Here’s the last selection of poems on the theme of wonder from fantastic poets around the UK – these are on the wonders of the natural world! Poems all copyright of the individual autho…

Image of feather by Stacey,

I love this performance, so it had to be here in the wonder line up!

A poem animation on the theme of wonder for National Poetry Day 2026 about a wondrous, real frog that can freeze and stay alive

Here’s another poem by me – tarsiers are wonderful little creatures – they are the primates with skeletons most like us, they are tiny, nocturnal, live in the trees, can jump 40 f…

Today is National Poetry Day of course, and instead of a blog, we have three blogs of wonder-themed poems for you from some of our wonderful children’s poets here in the UK. The first blog is…

I’m sharing some wonderful videos from poet friends that fit the theme of NPD this year – Wonder. First of all is Celia Warren, who sadly died last year – one of my favourites of …

Here’s another poem by me – tarsiers are wonderful little creatures – they are the primates with skeletons most like us, they are tiny, nocturnal, live in the trees, can jump 40 f…

Matt o’Shanter by Simon Lamb, Illustrated by Ross MacRae, pub: Scallywag Press Ltd. Tam o’Shanter may not be a familiar tale to today’s young people (although chances are stronger…

I write poetry for grown ups as well as children, but it occurred to me recently that I have never really written a poem (for grown ups) about being a children’s poet. I have written many words abo…

I write poetry for grown ups as well as children, but it occurred to me recently that I have never really written a poem (for grown ups) about being a children’s poet. I have written many words abo…

Anna Wilson’s poem about her tortoise, Hercules, coming out of hibernation is all of us shaking off the colder months and turning towards the sun. The Labours of HerculesI lift the box lid,push asi…

Brian Bilston – Revealed! I had a new book come out recently. It purports to be “an alternative guide to writing and enjoying poetry”: a fondly facetious exploration of the “craft” of poetry,…

We are thrilled to have a blog by this year’s Caterpillar Prize judge, Robert Schechter, and the announcement of the winners! I want to thank Rebecca O’Connor for continuing to sponsor …

A year ago, Air India flight AI171 crashed, killing all but one of the passengers and crew. The morning after, our headteacher at Barlby Primary School asked the Early Years team to meet him as soo…

At the end of a recent school visit, a teacher showed me videos of children outside in the drizzle, performing poems they had created themselves that morning. She told me that during their forest s…

Brandford Boase Award 2024 Books for Keeps has been taking children’s literature seriously since its launch in March 1980 and that includes poetry written for children. It might seem unnecessary to…

Skeleton leafLifeless like tissueLaces neatly threadedGentle, fragileThe silk delicate embroideryThe veins spreadingNetwork carefully stitchedBony like witch’sFingersBackbone gentle andTenderSally,…

Who are you and which publishing house do you work for? Penny Thomas, I’m the editor at Firefly Press children’s and YA publisher. How long have you been editing poetry for children and how many ch…

The Dewey Decimal system puts poetry in the library’s nonfiction section. Yet a lot of people think these genres have nothing in common.  Heck, I used to think they had nothing in common.&nbsp…

I’m fresh from the online announcement of the shortlisted books for the 2026 CLPE Poetry Award 2026 (aka the CLiPPA.) This featured five poems read aloud, and it was a spellbinding selection of wha…

It was March 2020, and I was in technical rehearsals at The Riverfront Theatre, Newport, readying for opening night, when the theatres, and everything else, were suddenly closed. I had spent much o…

Today is the anniversary of Gerard Benson's birthday. A poet and man very much missed.

YouTube video by Liz Brownlee Poet

For me, one of the most rewarding aspects of visiting schools over the last thirty years or so has been working with teachers, helping them to teach using poetry more effectively. As I’m sure both …

This week and next week we have two blogs for teachers, the first from Jon Biddle, showcasing how he has used poetry to create and inspire a rich reading culture in his school, and the second by Ro…

Here is a poem about Anne Sullivan, a largely unsung hero and teacher to Helen Keller. This poem is from Reaching the Stars, Poems About Extraordinary Women and Girls, Macmillan - which won the N. Somerset Teachers’ Book Awards 2017 for poetry. Here is the cover, modelled by the NSTB Award dog!

It's World Book Day - children dressed as book characters, authors and poets making school visits, books being recommended, received, and read. Why does a focus on reading and enjoyment of reading matter in schools? A focus on reading can narrow the gaps in reading and writing attainment between advantaged and disadvantaged pupils. It's the very best way to expose children to differing views, a range of subjects and emotions, experience of other cultures and emotions they might never have encountered. By entering the world of another human character in a story, understanding and empathy of others is evoked.

Charles Ghigna's hometown has played no small part in the more than 100 children's books he has penned.

An Alternative Guide to Writing and Enjoying Poetry

I Am Ray’s Imaginary Friend concerns a young boy who finds that his family have to leave the village he loves and move to a busy town. Ray has always found changing circumstances difficult to cope …

This is an A-Z list of children’s poets from the UK! US poets tag coming soon. If you are a published children’s poet working in schools and would like to be considered for inclusion, p…

Yes, today is National Bird Day in the UK – so here is one of the smallest birds, one of the most common birds, and the loudest singer for its size in British gardens! This poem is available …

Ten years ago, in 2015, in the run up to National Poetry Day, I made a series of films with my partner on the theme of ‘light’. Here is one of them, a beautiful poem by Susan Richardson…

A lovely surprise this morning – a parcel arrived, and I was thrilled to find one of the poems I wrote for Young V&A (formerly the V&A Museum of Childhood) was featured inside this be…

Hello, I’m Billie, Learning and Participation Coordinator at The Poetry Society. Over the past few months, I’ve had the pleasure of working on the Tower Hamlets Junior Slam, a long-running partners…

I have three issues with children’s poetry in bookshops: there’s not enough of it, the variety of the books on sale is limited, and if it is stocked, its profile is too low. Many smalle…