There’s something to celebrate every day of the year with Lee Bennett Hopkins’s anthology that pays particular attention to the birthdays of poets and other writers. Each month begins with a calendar that notes at least one significant event to mark each day. The calendar is followed by a selection of poems that relates to the holidays, celebrations, or birthdays noted for the month. Snippets of history and intriguing facts are also included. Did you know that the patent of the first pencil with an attached eraser was registered on March 30,1858? This tidbit is followed by the poem “Pencils” by Beverly McLoughland. (Ages 5–10)

In Days to Celebrate Lee Bennett Hopkins has collected an astounding array of information to show us that each day of the year gives us a reason to celebrate. For every month he has compiled a calendar of birthdays, holidays, historic events, inventions, world records, thrilling firsts, and more.

And for every month he has selected surprising poems in honor of some of the people and events commemorated in the calendar. There are poems about the seasons and holidays, of course, but there are also poems about a "Flying-Man" (for February 4, Charles Lindbergh's birthday), birds (for April 26, John James Audubon's birthday), windshield wipers (patented November 10), and earmuffs (patented December 21).

Beloved poets, such as Walt Whitman, Langston Hughes, Gwendolyn Brooks, and Christina Rossetti, are joined by new voices in sixty poems that take us on a remarkable journey through a year -- and through the years. Stephen Alcorn's illustrations, based on the style of art found in old almanacs, are airy, whimsical, and thought provoking. They perfectly match the breadth and depth of this volume.

Brilliantly conceived and elegantly illustrated, Days to Celebrate is a book that pays tribute to the people, events, and poetry that make up our past and will inspire our future.