Since April is National Poetry Month, I have a confession to make. Poetry is not my first choice of reading material. I blame it on the way poetry was taught when I was in school. To paraphrase the poet Billy Collins, we'd tie a poem to a chair and beat a confession out of it. We never read poetry for the sheer joy of it. That said, I still have some favorite poems, poets and books about poetry. I hope you'll enjoy them too.

We didn't buy a lot of books when I was growing up, but we did have a well-worn copy of Best Loved Poems of the American People by Hazel Felleman on our bookshelf. First published in 1936, the poems are arranged by topic and run the gamut from ditty and doggerel to stirring stanzas and poetry classics. It's a fun collection of poems from an earlier age that are still readable today.

Poetry is meant to be read aloud and who better to read it than the poets themselves? Poetry Speaks Expanded is an amazing audio collection of 47 poets reading more than a hundred of their best poems. The collection, narrated by Charles Osgood, includes the voices of such poets as Walt Whitman, Robert Frost, Gertrude Stein and Allen Ginsberg. The accompanying book includes the text of the poems, biographical sketches of each poet and original essays by contemporary writers. It's a treat for the ear and the soul.

"I don't want to/because boys/don't write poetry./Girls do." So begins the beguiling short novel Love That Dog by Sharon Creech. Written in free-verse, it's the story of Jack, a reluctant student of poetry (of Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, he says, "I think Mr. Robert Frost/has a little/too/much/time/on his/hands."). With the encouragement of his teacher, however, he discovers the power and pleasures of poetry. Be sure to try the sequel, Hate That Cat.

Speaking of Mr. Robert Frost, the book Robert Frost, edited by Gary Schmidt and illustrated by Henri Sorenson, is a beautiful tribute to the poet and his work. It's part of the Poetry for Young People series.

Books written for aspiring poets also can provide valuable insight for poetry readers. The Poetry Home Repair Manual by Ted Kooser is an enlightening book about how poetry works and what to do when it doesn't. Other helpful how-to titles are Poemcrazy by Susan Wooldridge and The Poet's Companion by Kim Addonizio. For works aimed at readers instead of writers of poetry, try The Discovery of Poetry by Frances Mayes and How to Read a Poem by Robert Hirsch.

They say a poem a day keeps dementia at bay. For a relatively painless way to introduce more poetry into your life, sign up for the "Poem of the Day" e-mail from Writers Almanac. Go to http://writersalmanac.publicradio.org and click on Newsletter. And while online, check out www.poets.org, the web site of the Academy of American Poets. You'll find lots of resources to help you celebrate not only National Poetry Month, but poetry all year long. You can find these movies and many more at any Jefferson County Public Library location. Talk to your librarian for more recommendations.