There are a ton of reading and book-related holidays throughout the year. Everything from special days devoted to reading to beloved authors’ birthdays, there is plenty to celebrate!
Book Holidays
January
- 2nd – National Science Fiction Day
- 3rd – J.R.R. Tolkein’s Birthday
- 16th – Book Publishers Day
- 19th – Edgar Allan Poe’s Birthday
- 22nd – Library Shelfie Day (4th Wednesday)
- 27th – Family Literacy Day

February
- First Week – Children’s Authors and Illustrators Week
- 5th – World Read Aloud Day
- 7th – Take Your Child To The Library Day
- 9th – National Read In The Bathtub Day
- 14th – International Book Giving Day; Library Lovers Day
- 20th – Clean Out Your Bookcase Day
- 26th – National Tell A Fairy Tale Day
National Library Lovers Month

March
- 1st – 9th – Jewish Book Week
- 2nd – Read Across America Day; Dr. Seuss Day
- 2nd – 8th – Returned Borrowed Books Week
- 2nd – 8th – Read an E-Book Week
- 6th – World Book Day
- 16th – 22nd – World Folktales & Fables Week
- 19th – International Read To Me Day
- 20th – Bibliomania Day; World Storytelling Day; Hufflepuff Pride Day
- 21st – World Poetry Day; Slytherin Pride Day
- 22nd – Gryffindor Pride Day
- 23rd – Ravenclaw Pride Day
- 25th – Tolkien Reading Day
National Small Press Month; Gardening, Nature, And Ecology Books Month; National March Into Literacy Month; National Reading Month, Read An E-Book Month

April
- 1st – Reading Is Funny Day; Edible Book Day; Library Snap Shot Day
- 2nd – International Children’s Book Day
- 4th – National School Librarian Day
- 6th – National Library Day
- Second Week (6th – 12th) – National Library Week
- 8th – National Library Workers Day
- 10th – National Bookmobile Day
- 12th – D.E.A.R. (Drop Everything And Read) Day
- 14th – National Donate A Book Day
- 16th – National Librarian Day
- 17th – International Haiku Poetry Day; Celebrate Teen Literature Day
- 19th – Poetry And The Creative Mind Day
- 23rd – World Book Day
- 23rd – National Talk Like Shakespeare Day; Shakespeare’s Birthday; World Book And Copyright Day; Canada Book Day; World Book Night
- 27th – National Tell A Story Day
- 26th – Independent Bookstore Day (Last Saturday)
- 28th – National Great Poetry Reading Day
- 29th – National Poem In Your Pocket Day
National Poetry Month; D.E.A.R. Drop Everything And Read Month; National Literature Month; School Library Month

May
- 2nd – Harry Potter Day
- 3rd – Free Comic Book Day (1st Saturday)
- Second Week (11th – 17th) – Reading Is Fun Week
- 12th – National Limerick Day
- 16th – National Biographer’s Day
- 25th – Towel Day
- 26th – World Dracula Day
National Get Caught Reading Month; National Family Reading Month; Latino Books Month; National Share A Story Month

June
- 4th – Joe Hill’s Birthday
Audiobook Appreciation Month
July
- 4th – Alice In Wonderland Day
- 21st – Ernest Hemingway’s Birthday
- 30th – Paperback Book Day
- 31st – Harry Potter’s Birthday

August
- 2nd – National Coloring Book Day
- 9th – National Book Lovers Day
- 18th – Bad Poetry Day
- 20th – H.P. Lovecraft’s Birthday
- 21st – Poet’s Day
- 30th – Frankenstein Day; Mary Shelley’s Birthday
- 31st – We Love Memoirs Day

September
- 6th – National Read A Book Day
- 7th – National Buy A Book Day
- 8th – International Literacy Day
- 13th – National Twilighters Day
- 18th – Read An E-Book Day
- 20th – George R.R. Martin’s Birthday
- 21st – Stephen King‘s Birthday
- 22nd – Hobbit Day
- 25th – National Comic Book Day
- Last Week – Banned Books Week
Read A New Book Month; National Library Card Sign-up Month

October
- First Full Week – Mystery Series Week
- 4th – Anne Rice‘s Birthday; Bookshop Day
- 6th – Mad Hatter Day
- 8th – R. L. Stine’s Birthday
- 11th – Love Your Bookshop Day
- Third Week – Teen Read Week; Friends of Libraries Week
- 17th – Black Poetry Day
- Last Friday (31st) – Frankenstein Friday
- 31st – Books For Treats Day
National Book Month; National Reading Group Month; Dyslexia Month; National Cookbook Month; Black Speculative Fiction Month

November
- 1st – National Authors Day
- 4th – National Waiting For The Barbarians Day
- 6th – National Nonfiction Day
- 7th – 13th – National Book Award Week
- 11th – 15th – National Young Readers Week
- 12th – Neal Shusterman‘s Birthday
- 15th – I Love To Write Day
- 18th – High Five A Librarian Day
- 17th – 23rd – Book Week Scotland
- 24th – 28th – National Book Week
National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo); Picture Book Month; National Family Literacy Month

December
- 10th – Dewey Decimal System Day
- 21st – National Short Story Day
- 24th – Jólabókaflóðið, also known as the Christmas or Yule Book Flood (Iceland)
Thank you for sharing this list! I have a YouTube channel and IG page where I host story times and this list will come in handy!
Could you please do another one of these for 2024?
I am the national Representative for Scholastic and this was a very useful documento for us this year.
Thanks
Absolutely! We’ll be working on it in the near future.