The shortlist for the CLPE Poetry Award "008 was recently announced. The contenders for the prize are Carol Ann Duffy The Hat; David Harmer Pirate Poems; Diana Hendry and Hamish Whyte Poems United; Jackie Kay Red Cherry Red; John Mole This is the Blackbird and Sam Taplin The Usborne Book of Poetry for Children.

The judges for this year's award are Julie Johnstone, Ian McMillan and Fiona Waters. The chair of judges is Margaret Meek Spencer.

The CLPE Poetry Award was launched in 2003 following the cessation of the Signal Poetry Award. Previous winners have included John Agard, Grace Nichols and Roger McGough.

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Meanwhile Ann-Marie Fyle reports on the healthy scene of poetry publishing The Guardian  Your views welcomed.

Carol Ann Duffy The Hat

In this delightful new collection of poetry for children, Carol Ann Duffy takes us on a mud-and-all ramble through sand, socks, songs and schoolrooms. Charming and witty, infectiously enjoyable, these poems take pleasure in the discovery of imaginative worlds, from the loneliness of ghosts and ghouls to a shopping trip by Manchunian cows. At the heart of the book is a poem which follows the mischievous and educational journey of a hat blown through history, from one literary head to another, quoting its owner's most famous lines as it goes.

David Harmer Pirate Poems

Meet Calico Kate and her cut-throat Crew, learn twelve ways of walking the plank, find out about the buried treasure of spyglass Island and Blackbeard's ghost in this splendid volume of swashbuckling verse.

Diana Hendry, Hamish Whyte Poems United: A Commonwealth Anthology

Come on a safari of the imagination with this unique, beautifully presented collection of poems from all over the Commonwealth, from tiny islands of the Caribbean to the vast continents of Australia and India.This anthology for young people aged ten to fourteen reflects the many different peoples, landscapes, climates, songs and languages of the Commonwealth, in poems from unknown authors (including children), anonymous writers and famous authors - Seamus Heaney, Derek Walcott - one from each Commonwealth country.There is a fascinating selection of facts and figures on each country. Did you know that Malaysia has the world's only revolving monarchy? Or that Tuvalu in the Pacific Ocean has the smallest number of inhabitants (excluding the Vatican City) amongst independent nations?Each section is introduced with richly coloured maps. It is published in association with the Scottish Poetry Library, this will be a great classroom resource (backed up by information on the Scottish Poetry Library website) but also a compilation that poetry lovers of all ages will enjoy.

Jackie Kay Red Cherry Red

Jackie's latest collection of poetry is full of the dramatic power associated with her work, and plenty of music too. She explores the theme of identity in poems about an older generation, especially grandmothers, about the old days and the new days, and places the poet associates with these people, who live dreamlike, isolated existences, geographically, but also in the memory. Nature and the elements play a big role too: trees, the moon, the sea, fire. Jackie's style is both muscular and lyrical - one moment witty, the next melancholic, or gently surreal - and in this brilliant new collection, her poems are infused with warmth and colour: in particular, the colour RED.

Sam Taplin The Usborne Book of Poetry for Children

This is a beautiful treasury of poetry for older children, featuring a selection of work from classic and modern poets including Shakespeare, Byron, Ted Hughes and Wendy Cope, alongside all new original poetry by Sam Taplin. The poems cover many different themes and moods, and are chosen to show children how inspiring, powerful and magical poems can be. It is gorgeously illustrated by Kristina Swarner. It is a fantastic gift for any child to cherish.

John Mole This is the Blackbird