"I was playing one day in the garden

Bouncing my big rubber ball

When something, something, something….

A goblin on the wall."

And so begins a hazy version of the first poem I half-remember my mother reading to me when I was a toddler. I think, although I may be wrong, that it was written by Enid Blyton. I mention this because I was reminded of the incident a few weeks ago, when I opened the big magic box of children’s poetry books, contenders for the 2025 CLiPPA (CLPE Poetry Award) and the first book out of the box was a beautiful anthology of poems by Blyton – worryingly, though, no sign of goblins or big red rubber balls! I found it comforting to find, among exciting books by many young, contemporary poets, clear and comforting voices from the past. 

If I was a toddler now, I wonder which book my mother would have chosen to read to me, or, as an eight-year-old, bought for me? Spooky poems? Ooh, scary. Cosy poems? Nice. Blood, Bones and Bladders? Instructive and funnier than it sounds. Colossal Words for Kids? Lovely to look at, hard to pronounce. Nature poems? Welsh dragons and super dads? Beautifully illustrated anthologies, several new and distinctive voices, old friends with new books. So many choices.

One feature of the books submitted, we all noticed, was the lack of big name publishers like Puffin and Faber, a worrying sign

Luckily though, I had a highly qualified quartet of judges with me at CLiPPA’s home in Waterloo, when we met to choose our five favourite books. Matt Goodfellow, Lucy Bannerman, Annette Brook and Saira Bano all have first-hand experience of children’s education and are keen advocates of the power of poetry. Unsurprisingly, our discussions about each book were enlightening rather than combative. But one feature of the books submitted that we all noticed was the lack of big name publishers like Puffin and Faber – a worrying sign. Although, it was good to see Macmillan still at the forefront and no surprise that smaller publishers like Otter-Barry Books are now the big hitters.

Wearing my wig and gown, I would suggest that the major publishers are missing a trick, because a recent survey proved that children’s engagement in poetry is high, as well as highlighting the significant benefits poetry brings to young people’s lives. By fostering creativity, it supports mental wellbeing and encourages self-expression. CLiPPA’s work with teachers, as well as their own research, shows what an important and transformative branch of literature it is, suggesting that poetry provides the gateway for so many young people towards becoming readers.

I have long suspected that all children are poets before they go to school; by that, I mean the way in which they picture the world and the words they choose to describe it. Born into a world of rhythm, from the heartbeat in the womb to the clapping of the rain, children are open to the instant appeal of language without knowing what language actually is or what it does, particularly in poetry and when read aloud. It is adults who are responsible for making them think it is difficult or dull.

From the moment they can talk until the moment that parents and teachers convince them that what they are saying is either incorrect or unimportant, children are thinking poetically all the time. "Look mummy, the candle is crying!", or: "Oh dear, a bit has fallen off the moon!" And, if we are not careful as parents and teachers, we say: "Don’t be silly, go Google." We must be careful not to squash the imagination for the sake of information.

"We are all geniuses up to the age of 10," said Aldous Huxley. Your child is no exception and verse has a vital role to play in developing and nurturing children’s literacy from an early age.

Let us celebrate the benediction of poetry. The writing, reading, singing and dancing of it.

Even perhaps, the judging of it?