April 30: Last Call for Poetry Month... NOT!

 In the recent posts I've focused on picture books that engage with EARTH DAY and environmental topics. Missed them? Check out books that involve restoration/repurposing, HERE, our remarkable planet's precious OCEAN, and the damage that we do to it, HERE,  the power of shared generational experiences to develop environmental values, HERE, animal adaptation in response to habitat changes, HERE, the never-ending need for vigilant attention when progress is made, HERE, and some very specific examples of turning values into action, HERE. 

Whew! There are plenty more books I could have touted, but April is just a wildly busy month when it comes to focusing on important themes and topics.

But... and if you've read my posts in the past this will not be news... THEME MONTHS are a double edged sword! Environmental concern and action is useless unless it becomes a 24/7/365 practice. So, too, it's foolish to think that designating a single week in April to extend thanks to our librarians, library workers and public library services is adequate. As citizens of our communities and members of a literate society, it falls to each of us to speak up for public funding fr those services, join and engage with any library "friends" organizations in our communities, and go out of our way to thank those workers at every opportunity.

As if that's not enough, APRIL is designated as NATIONAL POETRY Month. So, since today is  April 30, I'll feature some poetry books and thoughts here and then ignore poetry for another year. 

As the title for this post indicates: NOT!

Just a year ago, I had a post about the importance of poetry in our lives, HERE. 

I included this poster:

If you don't have time to click back to read the whole post, here are a few lines that I shared then, with deep respect for the young readers who helped develop the definition:

Poetry is literature with special feelings, word choices, forms, and patterns.

I urge you to read their insights. Here are only a few to explore their answers to the question, WHAT IS POETRY?:

Poetry:

·      Needs to use words

·      Does not have to be written on paper

·      Should go through the writing process to polish it to a shine

·      Does not have to be in a book

·      May have things in it to figure out

·      Can rhyme, but doesn’t have to rhyme

·      Can be long or short

·      Can describe things or people

·      Can be about nature

·      Can be about anything

and so much more...

Let's turn that calendar page tomorrow while making it a priority

 to read and recite and memorize and recommend and celebrate 

POETRY- 

EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR!