Since 1967, International Children's Book Day has been celebrated on or around Hans Christian Andersen’s birthday on April 2. Each year, the International Board on Books for Young People selects an artist and author from a member country to create art around a theme, and the theme for International Children’s Book Day in 2024 is Imagination. To download the official poster and a handout with more information, click here. 

We at Read Naturally are proud to inspire a love of reading and celebrate children’s books around the world. Here are some ideas for celebrating International Children’s Book Day in your classroom.  

  • Check with your library to see if there are events planned, such as special readings by authors. 

  • Choose a book from the 2024 Outstanding International Books List. After reading the book with your students, find the country where the book is from on a map and help them do some research on that country and its customs.   

  • Serve a dish from one of the countries featured in the book list.  

  • Challenge your students to read books from around the world. They can put a pin in a classroom map to show where the books are from and share with each other what they learned about that country. 

  • Set aside time for a read-along of one of the books on the list. Everyone likes to be read to, no matter how skilled they are! 

  • Encourage your English learners to bring books from home (or find them in the library) that are written in their primary language.  

Let us know how you celebrate International Children’s Book Day in the comments!