April showers, sun, longer days and warmer weather all remind us of April. April is also a month with many events we celebrate in the library.
School Library Month
National Poetry Month
Jazz Appreciation Month
National Library Week (April 11-17)
Support Teen Literature Day (April 15)
Poem in Your Pocket Day (April 29)
Earth Day (April 22)
William Shakespeare’s birth (and death) day
To help celebrate these events, check out the library displays and other related materials.
National Poetry Month and Poem in Your Pocket Day
Check out poetry in the non fiction section (811)
Some poetry books to read this month:
- 811 SHE — Any by Shel Silverstein! Yes, they may be a little young and silly for high school, but that’s the whole point!
- 811 FLE — Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices, by Paul Fleischman –another young poetry book, but so fun to read with friends!
- 811 BLO — How to (Un)cage a Girl, by Francesca Lia Block — fun teen girl poetry.
- 811 DIC — The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson, by Emily Dickinson — for the complete Dickinson poetry lover.
- 811 APP — Poems from Homeroom: A Writer’s Place to Start, by Kathi Appelt — a great poetry book for those who write their own.
- 811 SHA — The Rose that Grew from Concrete, by Tupac Shakur — yes, this is a book of poetry by Tupac (yes, the rapper!)
- 811 ENG — The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba’s Struggle for Freedom, by Margarita Engle — what a cool way to experience history!
- 811 PAP — Math Talk: Mathematical Ideas in Poems for Two Voices, by Theoni Pappas — For the math lover, and it’s in two voices, so get a friend to read these with you!
- 811 MYE — Amiri and Odette, by Walter Dean Myers — A love story told in poetry form, with beautiful paintings along side the story.
- Looking for more? We have shelves and shelves of poetry books. Take a stop back in 811 to see for yourself.
William Shakespeare’s birthday
Books on the William Shakespeare display range from scholarly works about Shakespeare, his works, and his time period to his stories retold and expanded upon. Here are just some of the fiction stories (not written by Shakespeare, but dealing with him and/or his works (HINT: Some of these re-tellings and expanded upon stories may get you in good favor from your English teacher!):
- Ophelia, by Lisa Klein
- Dating Hamlet: Ophelia’s Story, by Lisa Fiedler
- Enter Three Witches, by Caroline B. Cooney
- Lords and Ladies: A Novel of Discworld, by Terry Pratchett
- Loving Will Shakespeare, by Carolyn Meyer
- Ophelia’s Fan, Christine Balint
- Romeo’s Ex: Rosaline’s Story, by Lisa Fiedler
- Romiette and Julio, by Sharon M. Draper
- Something Rotten and Something Wicked, by Alan Gratz
- The True Prince, by J. B. Cheaney
- The Sweet, Terrible, Glorious Year I Truly, Completely Lost It, by Lisa Shanahan
- Shakespeare Bats Cleanup, by Ronald Koertge
Earth Day
Earth Day is celebrated every year on April 22. Find some more information here: http://www.earthday.org/
The books on the Earth Day display range from informational on the environment, being green, and things that can harm the earth to poetry and novels.
Here are some of the non fiction books:
- Green Chic: Saving the Earth In Style, by Christie Matheson
- An Inconvenient Truth: The Planetary Emergency of Global Warming and What We Can Do About It, by Al Gore
- Buildings of the Future, by Angela Royston
- Going Green, by Kris Hirschmann
- Endangered Species, edited by Cynthia A. Bily
- Silent Spring, by Rachel Carson
- Environmental Groups, by Patricia D. Netzley
- Energy of the Future, Angela Royston
- See the display for many more!
Here are some of the fiction books:
- Flush, by Carl Hiaasen — With their father jailed for sinking a river boat, Noah Underwood and his younger sister, Abbey, must gather evidence that the owner of this casino is emptying his bilge tanks into the waters around their Florida Keys home.
- Hoot, by Carl Hiaasen — Roy, who is new to his small Florida community, becomes involved in another boy’s attempt to save a colony of burrowing owls from a proposed construction site.
- Scat, by Carl Hiaasen — Nick and his friend Marta decide to investigate when a mysterious fire starts near a Florida wildlife preserve and an unpopular teacher goes missing.
- California Blue, by David Klass — When seventeen-year-old John Rodgers discovers a new sub-species of butterfly which may necessitate closing the mill where his dying father works, they find themselves on opposite sides of the environmental conflict.
- They Came From Below, Blake Nelson — While vacationing on Cape Cod, best friends Emily, age sixteen, and Reese, seventeen, meet Steve and Dave, who seem too good to be true, and whose presence turns out to be related to a dire threat of global pollution.
- Divine Madness, by Robert Muchamore — When a team of CHERUB agents uncovers a link between ecoterrorists group Help Earth and a wealthy religious cult known as the Survivors, James Adams is sent to Australia on an infiltration mission.
- Exodus, by Julie Bertagna — In the year 2100, Mara discovers the existence of sky cities that are safe from storms and rising waters, and convinces her people to travel from their threatened island to one of these cities in order to save themselves.
- The Final Warning: A Maximum Ride Novel, by James Patterson — While on a mission to save the world from global warming, Maximum Ride and the other members of the Flock — a band of genetically modified children who can fly — are pursued by their creator, who wants to auction them off.
Inspired by a book this Earth Day or just want to take some action? There are many small things you can do everyday to be greener, or you may want to get involved somewhere locally. Check out the following sites for more information:
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