The winner of the CLPE Poetry Award for 2008 is:

Jackie Kay: Red, Cherry Red, illustrated by Rob Ryan, Bloomsbury £6.99 9780747589792

The CLPE Poetry Award honours excellence in poetry written for children. It is presented annually for a book of poetry published in the proceeding year. Previous winners include Roger McGough, John Agard and Grace Nichols. The judges of the award this year were Ian McMillan, Fiona Waters and last year’s winner Julie Johnstone, chaired by Margaret Meek Spencer.

The CLPE Poetry Award is supported by Mr and Mrs J.A. Pye’s Charitable Settlement.

The shortlist for the 2008 CLPE Poetry Award is as follows:

Carol Ann Duffy: The Hat, illustrated by David Whittle,
Faber & Faber £9.99 9780571219650

David Harmer: Pirate Poems, illustrated by Matt Buckingham, Macmillan £3.99 9780330451819

Diana Hendry and Hamish Whyte (editors): Poems United: A Commonwealth Anthology, illustrated by Iain McIntosh, Black & White Publishing, in association with the Scottish Poetry Library, £7.99 9781845021405

John Mole: This is the Blackbird, illustrated by Mary Norman Peterloo Poets £7.95 9781904324447

Sam Taplin (editor): The Usborne Book of Poetry, illustrated by Kristina Swarmer, Usborne £14.99, 9780746084151

For further information www.clpe.co.uk/poetry/poetry.html