30 Poems in 30 Days: April 30

Well, we've reached the end of April.  We started this project with a Shel Silverstein poem so it only seems fitting that we end with one.  A big thank-you to everyone who has has read along with us.  And remember, if you enjoy poetry, please come by the library for more recommendations!

Click HERE to watch  pretty awesome animated versions of "The Toy Eater" and other poems by Shel Silverstein.

30 Poems in 30 Days: April 29

Today's poem starts:
A boy told me
if he roller-skated fast enough
his loneliness couldn’t catch up to him,

Follow the link to read all of  "The Rider" by Naomi Shihab Nye.

30 Poems in 30 Days: April 28

Due to technical difficulties April 28th's poem was lated being posted.  So we are going back and inserting it in its rightful place. Today's poem is another book spine poem made by the library staff.

30 Poems in 30 Days: April 27

Today's poem is called "E.T.MAIL" from Frankenstein Takes the Cake by Adam Rex.  Anyone who's ever recieved spam e-mail will get the joke. Follow the link to Adam Rex's blog to read the whole poem and be ready to laugh!

30 Poems in 30 Days: April 26

A new poetry book arrived yesterday that had all the librarians cracking up.  Gail Carson Levine's Forgive Me, I meant to Do It: False Apology Poems is hilarious! The poems are all based on Willaim Carlos William's famous poem "This Is Just To Say." Don't pick it up expecting nice happy poetry! These poems, like the original, are a little bit mean but any kid who's ever been forced to make a false apology will love it.

So of course, today's poem is "This Is Just To Say."  Go here to read the whole poem at poets.org.

30 Poems in 30 Days: April 25

April's flying by! So follow the link to today's poem: Time by Valerie Bloom.

30 Poems in 30 Days: April 24

24 poems in 24 days..We're doing good so far! Today we have a poem from the public domain:

"My Shadow"

Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894)

I have a little shadow that goes in and out with me,

And what can be the use of him is more than I can see.

He is very, very like me from the heels up to the head;

And I see him jump before me, when I jump into my bed.

The funniest thing about him is the way he likes to grow—

Not at all like proper children, which is always very slow;

For he sometimes shoots up taller like an india-rubber ball,

And he sometimes gets so little that there's none of him at all.

He hasn't got a notion of how children ought to play,

And can only make a fool of me in every sort of way.

He stays so close beside me, he's a coward you can see;

I'd think shame to stick to nursie as that shadow sticks to me!

One morning, very early, before the sun was up,

I rose and found the shining dew on every buttercup;

But my lazy little shadow, like an errant sleepy-head,

Had stayed at home behind me and was fast asleep in bed.

30 Poems in 30 Days: April 23

William Shakespeare was probably born on this day in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon. Here's a bit of the Bard's words to celebrate!

As You Like It, Act II, Scene VII [All the world's a stage]

JAQUES.
All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms;
Then the whining school-boy, with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress' eyebrow. Then a soldier,
Full of strange oaths, and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon's mouth. And then the justice,
In fair round belly with good capon lin'd,
With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws and modern instances;
And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slipper'd pantaloon,
With spectacles on nose and pouch on side;
His youthful hose, well sav'd, a world too wide
For his shrunk shank; and his big manly voice,
Turning again toward childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion;
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.


Intserested in Shakespeare for kids?  We've found some neat activities online.

Check out these Shakespearean Insults.
Feeling nicer?  Here's Shakespearean Compliments for Kids.
Or maybe you want to try your hand at some Lines of Love & Friendship.
Tired of wordplay, try your hand at a Shakespeare Maze.

30 Poems in 30 Days: April 22

Today is Earth Day, the day we celebrate the conservation of the Earth and its natural resources.  Our poem of the day is called Earth Day by Jane Yolen.  It starts:

I am the Earth

And the Earth is me.

Read the whole poem here.

30 Poems in 30 Days: April 21

April 21 is Kindergarten Day, a celebration the birthday of Friedrich Frobel, founder of the first kindergarten.  To commemorate Fobel, our poem of the day is The Kindergarten Concert by Robert Pottle.

Interested in funny school poems?  Come to the library and check out these poetry collections:

Kindergarten Kids: Riddles, Rebuses, Wiggles, Giggles, and More! by Stephanie Calmenson

Stampede!: Poems to Celebrate the Wild Side of School by Laura Purdie Salas

A Funeral in the Bathroom: and Other School Bathroom Poems by Kallie Dakos

I Brought My Rat For Show-and-Tell : and Other Funny School Poems by Joan Horton

Peep-O-Rama 2012

We had a blast at this year's Peep-O-Rama!
Kids were inspired to recreate scenes from movies, TV shows, games and, of course, books.



It's never too early to start brainstorming ideas for next year!

30 Poems in 30 Days: April 20

April is National Garden Month.  So today we'll plant a poem about a very funny garden:
Gordon's Garden by Kenn Nesbitt

Gordon's garden's started growing
unexpected things,
and though it sounds unusual
they all have beaks and wings.

His garden grew a hummingbird,
a heron, and a hawk,
a pelican, a parakeet,
a pigeon, and an auk.

It grew a cuckoo and a crow,
an ostrich and an owl,
an eagle and an egret
and assorted other fowl.

A mockingbird, an oriole,
a chicken and a duck.
It's fun to watch his garden grow,
and chirp, and flap, and cluck.

It turns out growing gardens
full of birds is not so hard,
and Gordon got his crop
by planting birdseed in the yard.

Copyright © 2009 Kenn Nesbitt
All Rights Reserved
From www.poetry4kids.com

30 Poems in 30 Days: April 19

Check out this video poem: My Pet Germs by Kenn Nesbitt

This Week @ Story Time

What we read:

Little Listeners:

Kite Day A Bear and Mole Story written and illustrated by Will Hillenbrand
Kite Flying written and
illustrated by Grace Lin
Blue Sky written and
illustrated by Audrey Wood



Story Time:
Do You Know Which One Will Grow? by Susan Shea, illlustrated by Tom Slaughter
Green by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Everywhere Babies by Susan Meyers, illustated by Marla Frazee

30 Poems in 30 Days: April 18

Found poetry is a type of poetry created by taking words, phrases, and sometimes whole passages from other sources and reframing them as poetry by making changes in spacing and lines, or by adding or deleting text, thus imparting new meaning.  Today's poem is a found poem of our own making. The words and phrases have all been taken from The Library of Congress's Web Guide for finding a poem.

How to Find a Poem

It's often possible to identify a long-lost poem
If you are searching for a short poem, feel free to move
Reference librarians at most public libraries can,
Drawing upon the collective memories and resources of thousands,
Determine whether it's the correct one

Major search engines can be found
You don't need to worry
By going to a search engine

It is often wise to submit your question

To move to the next section
The results you will receive
You bring to bear on your search

30 Poems in 30 Days: April 17

A very short poem for today. (But apparently not the shorest ever!)

Read Amazing Fact #1 by Robert Pottle here.

30 Poems in 30 Days: April 16

For our one month poetry challenge, a poem about the months:

THE MONTHS
by Christina Rosetti

January cold desolate;
February all dripping wet;
March wind ranges;
April changes;
Birds sing in tune
To flowers of May,
And sunny June
Brings longest day;
In scorched July
The storm-clouds fly
Lightning-torn
August bears corn.
September fruit;
In rough October
Earth must disrobe her;
Stars fall and shoot
In keen November;
And night is long
And cold is strong
In bleak December.

30 Poems in 30 Days: April 15

On April 15th, 1912 the Tianic sank after colliding with an iceberg. Today marks the 100th anniversary of the Titanic sinking.  Our poem for today is A Boat Beneath a Sunny Sky by Lewis Carroll. This is not a Titanic poem.  It's a poem about a very different kind of boat ride, one that is sunny and pleasant and very far away from any icebergs!

However, if you want to learn more about the Titanic disaster check out these books:

Titanic Sinks! by Barry Denenberg
Iceberg right ahead!: The tragedy of the Titanic by Stephanie Sammartino McPherson
All stations! distress!: April 15, 1912, the day the Titanic sank by Don Brown
Titanic: a nonfiction companion to Tonight on the Titanic by Will Osborne

30 Poems in 30 Days: April 14

Today's poem is another book spine poem created from books found on our shelves!

Great Girls!

The article is called The Greatest Girl Characters of Young Adult Literature BUT we have most of these books in our Juvenile Fiction section.  Check it out if your child isn't really old enough for the Hunger Games but you still want them to read about smart, strong girls!

30 Poems in 30 Days: April 13

Click to read today's poem, The Adventures of Isabel by Ogden Nash.

This Week @ Story Time

What we read:

Little Listeners:

The Cow that Laid an Egg written by Andy Cutbill and illustrated by Russell Ayto
Cluck, Cluck Who's There? written by James Mayhew and illustrated by Caroline Jayne Church
Ones and Twos written by Marthe Jocelyn and illustarted by Nell Jocelyn



Story Time:

Thunder Boomer! by Shutta Crum, illustrated by Carol Thompsom
Storm is Comming! by Heather Tekavec, illustrated by Margaret Spengler
The Rain Came Down by David Shannon

30 Poems in 30 Days: April 12

Today's poem is one of our own creations.  We've been trying our hand at book spine poetry. You just stack books using the titles on the spines to create a poem. Try it, it's really fun!

30 Poems in 30 Days: April 11

Today's poem is an old favorite, perfect for reading out loud.  Go ahead, try it with just the first four lines. Use a big dramatic voice. Don't be afraid to get silly!
 
Jabberwocky 
by Lewis Carroll
’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:

All mimsy were the borogoves,

And the mome raths outgrabe. 

Fun isn't it?  Click here to read the whole poem out loud.

30 Poems in 30 Days: April 10

April 10 is National Sibling Day. In honor of brothers and sister's everywhere, here's a funny sibling poem by Kenn Nesbitt:

My Brother's Not a Werewolf
A Monster Poem for Kids
by Kenn Nesbitt

My brother's not a werewolf
though it often looks that way.
He has to shave his whiskers
almost every single day.

His feet are getting furry
and his hands are sprouting hair.
His voice is deep and growling
like a grumpy grizzly bear.

He often sleeps throughout the day
and stays up half the night.
And if you saw the way he eats
you'd surely scream in fright.

His clothes are ripped and dirty
like the stuff a werewolf wears.
His socks and shirts are shredded
and his pants have countless tears.

If you should ever meet him
you'll discover what I mean.
My brother's not a werewolf;
he's just turning seventeen.

Copyright © 2011 Kenn Nesbitt
All Rights Reserved
From www.poetry4kids.com

 Also, come by the library and try these poetry books dealing with siblings:
Emma Dilemma: Big Sister Poems by Kristine O'Connell George
Some Kind of Love: A Family Reunion in Poems by Traci Dant

30 Poems in 30 Days: April 9

It's National Library Week so today's poem is, of course, about a library.  Follow the link to read My First Memory (of Librarians) by Nikki Giovanni.

Libraries today are very different from the one described in the poem but we are still a place where children come to make connections.  Do you have a library memory of your own?  Please post it in our comments. We'd love to hear it!

30 Poems in 30 Days: April 8

Enjoy a spring poem today...

 

The Daffodils

by William Wordsworth

That floats on high o'er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine

And twinkle on the Milky Way,

They stretched in never-ending line

Along the margin of a bay:

Ten thousand saw I at a glance,

Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced, but they

Out-did the sparkling leaves in glee:

A Poet could not but be gay,

In such a jocund company:

I gazed—and gazed—but little thought

What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,

And dances with the daffodils.

30 Poems in 30 Days: April 7

Yay, we've made it through 7 poems in 7 days! Let's celebrate...with a poem!

Mr. Nobody 

By Anonymous

I know a funny little man,

As quiet as a mouse,

Who does the mischief that is done

In everybody’s house!

There’s no one ever sees his face,

And yet we all agree

That every plate we break was cracked

By Mr. Nobody.

’Tis he who always tears out books,

Who leaves the door ajar,

He pulls the buttons from our shirts,

And scatters pins afar;

That squeaking door will always squeak,

For prithee, don’t you see,

We leave the oiling to be done

By Mr. Nobody.

The finger marks upon the door

By none of us are made;

We never leave the blinds unclosed,

To let the curtains fade.

The ink we never spill; the boots

That lying round you see

Are not our boots,—they all belong

To Mr. Nobody.

Mischief makers are always fun to read about!  If you enjoyed this poem you might want to check
out these books too...

Children Make Terrible Pets by Peter Brown
Betty Bunny Loves Chocolate Cake by Michael B. Kaplan
17 Things I'm Not Allowed to Do Anymore by Jenny Offill
The Unruly Queen by E.S. Redmond
No David by David Shannon
Nobody Here But Me by Judith Viorst

30 Poems in 30 Days: April 6

It's Friday! Let's celebrate with a poetry video.  Check out April Rain Song by Langston Hughes, read by the poet. This Classical Baby video is an HBO original program produced in association with the Poetry Foundation, to introduce audiences poetry through animation and song.

30 Poems in 30 Days: April 5

Today's poem is Furry Bear by A. A. Milne, author of the Winnie the Pooh books. This is a nice cozy poem to celebrate the end of winter.  Follow the link to read the poem: Furry Bear by A.A. Milne

This Week @ Story Time

What we read:

Little Listeners:

Monkey Truck written and illustrated by Michael Slack
Red Light, STOP Green Light GO written and illustrated by Andrew Kulman
Car Wash written by Sandra Steen, Susan Steen and illustrated by G. Brian Karas




Story Time:
Duck! Rabbit! by Amy Krous Rosenthal, illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld
Little White Rabbit by Kevin Henkes
Duck on a Bike by David Shannon

Cupcake Fake-Out Pictures

We had a great time! Thanks to everyone who participated.

Book Buzz, April 2012

Small As An Elephant
by Jennifer Richard Jacobson
Jack Martel wakes up the first morning of his camping trip with his mother in Maine to find she is gone! At first he thinks she has just gone to get food, but as the day goes by, there is still no sign of her. He does his best, exploring and keeping busy, expecting she will be back soon. She doesn’t come back. So he tries to find her without letting anyone know he is alone. He makes his way south toward his home in Boston, so when she does come back he will be there for her. She has done this before, but never when he can’t get home. He knows he will have to ask for help, but he is afraid of being taken away from his mother. What will Jack do?  
Kristin (J Fiction)

Bad Kitty For President by Nick Bruel
That wild and crazy cat is back, and this time he is out to win. Kitty learns that the Neighborhood Cat Club is in need of a President. How hard can that be? Well, with Bad Kitty, it is never easy! In this silly tale, we learn all about what steps you need to take to win an election. From a primary, to endorsements, to campaigning, and media, we follow our dear friend Kitty down to election night. Will Bad Kitty have what it takes to be the president? You must read this Nick Bruel book to find out.  Jacquie (J Fiction)

Eight Keys by Suzanne Lafleur
Elise is excited to start middle school, but soon realizes that her best pal, Franklin, is a liability. In addition to being teased by a bully for babyish ‘playing’ with Franklin, Elise is struggling with newfound responsibility and falling impossibly behind on her school work. Just when she thinks things can’t get any worse, she finds a key that unlocks one of eight locked rooms in her aunt and uncle’s barn. The puzzle of the rooms seems to have been left by her father, who lost a battle with cancer when Elise was three. This is a great realistic fiction read about friendship, family, and deciding who you want to be. Meghan (J Fiction)

The One and Only Stuey Lewis
by Jane Schoenberg
Meet Stuey Lewis, second grader extraordinaire! This school year may bring many challenges but Stuey doesn’t give up! Whether it’s learning to read, dealing with trick-or-treating restrictions, or putting up with the most annoying girl on the planet, Stuey keeps trying to make it work! You’ll want to read all about Stuey and his friends (and that annoying girl too!) This funny collection makes a great beginning chapter book. Alia (J Fiction)

30 Poems in 30 Days: April 4

Today, we have a very short poem about a very long animal.  Read The Boa by Douglas Florian here.

30 Poems in 30 Days: April 3

Because April is also Dog Appreciation Month, today's poem is:

Mother Doesn't Want a Dog
by Judith Viorst

Mother doesn't want a dog.
Mother says they smell,
And never sit when you say sit,
Or even when you yell.
And when you come home late at night
And there is ice and snow,
You have to go back out because
The dumb dog has to go.


Read the rest of the poem here.

30 Poems in 30 Days: April 2

April 2 is International Children's Book Day, in honor of the Danish fairy tale writer Hans Christian Anderson's birthday. Celebrate International Children's Book Day with today's poem: Instructions by modern fantasy writer Neil Gaiman.

 

Touch the wooden gate in the wall you never

saw before.

Say "please" before you open the latch,

go through,

walk down the path.

Read the whole poem here

Stop by the library and and pick up these Neil Gaiman poems turned into Picture Books:

Crazy Hair by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Dave McKean
It's an ode to wacky hair! In a series of increasingly ridiculous rhymes, the crazily coiffed narrator tells of all the things that can be found in the hair upon his head.
  

Blueberry Girl by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Charles Vess
Written for his friend musician Tori Amos, Blueberry Girl imagines a much-loved baby who grows into a blessed young woman.  Beautiful illustrations!

30 Poems in 30 Days: April 1

April is National Poetry Month! To celebrate, we are challenging ourselves to scour the internet for great poetry and collect and post 30 poems, one for each day of the month of April. Please join us in this celebration of poetry and check back often to read the featured poem of the day.

Since today is April Fool's Day, it's only fair we start with a humorous poem and no one makes kids laugh more than Shel Silverstein.  His poem "Sick" is always a storytime crowd-pleaser.

It starts...

"I cannot go to school today,"
Said little Peggy Ann McKay.
"I have the measles and the mumps,
A gash, a rash and purple bumps.
My mouth is wet, my throat is dry,
I'm going blind in my right eye. 

Click here to read the whole poem. 

And come by the library to check out the latest Shel Silverstein book, Every Thing On It, a collection of  previously unpublished poems.