The month of September happens to be the birth month of many children’s book authors and illustrators who have created wonderful books for preschoolers. Celebrate their lives and classic works by sharing them with your preschooler. You may discover an old (or a new) favorite!

Happy Birthday to:

Gail Gibbons, born September 1, 1944. Gibbons is an author of excellent nonfiction for children. Read Ladybugs and learn all about those polka-dotted bugs!

Jim Arnosky, born September 1, 1946. Autumn is here! Celebrate with Arnosky’s beautiful Every Autumn Comes the Bear. 

Ellen Stohl Walsh, born September 2, 1942. Mouse Shapes will get you and your child talking about shapes, colors, and using your imagination. 

Aliki, born September 3, 1929. While you read All By Myself, talk about all the things your child can do on his or her own.

Tomie dePaola, born September 5, 1934. DePaola’s Pancakes for Breakfast is a wordless picture book, great for practicing storytelling and narrative skills.

Eric Hill, born September 7, 1927. The classic Where’s Spot? is endlessly fascinating to pre-readers with its lift-the-flap illustrations.

H.A. Rey, born September 17, 1898. Rey is the author of the Curious George books, which are classics of children’s literature. Read the book that started it all - Curious George.

Bernard Waber, born September 27, 1924. Waber’s Ira Sleeps Over captures a young child’s worries about spending the night away from home, and the occasional difficulties of having an older sibling.

Stan Berenstain, born September 29, 1923. Many of us grew up with the Berenstain Bears. Stan and Jan Berenstain’s Inside, Outside, Upside Down has simple, rhyming text, making it perfect for younger audiences.  

Visit your local branch to find these books and more!