Feed Me Books Friday: April is National Poetry Month

A Poem is More than a Rhyme

Lots of children’s books are full of rhymes, but that doesn’t really mean they are all poetry. From where I stand, a book written in rhyme may or may not be a poem, and a poem may or may not be a rhyme. I adore poetry – reading it, writing it, sharing it – so how do I define it? I really like this definition:

Poetry is an imaginative awareness of experience expressed through meaning, sound, and rhythmic language choices so as to evoke an emotional response. […] The very nature of poetry as an authentic and individual mode of expression makes it nearly impossible to define. (From about.com)

If poetry is an imaginative awareness of experience, then exposure to that awareness could certainly promote growth in any of the developmental domains, depending on the experience! I keep a section on B’s book shelf reserved for poetry books, and I’ve been trying to give them a little extra attention this month, but unfortunately haven’t gotten any up to post yet – hopefully this will be only the first of at least a few special features.


Couplets on Common Characters

One poetry book that B has enjoyed enough to request repeat performances is Douglas Florian’s Beast Feast. Florian is known for his accessible and often humorous children’s poetry, but he refrains from downright slapstick jokes and imbues his poems with a quietly curious quality. I especially like this excerpt from “The Ants,”

While down below

Beneath the mound
They’re building tunnels
Underground.
And so it’s been –
And it will be –
Since greatest
Ant antiquity.

Simple and yet profound. Also love that much of Florian’s work includes really meaty language that is just the ticket to passively building vocabulary. Florian also illustrates his poetry with very kid-friendly paintings. They are colorful and attractive without being cartoonish or immature. Beast Feast, as you might guess, is a collection of animal poems. Besides “The Ants,” you’ll also find “The Walrus,” “The Armadillo,” “The Camel,” and “The Sloth,” among others. Florian has several other themed poetry collections, many of which are living on my wish list right now!
Appropriate for: everyone!

Kids’ Poetry Challenge


Janelle at Brimful Curiosities is hosting a Kids’ Poetry Challenge for the Month of April. The first two weeks got away from me, but I’m excited to be able to join in this week. Even if you don’t have a poem to share (try next week!) you should check out her explanation post – she’s got a ton of great poetry resources and links listed there! Janelle’s post also reminded me that there’s more great poetry to be found (some kids some not) each week at the Poetry Friday Round-up, hosted this week at Random Noodling.

Do you have a favorite poem book to read with kids? Even if you don’t have a post about it for this week, I’d love to hear suggestions in the comments! Don’t forget: There are a couple days left in library appreciation week – check out our activity if you haven’t already!





[*Poetry Month Logo from poets.org*]

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Comin’ Down to Storytime (‘Cause I Love My Library!)

A Tradition of Treasures

You might think that with the obscenely large collection of books I’ve amassed in my home, we wouldn’t need to frequent the local library (or check out stacks of 15 or so books at a time). However, variety is the spice of life, we never know what treasure we might find, and the library has even more to offer besides great books! Before I had the opportunity to be a stay at home mom, B started attending library story time with his babysitter Rosi, and his best friend E (her son). His excitement began when I dropped him off on a library day, and by the time I picked him up, he had jubilant stories to tell. It’s a tradition I’ve happily continued, and introduced T to along the way. I want to take this opportunity to publicly thank Rosi for her influence on our library habit (among countless other positive influences).

Literacy Topped with Love

In my book, there are very few good reasons for missing our weekly preschool story time. Our children’s library staff treats the kids to great read-alouds, finger-plays, songs, flannel-board stories, rhymes, and opportunities to share, followed by a parachute song and a take-home craft. Coming recently from public school employment, I never cease to be amazed at what they can do with what I can only imagine are meager resources. Our three treasured ladies of the library exude joy as they lead the activities and interact with the kids, and they’re knowledgeable and helpful to boot!

Soakin’ up the Extras

In addition to the weekly story time, we check out tons of books, hang out in the children’s play area, and make use of the toddler-friendly computers every time we visit. We also try to take advantage of monthly special activities, including summer and winter reading programs, parent workshops, holiday crafts, and visiting storytellers and performers. B is always proud to share his reading log with one of the enthused staff members and thrilled to collect his prize of a special pencil, stickers, or even a new book! His favorite performance was a recent magic show – he’s just at the stage where he was amazed and enthralled and yet just a little wary of the tricks.

Singing Our Way to the Library

When I first came across Comin’ Down to Storytime, by Rob Reid, on our library shelves, I was immediately attracted to several things – adorable illustrations (by Nadine Bernard Westcott) of barnyard animals partaking in story time activities, rhymes set to the scheme of She’ll be Comin Round the Mountain with spot-on rhythm, and the inclusion of nearly every activity present at our treasured library story-time. B was impressed that this story was also a song, and we both loved the way the “yee-haws!” in the traditional song were replaced with contextually appropriate exclamations: “Itsy-bitsy!” for the finger-play verse, and “Mother Goose!” for the nursery rhyme verse, among others. The book has been returned, but the song stuck with us, and Wednesday mornings often include several verses of "Comin Down to Storytime" as we get ready for our library trip.

Comin' Down to Storytime

Sprouting in Every Direction!This book offers opportunities for growth in every developmental domain. Cognitively, the rhyme, rhythm, and repetition are all key pre-reading skills to emphasize and practice with your little sprout. Even without a tune, it won’t take many pages before your toddler or preschooler can fill in the blanks in each verse, which helps him or her correlate words and sounds with print in a fun and memorable way. Physically, use the activities highlighted in each verse to act out, developing large motor skills with “Skip-to-my-Lou!” and small motor skills with “Itsy-Bitsy!” To go for the Social-Emotional gains, use this book to get your child prepared and excited to join a story time group at your local library. Reading about and enjoying some of the activities in advance can help your child be more confident and outgoing in the social setting of a story time or playgroup.

Appropriate for toddlers, preschoolers, primary grades.

I'm linking up with Little Page Turners Love My Library. Hope Comin' Down to Storytime will encourage you to go check out your local library or if you're already a regular, I hope it gives you something to sing about!

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What is a Little Sprout Book?

A Little Sprout Book is a children’s book that is not only entertaining, but can be a tool for parents and caregivers to support their child’s developmental growth. The three main areas of human development are physical, cognitive, and social-emotional. I would argue that any book could contribute to a child’s cognitive development if only because enjoying it fosters an interest in reading. However, Little Sprout Books go further.

I do not assert or suggest that reading the books I recommend will result in developmental advances or treat developmental delays. Instead, I intend to help parents and caregivers make connections between the books they read with their children and the developmental processes their children are naturally experiencing. It is my hope that enjoying a recommended book or completing a suggested activity will help your child grow and perhaps give you a more concrete understanding of what you can do to support that growth.

For further information about developmental domains, please see my references page; links are updated there as I find them.

As a mom and as a teacher, I welcome your suggestions/input about the books I recommend or others you have found with similar qualities – please leave a comment on the related post, or contact me via littlesproutbooks AT gmail DOT com.

All of the books I review/recommend are those we’ve found in bookstores, libraries, catalogs, or through a friend; none are paid endorsements. However, I feature an Amazon link for anyone interested enough by a review to consider purchasing. If you choose to add a book to your library based on what you read here, I may receive a small percentage of the purchase price if you shop at Amazon. If so, I thank you for contributing to my book shopping habit!

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