4/2/2014 Happy Birthday Hans Christian Andersen, and Happy International Children's Book Day!

"The whole world is a series of miracles, but we're so used to them we call them ordinary things." ~ Hans Christian Andersen

Today, April 2nd, is the birthday of beloved author Hans Christian Andersen, and International Children's Book Day (or ICBD.)  International Children’s Book Day was founded in 1967 by the International Board on Books for Young People (or IBBY)  to be observed on or around Hans Christian Andersen's birthday.  Hans Christian Andersen was born on April 2nd, 1805 in Odense, Denmark. His fairytales, including “The Little Mermaid,” “The Emperor’s New Clothes” and “The Ugly Duckling” are read and loved by children all over the world.   

This year the 2014 The Hans Christian Andersen Awards go to Nahoko Uehashi of Japan, the winner of the 2014 Hans Christian Andersen Author Award and Roger Mello of Brazil, the  winner of the 2014 Hans Christian Andersen Illustrator Award.

From the IBBY website

“The Hans Christian Andersen Award #IBBYHCA, the most prestigious in international children’s literature, has been awarded biennially to authors since 1956 and to illustrators since 1966 by the International Board on Books for Young People. It is given to an author and an illustrator whose complete works are judged to have made lasting contributions to children's literature...Nahoko Uehashi writes unique fantasy novels from the viewpoint of cultural anthropology.  She believes one thing, that people from every corner of the world have in common is a love for telling stories.  Her stories about honour and duty, fate and sacrifice, are refreshing as well as being authentically Japanese…  Roger Mello’s illustrations provide avenues to explore the history and culture of Brazil.  He does not underestimate a child’s ability to recognize and decode cultural phenomena and images. His illustrations allow children to be guided through stories by their imagination.”

Do your students want to weigh in on your own favorite books?  Right now Children's & Teen Choice Book Awards are open for voting!  Children and teenagers have until Monday, May 12, 2014 to vote at ccbookawards.com for their favorite author, illustrator, and book of the year.

The Children’s & Teen Choice Book Awards program is the only national book award decided by the votes of children and teens.  The awards were started in 2008 by the Children's Book Council and Every Child a Reader

You class can work on improving their reading skills while learning more about a famous author in my original reader Dr. Seuss - Best-Selling Children's Author: Second Grade Level K Reader

Find more fun ways to celebrate reading and children’s books on the Haven Hill Learning Pintrest page!