NCTE Poetry Notables

The National Council of Teachers of English Committee on Excellence in Poetry Award selects the recipient of the award for the most outstanding children’s poet and is also charged with “exploring ways to acquaint teachers and children with poetry” including establishing an issuing a regular list of “poetry notables” for young people. What follows is the first list compiled in 2003-2006 and featuring the 10 best poetry books published during each of those three years, based on the criteria for excellence for the award itself: literary merit, imagination, authenticity of voice, evidence of a strong persona, universality and timelessness, and appeal to children. The committee included Sylvia M. Vardell, Peggy Oxley, Georgia Heard, Jan Kristo, Gail Wesson Spivey, Janet Wong, Poet, and Dan Woolsey. Check the NCTE.org site for current “poetry notables” lists.


The list begins:

1. Dotlich, Rebecca Kai. 2004. Over in the Pink House: New Jump Rope Rhymes. Honesdale, PA: Wordsong/Boyds Mills.
2.  Frost, Helen. 2004. Spinning through the Universe. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
3. George, Kristine O’Connell. 2004. Hummingbird Nest: A Journal of Poems. New York: Harcourt.

For more details, get your copy of The Poetry Teacher’s Book of Lists.
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