Birthday Surprises:
Birthday Dozens I
W
e’ve got a lot of
office birthdays in
November, so it
seemed time to do a birthday
dozen; in fact, there were so
many birthday books waiting to
be celebrated that this dozens
focuses on a sub-theme, those
birthdays filled with surprise.
While several titles here treat
the traditional surprise party,
others involve other unexpected
birthday experiences; whether
the surprises are pleasant
or unpleasant, all birthday
celebrants eventually enjoy a
happy day. Audiences will do
the same.
Deborah Stevenson, Editor
November 2008
THE BULLETIN
OF THE CENTER FOR CHILDREN’S BOOKS
The Bulletin Dozen is a monthly theme-based
booklist available from the Bulletin’s website.
Since we’re awfully fond of bakers here at the
Bulletin, we thought we’d adopt their philosophy of generosity and throw in an extra one or
two when we have them to offer — so don’t
expect an even dozen.
Birthday
Surprises
Please feel free to
copy, download,
link to, and freely
distribute these lists.
We ask only that you
cite the source.
See the Bulletin’s
website for more
Dozens:
http://bccb.lis.uiuc.edu/
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Graduate School of Library and Information Science
501 E. Daniel Street, Champaign, IL 61820
Birthday Dozens I
A Bulletin Dozen
Booklist
Birthday Surprises: Birthday Dozens I
Ashman, Linda. Maxwell’s Magic Mix-Up.
Simon, 2001. 5-8 yrs.
Rollicking rhyme tells the story of Louise’s
birthday party, where entertainer Maxwell the
Magician has some mishaps that result in his
accidentally transforming birthday girl and
guests and frantically trying to reverse the spell.
(BCCB 6/01)
Cannon, A. E. Way Out West with Pirate
Pete and Pirate Joe; illus. by Elwood H.
Smith. Viking, 2006. Gr. 1-3
Pirate Joe may be initially sulking because his
birthday has apparently been forgotten, but a
rollicking adventure chasing after his and Pete’s
cowboy cousins results not only in a rootin’
tootin’ good time but also a surprise party.
(BCCB 7/06)
Howe, James. Houndsley and Catina and
the Birthday Surprise; illus. by Marie-Louise
Gay. Candlewick, 2006. Gr. 1-3
The cat and dog pair of friends, both ignorant
of their real birthdays, secretly plan to surprise
each other with a surprise birthday treat in this
gentle easy reader. (BCCB 1/07)
Hughes, Shirley. Alfie and the Birthday Surprise; written and illus. by Shirley Hughes.
Lothrop, 1998. 3-7 yrs
Hughes’ warm tale of a close-knit neighborhood
depicts indomitable young Alfie as he plans a
party to cheer up a grown neighbor who’s just
lost a beloved pet. (BCCB 3/98
Hurwitz, Johanna. Birthday Surprises: Ten
Great Stories to Unwrap. Morrow, 1995 Gr.
4-7
Ten short stories by prominent writers revolve
around a common theme: the birthday gift of
a beautifully wrapped but empty box. (BCCB
5/95)
Jonas, Ann. The Thirteenth Clue; written
and illus. by Ann Jonas. Greenwillow, 1992.
5-8 yrs
This clever puzzle of a picture book has both the
narrator and the audience following the clues to
a waiting birthday party. (BCCB 11/92)
Kennemore, Tim. Alice’s Birthday Pig; illus.
by Mike Spoor. Eerdmans, 2008. Gr. 2-4
Middle child Alice, star of this early chapter
book, hopes desperately for a pet of her very
own for her birthday. (BCCB 7/08)
Krosoczka, Jarrett J. Annie Was Warned;
written and illus. by Jarrett J. Krosoczka.
Knopf, 2003. 4-6 yrs
Halloween and birthday celebrations join forces
in this tale of Annie, dared by a friend to sneak
into a local mansion on Halloween night, only
to find that “the best scare she’d ever had” is her
own surprise birthday party. (BCCB 9/03)
Lopez, Loretta. Birthday Swap; written and
illus. by Loretta Lopez. Lee & Low, 1997.
5-9 yrs
A surprise birthday really is a surprise for Lori,
whose older sister has secretly swapped birthdays with Lori so that her little sister can receive
a big summertime celebration. (BCCB 6/97)
Noll, Sally. Surprise!; written and illus. by
Sally Noll. Greenwillow, 1997. 2-5 yrs
A simple rhyming countdown enumerates the
joys of little Rose’s birthday. (BCCB 9/97)
Salley, Coleen. Epossumondas Saves the Day;
illus. by Janet Stevens. Harcourt, 2006. 4-7
yrs
High folkloric comedy reigns in this story of
little opossum Epossumondas, whose birthday
celebrations are interrupted by a character-eating
’gator until E. faces off with the reptile. (BCCB
1/07)
Supraner, Robyn. Sam Sunday and the
Mystery at Ocean Beach Hotel; illus. by Will
Hillenbrand. Viking, 1996. 5-8 yrs
Sam Sunday, a hard-boiled bear detective, takes
his mind off the birthday his friends have apparently forgotten by investigating the mysterious
events at the local hotel—events that have more
to do with him than he suspects. (BCCB 9/96)
Thomas, Shelley Moore. Happy Birthday,
Good Knight!; illus. by Jennifer Plecas. Dutton, 2006 Gr. 1-3
In this wry, entertainingly repetitive easy
reader,the patient Good Knight returns to help
his little trio of dragon charges prepare to
celebrate somebody’s birthday—but whose?
(BCCB 2/06)