Our Reader's Studio meeting on April 18, 2011 was a little bittersweet because it was the final one of the school year. But we had a BLAST celebrating National Poetry Month. Shel Silverstein was a clear favorite, but everybody brought a great poetry book to share.

Adnan & Ashlin = Big Nate in a Class by Himself by Lincoln Peirce (This is a funny novel that also features short poems. These two buddies each shared a different one from the book. Who knew there could be poems about cheese doodles?)

Aziza = Bird Children by Elizabeth Gordon (She chose to share the poem "Peacock". The peacock is the national bird of India, and Aziza has just returned from a trip to that country.)

Erin & Jessica = Love That Dog by Sharon Creech (This is a novel written in verse. Erin shared a poem entitled "Blue Car". Jessica made us laugh with one called "September 13".)

Ethan = Kids Pick the Funniest Poems edited by Bruce Lansky ("Stop Sniffing" is just one of tons of hilarious poems in this book.)

Isabella & Samantha = A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein (Isabella had us confused and giggling with "MeeWho and the ExactlyWatt". Samantha saluted TV with "Channels".)

Miss Katie Jane = Around the World on Eighty Legs by Amy Gibson (This new book features awesome animal poems, including "Warthog".)

Lizzie & Sahar = Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein (This is possibly the best known children's poetry book ever! Lizzie shared a slightly scary but mostly funny poem called "Boa Constrictor". Sahar presented a variety of excuses for getting out of school in "Sick".)

Miss Polly = A Curious Collection of Cats by Betsy Franco (This is a book of concrete poems, which means the visual is just as important as the words in "Veronica Goes Wide".)

After we shared our books, we tackled creating poetry ourselves. We took the idea of magnetic poetry and gave it a little tweak. Check out the results!

If you would like to celebrate National Poetry Month, drop by the nonfiction section of the Kid Zone. Just look for books with the number 811 on the spine. Or look for ideas on the world wide web.