Are you a creative kid? This program is tailored to kids who are 7 to 10 years old. Let your creative side flow in our new monthly program, Creatapillars. This exciting program will alternate between art themed and writing themed activities each month. This month we will be having fun creating our own poetry. We will meet on Monday, November 5, 2012 from 7:00 PM to 7:45 PM.  Registration will begin October 22, 2012. See you there!

[Caterpillar by Rickydavid is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0]

Have you earned your Go Wild Badge yet? If not, here is a great way to do it — check out some of our wild animal poetry! We have a wide variety of poems about animals and after you read them, be sure to try and come up with your own. Have a wild time!

This fun program will be for kids that love poems and kids who don't. We will look at "giggle poetry" for kids online, answer some riddles and vote on our favorite silly poems, while enjoying popcorn. This program is for kids third through fifth grade. Register online beginning March 26.
When: Tuesday, April 24, 7:00-7:45 PM
[Popcorn! by Andrew Rivett is licensed under CC BY 2.0]

April is National Poetry Month, if you haven’t already, maybe it’s time your group considered reading and discussing poetry. Choose a poet and let members select 2 or 3 poems from the poet’s collected worksto read. Members can discuss their reactions to the poems or maybe to poetry as a whole.

The complete poems by Walt Whitman ; edited with an introduction and notes by Francis Murphy

How to read a poem: and fall in love with poetry by Edward Hirsch

How to read a poem— and start a poetry circle by Molly Peacock

Migration: new & selected poems by W.S. Merwin

There was a man who loved a rat and other vile little poems by written by Gerda Rovetch ; illustrated by Lissa Rovetch — is full of colorful, short poems will make you laugh and declare how gross they are all at the same time! My favorites are the man who kept sardines in his pants, the man who baked bread with a snake, and the man who found a kidney. Which ones did you enjoy?

Birds of a feather by Jane Yolen — Striking photographs are what caught my eye right away on Jane Yolen's new book. This book has 14 spirited poems about familiar, as well as less common birds in the Eastern U.S. Each poem is matched with a photograph of the bird with realistic colors and sharp details. Yolen has written over 300 books for children and won many medals for her work.

Edgar Allan's official crime investigation notebook by Mary Amato — There's a thief at Wordsworth Elementary School and Edgar is determined to find out who it is! But this thief doesn't just stop with the classroom goldfish. Soon other classroom items disappear, and the culprit is leaving poems behind for clues. A fun mystery that will surprise readers at how much fun poetry can be.

A dazzling display of dogs : concrete poems by Betsy Franco ; illustrations by Michael Wertz — Do you love dogs? How about poetry? This book combines both of those fun items. With fun colorful illustrations, you can have fun reading her concrete poems aloud or to yourself. Some of the poem titles include Found at the Pound, Pug Appeal, Emmett's Ode to His Tennis Ball, and The Tail End. Happy reading!

The Poetry Foundation has chosen their newest Poet Laureate, J. Patrick Lewis! The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) has written a lovely post about Mr. Lewis on their blog. Also, we have a wonderful selection of poetry books by Mr. Lewis in our collection that you should check out and enjoy!

What do these three topics have in common? Well, they are all covered in the poetry section in the children's department. We have poems on all different kinds of subjects from baseball to ice cream to best friends. Not only do our poetry books cover all kinds of topics, but there are many that are very funny to read. When you feel like a few giggles check out Exploding Gravy or Oh, No! Where are my Pants? You'll find these books in the J800 section in the Children's Department, or a librarian can direct you right to the poetry books. They're also easy to find this month on our octagon book display. So check out our awesome poetry section where the reading is easy, and fun.