Since it's National Poetry Month and baseball and other spring sports are getting underway, now's a good time to share the poetry book Good Sports with your children. If your kids love sports, they'll probably enjoy Good Sports: rhymes about running, jumping, throwing, and more. Written by Jack Prelutsky, our nation's first Children's Poet Laureate, the poems are full of humor, drama, and emotion. Chris Raschka, the illustrator of Good Sports also illustrated the children's poetry book A Poke in the I : A Collection of Concrete Poems, another book I recommend. Good Sports is a good book for 8-12 years olds to read on their own and is also a good read-aloud for 6-12 year olds. How do your kids feel about poetry? Are there any poetry books for children that you particularly recommend? If so, click on "Comments" below and share your recommendations. Thanks.

(Cover art courtesy of Alfred A. Knopf, An Imprint of Random House Children's Books)

Scholastic has released the cover art for Wonderstruck, the upcoming book by author and illustrator Brian Selznick, who won the 2008 Randolph Caldecott Medal for The Invention of Hugo Cabret. According to the Scholastic media release about Wonderstruck, "Expanding upon the genre-breaking form he invented in his trailblazing debut novel, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Brian Selznick creates another awe-inspiring and multi-layered reading experience." If you are not familiar with The Invention of Hugo Cabret, it is a fascinating adventure novel for 9-14 year olds and and, as the title page states, the book is "A Novel in Words and Pictures." As he did in The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Brian Selznick uses both words and pictures in Wonderstruck, but in Wonderstruck he tells two stories that are set 50 years apart - one told in words, one told in pictures. See my overview of Wonderstruck for more about Brian Selznick's new book, which will be released in September 2011.

(Cover art courtesy of Scholastic)

If you are anxious to encourage your teenagers to make healthier choices about what they eat, try Eat Fresh Food: Awesome Recipes for Teen Chefs. This teen cookbook is a excellent resource and includes 80 recipes from chef Rozanne Gold. Chef Gold is an international food and restaurant consultant and in addition to Eat Fresh Foodhas written several cookbooks for adults. There are a number of cookbooks for teens, but the emphasis on healthy eating makes Eat Fresh Food: Awesome Recipes for Teen Chefs a particularly good teen cookbook. For younger kids, I recommend Simply in Season Children's Cookbook, another good cookbook that encourages healthy eating.

(Cover art courtesy of Bloomsbury Children's Books)

Because of all the holidays and events in April and the many excellent children's books related to them, you'll find lots of resources on my 2011 April Calendar of Children's Books. Included are children's poetry books for National Poetry Month and Young People's Poetry Week, books about libraries and librarians for National Library Week, books about the environment for Earth Day, children's books about Passover and Easter, and much more. Visit the calendar throughout the month and see what's been added. Enjoy!

(Cover art courtesy of Penguin Young Readers Group)