In a child’s world, birthdays are prime times to celebrate, and publishers of kids’ books are eager to do the same. Multiple houses are commemorating key milestones for backlist staples this year, and assembled here is a sampling of book anniversaries being celebrated in the first half of 2024.

January

A Speculative Look at Life as President Turns 25

A multicultural cast of children imagines what it would be like to be the U.S. President in If I Were President by Catherine Stier, illustrated by Diane DiSalvo-Ryan. Published by Albert Whitman on January 1, 1999, the picture book presents a range of perks and challenges that one might encounter in the role of POTUS, from having a chef who’d serve you anything you requested and watching movies in your own sprawling home to being commander of the armed forces and working with Congress to create crucial laws.

A steady seller for a quarter-century, If I Were President has accumulated worldwide sales of 100,000 copies. Albert Whitman will highlight the book’s anniversary on its social media platforms during early summer and will include a “25 Years in Print” burst on the cover of its next reprint of the title.

If I Were President by Catherine Stier, illus. by Diane DiSalvo-Ryan. Albert Whitman, $8.99 paper, 1999 ISBN 978-0-8075-3542-4


Scarry Classic Celebrates a Half-Century on the Move

For five decades, Richard Scarry’s Cars and Trucks and Things That Go has been rolling along—at a brisk clip—accumulating worldwide sales of 3.3 million copies along the way. This seminal Scarry title is one of more than 300 books by the popular author, which together have sold more than 160 million copies around the world in more than 20 languages. On January 2, Random House released a 50th-anniversary edition of Cars and Trucks, which features a cover burst highlighting the anniversary; a letter from Huck Scarry, the author’s son; a removable poster; and never-before-seen original sketches.

The publisher will continue the celebration throughout 2024 with multiple retail event kits and display offerings. Among these, in honor of the recent Independent Bookstore Day on April 27, is an exclusive event kit and a Lowly Worm photo standee. Scarry’s online fanbase has burgeoned during this celebratory year: Richard Scarry Love, the brand’s official Instagram account, has grown its following by 111% over the last seven months and has reached 150,000 followers.

Richard Scarry's Cars and Trucks and Things That Go: 50th Anniversary Edition by Richard Scarry, $19.99 Jan. ISBN 978-0-593-70630-5


February

The Perks of 25 Years on the Dance Floor of Life

Marking its quarter-century anniversary is Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower, which first landed on YA bookshelves in February 1999. Published by MTV Books, this debut novel follows observant “wallflower” Charlie as he charts a course through the challenging world between adolescence and adulthood, navigating first dates, family drama, and new friends.

The novel—which currently has 4.5 million copies in print in North America—struck a resonant note with teens: it spent more than a year at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list; was named an American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults and Best Book for Reluctant Readers; and was adapted into a 2012 movie written and directed by Chbosky, and starring Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, and Ezra Miller. The publisher is promoting the book’s 25th anniversary via social and digital channels.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. MTV Books, $24 1999 ISBN 978-0-67102-734-6


March

A 50th Anniversary for Lyle the Crocodile Story

Since Bernard Waber’s Lyle first appeared on the page in 1965’s The House on East 88th Street, books starring the loveable crocodile have sold more than three million copies worldwide across all formats.

On March 4, Clarion released a 50th-anniversary paperback edition of Lyle Finds His Mother, in which the curious crocodile leaves his Manhattan home, where he lives happily with the Primms, to look for his long-lost mother. First released in paper in fall 1974, this story underscores the joys of family, biological or found. For the new edition, the publisher plans social media advertising and promotion timed around Mother’s Day, and is including the book in its Mother’s Day group promotions.

Lyle Finds His Mother by Bernard Waber. Clarion, $9.99 paper, Mar. ISBN 978-0-395-27398-2


Marking 25 Years of ‘No, David!’

David Shannon introduced his (more or less) fictional namesake 25 years ago in No, David!, published by Scholastic/Orchard. The story was inspired by a book the author created as a five-year-old, featuring the title’s two words on every page, alongside pictures of David doing things he was not supposed to do. Readers took a shining to the mischievous boy: No, David! was named a Caldecott Honor Book and has more than 1.1 million copies in print. The David series accumulated additional fans as it expanded to include four additional picture books and three Diaper David board books, which have a combined tally of almost 17 million copies in print.

In honor of David’s birthday, the publisher released No, David: 25th Anniversary Edition last month with an announced first printing of 50,000 copies. The new edition features an anniversary cover burst, a letter from Shannon, and endpapers showcasing various ideas for No, David! books shared by children throughout the years. Shannon recently wrapped up a national tour touting David’s anniversary—and paving the way for the March 2025 arrival of his next caper, That’s Not Funny, David!

No, David! (25th Anniversary Edition) by David Shannon. Scholastic/Orchard, $18.99 Mar. ISBN 978-0-590-93002-4


May

For Jenny Han, It’s Been 15 Years of Endless Summer

Jenny Han’s teenage protagonist Belly, whom YA readers first met in The Summer I Turned Pretty, measures her life in summers, when everything good and magical happens. Published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers in May 2009, that bestselling novel won the author myriad fans, who returned to follow Belly’s summertime stories of friendship and love in the book’s sequels, It’s Not Summer Without You and We’ll Always Have Summer. On the 15th anniversary of its debut, Han’s trilogy has sold more than 5.1 million copies across all formats and spawned an original TV series streaming on Amazon.

S&S also commemorated the 10th anniversary of Han’s To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before with a keepsake edition of the novel, released in March. That book and its two sequels (P.S. I Still Love You and Always and Forever, Lara Jean) each inspired a film, which are currently streaming on Netflix.

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han. Simon & Schuster, $19.99 May 5, 2009 ISBN 978-1-4169-6823-8.


Humphrey the Hamster Marks 20 Years as Class Pet

Since becoming Room 26’s class pet in 2004’s The World According to Humphrey, written by Betty G. Birney and published by Putnam, this feisty hamster has learned quite a bit about life from his human classmates. Humphrey’s observations and antics continued to entertain young readers in 11 subsequent installments of the series, which focus on understanding different perspectives. The Humphrey books, along with a spinoff series starring his fellow class pet, Og the Frog, have six million copies in print.

In celebration of his 20th birthday, Humphrey returns in Happiness According to Humphrey, due on May 14, in which the hamster overcomes his fear of big animals when he meets a gentle dog who comes to his school to help his classmates with reading, and another canine who can do amazing tricks.

Happiness According to Humphrey by Betty G. Birney. Putnam, $17.99 May 14 ISBN 978-0-593-69761-0


June

Feiffer’s George Ponders: To Bark or Not to Bark?

A quarter-century has passed since picture book readers first made the acquaintance of an out-of-the-ordinary canine in Bark, George by Pulitzer Prize–winning cartoonist Jules Feiffer, published by HarperCollins’s Michael di Capua Books on June 3, 1999. In this subversive tale, George can emit a variety of sounds—except the one that his mother wants to hear. When she tells her pup to bark, he responds with a “Meow”—and then an “Oink.” But where’s his bark?

Bark, George! has been translated into seven languages and has sold more than one million copies worldwide across formats. Attesting to George’s staying power, Feiffer’s 2020 follow-up, Smart George! (in which George gets a counting lesson), appeared on numerous Best Of lists. The publisher is promoting Bark, George’s 25th anniversary with social media messaging and shareable digital content.

Bark, George by Jules Feiffer. HarperCollins/Michael di Capua Books, $19.99 June 3, 1999 ISBN 978-0-06-205185-1.