CLiPPA, the annual CLPE Poetry Award, has announced their 2026 shortlist! Take a look at this year’s best new poetry for children, available with your library card.
Want more suggested books? Take a look at our recommendations.
Five Little Friends: A Collection of Finger Rhymes
Written by Sean Taylor, illustrated by Fiona Woodcock
Babies love when their parents or caregivers talk to them in a fun, lyrical and bouncy way; science shows that they prefer this above all other sounds.
In ‘Five Little Friends’, award-winning poet and picture book author Sean Taylor has written 34 original poems that each come with its own accompanying easy-to-follow directions for actions and movement.
This unique collection offers parents and caregivers simple and joyful ways to sing and play with their little ones as well as encouraging both children AND grown-ups to use their fingers, hands, arms, legs and even feet to become a stomping elephant, falling snow or bursting fireworks!
A First Book of Bugs
Written by Simon Mole, illustrated by Adam Ming
Some have wings that shimmer bright… Some live deep in the earth, hidden from sight… Some have a venomous, deadly bite… It’s time to meet the BUGS!
Discover a secret world thriving right underneath your feet. From beetles to butterflies, spiders to scorpions, meet the most bizarre and awe-inspiring bugs ever to walk the Earth!
The Poetry World of John Agard
Written by John Agard, illustrated by Shirley Hottier
A towering figure in the poetry world, especially children’s poetry, John Agard has chosen poems from eight collections originally published between 1982 and 2001.
Over 80 poems are included, reflecting the range of his interests, ideas and styles, and above all perhaps, his awareness of being a British-Caribbean writer in an increasingly multicultural society.
Press Start to Play
Written by Sam Gayton, illustrated by Jack Noel
Get ready to press start on video games, board games, word games, playground games, card games, and play by yourself games when you’re feeling sad games.
This laugh-out-loud, brilliantly imaginative, interactive collection of poetry celebrates play in all its forms.
Illustrated throughout in black and white, this collection also contains an added flicker book interactive element.
This is Not a Small Voice: Poems by Black Poets
Edited by Traci N Todd, illustrated by Jade Orlando
This gorgeously-illustrated children’s anthology makes the perfect introduction to poets such as Lucille Clifton, Langston Hughes, Benjamin Zephaniah, Gwendolyn Brooks, Maya Angelou, Amanda Gorman, Caleb Femi and Joseph Coelho.
Compiled by award-winning picture book writer and editor Traci N. Todd, this collection touches a wide range of themes – hope and struggle, joy and pride, home and food, music and family.
Each poem is perfectly paired with vibrant, heartfelt illustrations from Jade Orlando. This is a gift book to cherish – a brilliant tribute to the rich literary history and bright future of Black writing.