August 1st always leads me to think of school and the library I'll be returning to in a few short weeks. The children I see on a daily basis as Library Media Specialist, love their library - every section, every shelf is a favorite for someone among my voracious readers. As a new library in a new school, we are in the process of building a collection and there are always more requests from students, teachers, and parents than can be met. No matter how successful we are in adding materials...no matter how large our collection grows...I hope that eagerness is never lost.

Poetry is big and I'm always happy to find new titles to add. If you are a fan of poetry you might want to check out: The Negro Speaks of Rivers - a picture book based on a poem written by Langston Hughes with watercolor pictures by E.B. Lewis. You can find complete reviews at A Patchwork of Books, Kids Lit, and Poetry for Children.

The poetic Water Dance by Thomas Locker also deserves your attention. Locker works in oils and his books are a beautiful blending of art and science. Some of his other nature inspired books include: Cloud Dance, Mountain Dance, Where the River Begins, and Sky Tree: Seeing Science Through Art.

Worth a visit is Poetry Friday, hosted this week at the Poetry for Children blog written by Sylvia Vardell - author of Poetry Aloud Here, Poetry People, and Children's Literature in Action. You'll find lots of new original poems and links to many of your favorite poets.