National PB & J Day and Other Unusual Holidays

There are an abundance of peculiar holidays in April. Whether you prefer to write mysteries or romance, thrillers or fantasies, science fiction or historical fiction, I'm sure you can find one of them that catches your eye and causes storylines to start running through your mind.

How will you encourage a young person's love of reading on International Children's Book Day? How many peanut butter & jelly sandwiches will you eat on National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day? Will you visit Benton, Kentucky on Tater Day?

International Children's Book Day - This purpose of this holiday is to encourage children to treasure books. How can we encourage our young people to love reading? Pick an interesting book, one that you know the young people around you will love, and read it together. Show them how reading can open up entire new worlds full of adventure for them.

Hans Christian Anderson, the author of many great stories for young people, was born on April 2, 1805. This day was chosen to celebrate nurturing a love for reading in honor of his birthday.

Rebecca lives in a world where reading has been outlawed, so she has no clue what joys reading a good book can bring. Only those who rule are allowed to read. Anyone caught with a book will be executed on sight. Rebecca finds a book one day. When she picks it up, she is transported magically to a world where everyone reads freely and she discovers the joys it can bring. Then she wakes up back in her home world. What does she do?

National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day - This holiday is probably a favorite of kids everywhere. Who doesn't love a good peanut butter and jelly sandwich? During World War II, American soldiers are rumored to have mixed their rations of peanut butter and jelly for a treat. Once they returned home from the war, the sales of both peanut butter and jelly soared.

On November 6, 1993, the world's largest peanut butter and jelly sandwich was created in Peanut, Pennsylvania. This 40-foot long sandwich was spread with 150 pounds of peanut butter and 50 pounds of jelly. Create a character who had a part in making this humongous sandwich and write a story about how it was made. And who ate this gigantic treat?

Tater Day - Tater Day is a celebration of spring, not a celebration of potatoes. This day was started in Benton, Kentucky in 1843 on the day when people of the town would gather together and trade in sweet potato slips, which were used to grow sweet potatoes. A carnival is now brought to town on this holiday, and includes a parade, contests, a marching band, pageants, etc.

Create a character who is traveling through Benton, Kentucky on Tater Day. This traveler is on the run. Is this vagabond being chased by the law or by criminals? Why are they chasing after him? When he arrives in Benton, Kentucky, he sees a chance to hide so well that he can't be found. What happens?