The little boy in the red snowsuit from the 1962 children’s picture book The Snowy Day by American author and illustrator Ezra Jack Keats. In the story, a boy named Peter explores his New York neighborhood after the first snowfall. Keats’s inspiration for Peter came from photos of a little black boy published in a Life magazine photo article from 1940.
Note: The Snowy Day turns 50 this year.
A fictional character created by Dr. Seuss. He appeared as the main protagonist in the 1957 children’s book How the Grinch Stole Christmas! and the 1966 TV special. The devious, anti-holiday spirit of the character led to the usage of term “Grinch” to describe a person opposed to Christmastime celebrations. He is an icon of the winter holidays.
A wooden nutcracker carved like a toy soldier that comes to life. This character is featured in the famous two-act ballet The Nutcracker, which was scored by Russian composer Tchaikovsky and premiered in 1892. The libretto is adapted from the 1816 story “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King” by German author E.T.A. Hoffmann.
A polite immigrant bear (supposedly a spectacled bear) from “deepest, darkest Peru” who wears an old hat and duffle coat, carries a battered suitcase, and loves marmalade sandwiches. He is a classic character in English children’s literature. He first appeared in 1958 and has been featured in numerous books.
The Wheedle is the title character of the 1974 children’s book by Stephen Cosgrove. He is a large, round, furry creature who lives in the Northwest. The character eventually evolved into a popular mascot generally associated with the city of Seattle. From 1978 through 1985, the Wheedle was the official mascot of the NBA’s Seattle SuperSonics.
A fictional character in a series of children’s books by Swedish author Astrid Lindgren, first published in 1945, that have been adapted into multiple films and television series. Eight-year-old Pippi is unconventional, assertive and has superhuman strength. Like Peter Pan, Pippi does not want to grow up.
The main character of The Lorax, a children’s book written by Dr. Seuss and first published in 1971. The book chronicles the plight of the environment and the Lorax, who speaks for the trees against the greedy Once-ler. The story is a fable concerning industrialized society and the danger it poses to nature.
The cat that accompanies the magical Fog Maiden on her nightly visits to Earth. Token the Cat first appeared in the 1976 children’s book When Everyone Was Fast Asleep and was featured in a second book Songs of the Fog Maiden, both written and illustrated by American author Tomie de Paola.
Today is 11/11/11. And it’s Veterans Day, which honors the 25 million U.S. military veterans. A moment of silence to remember those who have given their lives.
The world of the Fog Maiden is filled with magic. Each night she visits Earth with her cat Token. The Fog Maiden first appeared in the 1976 children’s book When Everyone Was Fast Asleep and was featured in a second book Songs of the Fog Maiden, both written and illustrated by American author Tomie de Paola.
P.S. The crocodiles danced a quadrille and the peacocks waltzed with doves and we all sang, “Tra la, tra la, too lay, too lay, hop-a-doodle, hip-a-doodle, flip-a-doodle day.”
The protagonist of a series of popular children’s books by the same name, written by H. A. Rey and Margret Rey. The books feature a curious brown monkey (or ape, since he has no tail) named George, who is brought from his home in Africa by the evil, nameless Man with the Yellow Hat to live with him in a big city. The first book was published in 1941.
A fictional character from the Land of Oz book series by L. Frank Baum. Jack was made by a little boy to scare his guardian, an old witch named Mombi. She then brought him to life using the Powder of Life. Jack has a jack-o’-lantern for a head and his tall figure is made from tree limbs and jointed with wooden pegs.
P.S. Happy Halloween!
The main character in Simon’s Book, a 1983 children’s picture book by Henrik Drescher. In the story, a young boy stops drawing and goes to bed, leaving Simon stranded on the page with a huge monster. Simon flees from the monster with the aid of some drawing pens and a bottle of ink. I loved this book as a kid.
The main character in The Giving Tree, a 1964 children’s book written and illustrated by Shel Silverstein. This book has become one of Silverstein’s best known titles and has been translated into more than 30 languages. It’s one of my most loved childhood books. Watch The Giving Tree movie from 1973, narrated and scored by Silverstein.
The King of All Wild Things and main character of Where the Wild Things Are, a 1963 children’s picture book by American writer and illustrator Maurice Sendak. The book has been adapted into an animated short, an opera, and, in 2009, a live-action feature film adaptation directed by Spike Jonze. Possibly my very favorite childhood book.
A mischievous boy who can fly and magically refuses to grow up, created in 1902 by Scottish author J. M. Barrie. Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood adventuring on the island of Neverland as the leader of the Lost Boys, interacting with mermaids, Indians, fairies and pirates. The most famous Peter Pan adaptation is the 1953 animated Disney film.
The antagonist of J. M. Barrie’s play Peter Pan and its various adaptations. Hook is the villainous pirate captain of the Jolly Roger brig. It is said that he was Blackbeard’s boatswain, and that he was the only man Long John Silver ever feared. He most famously appears in the 1953 animated film adaptation produced by Walt Disney.
Note: This character is in honor of International Talk Like a Pirate Day, which was created in 1995 by two guys from Albany, Oregon. Avast, there!
A lonely gnome sets out to learn how to avoid being cold “from the inside out” and finds a friend in a sea otter. He is the main character of the 1974 children’s book The Gnome from Nome, written by Stephen Cosgrove and illustrated by Robin James. Watch an illustrated reading of the story.
A kindly old character of Scandinavian folklore featured in two 1960s children’s books by Astrid Lindgren. One story is called The Tomten and the other is The Tomten and the Fox, in which moonlit scenes of the farmyard under snow show Reynard the fox prowling near the henhouse. He’s hungry, but the tomten guards the henhouse at night.
A fairy character from J. M. Barrie’s 1904 play and 1911 novel Peter and Wendy. Tinker Bell has appeared in multiple film and television adaptations of the Peter Pan stories, including the 1953 animated Walt Disney picture Peter Pan. She is one of Disney’s most important branding icons.
Louis Pasteur – No. 306
A French chemist and microbiologist remembered for his remarkable breakthroughs in the causes and preventions of diseases. He created the first vaccines for rabies and anthrax and is best known for inventing a method to stop milk and wine from causing sickness, a process now known as pasteurization. He was born on this day in 1822.
When I was a kid, a memorable book for me was The Value of Believing in Yourself: The Story of Louis Pasteur (1977) by Spencer Johnson. I refuse to believe that Louis Pasteur did not look like a bizzaro Uncle Sam.