Every month at Good Good Good, we plan upcoming good news content for our Instagram, Goodnewsletter, Goodnewspaper, podcast, website, and more. Our work is always centered on hopeful stories about people making a difference in the world — and action steps on how each of us can join in with that good work.
With so many holidays, awareness days, education weeks, and activism months happening all year long, we’ve been slowly collecting all of these events in a private internal calendar for years.
We made our Monthly Cause Awareness Calendar publicly available earlier this year. We’ve also published dozens more awareness calendars since then — including a Calendar of Library Celebrations by Month.
And now we’re publishing our guide to book awareness holidays.
Our hope is this resource will help you or your organization bring attention to books, authors, libraries, and literacy — not just around the main book-related holidays — but all year long.
Where applicable, we've included resources around highlighted holidays — usually in the form of good news around particular topics, relevant quotes or recommendations, or action steps on how to make a difference. We encourage you to share them if you find them helpful.
We’ve worked hard to make this the most comprehensive collection of book-related days and months on the internet. Always double-check dates, as organizers may occasionally change dates.
Bookmark this page and revisit it as often as you need. We’ll continue to update it and add to it over time.
Book Awareness Months & Days — Plus: Literary & Reading Holidays
January
Days
New Year’s Day - January 1
Explore this guide to picking out your “word of the year”
National Science Fiction Day - January 2
J.R.R. Tolkien’s Birthday - January 3
National Trivia Day - January 4
World Braille Day - January 4
Poetry at Work Day - 2nd Tuesday in January
Winnie the Pooh Day - January 18
Alan Alexander Milne’s Birthday - January 18
Thesaurus Day - January 18
Edgar Allan Poe’s Birthday - January 19
Burns Supper / Robert Burns’s Birthday - January 25
Family Literacy Day (Canada) - January 27
International Holocaust Remembrance Day - January 27
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day - 3rd Monday of January
Read and share the best MLK quotes and this guide on how to celebrate MLK Day
Library Shelfie Day - 4th Wednesday of January
Weeks
Universal Letter Writing Week - Week-long event that starts on the 2nd Sunday of January
American Library Association (ALA) LibLearnX Conference - Dates vary each year
Months
American Library Association Youth Media Awards
Financial Wellness Month
National Braille Literacy Month
National Hobby Month
Read and share this curated list of hobbies
National Mentoring Month
February
Days
Charles Dickens’s Birthday - February 7
Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Birthday - February 7
Read in the Bathtub Day - February 9
Mo Willems’ Birthday - February 11
Judy Blume’s Birthday - February 12
Library Lovers Day - February 14
Read and share this guide on why libraries are important
International Book Giving Day - February 14
Amy Tan’s Birthday - February 19
Tell a Fairy Tale Day - February 26
John Steinbeck’s Birthday - February 27
World Read Aloud Day - 1st Wednesday of February
Take Your Child to the Library Day - 1st Saturday of February
Digital Learning Day - Last Thursday of February
Safer Internet Day - Date varies each year
Weeks
Children’s Authors and Illustrators Week - 1st week of February
Freelance Writers Appreciation Week - 2nd week of February
Freedom to Read Week (Canada) - Week-long event in February
Months
Black History Month
Read and share this guide on how to celebrate Black History Month
Low Vision Awareness Month
National Canned Food Month
National Embroidery Month
National Library Lovers Month
March
Days
Read Across America Day - March 2
Dr. Seuss’ Birthday - March 2
National Grammar Day - March 4
World Book Day (U.K. and Ireland) - March 4
World Book Day - March 7
Amanda Gorman’s Birthday - March 7
Read and share the best Amanda Gorman quotes
Douglas Adams’ Birthday - March 11
Pi Day - March 14
National Write Your Story Day - March 14
National Freedom of Information Day - March 16
World Poetry Day - March 21
James Patterson’s Birthday - March 22
National Tolkien Reading Day - March 25
Kate DiCamillo’s Birthday - March 25
Robert Frost’s Birthday - March 26
Pencil Day - March 30
Weeks
Teen Tech Week - 1st full week of March
Return Borrowed Books Week - 1st full week of March
Read an ebook Week - 1st full week of March
Read and share this guide to the best Kindle alternatives (including Kobo reviews) to read ebooks
American Library Association (ALA) Core Interest Group Week - 1st full week of March
Public Library Association’s Leadership Academy - Dates vary in March
Public Library Association’s National Conference - Dates vary in March or April
Months
Association of College and Research Libraries Conference - Dates vary in March or April
Music in our Schools Month
Read Across America Month
Women’s History Month
Read and share this guide on how to celebrate Women’s History Month
Youth Art Month
April
Days
Reading is Funny Day - April 1
International Children’s Book Day - April 2
Hans Christian Andersen’s Birthday - April 2
National School Librarian Day - April 4
Maya Angelou’s Birthday - April 4
Read and share the best Maya Angelou quotes
National Read a Roadmap Day - April 5
Encourage a Young Writer Day - April 10
National Drop Everything and Read (D.E.A.R.) Day - April 12
Beverly Cleary’s Birthday - April 12
National Scrabble Day - April 13
Rubber Eraser Day - April 15
World Art Day - April 15
National Librarian Day - April 16
National Haiku Poetry Day - April 17
National Columnists’ Day - April 18
Poetry and the Creative Mind Day - April 19
International Cli-Fi Day - April 20
Read and share this guide to the best climate change-related fiction books
William Shakespeare’s Birthday - April 23
Take Action for Libraries Day - April 23
English Language Day - April 23
National Talk Like Shakespeare Day - April 23
World Book and Copyright Day - April 23
World Book Day - April 23
National Poem in Your Pocket Day - April 25
National Tell a Story Day - April 27
National Great Poetry Reading Day - April 28
Harper Lee’s Birthday - April 28
Terry Pratchett’s Birthday - April 28
Great Poetry Reading Day - April 28
El día de los Niños / El día de los Libros - April 30
Celebrate Teen Literature Day - 2nd Thursday of March
Independent Bookstore Day - Last Saturday of April
Read and share this guide on how to celebrate Independent Bookstore Day
Poem in Your Pocket Day - Date varies each year
Earth Day - April 22
Read and share this guide on how to celebrate Earth Day
National Library Workers Day - Tuesday of National Library Week
National Bookmobile Day - Wednesday of National Library Week
Celebrate Teen Literature Day - Thursday of National Library Week
Global Youth Service Day - 2-day event; Date varies each year
Weeks
National Library Week - 2nd week of April
Read and share this guide to nontraditional items to check out at your local library
National Volunteer Week - 3rd week of April
Crime Victims’ Rights Week - Week-long event in April
National Park Week - Week-long event in April
Read and share these articles about national parks
Money Smart Week - Week-long event in April
Public Library Association’s National Conference - Dates vary in March or April
Association of College and Research Libraries Conference - Dates vary in March or April
Months
Arab American Heritage Month
Read and share this guide on how to celebrate Arab American Heritage Month
Diversity Month
Drop Everything and Read (D.E.A.R.) Month
Jazz Appreciation Month
National Autism Awareness Month
National Deaf History Month
National Poetry Month
National Stress Awareness Month
School Library Month
Sexual Assault Awareness Month
May
Days
May Day - May 1
Mother Goose Day - May 1
Harry Potter Day - May 2
Star Wars Day - May 4
National Cartoonists Day - May 5
Hank Green’s Birthday - May 5
Read and share Hank Green’s best quotes
Cinco de Mayo - May 5
Peter Pan Day - May 9
James M. Barrie’s Birthday - May 9
National Limerick Day - May 12
Eliza Doolittle Day - May 20
Mary Pope Osborne’s Birthday - May 20
National Speak in Sentences Day - May 31
Walt Whitman’s Birthday - May 31
Free Comic Book Day - 1st Saturday of May
Mother’s Day - 2nd Sunday of May
National Library Legislative Day - 2-day event, date varies in May
Weeks
Children’s Book Week - 1st full week of May
Deaf Awareness Week - 1st full week of May
Reading is Fun Week - 2nd week of May
Months
Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
Read and share this guide on how to celebrate AAPI Heritage Month
Jewish American Heritage Month
Read and share this guide on how to celebrate Jewish American Heritage Month
Mental Health Awareness Month
Read and share this guide on how to celebrate Mental Health Awareness Month
National Get Caught Reading Month
National Inventors’ Month
National Mobility Awareness Month
Short Story Month
June
Days
Joseph Hill’s Birthday - June 4
Richard Russell Riordan Jr.’s Birthday - June 5
National Ball Point Pen Day - June 10
Maurice Bernard Sendak’s Birthday - June 10
Anne Frank’s Birthday - June 12
Autistic Pride Day - June 18
National Garfield the Cat Day - June 19
Juneteenth - June 19
Read and share this guide on how to celebrate Juneteenth
Octavia Butler’s Birthday - June 22
Weeks
Association of College & Research Libraries’ Rare Books and Manuscripts Conference - Dates vary in June
American Library Assocation Annual Conference - Dates vary in June
Months
African-American Music Appreciation Month
Audiobook Appreciation Month
Read and share this guide on the best places to get audiobooks — that aren’t Audible
Black Music Month
Immigrant Heritage Month
National Oceans Month
Pride Month
Read and share this guide on how to celebrate Pride Month
Rainbow Book Month
July
Days
Dean Koontz’s Birthday - July 9
E.B. White’s Birthday - July 11
Ernest Hemingway’s Birthday - July 21
National Paperback Book Day - July 30
Weeks
Hemingway Days - 3rd week of July
Months
Disability Pride Month
Read and share this guide on how to celebrate Disability Pride Month
National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month
American Artist Appreciation Month
National Park and Recreation Month
Read and share this guide to fee-free national park days (and other ways to get free access to national parks)
Read an Almanac Month
August
Days
National Coloring Book Day - August 2
Esther Day - August 3
Read and share this guide about why and how to celebrate Esther Day
National Book Lovers Day - August 9
S.R. Ranganathan’s Birthday - August 9
International Day of the World’s Indigenous People - August 9
Bad Poetry Day - August 18
Poet’s Day - August 21
John Green’s Birthday - August 24
Read and share the best John Green quotes
Women’s Equality Day - August 26
Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley’s Birthday - August 30
We Love Memoirs Day - August 31
Weeks
International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions’ World Library and Information Congress - Dates vary in August
Months
American Artist Appreciation Month
Black Business Month
September
Days
Richard Wright’s Birthday - September 4
Newspaper Carrier Day - September 4
Subscribe to the Goodnewspaper — a print newspaper filled with good news
Read a Book Day - September 6
International Literacy Day - September 8
National Ampersand Day - September 8
Roald Dahl Day - September 13
Tomie dePaola’s Birthday - September 15
International Dot Day - September 15
Constitution Day (U.S.) - September 17
George R.R. Martin’s Birthday - September 20
Stephen King’s Birthday - September 21
Hobbit Day - September 22
Dear Diary Day - September 22
National Punctuation Day - September 24
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Day - September 24
National Comic Book Day - September 25
Shel Silverstein’s Birthday - September 25
Banned Websites Awareness Day - Wednesday of Banned Books Week
National Poetry Day (U.K. and Ireland) - Date varies in September or October
Weeks
Banned Books Week - Last week of September
Read and share our guide on how to fight book bans during Banned Books Week
National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week - Week-long event in September
Months
Be Kind to Writers and Editors Month
Civic Awareness Month
Hispanic Heritage Month - September 15 to October 15
Read and share this guide on how to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month
Library Card Sign-up Month
October
Days
Anne Rice’s Birthday - October 4
Mad Hatter Day - October 6
Love Your Bookshop Day (Australia) - October 7
NZ Bookshop Day (New Zealand) - October 7
R.L. Stine’s Birthday - October 8
Myths and Legends Day - October 11
Indigenous Peoples’ Day - 2nd Monday of October
Bookshop Day (UK) - October 14
Bookshop Day (Ireland) - October 14
Dictionary Day - October 16
Noah Webster’s Birthday - October 16
Oscar Wilde’s Birthday - October 16
National Day on Writing - October 20
National Frankenstein Day - Last Friday of October
All Hallow’s Read - October 31
National Poetry Day (U.K. and Ireland) - Date varies in September or October
Weeks
Global Media and Information Literacy Week - October 24 to 31
Mystery Series Week - 1st full week of October
National Newspaper Week - 2nd week of October
Subscribe to the Goodnewspaper — a print newspaper filled with good news
Teen Read Week - 3rd week of October
National Friends of Libraries Week - 3rd week of October
International Open Access Week - Last full week of October
Library Information Technology Association National Forum - Dates vary in October or November
Months
American Archives Month
Children’s Magazine Month
Church Library Month
Family History Month
Global Diversity Awareness Month
Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 to October 15)
Read and share this guide on how to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month
Information Literacy Awareness Month
LGBTQ+ History Month
Medical Librarian Month
National Arts & Humanities Month
National Book Month
Read and share this guide on how to celebrate National Book Month
National Bullying Prevention Awareness Month
National Cookbook Month
National Reading Group Month
TeenTober
November
Days
National Authors Day - November 1
National Family Literacy Day - November 1
National Non-Fiction Day - November 6
Bram Stoker’s Birthday - November 8
Neil Gaiman’s Birthday - November 10
Veterans Day - November 11
National Chicken Soup for the Soul Day - November 12
Neil Shusterman’s Birthday - November 12
Robert Louis Stevenson’s Birthday - November 13
Astrid Lindgren’s Birthday - November 14
I Love To Write Day - November 15
National Philanthropy Day - November 15
High-Five a Librarian Day - November 18
Transgender Day of Remembrance - November 20
Louisa May Alcott’s Birthday - November 29
Madeleine L’Engle Camp’s Birthday - November 29
Book Lovers Day - 1st Saturday of November
Young Readers Day - 2nd Tuesday of November
International Games Day - 3rd Saturday of November
National Gaming at Your Library Day - Date varies in November
Weeks
National Young Readers Week - 3rd full week of November
National Book Award Week - 3rd full week of November
National Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week - Week before Thanksgiving
Media Literacy Week - Week-long event in November
Library Information Technology Association National Forum - Dates vary in October or November
Young Adult Services Symposium - Dates vary in November
World Nursery Rhyme Week - Dates vary in November
Months
Dinovember
Native American Heritage Month
Read and share this guide on how to celebrate Native American Heritage Month
National Family Literacy Month
National Life Writing Month
National Novel Writing Month
National Scholarship Month
Picture Book Month
December
Days
Sherlock Holmes Day - December 1
Jan Brett’s Birthday - December 1
Letter Writing Day - December 7
Dewey Decimal System Day - December 10
Jane Austen’s Birthday - December 16
Crossword Puzzle Day - December 21
National Short Story Day - December 21
Jolabokaflod / Christmas Book Flood (Iceland) - December 24
A’phabet Day / No L Day - December 25
Weeks
Computer Science Education Week - Week-long event in December
Months
Bingo Month
Learn a Foreign Language Month
Read a New Book Month
Write to a Friend Month
Is this list missing a holiday or awareness week/month? Let us know. We want to ensure this list is comprehensive and inclusive.
