Floor-etry!

There's something big and bright in the Children's Services Department! It's poetry on the floor!

Grown-ups, this is a fantastic way for little ones to interact with words!

Come on down to the Main Library, walk around the circle and enjoy some "floor-etry"!
A librarian would be delighted to direct you to our wonderful poetry collection for kids!

Surprise Author Visit!!

We were thrilled today to have a surprise guest visit us at the library! Author David Elliott was in the area visiting a school, and decided to drop in and say "Hello!" To say we were pleasantly surprised is an understatement!

David Elliott is the author of many great books, including In the Wild, a book of animal poems. In the Wild was listed on last year's Mock Caldecott reading list, which highlights the best picture books published each year.

Thanks for visiting, Mr. Elliott! And thanks for writing such wonderful books for children!

ACPL Author Fair -- Saturday, April 23

This Saturday, the library is providing a wonderful opportunity.

It's the first annual Author's Fair! Visit the downtown library on Saturday, April 23, to chat with local authors, including children's authors
Helen Frost and Lynn Rowe Reed,
and attend presentations and author readings.

Click here for more information.

April is National Poetry Month!

Jack Prelutsky -- Shel Silverstein -- Douglas Florian
Lee Bennett Hopkins -- Karla Kuskin -- J. Patrick Lewis

What do all of these people have in common? They're children's poets! Now is the perfect time to read -- aloud -- some poetry. We have plenty here for you at the library. But you can also look online. Check out some poets' websites, like Jack Prelutsky's, where kids can read some of his fun poems, and grown-ups can find activities and lesson plans.


Or, try this page from Scholastic.com, in which Jack Prelutsky leads children through the process of writing their own poetry. At the end, kids can even publish their poetry online, and read poems that other kids have written!

Who is your favorite poet?

Friday the 13th

Today is Friday the 13th, a perfect day to read Knock on Wood: Poems about Superstitions by Janet S. Wong.

Or maybe it is a good day to read a scary story.

Most probably it is a great day to read anything you want.

Super Moms! Family Storytime

Bring your special someone to the Library this Saturday, May 8th, for Family Storytime! We'll be celebrating the wonderful ladies in our families -- moms, grandmas, aunts, and others. Storytime starts at 11:00!

Poetry for Kids

"A poem begins in delight and ends in wisdom." ~ Robert Frost (1874-1963) poet

Children love to listen to the cadence in poetry read aloud.
Poetry exposes children to vocabulary they might not hear otherwise.
Poetry can be funny, melancholic, political, historical or hysterical!
Let one of our librarians show you our extensive poetry section
and share some 'rhyme time' with your child.

If you heard it reviewed on NPR...

then we probably have the book available to check out.
This lovely collection of poems, songs and lullabies
compiled by Julie Andrews was a recent segment
on Morning Edition.

Where Else in the Wild?

Look carefully at the orchids on the cover of Where Else In the Wild?. Can you see the Orchid Mantis?

The creatures featured in this book are experts at camouflage. Each page features a gorgeous photograph with camouflaged creatures for you to find. Then you can open the flap to see them revealed and read a little information about their lives.

Did you know that as many as 10,000 snowshoe hares can live in a square mile? I didn't.

A Child's Book Review: Meow Ruff: A story in concrete poetry by Joyce Sidman

Meow Ruff: A Story in Concrete Poetry by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Michelle Berg was reviewed by 5-year-old Helena:

These poems aren't so funny, but it is a good one. It is probably the best poetry.

Submit your child's book review to me via email and you may see it in a future "A Child's Book Review" blog post. Don't forget that kids in grades K through 12 can enter a poem in the 27th annual poetry contest. Entries are due by Monday, November 2nd at 9pm.

Poetry! Riddles! Together in a Fun New Book!

Do you like riddles? Do you think you know children's books? Then Spot the Plot: A Riddle Book of Book Riddles is the book for YOU!

Here's the first riddle:

The sky shook,
the wind tossed
me in the air
Toto-ly lost.

I came upon
three strangers. We
kept each other
company.

Adventures followed
without pause,
and it was all, well,
just bec-Oz.

27th Annual Poetry Contest!

I Love it when...

Entries are being accepted for the 27th Annual Poetry Contest now through Monday, November 2nd. The contest is open to all children in grades kindergarten through five and young adults in grades six through twelve. For more information click here.

Japanese Cherry Blossom Festival

Cherry Blossom Festivals are held all over Japan in spring every year. Hanami is the Japanese word for cherry blossom viewing parties. At hanami parties, people have fun, drinking, eating, and singing during the day or night. It is like a picnic under the trees. Usually, people bring food, do BBQ, or buy food from vendors for hanami parties.

People of all ages are warmly invited to attend a Japanese Cherry Blossom Festival right here at the Main Library, May 31st from 12:00 - 6:00 PM.
There will be Japanese food, traditional dance, a bonsai exhibit and a karaoke competition among other activities.

April is National Poetry Month

April is National Poetry Month!
Let's all take the time
To read some children's poetry,
Or write a silly rhyme!

Celebrate National Poetry Month by checking out some children's poetry, like...


Be Glad Your Nose Is on Your Face and Other Poems,
by Jack Prelutsky








...or, you might want to check out poets.org, where you can find many resources for National Poetry Month, such as poetry contests, daily emailed poems, information on the Poetry Read-a-thon and much more.



For even more poetic fun, try these sites:

GottaBook's 30 Poets in 30 Days Project, where a new, previously unpublished poem will be posted daily during April -- there is an amazing list of children's poets associated with this project!

The Miss Rumphius Effect will be interviewing a different children's poet every day during April -- many of the same poets will be featured here as in the 30 Poets in 30 Days Project.

We also have a list of poetry resources on the Children's Services website!

A Child's Book Review: Dinothesaurus

Dinothesaurus: Prehistoric Poems and Paintings by Douglas Florian was reviewed by 4-year-old Helena:

I really like it. I like the dinosaurs and I like that its really long. They're all dinosaurs that I know. I like the pictures of all the dinosaurs.

Submit your child's book review to me via email and you may see it in a future "A Child's Book Review" blog post.

Congratulations, Lee Bennett Hopkins!

The National Council of Teachers of English has announced that Lee Bennett Hopkins has been awarded the 2009 NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children.

Mr. Hopkins is the author of a wide variety of books including:

• Been to Yesterdays: Poems of a Life
• Hand in Hand: An American History Through Poetry
• Good Books, Good Times
• Marvelous Math
  
• Hanukkah Lights
  
• and many more

Congratulations, Mr. Hopkins!

Go Green! Poetry Contest Awards Ceremony

This year, the Allen County Public Library Poetry Contest for children and young adults attracted 878 entries representing poets from over 50 schools. Private schools, public schools, parochial schools, and home schools were all represented among the winners as kids wrote poems on the theme of "Go Green!"

Tomorrow we will celebrate these young poets in our community at a special Awards Ceremony. You are invited to help celebrate their creative writing efforts and hear the winning poets read their poems at 11:00 in the theater of the Main Library.

We hope you will join us!

Children's Poet Laureate: Mary Ann Hoberman

Mary Ann Hoberman has been named the second Children's Poet Laureate. Her job for the next two years will be to instill a love of poetry in children, something that she has been working on for her entire career.

For more information about the Children's Poet Laureate position, click here. Check out some of Hoberman's wonderful books here.

Go Green Poetry Contest

The 26st annual Poetry Contest has drawn to a close. Nearly 900 children and young adults from 51 schools participated in this year's creative writing contest. All winning poets have been notified and will be publicly announced at our Awards Ceremony to be held on Saturday, December 6.

You are invited to the Award Ceremony at 11:00 in the theater of the Main Library to hear the poets read their winning works!

Click here to find some of the books of winning poems from previous years.

All We Need Is Love...and The Beatles

All Together Now: Beatles stuff for kids of all ages is a CD & book set celebrating the fab four. The songs on the CD are respectably covered and some even include children singing backup vocals, which adds a fun, child-friendly feel. The Bangles make a fantastic guest appearance to cover "Good Day Sunshine".

The book includes poems & child-like illustrations inspired by the songs on the CD, plus Beatle facts to give new fans background information.

My mother filled our house with the scratchy sound of The Beatles on LP and as a second generation fan, I welcome this effort to connect yet another generation with a wonderful sound. Check it out!