"April Rain Song"
Let the rain kiss you
Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops
Let the rain sing you a lullaby
The rain makes still pools on the sidewalk
The rain makes running pools in the gutter
The rain plays a little sleep song on our roof at night
And I love the rain.
—Langston Hughes, The Dream Keeper

KIDS' Q&A: MARY POPE OSBORNE
If there's a subject Mary Pope Osborne doesn't know about, she's probably researching it right now. The author of the Magic Tree House series confesses that her imagination "is closer to a child's imagination than to a grown-up's," which explains how she makes history so thrilling for young readers, and how she came up with the fabulous characters in The Mysteries of Spider Kane. In our Q&A she reveals more about what fuels her creativity and describes what's ahead for Jack and Annie of the Magic Tree House. Read more about Mary Pope Osborne, then get out your wands and buy Magic Tree House #35: Night of the New Magicians at 30% off the cover price.

KIDS' Q&A: ANNE URSU
Anne Ursu has already written two thoroughly inventive, enchanting novels for adults. We are only too pleased that she is now delving into the mystical, magical world of children's literature with The Shadow Thieves, the first of a promised trio of books for middle readers. In our Kids' Q&A, Ursu asserts that "there are no limits" in children's literature, which has us zipping with zealous anticipation about this new fantasy story. Turns out she loves kids' books and recommends many of her favorites in our Q&A. Read all about it, then save 30% on The Shadow Thieves.

VOCABULARY INTERMISSION
lark n. a harmless prank; a carefree adventure; any of various birds of the family Alaudidae.

KATRINA PROJECT
Be part of the Katrina Project's fundraising drive to help rebuild the New Orleans Public Library. Your contribution will put books and educational materials back into the hands of New Orleans families. The floodwaters that followed Hurricane Katrina damaged all the New Orleans Public Library's thirteen buildings, and ruined eight — where collections, computers, and furniture are beyond repair. Total damage has been estimated at $26-$30 million. When you buy a book pledge for $8.95, at Powells.com, the Katrina Project will add a book to its symbolic levee at Princeton University. Your pledge is delivered to the New Orleans Public Library Foundation, a 501(c)(3) educational and charitable organization whose mission is to support the New Orleans Public Library. Click here for more information.

NATIONAL POETRY MONTH
Faster than a speeding limerick, more powerful than a pantoum, able to leap enjambed lines in a single bound it's... National Poetry Month! We at Powell's passionately support poets, bards, balladists, rhymers, versifiers, and even people who occasionally find themselves speaking in iambic pentameter. Let us introduce you to some of our favorites here. And may we suggest reading aloud?

VOCABULARY INTERMISSION
caper n. a playful hop or jump; an escapade or trick; the pickled bud of Capparis spinosa.

CELEBRATE EARTH DAY!
April 22 is Earth Day (aka Love Your Mother Day) and April 28 is Arbor Day (aka Plant a Tree Day). Karen has named all of the trees she passes on the way to the bus in the morning (she must confess that Harold, with the funny bump on the side of his trunk, is her favorite). She respectfully nods at the tulips and gives the daffodils a little chuck under their chins. She sings to her cactus, trying to get the southwestern plant of her childhood to grow in the swampy northwest. And she reads kids' nature books. Here are some of her favorites.

NEW ARRIVALS
The stork has brought some especially enticing new books recently. The gorgeous writing in Time's Memory, by Julius Lester, will immediately hook you. The reassuring advice in Walk On!: A Guide for Babies of All Ages, by Marla Frazee, is sure to take its place beside Oh, the Places You'll Go by Dr. Seuss and Yay You! by Sandra Boynton as a popular gift for anyone embarking on scary, exciting change. The beautiful illustrations in Jimmy Liao's The Sound of Colors: A Journey of the Imagination are only one of many wonders in this poetic story of the multi-sensory exploration of the world by a blind girl.

VOCABULARY INTERMISSION
josh v. to tease; to joke good-humoredly.
Josh n. short for Joshua

KIDS' BESTSELLERS

1. The Visit by Mark Kimball Moulton (Collections) 2. Iqbal by Francesco D'Adamo (Middle Readers) 3. By the Great Horn Spoon by Sid Fleischman (Middle Readers) 4. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor (Newbery Award Winners) 5. Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mickaelsen (Animal Stories) 6. The Misfits by James Howe (Young Adult) 7. My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George (Newbery Award Winners) 8. The Three Questions by Jon J. Muth (Picture Books) 9. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle (Board Books) 10. Summer Fun Mad Libs Junior by Roger Price (Activities)