Recently in Poetry Category
NFER Reading Survey - report from The Independent:
A survey by NFER (published to to coincide with World Book Day) has found that children are watching television less. It also suggests the steady decline in the popularity of reading over the past few years has been halted. Two bits of good news for everyone connected with children's books, then.
But the same report includes concerning data about poetry. One of ACHUKA's missions during Michael Rosen's tenure of the children's laureateship will be playing as big a part as possible in making poetry just as popular as it was a few years ago. It is a very significant element of the new ACHUKA gameplan.
The survey of 4,500 children shows that only 55 per cent prefer watching TV to reading - compared with 62 per cent in a similar survey four years ago. It also reveals that the decline in popularity of reading amongst the same age group has been halted, with nearly 70 per cent of nine-year-olds and 60 per cent of 11-year-olds saying they enjoy reading stories - almost the same percentage as four years previously. However, the halt in the decline follows a major slide in enjoyment of reading between 1999 and 2003. "Children's enjoyment of reading has stopped declining sharply," the report says. "Their attitudes have held steady over the four-year period." But the survey does show poetry reading is on the decline amongst both boys and girls, with only 52 per cent of nine-year-olds enjoying it compared with 68 per cent eight years ago - and 43 per cent of 11-year-olds compared with 58 per cent.[ACHUKA's emphasis]
The winner of the CLPE Poetry Award for 2006 is:
Why does my mum always iron a crease in my jeans? Poems about important stuff chosen by Fiona Waters (Puffin)
The presentation was made at the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education on Tuesday July 4th 2006 by Michael Rosen.
The CLPE Poetry Award was set up in 2002 and was awarded for the first time in 2003. The award aims to honour excellence in poetry written for children. It is presented annually for a book of poetry published in the previous year. The judges of the award this year were Valerie Bloom, Roger McGough and Tony Mitton, with Margaret Meek Spencer as chair of the judges. The CLPE Poetry Award is administered by the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education, Webber Street, London SE1 8QW. It is supported in 2006 as in 2004 and 2005 by Mr and Mrs J.A.Pye’s Charitable Settlement.
For further information, please contact: Ann Lazim 020 7401 3382 email ann@clpe.co.uk
The other books shortlisted for this year’s award which form the 2006 honour list, were::
Gerard Benson, Judith Chernaik & Cicely Herbert (eds): The Carnival of Animals, illustrated by Satoshi Kitamura (Walker)
June Crebbin: The Crocodile is Coming! illustrated by Mini Grey (Walker)
Belinda Hollyer (ed): She's All That! Poems about Girls, illustrated by Susan Hellard (Kingfisher)
Michael Morpurgo and Jane Feaver (eds): Cock Crow, Poems about life in the countryside, illustrated by Quentin Blake (Egmont)
