Ten Books for National Poetry Month (plus a weekly poetry challenge)

  April is a mere five days away, and that means it’s almost National Poetry Month! To help you get a kick start to celebrating poetry throughout April, we’ve put together an assortment of book recommendations. You’ll find a little bit of everything in this list of ten books: poetry collections, picture book stories told in poems, biographies of poets, even a novel in verse! We hope this list is just the beginning of a month of reading, discussing and doing (that is, writing ) poetry! We have a month long celebration planned in which we challenge our readers and the children in their lives to read, discuss, and write four different types of poems—one challenge per week. You can join the weekly poetry fun by subscribing to our newsletter , visiting the website regularly for updates, following us on Instagram (@readdiscussdo), or all of the above! To read : Choose a book from this list or any poetry book. To discuss : Do you usually like poetry? Why or why not? Can you think of a poem y

Snack and Story Time: Scarecrow Haystacks


by Mindy Baker

The Scarecrow written by Beth Ferry and illustrated by The Fan Brothers is a fall favorite that runs deep with an important message about friendship. Because Scarecrow looks scary, no one enters the field to be near him. One day, a baby crow drops into the field, injured. When the scarecrow shows kindness and helps the baby crow, it is the beginning of a special friendship. What will happen when the crow is healthy enough to fly away?

Read: The Scarecrow by Beth Ferry and illustrated by The Fan Brothers

Discuss:
  • Why doesn’t Scarecrow have any friends?
  • Who took care of the crow?
  • Why did the crow leave?
  • How did Scarecrow feel when the crow left?
  • What happened in the end to make Scarecrow feel good? Even though Scarecrow looked scary, how did he show he was friendly?
  • Have you ever met someone that you thought was going to be mean but ended up becoming one of your good friends? Tell about it.
Do: Make no bake haystack cookies!
  • 1 10 oz bag chow mein noodles
  • 1 pkg butterscotch chips
  • 1/2 cup peanut butter
  • Handful of roasted peanuts (optional)

Melt the chips on the stove, using a double boiler. If you don't have a double boiler, use very low heat and stir the chips constantly so they don't burn. You can also use the microwave. Stir in the peanut butter, then mix in the rest of the ingredients. Drop onto waxed paper to cool. 

(Recipe credit to www.thecountrycook.com)


Comments

Marci said…
I love this book! It's beautiful and emotional--a strong friendship story!
Rebecca Gomez said…
Marci, I agree! And it's so beautifully illustrated.