How to Have a Birthday

Joyful and utterly unique, this vibrant picture book celebrates the best birthday gift of all: a whole day that is yours to unwrap.

Wise and infinitely cozy, Mary Lyn Ray’s simple text and Cindy Derby’s fluid, playful illustrations invite readers of all ages to view that most extraordinary of ordinary days in a simple but festive new light, as if for the first time. What makes birthdays special? Whether you are turning three or one hundred and three, whether you are feted by others or sing yourself happy, the anticipation and surprise of the day you were born never fail to deliver “that shivery feeling that belongs only to a birthday.” An ideal gift for new and expectant parents, for children marking a birthday or attending their first party—for everyone who was ever born! This exuberant celebration in words and pictures will leave you feeling a warm connection to the cycle of life and growth.

Mary Lyn Ray is the author of The House of Grass and Sky, illustrated by E. B. Goodale; the New York Times bestseller Stars, illustrated by Marla Frazee; and several other distinguished picture books. She lives in New Hampshire.

Cindy Derby is the author-illustrator of Two Many Birds and How to Walk Like an Ant and the illustrator of The Boy and the Gorilla by Jackie Azúa Kramer, Outside In by Deborah Underwood, and other acclaimed picture books. She lives in San Francisco.