Today is a day to celebrate books! Today is International Children’s Book Day. International Children’s Book Day began in 1967 and is usually celebrated on April 2nd, which is the birthday of Hans Christian Andersen. International Children’s Book Day was created to bring attention to children’s books and to encourage reading and a love for books. Every day is an opportunity to encourage children to read; but having a special day to honor books is the perfect excuse for letting kids stay up a little bit longer tonight and enjoy an extra bedtime story.

If you are looking for entertaining books for children, try the Pigeon Books by Mo Willems. This month marks the 10th birthday of the Pigeon books and the beginning of Mo’s career in writing children’s books. My son discovered the Pigeon books this year when his teacher read Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! He then began to bring the entire Pigeon book collection home one by one as he checked them out of the library. Instead of inwardly groaning each time I saw another one, I actually looked forward to reading the books myself! At the beginning of each book, you wonder what is that Pigeon going to come up with this time and you are never disappointed. I think my favorite is The Pigeon Wants a Puppy. Not only is it a great story but also a lesson in remembering that you better watch what you wish for; you just might get it!