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Days to Celebrate: A Full Year of Poetry, People, Holidays, History, Fascinating Facts, and More
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.
112 pages, Hardcover
First published December 28, 2004
37 people want to read
About the author
Lee Bennett Hopkins
209 books52 followersLee Bennett Hopkins was inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame in 2017. He holds a Guinness Book of Records citation for compiling the most anthologies for children. He has also received the Christopher Award, the Regina Medal, and the National Council of Teachers of English Excellence in Poetry for Children Award. He lives in Florida.
For more information, please see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Ben...
For more information, please see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Ben...
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
November 26, 2018
We have just finished Thanksgiving here in the United States, where most people celebrate this festivity with family and friends. Next month, is Christmas month.. full of holiday cheer for EVERYONE! SOME. Christmas is a holiday celebrated all over the world, yet all of those in the United States do not celebrate it. Whether it be religion or culture we need to respect that of our students. In addition, Christmas is celebrated by those for different reasons. Some are celebrating the birth of Jesus; whereas others are celebrating Santa's arrival in town with lots of presents.
So how does an educator, respect all of these perspectives in December and throughout the year?
In my Social Studies Methods and U.S. History Methods for Teachers classes, I have come to the conclusion that the best way to honor all religions and cultures in the classroom is by learning about them! Whether the religion or celebration is represented in the classroom, I think we have a unique opportunity in the classroom to purposefully draw attention to such celebrations all year long. When a person is educated on a subject, they can draw from the experience when they come in contact with it in their home, school, or community. Rather than think it is odd that their new classmate does not celebrate Christmas or believes that one who celebrates Nights of Radishes is strange; students will understand diversity and the importance of respecting others beliefs and traditions.
I purposefully checked out a few books to assist me in planning these Days to Celebrate throughout the school year. The first one is Days to Celebrate: A Full Year of Poetry, People, Holidays, History, Fascinating Facts, and More by Lee Bennett Hopkins. In this beautifully illustrated, informational book we can find that; 365 (366) Days a Year, every day is a day to celebrate. Providing holidays from a variety of calendars around the world and some fun recognized days along the way that children will enjoy.
Educating our students about different religions, cultures, and celebrations does not have to be a huge unit plan with many lessons and activities. A simple picture book read, a small discussion during your morning meeting, or something that you can integrate into social studies, math, reading, or science lesson. In what ways have you incorporated daily celebrations into your classroom? Please share in the comments below.
So how does an educator, respect all of these perspectives in December and throughout the year?
In my Social Studies Methods and U.S. History Methods for Teachers classes, I have come to the conclusion that the best way to honor all religions and cultures in the classroom is by learning about them! Whether the religion or celebration is represented in the classroom, I think we have a unique opportunity in the classroom to purposefully draw attention to such celebrations all year long. When a person is educated on a subject, they can draw from the experience when they come in contact with it in their home, school, or community. Rather than think it is odd that their new classmate does not celebrate Christmas or believes that one who celebrates Nights of Radishes is strange; students will understand diversity and the importance of respecting others beliefs and traditions.
I purposefully checked out a few books to assist me in planning these Days to Celebrate throughout the school year. The first one is Days to Celebrate: A Full Year of Poetry, People, Holidays, History, Fascinating Facts, and More by Lee Bennett Hopkins. In this beautifully illustrated, informational book we can find that; 365 (366) Days a Year, every day is a day to celebrate. Providing holidays from a variety of calendars around the world and some fun recognized days along the way that children will enjoy.
Educating our students about different religions, cultures, and celebrations does not have to be a huge unit plan with many lessons and activities. A simple picture book read, a small discussion during your morning meeting, or something that you can integrate into social studies, math, reading, or science lesson. In what ways have you incorporated daily celebrations into your classroom? Please share in the comments below.
May 15, 2017
Some interesting "On this day in History" tidbits. I think it was the first time I read the poem, "Casey at the Bat."
November 15, 2023
Hopkins, L. B., & Alcorn, S. (2005). Days to celebrate: A full year of poetry, people, holidays, history, fascinating facts and more. New York: Greenwillow Books, an imprint of HarperCollins.
Citation by: Sarah Hope Tyler
Type of Reference: Almanac
Call Number: 394.2 H7932d 2005
Content/Scope: This almanac illustrates the fact that each day is interesting and a reason for celebration, as the title implies. It helps students connect people and events from around the world to their personal lives, since every day has at least one famous birthday or event listed. Each two-page monthly calendar features a quotation from a famous individual born in the month, a weather report, the month’s flower, birthstone, and zodiac sign. Additionally, specific days are honored through poems and illustrations complied by month and following the calendar. Occasionally, months are known as being a month for something in particular, such as February being African American History month, or have a special week or day not listed on the calendar, such as National Children’s Book Week being the week before Thanksgiving.
Accuracy/Authority/Bias: In an effort to remain accurate, the author states in the introduction that some birth dates have question marks after them because some were never recorded, birth certificates were lost, or people were unwilling to reveal their true ages. Based on the biographical paragraphs on the inside back flap of the dust jacket, one sees that the author is also an anthologist, which could be construed as her credential for writing an almanac, while it is clear that the illustrator is skilled, having worked on several award-winning children’s books. In the “Acknowledgements” section, the author provides thanks for several poems that required permission for reprinting. Bias is remotely detectible to an adult, since British author Charles Dickens was included in February, while British author Jane Austen is missing from December; however, such trivial bias is not a hindrance to enjoyment of the compilation, because it is impossible to list all the people of interest in one elementary almanac.
Arrangement/Presentation: The table of contents shows the poems associated with each month. Arranged in calendar fashion as one would expect, the almanac features twelve two-page calendars followed by poems. Although the almanac has an index for poem titles, first lines, and authors, there is not an index to list the names of the individuals whose birthdays are listed or an index to list the interesting historical events and holidays.
Relation to Other Works: This almanac is unlike any item in the collection’s current holding, since there are no almanacs or reference materials dealing with calendars or poetry, and will greatly enhance the reference section.
Accessibility/Diversity: Recommended for students in first through fifth grade, the almanac is accessible with adult support, due to the lack of appropriate indexes. All types of students at every grade level will enjoy learning about the people with whom their family and friends share birthdays and the interesting events that happened on different days of each month. The poems are accompanied with colorful and appealing illustrations that depict the poems’ subjects, making this resource an excellent item for browsing to gain exposure to different poets. The diversity of people is adequate for this elementary resource, since Native American ballerina Maria Tallchief, dancer Gene Kelly, singer Lena Horne, athlete Wilma Rudolph, are included among the birth dates of authors, poets, cartoonists, doctors, civil rights leaders, educators, and U.S. presidents. Diversity is also visible in the events chosen, such as the Mexican holidays Day of the Dead and Night of the Radishes, Puerto Rico Discovery Day, and Canada Day, in addition to patents for inventions, the opening of the first movie theater, the date of the Twister game played by 4,160 people, and traditional American holidays.
Cost: $18.89
Professional Review: Ritterman, L. (2005). [Days to Celebrate]. School Library Journal, 51(1), 110-112.
Citation by: Sarah Hope Tyler
Type of Reference: Almanac
Call Number: 394.2 H7932d 2005
Content/Scope: This almanac illustrates the fact that each day is interesting and a reason for celebration, as the title implies. It helps students connect people and events from around the world to their personal lives, since every day has at least one famous birthday or event listed. Each two-page monthly calendar features a quotation from a famous individual born in the month, a weather report, the month’s flower, birthstone, and zodiac sign. Additionally, specific days are honored through poems and illustrations complied by month and following the calendar. Occasionally, months are known as being a month for something in particular, such as February being African American History month, or have a special week or day not listed on the calendar, such as National Children’s Book Week being the week before Thanksgiving.
Accuracy/Authority/Bias: In an effort to remain accurate, the author states in the introduction that some birth dates have question marks after them because some were never recorded, birth certificates were lost, or people were unwilling to reveal their true ages. Based on the biographical paragraphs on the inside back flap of the dust jacket, one sees that the author is also an anthologist, which could be construed as her credential for writing an almanac, while it is clear that the illustrator is skilled, having worked on several award-winning children’s books. In the “Acknowledgements” section, the author provides thanks for several poems that required permission for reprinting. Bias is remotely detectible to an adult, since British author Charles Dickens was included in February, while British author Jane Austen is missing from December; however, such trivial bias is not a hindrance to enjoyment of the compilation, because it is impossible to list all the people of interest in one elementary almanac.
Arrangement/Presentation: The table of contents shows the poems associated with each month. Arranged in calendar fashion as one would expect, the almanac features twelve two-page calendars followed by poems. Although the almanac has an index for poem titles, first lines, and authors, there is not an index to list the names of the individuals whose birthdays are listed or an index to list the interesting historical events and holidays.
Relation to Other Works: This almanac is unlike any item in the collection’s current holding, since there are no almanacs or reference materials dealing with calendars or poetry, and will greatly enhance the reference section.
Accessibility/Diversity: Recommended for students in first through fifth grade, the almanac is accessible with adult support, due to the lack of appropriate indexes. All types of students at every grade level will enjoy learning about the people with whom their family and friends share birthdays and the interesting events that happened on different days of each month. The poems are accompanied with colorful and appealing illustrations that depict the poems’ subjects, making this resource an excellent item for browsing to gain exposure to different poets. The diversity of people is adequate for this elementary resource, since Native American ballerina Maria Tallchief, dancer Gene Kelly, singer Lena Horne, athlete Wilma Rudolph, are included among the birth dates of authors, poets, cartoonists, doctors, civil rights leaders, educators, and U.S. presidents. Diversity is also visible in the events chosen, such as the Mexican holidays Day of the Dead and Night of the Radishes, Puerto Rico Discovery Day, and Canada Day, in addition to patents for inventions, the opening of the first movie theater, the date of the Twister game played by 4,160 people, and traditional American holidays.
Cost: $18.89
Professional Review: Ritterman, L. (2005). [Days to Celebrate]. School Library Journal, 51(1), 110-112.
October 2, 2016
Plot Summary: This book is a collection of poems by various authors related to certain holidays, events, or people for each month of the year. Before the first poem for each month, there is a calendar of the month with at least one event listed on each day along with a quote and information about the month, such as the origin of the month’s name and a specific weather report that occurred in that month. Also, before each poem is a brief overview of the event or person that the poem connects to.
Literary Merit: Theme: I believe that the main themes of this collection of poems are teaching readers about the histories of various people and events and encouraging them to see something important or fun in each day. The book provides its readers with information about a multitude of topics to enhance their knowledge and understanding of these subjects. Some of the topics have poems to go along with them, which can help to make remembering the content more easy and enjoyable. The book also shows how something can be celebrated each day, such as a famous inventor’s birthday, which may motivate readers to learn more about different days in each month or find something to celebrate or be grateful about on less eventful days.
Reader Response/Classroom Connections: I think that this book provides a great way for people to learn more about both famous and not as well-known events and people. Teachers could use this book to create an assignment for students to learn about something related to the day they were born. Students would research their birth date and pick an event that they would like learn more about. The event could be a holiday, a historic event, or the birthday of a famous person. Students would create a presentation concerning what they learned about the event they chose and share their findings with the class. This assignment would allow students to learn about a variety of topics and practice their oral language skills.
Literary Merit: Theme: I believe that the main themes of this collection of poems are teaching readers about the histories of various people and events and encouraging them to see something important or fun in each day. The book provides its readers with information about a multitude of topics to enhance their knowledge and understanding of these subjects. Some of the topics have poems to go along with them, which can help to make remembering the content more easy and enjoyable. The book also shows how something can be celebrated each day, such as a famous inventor’s birthday, which may motivate readers to learn more about different days in each month or find something to celebrate or be grateful about on less eventful days.
Reader Response/Classroom Connections: I think that this book provides a great way for people to learn more about both famous and not as well-known events and people. Teachers could use this book to create an assignment for students to learn about something related to the day they were born. Students would research their birth date and pick an event that they would like learn more about. The event could be a holiday, a historic event, or the birthday of a famous person. Students would create a presentation concerning what they learned about the event they chose and share their findings with the class. This assignment would allow students to learn about a variety of topics and practice their oral language skills.
Read
April 25, 2012Hopkins, L.B. (2005). Days to celebrate: A full year of poetry, people, holidays, history, fascinating facts,and more. New York, NY: Greenwillow Books.
Citation created by: Susan Gasaway
Call number: 030
Description: An almanac that provides a listing of events, births of famous people, and holidays, with information and poetry about the twelve months of the year.
Content/scope: Contains an astounding array of information to show students that each day of the year gives us a reason to celebrate. For every month the author has compiled a calendar of birthdays, holidays, historic events, inventions, world records, thrilling firsts, and more. In addition, a poem is chosen for each month to honor some of the people and events in the calendar. These poems include the work of respected poets such as Walt Whitman, Langston Hughes, and Gwendolyn Brooks.
Accuracy/authority: Greenwillow Books is a division of Harper Collins Publishing.
Relation to similar works: Chase's calendar of events 2011: the ultimate go-to guide for special days, weeks and months
Timeline/permanence: Up-to-date material that is not subject to change in coming years (copyright 2005)
Cost: $18.89
Rationale for selection: JCPS Information Literacy curriculum map includes a unit on multicultural celebrations. The school library does not have sufficient resource materials for this unit, especially for celebrations of diverse groups.
Professional review: Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books; April 2005, Vol. 58 Issue 8, p339-340, 2p
Citation created by: Susan Gasaway
Call number: 030
Description: An almanac that provides a listing of events, births of famous people, and holidays, with information and poetry about the twelve months of the year.
Content/scope: Contains an astounding array of information to show students that each day of the year gives us a reason to celebrate. For every month the author has compiled a calendar of birthdays, holidays, historic events, inventions, world records, thrilling firsts, and more. In addition, a poem is chosen for each month to honor some of the people and events in the calendar. These poems include the work of respected poets such as Walt Whitman, Langston Hughes, and Gwendolyn Brooks.
Accuracy/authority: Greenwillow Books is a division of Harper Collins Publishing.
Relation to similar works: Chase's calendar of events 2011: the ultimate go-to guide for special days, weeks and months
Timeline/permanence: Up-to-date material that is not subject to change in coming years (copyright 2005)
Cost: $18.89
Rationale for selection: JCPS Information Literacy curriculum map includes a unit on multicultural celebrations. The school library does not have sufficient resource materials for this unit, especially for celebrations of diverse groups.
Professional review: Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books; April 2005, Vol. 58 Issue 8, p339-340, 2p
October 29, 2012
“Days to Celebrate: A Full Year of Poetry, People, Holidays, History, Fascinating Facts, and More” by Lee Hopkins is a very beautiful and resourceful almanac that discusses all the celebrations in a year, organized by months. Each month beings with the flower, birthstone, zodiac sign associated with the book followed by a famous quote and an extreme weather occurrence from that month. Each month has some poems about the celebrations and a brief background on them to give students more details. The illustrations are vivid and help students get a better understanding of the imagery in the poems. Non-popular celebrations are explored heavily, such as King Kamehameha I day (in June) and the birthday of Mark Twain (in November). The book exposes students to the celebrations of other cultures and educates them about many important days in history. As a teacher, I would use this book on a daily basis in the morning to begin the day on a positive and inspirational note. I think the students would enjoy learning about lesser known events, such as the day California entered the Union (September 9th), and raise awareness amongst their friends and family members about these small, yet significant, events. The author celebrates some of these holidays, but not all of them. He researched the holidays he did not know of and compiled all the events and placed them into one resourceful book for students to enjoy everywhere.
Read
November 22, 2012Alcorn, S., & Hopkins, L. (2005). Days to celebrate: a full year of poetry, people, holidays, history, fascinating facts, and more. New York, NY: Greenwillow Books.
By: Jayne Wilson
Reference Type: Almanac
Call Number: 051
Description: Monthly almanac for elementary school students with interesting facts for each day of each month throughout various years
Review Source: [Days to celebrate]. (2005). School Library Journal, 51(1), 110-112.
Relevance and Relationship: $18.89; A broadly covered subject area almanac that will peak students’ interest in history; Social Studies and Language Arts standards addressed
Purpose: To provide quick facts and knowledge about different dates and times in history
Validity: Reputable publisher and review highly recommends the title for any library
Format: Print, 112 pages, index, CIP
Arrangement and Presentation: Arranged by month, with large calendar preceding each chapter; chapters contain poetry relevant to month/season and background information on authors
Diversity: Visual learners as well as verbal learners; monthly calendars would interest low level readers, poetry sections in each chapter would interest high level readers
By: Jayne Wilson
Reference Type: Almanac
Call Number: 051
Description: Monthly almanac for elementary school students with interesting facts for each day of each month throughout various years
Review Source: [Days to celebrate]. (2005). School Library Journal, 51(1), 110-112.
Relevance and Relationship: $18.89; A broadly covered subject area almanac that will peak students’ interest in history; Social Studies and Language Arts standards addressed
Purpose: To provide quick facts and knowledge about different dates and times in history
Validity: Reputable publisher and review highly recommends the title for any library
Format: Print, 112 pages, index, CIP
Arrangement and Presentation: Arranged by month, with large calendar preceding each chapter; chapters contain poetry relevant to month/season and background information on authors
Diversity: Visual learners as well as verbal learners; monthly calendars would interest low level readers, poetry sections in each chapter would interest high level readers
December 15, 2014
Days to Celebrate is composed by Less Bennett Hopkins. This collection of poems, gives us reasons to celebrate each and every day. For each month, there are poems that range from birthdays to holidays to historical events and even some for the changing seasons and things that happened during these months.
This collection of poems would be great to have to read to students in a 2nd to 5th grade classroom. It is an easy way to introduce poetry to students through people, places, events, and seasons that students are familiar with and may also be able to relate to. As an activity to go along with this collection of poems, students could choose their birthday month to write their own poem. They could talk about the month and what it’s like or about their birthday in that month. The teacher could read the poems in each month as they go along in the school year. Students would be exposed to poetry and would be learning something new by listening to each poem.
This collection of poems would be great to have to read to students in a 2nd to 5th grade classroom. It is an easy way to introduce poetry to students through people, places, events, and seasons that students are familiar with and may also be able to relate to. As an activity to go along with this collection of poems, students could choose their birthday month to write their own poem. They could talk about the month and what it’s like or about their birthday in that month. The teacher could read the poems in each month as they go along in the school year. Students would be exposed to poetry and would be learning something new by listening to each poem.
February 25, 2015
I enjoyed reading , I learned different facts as well as got to read several interesting poems. The illustrations throughout the book were also very unique and fun to look at.
The book Days to Celebrate was very interesting. At the beginning of each month there is a detailed calendar that has different holidays for each month and throughout the chapter about the month not only are their poems that pertain to that particular month, but it also has all presidents birthdays and historical facts. I think this book would be wonderful to use in a third grade classroom, you could periodically refer to the book at the beginning of a new month and talk about the things that are coming up. I don't think this book would be a good one for students to read individually because I think it would become overwhelming.
The book Days to Celebrate was very interesting. At the beginning of each month there is a detailed calendar that has different holidays for each month and throughout the chapter about the month not only are their poems that pertain to that particular month, but it also has all presidents birthdays and historical facts. I think this book would be wonderful to use in a third grade classroom, you could periodically refer to the book at the beginning of a new month and talk about the things that are coming up. I don't think this book would be a good one for students to read individually because I think it would become overwhelming.
Read
October 20, 2014The theme of this collection of poems involves the calendar provides readers with a poem or poems for each month of the year. Poems include topics like birthdays, holidays, and historical events. This collection provides children and/or teachers with a simple, fun way to experience poetry. I thought that this book could be used in the classroom as an opportunity for a teacher to introduce the genre of poetry in a fun, enjoyable way. It could also be used in unison with the students' learning of the days of the week or the months of the year while at the same time exposing them to poetry.
March 3, 2010
This is a great anthology of poems to lift your spirits each day of the year. The poems go along with holidays and special days within the year and are written by much esteemed poets such as Langston Hughes, What Whitman and Robert Frost. This is a great resource for teachers! I am planning on using it for starter activities to get the students thinking about a specific question related to the poem and to also start the day on a pleasant foot!
February 4, 2009
nice range of poems to celebrate all sorts of holidays throughout the year - I especially love Janet Wong's poem about the Lunar New Year
May 1, 2015
Not my style of poetry.
February 16, 2015
This is a cool resource. I wish more people would pick it up at the library.
May 17, 2012
Summer read
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews