April is National Poetry Month. The Academy of American Poets created this celebration in 1996 to increase awareness and appreciation for poetry. Poetry (both reading and writing poems) can be tough for kids. Kids think a poem has to rhyme or have some bigger meaning, but I’m here today to prove kids wrong and show that poems can be fun. They may just find themselves writing a poem too. POETRY COMICS By: Grant Snider Published: March 26, 2024 Publisher: Chronicle Kids Fiction Grant Snider has quickly become a children’s author whose books I really enjoy. I was thrilled to see he had another ..read more

The HELLO series of books by Hannah Rogge are shaped board books that include a cardboard pop-out animal attached to strings. The series includes HELLO HONEYBEES, HELLO HUMMINGBIRD, and HELLO CLOWNFISH, available today. HELLO HUMMINGBIRDS Read and Play in the Tree! By: Hannah Rogge Illustrated by: Emily Dove Published: May 2, 2023 Publisher: Chronicle Kids Fiction Hummingbird season is here in Iowa and I’m ready for it. I set my feeder out this week with the hope that a few hummingbirds will find it and stick around for the summer. In this interactive board book, kids will pop out the hummin ..read more

I SAW A BEAUTIFUL WOODPECKER The Diary of a Young Boy at the Outbreak of World War II By: Michał Skibiński Illustrated by: Ala Bankroft Translated by: Eliza Marciniak Published: October 5, 2021 Publisher: Prestel Junior Non-Fiction A school requirement led an 8-year-old Polish boy to keep a journal. He wrote just one sentence a day during the summer of 1939 as his family spent the summer holiday near Warsaw, Poland. His journal entries begin on July 15, 1939, and end on September 15, 1939. Some of the journal entries are beautifully illustrated including the days he found a caterpillar in th ..read more

SAVING DELICIA A Story about Small Seeds and Big Dreams By: Laura Gehl Illustrated by: Patricia Metola Published: April 9, 2024 Publisher: Flyaway Books Fiction Gehl and Metola first teamed up on the children’s book APPLE AND MAGNOLIA, a beautiful story of friendship between a young girl and the trees in her backyard. The fictional tree in this story, the delicia tree, bears the most juicy fruit and the best shade in the summer. However, it is threatened by blight, a disease that attacks plants. Kari is determined to save her delicia tree and begins a special project to do just that. Kari an ..read more

HENRY AND THE SOMETHING NEW By: Jenn Bailey Illustrated by: Mika Song Published: March 19, 2024 Publisher: Chronicle Kids Fiction For kids like Henry, regular routines are important. So, when a big field trip is planned at school, Henry is both worried and excited. Henry is worried about riding the really loud school bus, but he is also excited about going to the museum. Henry loves dinosaurs and there will be dinosaurs at the museum, but he also loves books and he could just stay at school and be in the library with all the books. This early chapter book with just five illustrated chapters ..read more

Basketball season and March Madness are in full swing and this weekend we are down to the FINAL FOUR! Living in Iowa, you know we’ll be cheering for our Iowa Hawkeye Women’s Basketball Team. If you have a child who loves all the college basketball on TV right now, then these basketball books for kids might just be for them. BASKETBALL TOWN By: Scott Rothman Illustrated by: Darnell Johnson Published: September 12, 2023 Publisher: Candlewick Press Fiction Maxwell lives and dreams (literally) basketball. One night he goes to bed dreaming about basketball and the next thing he knows he is waking ..read more

THE HEAVY BAG One Girl’s Journey Through Grief By: Sarah Surgey Illustrated by: Larisa Ivankovic Published: April 1, 2024 Publisher: Cardinal Rule Press Enid’s grandpa has died and she is very sad. Enid filled her backpack with the special things she and her grandpa had shared like a telescope, a wooden boat, some biscuits she made for him, and more. All these things made her bag heavy. With each step her legs grew wobbly and her bag got heavier. Along the way, Enid came across some friends who offered to lighten her load. As she decided to let them hold the things in her bag, she felt lighte ..read more

This is my monthly roundup of books that I added to my shelves in March 2024. Some of the books came directly from authors or publishers, others were a purchase or a gift. You’ll find books from all kinds of genres including adult and children’s books. I’ll even share a few things from our family’s life in the last month as well. Family and Life Update After I returned from my two-week trip with my mom and sister, our family got together to celebrate my mom’s 85th birthday! Reagan was home for Spring Break and we did some fun day trips including a day in Pella with our daughter-in-law. Pat ..read more

I PROMISE IT WON’T ALWAYS HURT LIKE THIS 18 Assurances on Grief By: Clare Mackintosh Published: February 2, 2024 Publisher: Sourcebooks Non-Fiction Sometimes it’s bookish serendipity when a book lands in your lap at the most perfect time. I didn’t know I needed Mackintosh’s book right now, but her honest approach to grief and her realistic advice are just what I needed. If I’m being honest, I’ve felt guilty grieving. There is so much hurt in our world, young children are dying of cancer, friends have lost their husbands, friends have lost their siblings, and people are dying much too young a ..read more

THE BOOK THAT CAN READ YOUR MIND By: Marianna Coppo Published: March 12, 2024 Publisher: Chronicle Kids Fiction When you think of magic tricks, you probably imagine a card trick, or making something disappear, or pulling something out of a hat. Now you can bring some magic into reading with your child. This book has a different ending every time you read it and will be loads of fun. This isn’t your usual book, this one is full of magic. Your kids will be amazed at how the book is reading their minds. Kids will choose a member of the audience and the book will guess who you are thinking of. O ..read more