By Carroll Hopp
Library Media Specialist
Hazel Dell Elementary School

April is known as “Poetry Month” and these books will help celebrate the event and bring some smiles to readers and listeners.

Soup for Breakfast by Calef Brown
Calef Brown writes poems and illustrates with folk art characters about such things as how you can paint on toast, and how architects started out as architot--“Clever kids with wooden blocks/building houses, schools, and shops.” Readers will enjoy learning about “Grandpa’s Mustache” (hair from his nose?), and “Soup for Breakfast” (much better than eggs and toast). The range of subjects is fun since he seems to write about whatever pops into his head.

“Soup for Breakfast” is written and illustrated by Calef Brown, published by Houghton Mifflin, and retails for $16.00.

Voice from Afar: Poems of Peace by Tony Johnston
For students age 10 and older, Tony Johnston has written a collection of poetry combining the grief and loss of war and the hope that someday things will be better. These poems depict war throughout the world and how it affects the people living in that area. Johnston writes hopefully of better days--“Give us this day our daily bread/and, please, Lord, give us tomorrow.” Illustrator Susan Guevara has drawn softly colored images of what the poem is telling the reader.

Voice from Afar: Poems of Peace is written by Tony Johnston and illustrated by Susan Guevara. It is published by Holiday House and retails for $16.95.

Mr. Mosquito Put on His Tuxedo by Barbara Olenyik Morrow
Can mosquitoes be useful at all? Barbara Olenyik Morrow shows that these insects are in the right place at the right time. The insects have a fancy ball surrounded by a camper’s food and supplies. When a bear also finds the food, he is ready to eat. How can a mosquito take on a bear? Maybe the insect has friends! Morrow tells the story in rhyme and illustrator Ponder Goembel’s oversized insects throughout the book have readers seeing things from an insect’s point of view.

Mr. Mosquito Put on His Tuxedo is written by Barbara Olenyik Morrow and illustrated by Ponder Goembel. It is published by Holiday House and retails for $16.95.