Meet Michael Rosen

Michael Rosen Day poster

You can access the full poster as a pdf here

I titled this post Meet Michael Rosen because, well I didn't speak to him, but I did see him in person twice last month so I guess I did meet Michael Rosen. The first time was at the 2024 IBBY Congress in Trieste and then again at the Festival of Words in Jersey (UK). At the Festival of Words Michael spoke to an adult audience about his newest book - Getting Better: Life lessons on going under, getting over it, and getting through it. This morning he popped up on my Facebook page announcing Michael Rosen Day. Read more and sign up here. 

The day celebrates the 50th anniversary of Michael’s first ever book, and the 35th anniversary of We’re Going on a Bear Hunt. I did a little digging, and his first book was the poetry book Mind your own Business (1974).

We're going on a Bear Hunt

As you can see from the cover, Mind your own Business was illustrated by Quentin Blake. So I did a little hunting because I was interested to find a list other books Quentin Blake illustrated for Michael Rosen:

• Mind Your Own Business
• Wouldn't You Like to Know
• The Bakerloo Flea
• You Can't Catch Me 
• Quick, Let's Get out of Here!
• Don't Put Mustard in the Custard
• Smelly Jelly Smelly Fish
• Under the Bed
• Hard-boiled Legs
• Spollyollydiddlytiddlyitis
• Tea in the sugar bowl
• Michael Rosen’s Sad Book
• You're Thinking About Tomatoes
• Mustard, Custard, Grumble Belly and Gravy
• Bananas in my Ears
• On the Move: Poems about Migration

Michael Rosen has a very rich website. I suggest you set aside some time to explore all his resources including videos, his book list and events (mainly in the UK).  And my friend from Kinderbookswitheverything alerted me to this video where Micheal Rosen talks passionately about reading and schools and most importantly libraries. 

If you are reading this post and you work in a school, head to your library NOW I am certain they will have many books by Michael Rosen. You could create a fabulous day with your students exploring his poems, picture books, and junior novels. And try to find this joke book:

At the IBBY Congress Michael Rosen based his keynote address "I, Too" by Langston Hughes.

I, too, sing America.

I am the darker brother.

They send me to eat in the kitchen

When company comes,

But I laugh,

And eat well,

And grow strong.

Tomorrow,

I’ll be at the table

When company comes.

Nobody’ll dare

Say to me,

“Eat in the kitchen,”

Then.

Besides,

They’ll see how beautiful I am

And be ashamed—

I, too, am America.

His presentation was a brilliant lesson on how to elicit meaningful discussions with a group of students and how students need time to think about a poem like this. He worries about the UK teaching focus on retrieval of facts and not interpretation. His presentation will appear in full in the IBBY Journal Bookbird. 

And then he had the whole audience of 700 delegates reciting this poem from Michael Rosen's Big Book of Bad Things. In this video you can see Michael talking about and performing his poem:

Hand on the bridge

feel the rhythm of the train.

Hand on the window

feel the rhythm of the rain.

Hand on your throat

feel the rhythm of your talk.

Hand on your leg

feel the rhythm of your walk.

Hand in the sea

feel the rhythm of the tide.

Hand on your heart

feel the rhythm inside.

Hand on the rhythm

feel the rhythm of the rhyme.

Hand on your life

feel the rhythm of time.

hand on your life

feel the rhythm of time

hand on your life

feel the rhythm of time.

Here is one is his newer books:

This is a perfect book to share with a group of older students

Michael’s reading manifesto:

1. Reading books helps children make the most of what school and the world offer them.

2. Books give children language, thoughts, ideas and feelings.

3. Books show them places and times and cultures very near and dear to them.

4. Books show them places and times and cultures they may not have come across before.

5. Books help children walk in other people’s shoes, seeing things from someone else’s point of view.

6. Books help children see that they are not alone.

7. We have to do what we can to put books into children’s hands.

8. We have to do what we can to find space and time for children to talk about books.

9. We have to celebrate children’s books.

10. Children’s books are for everyone because we are all children at some time or another.

On this blog I have previously talked about these books. Pop the name Michael Rosen into my search bar or search for a specific title:

Here is an abridged list of awards given to Michael Rosen:

• Oxfordshire Book Award 2009 for ‘Dear Mother Goose’
• Children’s Laureate 2007-2009
• English Association ‘Exceptional’ Award for Sad Book
• Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor ‘Commended’ Award for Sad Book
• National Literacy WOW Award 2005 Alphabet Poem
• An International Reading Association Teachers’ Choices Winner
1999 (USA) Classic Poetry
• Eleanor Farjeon Award for distinguished services to children’s literature
1997
• National Association of Parenting Pub Best Book Award 1993 (USA) Poetry For The Very Young
• Japanese Outstanding Picture Book from Abroad
1991 We’re Going On A Bear Hunt
• School Library Journal Best Book of the Year 1990 (USA) We’re Going On A Bear Hunt
• Smarties Best Children’s Book of the Year Award 1990 We’re Going On A Bear Hunt
• Signal Poetry Award 1982 You Can’t Catch Me

My own favourite Michael Rosen book that I previously shared with hundreds of children in my school library is Hairy Tales and Nursery Crimes. You can hear Michael reading one of the stories from this book here. And Little Bo Peep;  Jack and the Tin Stalk, Old Mother Hubbard, Hush a bye Gravy, Little Bo Peep.