We are continuing our series Author Birthday Read Alouds. There were so many good authors born in March. You can find readings of a few authors on our Instagram, and we added a few more to the list here. We hope you enjoy getting to know authors by their birthdays.
We had a special treat with Melissa reading Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss on their shared birthday March 2. There are many Dr. Seuss books to check out; enjoy the nostalgia of your childhood.
On March 12, I (Amber) helped celebrate Jack Kerouac by reading one of his poems, The Moon. We have several collections of Kerouac’s works in the library.
March 12, is also the birthday of Virginia Hamilton and Carl Hiaasen. Hamilton is best known for M.C. Higgins, the Great as well as African American folktales. Hiaasen wrote the book Hoot, which became a 2006 movie starring Brie Larson, Luke Wilson, and Logan Lerman. Hiaasen is both a journalist and novelist.
We have another double birthday to celebrate on March 20, for Lois Lowry and Louis Sachar. Both are beloved children’s authors. Lowry is known for The Giver trilogy and Number the Stars. Sachar has a different take on children’s literature writing books like Holes and Sideways Stories from Wayside School. As a 90s/early 2000s kid, both Lowry and Sachar have a special place in my (Amber’s) heart.
We celebrated James Patterson on March 22, with Rachel reading an excerpt from I, Alex Cross. Other James Patterson novels include Maximum Ride(a manga series), The President is Missing, and 11th Hour, among others.
March is really the month of double celebrations. March 25 is Linda Sue Park, Kate DiCamillo, and Flannery O’Connor’s birthday. Such different views and writing styles, but great female authors. Park has written several children’s books including A Long Walk to Water. DiCamillo is another children’s author known for Because of Winn-Dixie. While O’Connor is our classic literature author known for her essays, short stories, and novels like Wise Blood.
Rounding out our double celebrations, we have Viktor Frankl, Robert Frost, and Tennessee Williams all born on March 26. Frankl was a Holocaust survivor, psychiatrist, and neurologist. He is the founder of logotherapy and the author of many books including Man’s Search for Meaning. Frost is an American poet and the recipient of four Pulitzer Prizes. He is most known for his poem “The Road Not Taken.” Finally, we celebrate Tennessee Williams who was an American playwright known for A Streetcar Named Desire. Many of his plays were adapted for screen films.
What a month! March had so many great author birthdays, it was hard to just pick these. Which authors bring you back to your childhood or inspire you to try a new book? Did we miss an author born in March that you love? We hope you will join us next month for another Author Birthday Read Aloud.
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