The Northern Lights Library System Presents: The 2017 Reading Dates Calendar For use by library managers and staff, to provide ideas for new areas of promoting your library. Please feel free to use as much or as little of this material as you like, and have fun! January January is Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month in Canada January 1st: Happy New Year! January 1st: Last Day of Kwanzaa January 1st, 1863: President Lincoln Issued Final Emancipation Proclamation January 1st (1957): Gary D. Schmidt’s birthday (author of “The Wednesday Wars”, a Newbery Honor Book) January 2nd (1932): Jean Little’s birthday (Canadian author of children’s books) January 3rd (1892): J.R.R. Tolkien’s birthday (The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings author) January 4th: World Braille Day January 4th (1785): Jacob Grimm’s Birthday (Grimm’s Fairy Tales) January 6th: Birthday of both Captain John Smith and Jedediah Smith January 7th (1891): Zora Neile Hurston’s birthday (author and folklorist) January 8th (1935): Elvis Presley’s birthday January 11th (1935): Amelia Earhart completed solo Hawaii-to-US Mainland Flight January 11th 2017: The American Library Association announces its annual book award winners January 12th (1628): Charles Perrault’s birthday (author who wrote version of Cinderella on which Disney film is based) January 12th (1908): Illustrator Clement Hurd’s birthday (Goodnight Moon was illustrated by him) January 15th (1929): Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s Birthday January 15th to 21st, 2017: National Non-Smoking Week (third Sunday of January) January 16th (1968): Author Rebecca Stead’s birthday (“When You Reach Me” – Newbery Medal winner) January 18th (1882): Author A.A. Milne’s Birthday (wrote “Winnie the Pooh”) January 18th: Martin Luther King Day January 19th (1942): Pat Mora’s birthday (author of things like “Tomas and the Library Lady”, “Book Fiesta”, and “Love to Mama: A Tribute to Mothers”) January 20th (1910): Animal Rights Activist Joy Adamson’s birthday January 20th-24th 2017: ALA Midwinter Meeting – on one specific day, will announce winners of Major Children’s Book Awards January 25th (1759): Poet Robert Burns’s birthday January 26th: Australia Day January 26th (1974): Shannon Hale’s birthday (author, “Rapunzel’s Revenge, graphic novel she wrote) January 26th: Ashley Wolff’s birthday (illustrator of “Miss Bindergarten Celebrates the 100th day”) January 27th: Family Literacy Day January 27th: International Holocaust Victims Remembrance Day January 27th (1939): Julius B. Lester’s birthday (author, “John Henry”) January 27th: Lewis Carroll’s birthday (author of “Alice in Wonderland”) January 28th 2017: Chinese New Year January 29th (1915): Bill Peet’s birthday (author and illustrator) January 29th (1845): Poe’s “The Raven” was published January 29th, 2017: World Leprosy Day (Last Sunday of January) January 31st (1967): Bryan Collier’s birthday (illustrator) Late January/Early February – 100th Day of School February Black History Month Library Lovers’ Month National Heart Month February 1st: Children’s Authors and Illustrators Week (begins Feb 1st) February 1st: Jerry Spinelli’s birthday (author of Stargirl, Maniac Magee and other young adult novels) February 1st: Poet Langston Hughes’s birthday February 2nd: Groundhog Day February 3rd (1927): Joan Lowery Nixon’s birthday (author, mainly of historical fiction and mysteries) February 5th: David Wiesner’s birthday (author and illustrator, won the Caldecott Medal for “Flotsam”) February 5th to 11th, 2017: Eating Disorders Awareness Week (EDAW) (First Sunday of February) February 7th: Laura Ingalls Wilder’s birthday (the “Little house on the Prairie” books) February 7th: Ballet Day February 8th, 2017: Chinese New Year starts today February 9th (1944): Author Alice Walker’s birthday (wrote “The Color Purple”) February 9th: Author Matt de la Pena’s birthday February 10th: Author E.L. Konigsburg’s birthday (“Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth” – a Newbery Honor book) February 10th: Illustrator Mark Teague’s birthday (“How do Dinosaurs Eat their Food”) February 11th: Author and illustrator Mo Willems’s birthday February 11th: Author and poet Jane Yolen’s birthday (“Owl Moon” one example) February 12th (1809): Abraham Lincoln’s birth date February 12th (1938): Judy Blume’s birthday February 12th: Jacqueline Woodson’s birthday (author) February 13th: Author and illustrator Simms Taback’s birthday February 14th: International Book Giving Day February 14th: Valentine’s Day February 14th: Illustrator Paul O. Zelinsky’s birthday (“Z is for Moose” was illustrated by him) February 15th: Norman Bridwell’s birthday, creator of Clifford the Big Red Dog February 15th: Presidents’ Day February 23rd: Celebrate Digital Learning Day February 18th: Author Barbara Jossee’s birthday February 18th (1931): Author Toni Morrison’s birthday February 19th: Louis Slododkin’s birthday (illustrator) February 24th: Wilhelm Carl Grimm’s birthday (Grimm Fairy Tales) February 24th: World Read Aloud Day February 26th-March 4th, 2017: Freedom to Read Week February 27th (1902): John Steinbeck’s birthday February 28th: Lemony Snicket’s birthday February 28th: Author Megan McDonald’s birthday (author of Judy Moody series and the Stink series) March In the United States, March is Women’s History Month (in Canada, it’s in October) March is also “Music in our Schools Month” In Canada, March is “Help Fight Liver Disease Month” In Canada, March is also National Epilepsy Month and National Kidney Month Red Cross Month March 2nd: Dr. Seuss’s Birthday (in America, “Read Across America Day”) March 3rd to 9th, 2017: Endometriosis Awareness Week March 4th: National Grammar Day March 5th (1946): Mem Fox’s Birthday (Australian writer of children’s books) March 5th: Indigenous writer Leslie Marmon Silko’s birthday March 5-11th 2017: Teen Tech Week (YALSA initiated this day, http://teentechweek.ning.com/page/faq) March 6th (1959): Chris Raschka’s Birthday (American children’s books illustrator) March 6-12th 2017: Women of Aviation Week (http://www.womenofaviationweek.org/) March 8th: International Women’s Day (#IWD2017) March 11th (1916): Ezra Jack Keats’s Birthday (American writer and illustrator of children’s books) March 12th: On this day in 1901, Andrew Carnegie gave $5.2 million to New York City libraries March 16th (1850): “The Scarlet Letter” was published March 17th: St Patrick’s Day March 20th: First Day of Spring March 20th (1916): Bill Martin Jr’s Birthday (children’s books author) March 20th (1937): Lois Lowry’s Birthday (author, wrote “The Giver”) March 20th (1954): Louis Sachar’s Birthday (YA author, wrote “Holes”) March 21st: World Poetry Day March 22nd (1846) Randolph Caldecott’s Birthday (English artist and illustrator, Caldecott Medal named in his honour) March 25th (1964): Kate DiCamillo’s Birthday (author) Marh 26th (1874): Poet Robert Frost’s birthday March 27th: Easter Sunday March 30th (1820): Author Anna Sewell’s birthday (wrote Black Beauty) April Autism Awareness Month National D.E.A.R. Month in the USA (Drop everything and read month, but this isn’t the case in Canada) National Garden Month National Poetry Month In Canada, National Oral Health Month In Canada, Parkinson’s Awareness Month April 1st: April Fools’ Day April 2nd: International Children’s Book Day April 2nd: Hans Christian Anderson’s birthday April 5th: Author Richard Peck’s birthday April 7th: World Health Day April 10-18, 2017: Passover April 11th: World Parkinson’s Day April 12th: Beverly Cleary’s Birthday April 12th (1952): Author and poet Gary Soto’s birthday April 12-18: National Library Week in the USA April 13th: Author Rita Williams-Garcia’s birthday April 14th (1828): Noah Webster published his “American Dictionary of the English Language” April 15th (1912): The Titanic sank on this day April 17th: Author Jane Kirtz’s birthday April 20th (1945): Mary Hoffman’s birthday April 21st (1947): Author Barbara Park’s birthday (author of the Junie B. Jones series) April 21st: Poem in your Pocket Day (carry a poem in your pocket in honour of National Poetry Month) April 22nd: Earth Day April 23rd (1564): William Shakespeare’s birthday April 27th: Coretta Scott King’s birthday April 28th: Author Amy Hest’s birthday April 28th (1934): Author Lois Duncan’s birthday (well-known for young-adult novels of suspense) April 29th (1947): Poet Yusef Komunyakaa’s birthday (Pulitzer Prize winner) April 30th: Children’s Day/Book Day May May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Latino Books Month May is Get Caught Reading Month National Bike Month National Egg Month Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Cystic Fibrosis Month Hepatitis Awareness Month Lyme disease Awareness Month In Canada, Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month, National Physiotherapy Month, Vision Health Month May is Celiac Awareness Month May 1st: Mother Goose Day May 2nd, 2017: World Asthma Day (First Tuesday of May) May 2nd: Teacher Appreciation Week May 2-8th: Children’s Book Week May 2-8th: Screen-Free Week May 4th: Star Wars Day May 5th: Cinco de Mayo May 5th: Leo Lionni’s birthday (author and illustrator of children’s books) May 5th: Holocaust Remembrance Day May 8th: World Red Cross Red Crescent Day May 10th: World Lupus Day May 12th: International CFS/ME Awareness Day May 14th, 2017: Mother’s Day May 14th (1944): Star Wars creator George Lucas’s birthday May 14-20th: National Transportation Week May 15th: L. Frank Baum’s birthday (author of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz) May 15th: Artist and author Kadir Nelson’s birthday May 20th: World Autoimmune Arthritis Day May 20th: