April = Aperire = Open

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     Spring is in the air with showers and the anticipation of blooming flowers. April is also the month that celebrates BLT’s, grilled cheese, pecans, soft pretzels and garlic. Quite the combination, but it is also Poetry and School Library Month and includes National Library Week. So, in this “Open” month, why not open a cookbook, a book of poems and an account at your local library or for that matter, open any book in April and read! Combine National Picnic Day with Earth Day and Arbor Day and pack a picnic basket with foods you’ve made with your family and kick back and take the time to enjoy a good book, good food and good company. Once again, look over our food calendar and choose a date, choose a food and choose a book and enjoy! Don’t forget to consult our book lists for suggestions and ideas. **Note: unfortunately, the Coronavirus has changed our daily lives, how we go about them and what we do. Sheltering at home can still include reading books, telling stories and writing poems and even picnicking in the backyard. Keep little brains engaged with books. Reading and listening to stories and baking in the kitchen are excellent for home learning. Enjoy and stay safe!

April
National BLT, Garden, Garlic, Grilled Cheese, Pecan, Poetry, School Library, & Soft Pretzel Month

National Garden Month

We Are the Gardeners by Joanna Gaines

Jack's Garden by Henry Cole

Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt by Kate Messner

Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert

The Curious Garden by Peter Brown

Plantzilla by Jerdine Nolan

The Gardener by Sarah Stewart

The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss

National Geographic Readers: Seed to Plant by Kristin Baird Rattini

From Seed to Plant by Gail Gibbons

Roots, Shoots, Buckets and Boots: Gardening Together with Children by Sharon Lovejoy

To learn about the benefits of having children help in the garden, refer to our previous blogs: The Power of a Garden and Why Get Kids in the Garden?.

“For children, most importantly, being in the garden is something magical.”
Fritjof Capra

National Pecan Month

Let's Go Nuts!: Seeds We Eat by April Pulley Sayre

100 Pecans for Tabitha by Tracey M. Cox

National Poetry Month

     Sadly, there don‘t seem to be any anthologies of poems about food and cooking for children (at least that we have found). But poets, such as Shel Silverstein, have been known to write an amusing poem or two about food. In fact, Kenn Nesbitt has a list of food poems on his Poetry for Kids website. So, take the time to look through popular children‘s poetry anthologies for amusing food related poems and other poems to delight you and your family (and refer to our Nursery Rhymes & Poetry book list).

     An activity you can do at home to celebrate Poetry Month is a type of found poetry called Book Spine Poetry. Using the titles of books on their spines, you stack the books to create a poem.

2nd: National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day

Peanut Butter & Brains: A Zombie Culinary Tale by Joe McGee

Peanut Butter & Aliens: A Zombie Culinary Tale by Joe McGee

Peanut Butter and Jelly: A Play Rhyme by Nadine Bernard Westcott

Peanut Butter & Cupcake! by Terry Border

8th: National Empanada Day

The Empanadas that Abuela Made by Diane Gonzales Bertrand

The Pumpkin Moon Empanadas by Clementina Llanes

12th: National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day

12th: National Licorice Day

14th: National Pecan Day
     See National Pecan Month above.

19th: National Garlic Day

19th - 25th: National Library Week

     Consult your local library's website, as well as the American Library Association, to see what activity ideas are out there to celebrate National Library Week.

"No Pirates Allowed!" said Library Lou by Rhonda Gowler Greene

Homer the Library Cat by Reeve Lindbergh

Chicken Story Time by Sandy Asher

A Library Book for Bear by Bonny Becker

22nd: Earth Day

Compost Stew: An A to Z Recipe for the Earth by Mary McKenna Siddals

For additional titles about Earth Day, refer to our previous blog: Let's Celebrate Earth and Arbor Day!.

22nd: National Jelly Bean Day

How Many Jelly Beans? by Andrea Menotti

The Jellybeans Love to Read by Laura Numeroff

23rd: National Picnic Day

One Hundred Hungry Ants by Elinor J. Pinczes

The Teddy Bears' Picnic by Jimmy Kennedy

     Need help planning a picnic? Take a look at The Picnic: Recipes and Inspiration from Basket to Blanket by Marnie Hanel, Andrea Slonecker, and Jen Stevenson. While intended for adults, this title is beautiful, witty and full of grand ideas for having the most splendid picnic imaginable.

The Picnic: Recipes and Inspiration from Basket to Blanket by Marnie Hanel, Andrea Slonecker, and Jen Stevenson

26th: National Pretzel Day

Brother Giovanni's Little Reward: How the Pretzel Was Born by Anna Egan Smucker

Pretzels by the Dozen: Truth and Inspiration with a Heart-Shaped Twist by Angela Hunt

30th: National Raisin Day

How Do You Raise a Raisin? by Pam Munoz Ryan

Last Saturday: Arbor Day

As An Oak Tree Grows by G. Brian Karas

Because of an Acorn by Lola M. Schaefer

Stay healthy and happy reading!

-Kate @ BTBL

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Author

We are three generations that seek a way to get back to basics. It’s not that we eschew technology, but sometimes simpler is better, especially in raising our children. Mom was a reading teacher, Amanda is an early childhood educator and Kate a children’s literature specialist and former school librarian along with the latest additions, a daughter (now 4) for Kate, and two sons (now 1 and a newborn) for Amanda. We advocate reading aloud, the simple toys that use imagination and encourage creativity and learning in the kitchen, which can be a fun mess but also teaches life skills. Join us in raising healthy, happy, inquisitive and intelligent children.