Since April is National Poetry Month, we asked our friends at the New York Public Library to come up with a list of poetry books for kids for this month's Little Lions post. Luckily Peggy Salwen, Senior Children's Librarian at the 67th Street Branch, is a big poetry fan so she was up to the task.

While many children's books are written in verse, these tomes feature true poems, not just stories that rhyme. And since poetry books, like poems, come in many styles, there are a variety of choices here, from themed collections to a single illustrated ode.

April vacation week activities wrap up this weekend for Boston families with performances, museum events, a whole host of Earth Day activities and more.

In addition to performances highlighted below, families can still enjoy the Big Apple Circus and Wheelock Family Theatre’s The Miracle Worker, which both continue through May 13.

Earth Day is on Sunday, and we’ve rounded up a number of ways kids and families can learn how to protect the environment and become more green. From the DCR’s Park Serve Day and Charles River Clean Up Day on Saturday to Picnic for the Planet on Sunday, we have plenty of ways to get involved.

The Cambridge Science Festival runs for nine days beginning April 20, and we’ve picked a few great events for kids and families during this year’s festival.

Read on for more about these events and our other picks of the week. And be sure to check our calendar for more things to do with kids this weekend.

This Sunday is Earth Day. We've written activity and event posts for both Hartford and Fairfield Counties so you can find out ways to celebrate in your area. We plan to make "green lemonade" at school tomorrow with organic produce. We just juice up carrots, apples, lemons and kale. It's delicious and so good for you! And the veggie waste is great to add to the compost pile.

I know Spring's really in the air with the plethora of gardening activities and Earth Day celebrations going on (or it could just be the high pollen count). This weekend is jam-packed with Springy goodness, such as Record Store Day with a FREE concert by They Might be Giants!, the 2012 Great Cloth Diaper Change, Bloomfest and Party for the Planet. Read on for our top picks and you can always find a complete listing of all NJ activities for kids in our Event Calendar. Enjoy, NJ!

Sunday is Earth Day and you can celebrate nature in our urban jungle at lots of outdoor festivals like Grand Central Terminal's Earth Day Fair, the art-filled St. George Day Festival on Staten Island and the first-ever Harlem Earth Day, which takes place at four of the neighborhood's gorgeous green spaces.

Two annual family favorites also kick off this weekend. The Tribeca Film Festival has free outdoor movie screenings and Saturday's Tribeca/NYFEST Soccer Day, which promises clinics and matches for kids. At the Bronx Zoo, families can enjoy the first weekend of Animal Tales Extravaganza, featuring visits from Curious George and the Yo Gabba Gabba gang.

All of our best bets for the weekend are below. Remember, you can find additional ideas in our Event Calendar and our Spring Fun Guide.

Update: As of Thursday, the forecast calls for rain all weekend. Assuming it does pour, outdoor activities may be cancelled so be sure to check each event's official website for confirmation. We've also clearly marked which events are indoors.

Taking your child or children on a trip without benefit of another adult can be a daunting task. However, with the right approach, traveling alone with a baby or small child can be done and done successfully.

I am a veteran of two solo trips with my preschooler. It hasn’t been easy, but the benefits have certainly outweighed the obstacles. Going on trips alone with my child created special memories that only we share together and, perhaps it's like being in the trenches together, a special bond from our trips.

It wasn't always easy. Traveling alone with a child is always an adventure, but it is possible. Consider the following helpful hints when planning and taking to travel alone with a baby or child.

Last week when I posted about the best stage shows for families this spring, I intentionally left out the New York Children's Theater Festival. That's because I felt a venture like this deserved its own dedicated post.

While we're lucky to have the New Victory and lots of local family troupes, and the Fringe Festival offers a handful of FringeJr productions every year, this is the first time anyone has launched an entire theater festival aimed specifically at kids in New York City. Pretty hard to believe when you consider that NYC is a mecca for theater (not to mention families).

Who finally came up with the idea for the New York Children's Theater Festival? A mom of course, who also happens to be an actress, and two other industry professionals with a background in kids' theater. Over the next three weekends, the fest will present a trio of family musicals on the Upper West Side. We've got the scoop on the shows and how the NYCTF may improve NYC's children's theater scene.

For anyone who has spent time in Harvard Square over the last few months, it has been hard to miss the activity going on at 1 JFK Street. Large, colorful pictures of Curious George lifting up a curtain and peeking out the store window should have been enough to pique any child’s - or adult's - curiosity.

We were definitely curious to know what was behind the curtain, and were lucky enough to have a behind-the-scenes tour of the store. We also met with Adam Hirsch, who, with his wife, Jamie, is responsible for all the activity. Even though the grand opening was still three weeks away at the time of our tour, it was clear that the World’s Only Curious George Store, Harvard Square is going to be an exciting place for children, one that both local families and out-of-towners will want to visit frequently.