Celebrating May Authors

Many authors and illustrators have touched our minds and hearts. One way to celebrate them is to introduce or revisit their contributions to our students on their birthdays.

This list will remind you of authors you already love and, ideally, introduce you to a few you haven’t encountered yet. You’ll find titles to interest all ages. Check them out from your local or school library or click the affiliate Amazon links. (C-Chapter Book, P-Picture Book)

May 4—Don Wood

• The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear (P)
• The Napping House (P)
• Quick as a Cricket (P)

May 5—Leo Lionni

• Swimmy (P) 
• Frederick (P)
• A Color of His Own (P)

May 6—Randall Jarrell

• The Bat-Poet
• The Gingerbread Rabbit

May 6—Barbara McClintock

• Adèle and Simon (P)
• Twelve Kinds of Ice (C)
• The Mitten (It is fun to compare and contrast this version, where Barbara did the illustrations, with the versions by Jan Brett and Alvin Tresselt.) (P)

May 7—Deborah Wiles

• Love, Ruby Lavender (C)
• Each Little Bird that Sings (C)
• The Aurora County All-Stars (C)

May 9—Richard Adams

• Watership Down (C)
• Traveller (C)

May 9––J. M. Barrie

• Peter Pan (C)

May 9—Eleanor Estes

• The Hundred Dresses (C)

May 10—Christopher Paul Curtis

• Bud, Not Buddy (C)
• The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963 (C)

May 14––Eoin Colfer

• Artemis Fowl (C)

May 15—David Almond

• Skellig (C)
• Kit’s Wilderness (C)

May 15—L. Frank Baum

• The Wonderful World of Oz (C)

May 16—Bruce Coville

• My Teacher Is an Alien 

May 16—Margaret Rey

• Curious George series (P)

May 17—Grace Lin

• Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
• Ling & Ting: Not Exactly the Same! (early chapter)
• A Big Mooncake for Little Star (P)

May 17––Gary Paulsen

• Hatchet

May 18––Lillian Hoban

• Arthur series (P)

May 18—Mary Pope Osborne

• Magic Treehouse series (C)

May 22—Arnold Lobel

• Frog and Toad series (early chapter) 

May 23––Margaret Wise Brown

• The Important Book (P)
• Big Red Barn (P)
• Goodnight Moon (P)