April is…. a time to rhyme and create because it’s National Poetry Month:

Learn about the National Youth Poet Laureate program featuring Amanda Gorman, who read her poem at the 2021 Inaguration:

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April is….a time to play in the dirt:

National Garden Month has ideas and activities for you to read about, while we have books galore!

And check out these sites geared for kids:

The Spruce always has great ideas for families:

April is….a time to take care of the Earth:

Here are just a few of our books, cds, and dvds relating to Earth Day:

National Today explains its history and how to develop the mindset of making every day Earth Day:

Take a look at Hoopla on our website and find even more resources for Earth Day…including music!

Visit Little Bins for Little Hands and enjoy some crafts to celebrate the day:

April is an exciting month to grow our minds with the often overlooked genre of poetry, grow new plants as the weather is warming up, and grow our respect for this precious planet. Let us help you spark your creativity this spring!

The beloved children’s novelist, Beverly Cleary, passed away last month. This former children’s librarian became one of the most popular authors of children’s literature, touching several generations of readers. Children, parents, teachers, librarians, and people all around the world have enjoyed her works throughout the years. Clicking on the links and pictures below will help you learn more about this fascinating, humble, and timeless writer.

On her webpage, you will find her biography and information about her books and characters.

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These interesting facts (and many more) come from the site “100 Things You Might Not Know About Beverly Cleary“:

3. In her writing, she never forgot the advice her mother gave her: “Keep it funny. People always like to read something funny.”

18. When she was working as a children’s librarian, a student angrily asked her, “Where are the books about kids like us?” That inspired Cleary to create characters like Henry Huggins and Ramona Quimby.

58. After reading aloud an essay Cleary had written, her seventh-grade teacher told the class, “When Beverly grows up, she should write children’s books.”

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Here is an excerpt from mentalfloss.com, a shorter list of interesting tidbits:

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More than a decade ago, the Library of Congress declared Cleary a living legend, and her birthday, April 12, is celebrated with Drop Everything and Read Day, held every year in many U.S. libraries and schools. Will your school be participating? Be sure to tell us about it!

Activities related to the Drop Everything and Read program can be found here and by clicking on the pictures from the website below:

We hope you’ve learned a little bit more about Beverly Cleary and her many works. Come in and pick out some books by her, or any of your favorites, to join in a special D.E.A.R. celebration this year!