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Happy poetry month! It’s lovely to have a time when we try to focus EVERYONE’S attention on poetry (although many of us do that all year long, of course). I’m hoping to post every day this month with a variety of poems, poets, and topics. First off, I’m lifting some details from my book, Poetry People, A Practical Guide to Children’s Poets. If you’re looking for help in selecting and sharing poetry by 62 major poets writing for children, I hope you’ll check it out. I also have a few “extras” in the backmatter of the book, including a calendar of poet birthdays-- here's the April list:

April
7 Alice Schertle
12 Gary Soto
13 Lee Bennett Hopkins
20 April Halprin Wayland
22 William Jay Smith; Ron Koertge
25 George Ella Lyon
26 Marilyn Nelson
28 Barbara Juster Esbensen

and lists of:
Awards for Poetry for Young People
Poet Promotion Activities
How to Share Poetry
Poet Biographies, Autobiographies and Memoirs
Popular Poetry Web Sites
Poetry Anthologies
Poems About Libraries and Reading
Poetry Practices Checklist

In addition, I have gathered lists of:
Poets to Watch
People Who Write Other Things Plus Poetry
Verse Novelists
Anthologists
Classic Poets
Poets Who Write for Adults, Plus Children

I’d like to kick off the month with an eye on our poets to watch, which includes new names all the time. Here are individuals who are emerging as notable poets writing for children. Can you suggest others?
Adoff, Jaime
Burg, Brad
Cyrus, Kurt
Grandits, John
Greenberg, David
Johnson, Lindsay Lee
Katz, Alan
Kay, Verla
Lawson, JonArno
Lisa, Nicola W.
Medina, Jane
Mitton, Tony
Mordhorst, Heidi
Moss, Jeff
Nesbitt, Kenn
Paul, Ann Whitford
Pomerantz, Charlotte
Rex, Adam
Roemer, Heidi
Smith, Hope Anita
Van Meter, Gretchen
Wayland, April Halprin
Wolf, Alan
Zimmer, Tracy Vaughn

Here’s one fun poem by a new voice with a great metaphor that kids will love:

POETRY IS MY UNDERWEAR
by April Halprin Wayland

My sister found them.

Read them out loud.
She’s so proud,

she’s running to our parents
waving my poems in the air.
Doesn’t she know
she’s waving my underwear?

from Girl Coming in for a Landing by April Halprin Wayland (Knopf 2002)
Happy birthday, April on April 20!
Happy national poetry month, one and all.

Picture credit: daddytypes.com

I've been working on updating the way I draw children. Here's a sketch I was finally able to finish last week.

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