Mustard, Custard, Grumble Belly and Gravy

by Michael Rosen, Quentin Blake (Illustrator)

'You Can’t Catch Me' and 'You Can’t Put Mustard in the Custard' were first published 25 years ago and were groundbreaking collections of poems for children.

'You Can’t Catch Me' won the Signal Poetry Award in 1982, and both books went on to become bestsellers. Combined here for the first time, the conversational and fun poetry from both these collections is fantastically matched by silly but perfectly detailed full-colour illustrations.

A CD is also provided so that children can listen to their favourite poems.

Don't put confetti on the spaghetti and don't squash peas on your knees. Don't put ants in your pants don't put mustard in the custard ...

'A treasure for children and adults alike.' - Big Issue

'I've never met a child who didn't like Quentin Blake.' - Daily Telegraph

'Michael Rosen is a poet with a rambling gift who shows how far from ordinary are the most ordinary of events.' - Times Educational Supplement

Genres: Poetry, Childrens, Picture Books

100 pages, Paperback

First published October 2, 2006

About the author

Michael Rosen, a recent British Children’s Laureate, has written many acclaimed books for children, including WE'RE GOING ON A BEAR HUNT, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury, and I’M NUMBER ONE and THIS IS OUR HOUSE, both illustrated by Bob Graham. Michael Rosen lives in London.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Reviews

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is fantastic, as you would expect from Michael Rosen. A lovely collection of his work.

[Gerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume includes Michael Rosen's 'You Can't Catch Me' and 'Don't Put Mustard in the Custard' with illustrations added by the incomparable Quentin Blake. Rosen says in his erudite introduction, 'My poems are made up out of the words and phrases and sounds I've caught off the air, whizzing past me as uttered by my brother, my parents, my friends and my children.' And the words that he uses in many of them indicate that very fact, he has picked them up and put them together to make onomatopoeic poems that are a delight to read aloud or, as is possible with this volume, to listen to on the associated CD. And, as to be expected when read by the author, the emphasis on the various words is just right and really brings the poems to life.

All the poems are fascinating and at a first glance some look as though they might not work, but, rest assured, they sure do. 'Keith's Cupboard' is an example, when he won't get his tent out for his friend to play with, his mother intervenes and says, 'Keith, why don't you get your tent out?' The cupboard opens and the toys, including the tent, cascade out all over the floor. 'They keep buying him all this stuff and he doesn't play with it,' says his pal.

'Nightmare' about a boy on the underground doesn't appear as though it works but once again, read aloud and most certainly when listened to be the author, it works to perfection. Ranzo the dog is a rather a troublesome pet at times but when settled down in his basket in front of the fire, he is ever so sweet!

'To Sea' is a lovely little poem, with a delightful illustration, 'I put out to sea/in a wooden row-boat/with a cheese and pickle sandwich/and a yellow hat and coat' conjures up a simple pastime that is so enjoyable. And then 'Johnny' ran away to join the merchant navy ... but what did he do? He 'came back the very next day and drank up all the gravy'! There are many more, peas, eggs, cuddles, shorts, the nursery and the bathroom all get the Roden treatment and all are great stuff.

Having read the book with one's own voice modulation, it is interesting to hear the author read the poems and put his interpretation on them when sometimes it puts a different complexion on the verse. But whichever way they are read, they are just jolly good fun.

[Amit Tiwary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh! What a fabulous read. Very good collection of neat, lucid, and beautiful poems. Brilliant illustrations, as always, by Quentin Blake.

Please get this for all 5-8 year old mates. May be, get this for you too :-)

[Stacey Seaborne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant colour illustrated poetry book which is packed full of amusing language! The book consists of various poems written by Michael Rosen, all of which are illustrated by the brilliant and talented Quentin Blake. I absolutely loved reading this book, as all of the poems are very well written and they bring back fond memories of my own childhood and getting to grips with poetry in primary school. I even came across one of my favourite poems in this book as well. The combination of Michael Rosen's poetry with Quentin Blake's illustrations results in a fantastic book, as the language is funny and engaging and the illustrations help to bring the poems to life. I think that this book would be a brilliant addition to any primary school classroom, as there are short simple poems for children in key stage 1 and more complex poems for children in key stage 2. This book can be used for subject support in English when pupils are learning about and writing their own poetry. The poems are meant to be read aloud and they would be great to act out and read aloud to a reception, year 1 or a year 2 class at the end of the school day. This book should be on every classroom shelf as it has a variety of uses (e.g. guided reading and subject support) and is very well written and the language used and the illustrations will help to hold the children's attention.

[Charlotte]

I love this collection of poems for children. There are funny poems, sad poems, poems that touch on all different aspects of childhood and everyday family life. The poems are made to be read aloud, as if you are just having a conversation with someone. They are also perfect for whatever time of the day; they can be used for bed time stories or for acting out poetry within the classroom.

Michael Rosen incorporates lots of made up nonsense words which making the poems light-hearted and very easy for children to listen to and interract with. I remember being read poetry by Michael Rosen when I was younger, and also reading other poetry books by him over and over again to my brothers as they were growing up.
The layout of the book is designed in a simple yet exciting way. Quentin Blake's illustrations add a whole new dynamic complementing Rosen's poems wonderfully, helping children to engage with the book, especially those that cannot yet read. The rhyming verse helps devlop children's vocabulary whilst encouraging them to participate in speaking out as they find themselves remembering what words come next.

I loved this book and think it is great for grabbing children's interest, as it emphasizes how fun and light hearted poetry can be.

[Jayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an excellent collection of short poems by Michael Rosen and the distinguished illustrations of Quentin Blake. I really enjoyed reading this and although some of the poems are only a few sentences in length, they are powerful and packed with amusing language. One poem titled ‘Water’ explains how water can be seen and used in different forms, such as ice, cold, hot, steam, salt, sea, snow etc. This really helps integrate basic scientific knowledge whilst also making it fun. Another poem titled ‘Tiffy Taffy’ explores the use of alliteration and phonics by using sentences such as ‘Tiffy taffy toffee on the flee flo floor’.

The author notes at the beginning of the book that reading does not have to be a solitary, silent activity but can also be shared, out-loud and in public. For children this means that it makes a vital link between being able to talk and the ability to read books to themselves. Which I believe is an important point to make. These short poems would be perfect to use within English lessons and when exploring phonics and different language techniques. I believe it is quite versatile and could be used from early year’s right up until primary key stage 2, it would just depend on the lesson it was being used alongside.

[Emily Valenti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Actual Rating 4.5 stars

Michael Rosen has again teamed up with Quentin Blake to bring their two very popular poetry books together: ‘You Can’t Catch Me’ and ‘Don’t Put Mustard in the Custard’. A generous collection of poems with varying lengths detailing Rosen’s observations and comments on daily occurrences and random spoken words. With Blake’s vivid full-colour illustrations and Rosen’s conversational and occasionally nonsensical prose this book could engage with children completely on their level making it a delightful read.

A wonderfully accessible introduction to poetry for Rec-Y2; with rhyme, word-play and repetition many of the poems roll off your tongue like music helping children learn how to read. It is a great starting point for children to write their own poetry, with endless possibilities for English activities. The brilliant sense of humour shown in the poems makes them fun to read or perform out loud and can help to loosen your mind and creativity. It would be a wonderful drama task for children to perform the poems or simply to read for some light relief. Some of the concepts in the poems could also be used to address certain issues, for example ‘Gone’ to highlight stranger danger.

[Katy W · Rating 3 out of 5]

My daughter, when she was six or seven, copied out one of the poems from this collection and read it aloud in the 'Show and Tell' time at school. The children laughed but, apparently, the teacher sat stony faced. Perhaps No Breathing In Class would have been a more fitting choice.

[Adrian · Rating 4 out of 5]

DON'T TELL

Christmas eve
Christmas day
don't tell mum I'm running away .

I'm afraid of Father Christmas
coming down the chimney
while I'm fast asleep
he might come and grab me.

Christmas eve
Christmas day
don't tell mum
I'm running.

Picked up in a charity shop during our recent trip to Chester, this children's book serves up two former Children's Laureates as Quentin Blake teams up to illustrate Michael Rosen's humorous poems.

It is everything you'd expect and more. Some short, some more involved, all will bring a smile to your face.

An enjoyable read. 4 stars.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

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[Tanya Marlow · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a collection of Michael Rosen’s best poems, together with a CD for an audio book. I hadn’t read Michael Rosen since childhood – I had remembered his delight of nonsense words, but as an adult I appreciated the way he captures life from the child’s viewpoint. Some made me laugh, others made me cry.

I loved it – and more to the point, my six-year-old read the whole thing in one sitting, and then proceeded to read the poems to me. I’m always on the lookout for good children’s poetry collections, and this is a great one.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Michael Rosen and Quentin Blake poetry book is a perfect read for children. It has a mixture of short poems and some slightly longer ones, all of which include illustrations which I really liked because they are reminiscent of the kind of illustrations Roald Dahl used in his books. There are poems about growing up, pets, nightmares and siblings all of which are good discussion points for younger children.

[Isabella Hobbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

This hilarious collection of poems by Rosen is a fun way to get every child involved and enjoying poetry, as the rhymes and content sounds so ridiculous and silly. My favourite poem in the collection, which I have read aloud to my Year 1 class is 'You Can’t Put Mustard in the Custard'. They particularly loved shouting “don’t what?!”

[Jenna Mills · Rating 2 out of 5]

People seem to love this, and I am a bit of a Michael Rosen fan, but I just didn't 'get' any of it. 3yo seemed to enjoy it though. I think this kind of stuff is why I have always thought I don't like poetry 😂

[Dhwani · Rating 5 out of 5]

These are such fun poems and artworks

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the poems were a little bit weird, but they were all silly and fun. Definitely one of the most British kids books I’ve ever read!

[Eva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fabulously enjoyable poems written and read out by Michael Rosen and lavish illustrations by QB. Great bedtime listening.
Recommended age range 8-14+ years

[Sundeep Purewal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a combination of ‘You Can’t Catch Me’ and ‘You Can’t Put Mustard in the Custard’ which were highly acclaimed pieces of literature when they were first released. The book is full of varying poems in terms of length and topic. Michael Rosen’s talent to articulate everyday situations in a child’s life is amazing, coupled with Quentin Blake’s ability to bring these topics to life. My favourite poem in the book is ‘Digital Watch’ because I enjoyed the nonsensical play with words which left me smiling. The general style of the poems can all be said to be conversational, this vital as it would allow children to easily relate to the pieces of writing.

This book is aimed at children in key stage one and early key stage two, it could be used in the classroom to show children that creativity and expression is important when writing poems. The humour throughout the book makes it a book that younger children would love to read.

Overall I enjoyed reading this book because the fun nature of the poems alongside the interesting illustrations. The book had me smiling from start to finish, it was a wonderful read and I would strongly recommend it to anyone.

[El · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book accompanied by hilarious pictures and even a CD of the author reading out the poems great for any child and when my primary class got to visit him he read for this book signed my copy with "hello Emma Michael Rosen was here" it was great to meet him and hear him read live he made it so much funnier

[Edward Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great stories and Rhymes with goo illustrations. A Fantastic book for a quick bed time story or bit of filler to get in the mood. Plenty of opportunity for parent child interaction. And plenty of opportunity for multiple interpretations.