Lee Bennett Hopkins is the 15th winner of the NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children. A distinguished poet, writer, and anthologist, Lee has created numerous books for children and adults.
His poetry autobiography, Been to Yesterdays: Poems of a Life, received both the Christopher Medal and a Golden Kite Honor. Additional recognitions include the anthologies Marvelous Math, which won a Parents' Choice Gold Award and was a Reading Rainbow selection, and Spectacular Science. He is the recipient of the University of Southern Mississippi's Medallion for "lasting contributions to children's literature."
(Photo by Charles Egita from HarperCollins.com)
To further promote poetry Lee founded the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award presented annually since 1993, and the Lee Bennett Hopkins/International Reading Association Promising Poet Award presented every three years since 1995.
Read more about Lee in the September 2009 Language Arts article, Mining with a Jeweler's Eye: The Work of Lee Bennett Hopkins 
Selected titles include:
City I Love, illustrated by Marcellus Hall, Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2009.
Sky Magic, illustrated by Mariusz Stawarski, Dutton Children's Books, 2009.
Incredible Inventions, illustrated by Julia Sarcone-Roach, Greenwillow Books, 2009.
America at War: Poems Selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins, illustrated by Stephen Alcorn, Simon & Schuster, 2008.
Hamsters, Shells, and Spelling Bees, illustrated by Sachiko Yoshikawa, HarperCollins, 2008.
Got Geography! illustrated by Philip Stanton, HarperCollins, 2006.
Halloween Howls: Holiday Poetry, illustrated by Stacey Schuett, HarperCollins, 2006.
Oh, No! Where Are My Pants? and Other Disasters, illustrated by Wolf Erlbruch, HarperCollins, 2005.
Hanukkah Lights, illustrated by Melanie Hall, HarperCollins, 2005.
Wonderful Words: Poems About Reading, Writing, Speaking, and Listening, illustrated by Karen Barbour, Simon & Schuster, 2004.
A Pet for Me, illustrated by Jane Manning, HarperCollins, 2004.
Days to Celebrate, illustrated by Stephen Alcorn, HarperCollins, 2004.
Christmas Presents: Holiday Poetry, illustrated by Melanie Hall, HarperCollins, 2004.
Alphathoughts: Alphabet Poems, illustrated by Marla Baggetta, Boyds Mills Press, 2003.
Spectacular Science: A Book of Poems, illustrated by Virginia Halstead, Simon & Schuster, 2002.
Marvelous Math: A Book of Poems, illustrated by Karen Barbour, Simon & Schuster, 2001.
My America: A Poetry Atlas of the United States, illustrated by Stephen Alcorn, Simon & Schuster, 2000.
Good Books, Good Times! illustrated by Harvey Stevenson, HarperCollins, 2000.
Been to Yesterdays: Poems of a Life, illustrated by Charlene Rendeiro, Boyds Mills Press, 1999.
Lives: Poems About Famous Americans, illustrated by Leslie Staub, HarperCollins, 1999.
Weather, illustrated by Melanie Hall, HarperCollins, 1995.
Hand in Hand: An American History Through Poetry, illustrated by Peter Fiore, Simon & Schuster, 1994.