Children's Poetry Bookshelf Competition 2007 To celebrate National Poetry Day, on Thursday 4th October, the Children's Poetry Bookshelf is asking children aged 7-8 and 9-11 to write a poem of no more than 25 lines on the theme of Dreams. The closing date is Monday 15th October. This year the competition will be judged by the new Children's Laureate, Michael Rosen. To find out all about it CLICK HERE!!! Books for Your Class Review of Latest Children's Poetry Book Releases The Directory of Children's Poets Book a poet or author for your school Classroom Resources Ideas to help you teach poetry Inviting a Poet Into Your School Practical advice from Brian Moses Children's Poetry Bookshelf The Poetry Book Society information.  Poetry Challenge A wide range of different poetry subjects and styles  Foyles Young Poet of the Year Award For teenagers. Details here. The Poetry Society An excellent resource for everything connected with poetry. Recommended Books Some of the best poetry and teaching books around Poetry for 12 - 17 yr olds A book for reluctant readers? Poetry Books for Adults Other Websites for Teachers A round-up of Education on the Web. Half Term Odds and Ends. Letter from the Caretaker. How To Write Poems The text of Roger Stevens' book for children aged from seven Roger Stevens writes - As I travelled around the UK visiting schools to perform my poems and give poetry and writing workshops I often wished that there was some way children could publish their poems. It seemed a shame that such wonderful and beautiful poetry and verse could not reach a wider audience. Then it occured to me that the internet was the answer - and I began THE POETRY ZONE. It has now been running for eight years and is receiving around 6000 visitors a week. Our shop is associated with amazon.co.uk so please take a look and if you see any books you'd like to buy - buy them through The Poetry Zone. American and other non-UK visitors can still order from amazon because your credit card will simply be debited in the appropriate currency. It's a chance to buy first-rate books that are not available in your own country - and amazon usually gives good discounts.This is also The Poetry Zone's only source of income and helps maintain this site. Please encourage your children to send me their poems. I will publish as many as space permits. If a class is sending poems please try to provide some variety. I like to make The Poetry Zone fun to read and a batch of 20 almost identical poems doesn't really work. The Poetry Gallery is now updated every week. If you would like to know more about this site or have any constructive comments to make about it I'd love to hear them. E-mail me at roger@pzone.freeserve.co.uk Please send us your brilliant ideas for teaching poetry The Journal of Danny Chaucer (Poet) is guaranteed to be the year's most talked about book for teenagers. This is being broadcast on BBC Radio 4 - Tuesday June 24th at 2.15 - read by the author. Be sure to tape it for your class. What the Daily Mail said - June 2003 A witty, warm, one boy play read by Roger Stevens. What The Guardian said - May 2002 Novels written in poetic form are big news in the US teenage fiction market, and this home-grown effort is up there with the best. Danny Chaucer is an Adrian Mole without the wimpishness or pomposity, and the gap between Danny's fantasy life and reality is wittily chronicled in a story that follows the thr rhythm of the school year, first love and loss, and all the pains of growing up. Particularly the sledgehammer blow when his best friend goes off with Jenny, the girl of his dreams. Stevens' verse is jaunty, knowing and tart and he gets right inside the dark, dark corners of the adolescent male mind. Although the verse form may take a page or two to get used to, it actually makes this an easier and less daunting book for reluctant readers than the traditional prose novel. What the author says - If you have used this book in your classroom and have found it helpful with reluctant readers - please let me know. I'm currently working on Danny Chaucer 2 and feedback would be very useful. Thanks - Roger Stevens back to top of page and contents