The author knows firsthand that most kids seem to like poetry, however, something amiss happens along the road to adulthood, and many of those same students end up actively disliking poetry or not relating to it. Who can blame them? Poetry is often presented as a rarefied thing that exists only to be analyzed by professorial types or as greeting-card sentiments to be enjoyed by love-struck girls (and the guys who hit on them). Wondering what librarians could do to buck this trend, this author sought advice from some poets who write for young readers. One of the first to respond was poet-photographer Charles R. Smith, Jr., whose latest book, "My People" (S & S/Atheneum), nabbed the 2010 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award, thanks to his stunning photos. He immediately came up with a grand mantra: "Poetry needs to be taken off the pedestal." Smith asserts that by exposing students to poetry on a daily basis and by connecting it to their everyday lives, they begin to see the beauty and value in words.