least 80 books for children. His works include the Jack McGurk series and the Birdy Jones series.

Andrew Johnson

Andrew Johnson (born Raleigh, North Carolina, 1808; died Carter’s Station, Tennessee, July 31, 1875) was the seventeenth president (1865-1869) of the United States. Johnson’s father died when Andrew was three years old. Although he never went to school, he obviously had a great deal of common sense. He rose from being Greenville, Tennessee’s mayor to state legislator. He was the governor of Tennessee before he was elected to the United States Senate. Since he remained loyal to the Union, he was almost hanged in Tennessee. He was Lincoln’s vice president and became president when Lincoln was assassinated. He was impeached, but he was found not guilty by one vote. Children can visit a website at: Andrew Johnson. Idea: Children could make a flow chart of the steps of impeachment. Why was he impeached?

Birthdays

Dec 302026

Rudyard Kipling (born Bombay, India, 1865; died London, England, January 18, 1936) was a poet, novelist, and short story writer. He wrote more than 300 stories, and he is best known for his works about the India he loved. Among his most famous works are The Jungle Book and Just So Stories. He won the 1907 Nobel Prize for Literature. Idea: Children could change one of his stories into a play, and then they could perform it. Children can read his works at: Project Gutenberg.

Mercer Mayer (born Little Rock, Arkansas, 1943) is a children’s book author and illustrator. He has written and/or illustrated more than 400 books. He is known for his many books about his Little Critter character. However, he has illustrated works by other authors, including John D. Fitzgerald’s The Great Brain Series. Children could visit his SUPER website, including videos, activities, games, and coloring sheets, at: Little Critter.

Jane O’Connor (born New York, New York, 1947) is an editor and a children’s author of at least 70 books. She is most famous for writing the Fancy Nancy books. She also writes the Nina, Nina, Ballerina books and a host of well-written nonfiction books. Children can visit the AMAZING Fancy Nancy website at: Jane O’Connor.

Jane Langton (born Boston, Massachusetts, 1922; died Lincoln, Massachusetts, December 22, 2018) wrote and illustrated at least 30 books for children. She is well-known for her Hall Family Chronicles and her Homer Kelly Mysteries. The Fledgling, a book from the Hall Family Chronicles, was a 1981 Newbery Honor Book.

Birthdays

Dec 312026

Margery Cuyler (born Princeton, New Jersey, 1948) has written at least 35 picture books, four novels, and three nonfiction books for children. Her works include the classic That’s Good! That’s Bad! and The Little Dump Truck.

George Catlett Marshall

George Catlett Marshall (born Uniontown, Pennsylvania, 1880; died Washington, DC, October 16, 1959) was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during World War II. Following the war, he was the country’s secretary of state. He was the designer of the Marshall Plan, a way to help get war-torn Europe back on its feet. He received the 1953 Nobel Peace Prize for his work in carrying out the Marshall Plan. He was the only United States general to ever win the Nobel Peace Prize.

Henri-Emile-Benoit Matisse (born Le Cateau, Picardy, France, 1869; died Nice, France, November 3, 1954) was an artist. He was a part of the fauve movement. He did not attempt to paint in a realistic style. He used bright colors and bold strokes. Children could visit a website at: Henri Matisse. They could also read A Bird or Two: A Story about Henri Matisse, by Bijou Le Tord. They could see some of Matisse’s work, and they could try to imitate his style.

Cynthia Leitich Smith (born Kansas City, Missouri, 1967) writes books for children. Because she was born into the Muskogee Creek Nation, her writing concentrates on the experiences of Native Americans . Her works include Jingle Dancer and Blessed. Children can learn more at: Cynthia Leitich Smith.

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