REVEALED! THE CLiPPA SHORTLIST 2017

May 23, 2017

Our partners at the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE) have announced the 2017 shortlist for the Centre for Literacy in Primary Poetry Award (CLiPPA). This is the 15th anniversary of the CLiPPA which encourages and celebrates outstanding poetry published for children.

This year’s shortlist reflects the breadth and depth of poetry for children being published in the UK, with new collections for the very young and for older readers included.

Here’s the shortlist in full, five exciting books:

Booked by Kwame Alexander, Andersen Press

 

Zim Zam Zoom!, by James Carter illustrated by Nicola Colton, Otter-Barry Books

 

Wonderland; Alice in Poetry, Michaela Morgan (editor): Macmillan

 

Jelly Boots, Smelly Boots by Michael Rosen, illustrated by David Tazzyman, Bloomsbury

 

Moon Juice by Kate Wakeling, illustrated by Elīna Brasliņa, The Emma Press

 

 

Rachel Rooney, National Poetry Day Ambassador and Chair of the CLiPPA 2017 Judges said, ‘Judging was made a challenge by the spread of books that were submitted as the CLiPPA is open to published poetry books for a diverse and changing readership, from the pre-schooler to the early teen. Writing poetry for children can appear easy but writing powerful poetry that is accessible and appealing to children is considerably more difficult to achieve. In their own particular way, all the shortlisted books did this.’

The winner of the 2017 Award will be announced on July 14th 2017 at a special ceremony celebrating 15 years of the CLiPPA Poetry Award in the 1000+-seater Olivier Theatre at the National Theatre in London.  The audience will enjoy poetry performances from children participating in the Shadowing Scheme, the shortlisted poets and special poet appearances. The winner of the Award will receive £1000 and a specially bound edition of their book created by the bookbinder Mark Corckram.

Louise Johns-Shepherd, Chief Executive, CLPE said: ‘This year we celebrate 15 years of the Poetry Award with the largest number of submissions for many years and an award show where we will have more than 1000 children in the audience. We are delighted that the power of the poetic form is being recognised so widely by schools and by publishers and that thousands of children will discover the wonderful books on this shortlist through our Poetryline resources and our shadowing scheme.’