April is a month suitable for poetry.

Byline: Nicholas A. Basbanes

April is poetry month, which we observe with a variety of rhyming selections sure to entertain, amuse and inspire young readers, along with a tribute to the national pastime, which begins another exciting season.

"Imaginary Menagerie: A Book of Curious Creatures" poems by Julie Larios, illustrations by Julie Paschkis (Harcourt, $16, ages 4 to 8)

Some of the most compelling animals through history are the kind that exist strictly in the imagination, be they the snake-tailed rooster from Greek antiquity known as the cockatrice or the water deity know to Hindu and Buddhist cultures as the naga. Among the more familiar creatures to ply the pages of this clever bestiary are such favorites as the dragon, mermaid, gargoyle, centaur, firebird, troll, will-o'-the-wisp, sea serpent and phoenix. Julie Larios casts a gentle eye on these mythological beings, offering up a series of sprightly verses that are sure to stir the imagination, each one made all the more enchanting by a suite of elegantly mysterious paintings by Julie Paschkis.

"The World's Greatest Poems" text by J. Patrick Lewis, illustrations by Keith Graves (Chronicle Books, $16.99, ages 4 to 8)

Nobody suggests outright that this book of zany poems is a compact collection of dubious world records, but the inspiration for each of the 22 verses - who grew the biggest pumpkin, who kissed the most cobras, where was history's worst traffic jam, what's the gabbiest bird, where's the tallest roller coaster - is a nutty question of fact followed by a tongue-in-cheek answer from noted children's book author J. Patrick Lewis. On the world's shortest street, to be found in Bacup, England, there is this: "Go take a walk/ Down Elgin Street, / Where people talk / For seventeen feet. / `Good day!' / `Hello!' / Is all they say- / Then turn, and go / The other way." Short and sweet, as the saying goes, with cute acrylic and pencil drawings by Keith Graves.

"Go, Go America" text and illustrations by Dan Yaccarino (Scholastic Press, $17.99, ages 6 to 12)

Facts can indeed be stranger than fiction, as this generous compendium makes compellingly evident. Here's a sampling of what Dan Yaccarino has pulled together to amuse the Farley family as they set out on an ambitions trip to see America by car: Ginger ale was invented in 1866 in Detroit; playing marbles for keeps is forbidden in Ashland, Ill.; the Venus flytrap grows naturally in North and South Carolina; Montpelier, Vt., hosts an annual rotten sneaker contest; Florida is the only state that has two rivers with the same name - Withlacoochee; Hershey, Pa., is the site of the world's largest chocolate factory; the name for Portland, Ore., was determined by a coin toss (Boston was the loser). A book like this could turn out to be essential equipment.

"We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball" text and illustrations by Kadir Nelson (Hyperion, $18.99, ages 6 to 12)

This inspirational account of Negro National League baseball in America gets its title from the words of founder Rube Foster, who once said confidently of the enterprise he had just established: "We are the ship; all else is the sea." From 1920 to 1948, some of the greatest players who ever lived, including Josh Gibson, Willie Foster and Frank Grant, and a number of others who finally were allowed to play in the Major Leagues - Jackie Robinson, Satchel Paige, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Roy Campanella and Monte Irvin among them - drew enormous crowds. Writer-artist Kadir Nelson recounts the history of this remarkable chapter in American cultural and baseball history through the voice of a fictional player who tells the story in a conversational, informative voice. Beautifully illustrated, the book includes some excellent references, and a comprehensive list of notable players.

"Stella, Unleashed: Notes from the Doghouse" story by Linda Ashman, illustrations by Paul Meisel (Sterling, $14.95, ages 4 to 8)

An alternative title for this amusing take on a dog's life might well have been "The World According to Stella," with Stella, of course, being the first-person narrator of Linda Ashman's probing analysis of the canine psyche. Stella is unleashed in the sense that she is free to speak her mind, be it commentary about the quality of her kibble, the nettlesome cat, the new baby or getting into trouble for minor infractions. Why is she at one point in the doghouse? "I lunged when we were walking./ I didn't think you'd trip./ I tugged the curtain just for fun. /Who knew the thing would rip?" Paul Meisel's perky illustrations illustrate just how it is these lovable animals have it in them to be a kid's best friend.

Nicholas A. Basbanes of North Grafton is former book editor of the Sunday Telegram as well as an author and critic. His most recent book is ``Every Book Its Reader,'' published by HarperCollins.

ART: PHOTOS

CUTLINE: (1) ``Go, Go America'' is a generous compendium of facts that seem stranger than fiction. (2) ``We Are the Ship'' is an inspirational account of Negro League Baseball from 1920 to 1948. (3) ``Imaginary Menagerie'' is subtitled ``A book of Curious Creatures.''