This morning, the shortlist for the Centre for Literacy in Primary Poetry Award (CLiPPA) was revealed. There is a free shadowing scheme, which schools can register for. Find out more details here – https://www.clpe.org.uk/poetryline/clippa

There are also plenty of teaching resources available online and schools are invited to send videos of children performing the shortlist to poetry@clpe.org.uk. Winning groups will be asked to perform at the Award Ceremony, which takes place on the 22nd June at the National Theatre in London.

Here are the shortlisted poetry books:

 

• Sarah Crossan: Moonrise, Bloomsbury – a moving verse novel for young adults, seen from the viewpoint of a young man whose brother is on death row.

 

 

 

 

• Joseph Coelho: Overheard in a Tower Block, illustrated by Kate Milner, Otter-Barry Books – a powerful collection, offering glimpses into the challenges of a boy’s life, ingeniously threaded through with fantasy, story, myth and magic.

 

 

 

 

Rhythm and Poetry, illustrated by Joseph Witchall, Caboodle Books – the first published collection from a Hip Hop poet, demonstrating the currency and significance of rap as a form, especially for young people.

 

 

 

 

 

• Ruth Awolola, Victoria Adukwei Bulley, Abigail Cook, Jay Hulme, Amina Jama: Rising Stars, Otter-Barry Books, illustrated by Riya Chowdhury, Elanor Chuah and Joe Manners – a showcase for five fresh and exciting emerging writer-performers.

 

 

 

 

• John Agard: The Rainmaker Danced, illustrated by Satoshi Kitamura, Hodder – witty and satirical poems that focus on social observations, play with myths and traditional tales and reflect on the nature of humanity.

 

 

 

 

• Sue Hardy-Dawson: Where Zebras Go, Otter-Barry Books – a first solo collection uniting a variety of voices with a wide range of poetic forms.

 

 

 

 

Good luck to all the poets!