April is National Poetry Month

Established in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets, April is a wonderful time to focus on verse, living poets and poetry books. Check out these books, perfect for budding poets:


Thanks a Million: Poems

Sixteen thoughtful poems about being thankful for everyday things. Grimes uses a variety of forms that include haiku, a riddle, and a rebus in selections that speak directly to the experiences of young children.


Poetry Speaks to Children

More than 90 poems, for children ages six and up, celebrate the written word and feature a star-studded lineup of beloved poets, including: Roald Dahl; J. R. R. Tolkien; Robert Frost; Gwendolyn Brooks; Ogden Nash; John Ciardi; Langston Hughes; Sonia Sanchez; Seamus Heaney; Canada's best-loved children's poet, Dennis Lee; Rita Dove; Billy Collins; Nikki Giovanni and X. J. Kennedy. On the accompanying CD, 52 of the poems are brought to life-most read by the poets themselves-allow the reader to hear the words as the poets intended.


Collected Poetry of Paul Laurence Dunbar

This new 'most complete' edition of the collected poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar, the virtual father of black American poetry, includes sixty poems not included in the previous--and now out of print--Complete Poems. Sixteen of these were found in manuscript form.