10 Books for Kids with July Birthdays

If You Give A Pig A Party, by Laura Numeroff
Laura Numeroff, who wrote the enormously popular If You Give a Mouse a Cookie series, celebrates her 66th birthday on July 14. This variation on her classic theme will be recognizable to all parents who’ve found a simple birthday party ballooning into an all-day extravaganza. If you give a pig a party, it might escalate into a trip to the amusement park, a day spent with friends, and then a raucous sleepover, so watch out!

The Big Green Pocketbook, by Candice F. Ransom
Candice F. Ransom will turn 67 on July 10. In this book she celebrates a little girl’s joy in accompanying her mom on her daily tasks. Mom has a big blue pocketbook, and her daughter has a green one. When she starts out the day, it’s empty, but each person she encounters gives her something to add to it—lollipops from the bank, tickets from the bus, a tiny calendar from the dry cleaner—until it’s full of a record of their day together.

The Houdini Box, by Brian Selznick
Brian Selznick, who will celebrate his 53rd birthday on July 14, is known for his award-winning illustrated novels including The Invention of Hugo Cabret and Wonderstruck. His very first book, The Houdini Box, was inspired by a college assignment at the Rhode Island School of Design in which he was instructed to do “something about Houdini.” Selznick grew up idolizing Houdini, and in this story with his characteristic, detailed, black-and-white illustrations, a young boy meets Houdini and, when the famous magician dies, is given his mysterious box of tricks.

Come on Rain, by Karen Hesse and John J. Muth
John J. Muth, who will celebrate his 59th birthday on July 28, captures the oppressive heat of high summer, and a child’s wish for cooling rain, in his expressive illustrations for Karen Hesse’s story Come on Rain. In the stifling city, a little girl notices clouds gathering in the distance as her mother struggles and sweats over her wilted garden. The girl gathers all of her friends on the block for a rainstorm celebration—that their overheated mothers can’t resist joining. If all your kid wants for their birthday is a break in the heat, this is the book for them.

Firefly July, by Paul B. Janeczko and Melissa Sweet
Paul B. Janeczko, who died earlier this year, was born on July 27, 1945, and was known for his gift of selecting just the right poems for young readers in the many anthologies he edited. Firefly July is a delightful collection of tiny poems by poetry greats and lesser-knowns, organized by season and illustrated in vibrant collage by Melissa Sweet. William Carlos Williams’ “Red Wheelbarrow” turns up in spring, and Carl Sandburg’s “Fog” rolls out in winter. The title poem, by J. Patrick Lewis, captures the magic and mystery of high summer in its four apt lines: “When I was ten, one summer night,/ The baby stars that leapt/ Among the trees like dimes of light,/ I cupped, and capped, and kept.”

The Story of America’s Birthday, by Patricia A. Pingry, illustrated by Meredith Johnson
Kids with July birthdays get to celebrate along with America when the fourth rolls around. This vividly illustrated book—full of red coats, patriots, and founding fathers—tells the story of America’s birth in a succinct, easy-to-understand way. Which leaves you with plenty of time after reading it to enjoy fireworks and a picnic for a birthday celebration.

Happy Birthday, America, by Mary Pope Osborne, illustrated by Peter Catalanotto
Mary Pope Osborne is best known for her juggernaut of a middle grade children’s series, Magic Tree House, but she’s also written young adult novels, mysteries, and picture books, including Happy Birthday, America. This book portrays a wholesome vision of a small-town 4th of July celebration. There’s a pet parade, a celebration at the park with raffles and sales for Pee Wee Football and the American Legion, a display of antique cars, and face paint for the kids. Of course, the day culminates in a picnic dinner, a concert, and a fireworks display. It’s not a bad way to celebrate a birthday!

A Boy, A Mouse, and A Spider: The Story of E.B. White, by Barbara Herkert, illustrated by Lauren Castillo
E.B. White, the beloved author of Charlotte’s Web and Stuart Little, was born July 11, 1899 in Mount Vernon, New York. This charming story illustrates William Wordsworth’s dictum, “the Child is father of the Man,” as the qualities and interests of young E.B., born Elwyn, seem to lead directly to the classic stories he later wrote. For example, Elwyn tamed a house mouse as a pet and kept him hidden from his mother. He loved to hang out in the stable with the horses and ducks, where he observed spiders spinning their webs. He was quiet, and preferred to be outdoors or in the company of his pets. Even when he grew up to head off to Cornell and then work as an editor at The New Yorker, he dreamed of a house in the countryside. Eventually he bought that house in Maine, and settled in to write Stuart Little.

Happy Birthday Mouse, by Laura Joffe Numeroff, illustrated by Felicia Bond
What happens if you give a mouse a cookie? As legions of readers of Laura Numeroff’s picture book series If You Give A Mouse A Cookie know, that one cookie is going to set off a domino chain of other requests. But there’s one day of the year when it’s okay to ask for anything you want. For Numeroff, that’s July 15, her birthday. As for the mouse who kicked off her prolific writing career in 1985, you can find out about just what he wants for his birthday in Happy Birthday Mouse. Hint: after sampling a variety of sweets, he finds that there’s one classic dessert that tops them all.

The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher, by Beatrix Potter
Have you ever planned the perfect birthday party for your child, but something unforeseen upsets your plans? Maybe rain drenches your outdoor fete, or the store forgets to make the ice cream cake you ordered. For some of us, both of these things happened for one party! Luckily, this is a good opportunity to learn the most important part of any celebration is the friends who come to visit. Beatrix Potter, who was born July 28, 1866 in London, shows Mr. Jeremy Fisher having a Dickens of a time trying to catch five minnows so he can invite his friends over for a dinner party. He doesn’t catch even one minnow—instead, he gets poked by a stickleback fish. But his friends don’t care. They’re happy to settle for a roasted grasshopper, salad, and Mr. Jeremy’s company, of course.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
J.K. Rowling, who will celebrate her 53rd birthday on July 31st, understood the importance of birthdays. She kicked off her first Harry Potter novel with Harry expecting to experience another disappointing birthday at the Dursleys’ house when he turns eleven. Instead, Hagrid arrives to deliver his letter of acceptance to Hogwarts—a scene that captures the sense of possibility and excitement that many kids look forward to on their birthdays.