The Best of Michael Rosen

by Michael Rosen, Quentin Blake (Illustrator), Ken Goodman (Introduction)

A collection of humorous poems about family and a variety of daily experiences

Genres: Poetry

120 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 1995

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

[Jacqui Robbins]

If I were stranded somewhere with a classroom full of kids, or one or two kids, or some wild things, and I could only bring one book to read aloud for the rest of my life, it would be this one, no question, hands down, don't even have to think about it. I've had it for 15 years and not a one of the poems in it has ever gotten old.

[Ellie Matthews]

Michael Rosen would be wonderful even if he had only written 'We're going on a Bear Hunt', which is one of the books that children love the most. His poetry is also wonderful, really silly and observational. My class of year ones love listening to them, especially on his website where he reads the poems himself.

[Rebecca Gale]

Again - always brilliant. Fantastic for kids to understand that poetry comes in many forms.

[Sophia]

I'm curious about how does he protect his curiosity and childlike innocence through the years.

[Maureen]

This is a collection that may be unfamiliar in many American classrooms, as Michael Rosen is the favorite poet of British children. His poems are extremely humorous, insightful, honest, sometimes melancholy, and sometimes delightfully irreverent. To quote Ken and Yetta Goodman, who capture the impish, childish nature of the author in their free verse introduction..."when you finish reading his poems, you say more poems please. But there aren't any more so you have to read them again and again and then write some of your own."

I acquired a copy (now well worn) of this collection at an IRA convention about 15 years ago, when I had the privilege of meeting the author and hearing him read some of his work. I can remember laughing so hard that I cried, and being so excited to share this treasure with my students. Somehow his dry British humor translates beautifully to poems children beg to be read aloud again and again. In all my years as a 4th grade teacher, we could never get on the bus for a field trip without reading a Rosen poem on the subject.It is a long free verse poem that hysterically relates the trials and tribulations teachers often suffer when they embark on such an excursion. I am grateful that I chose to reread this volume as each time I pick it up, I discover different nuances in the writing, and think of new ways I could mentor free verse writing through his examples.

[Jess Moss]

These poems are absolutely wonderful!!!! They are an acquired taste. I initially thought the poems were poorly formed and simplistic. But about halfway through the book I fell in love with Rosen's yes, simplistic, yet incredibly evocative storytelling. Rosen is able to take you on a time traveling journey back to his childhood, and you, the reader, live his experiences right along with him, feeling every emotion that he describes, and he accomplishes all of this over and over again within the confines of brief poems. An absolute gem, I discovered this by accident. I only read it because Quentin Blake illustrated the book, and I've loved Quentin Blake ever since I read my first Roald Dahl book. I highly recommend Michael Rosen, and I urge you to give him a chance. His poetic style will really grow on you.