Throughout many of these poems the author uses a range of fonts and text sizes to create emotion and effect. I like these poems because they are effectively illustrated to support the content of the poem e.g. the poem called I am angry, this poem provides the opportunity for children to be able to possibly relate to the poem and learn from it. From the poem I am angry the phrases ‘wake up stones’ and ‘boil words’ are memorable to me because they create a visual image of the authors creative thoughts and messages behind the words. They also portray the emotion of anger through the text format (bold font).

A Great Big Cuddle | Michael Rosen

Our Writer in Residence and former Children's Laureate Michael Rosen's best books for little ones aged 0 to 5 - we highly recommend reading his brilliant poems aloud together for lots of fun! Two of the biggest names in children’s publishing, Michael Rosen and Chris Riddell, come together in a new poetry collection. LoveReading4Kids exists because books change lives, and buying books through LoveReading4Kids means you get to change the lives of future generations, with 25% of the cover price donated to schools in need. Join our community to get personalised book suggestions, extracts straight to your inbox, 10% off RRPs, and to change children’s lives. This is a great poetry anthology for younger children. Could be used in the Foundation Stage and some would be suitable for lower KS1. There are a range of different poems in this book which differ by length and style making it a great anthology for a primary school where the children are likely to have different tastes and abilities. The use of illustration and the size, font and colour of the text makes the poems even more enjoyable to read and look at. Overall, a lovely anthology which I would definitely use with children in the earlier years of primary school.

The New School

Most of my adult life, I've been a freelance writer, teacher (of sorts), journalist, performer and broadcaster. I visit schools doing my one-man show, and support Arsenal Football Club.

A Great Big Cuddle: Poems for the Very Young - AbeBooks A Great Big Cuddle: Poems for the Very Young - AbeBooks

Here are some videos of me performing poems from my book, A Great Big Cuddle, with pictures by Chris Riddell, published by Walker Books. The Wimbledon family keep getting woken up by their dog, Stanley - what could he possibly be up to in the middle of the night? Find out in this brilliantly inventive and funny picture book. Two of the biggest names in children's publishing, Michael Rosen and Chris Riddell, come together in a new poetry collection. Children’s Laureates Chris Riddell and Michael Rosen combine here to create a beautiful collection of ebullient poems for the very young. Michael Rosen’s close and affectionate observation of small children and the way they think is brilliantly captured in poems such as You Can’t See Me and Let Me Do It. There are also plenty of opportunities for the very young to join in with poems such as Tippy-Tappy and The Button Bop which they are guaranteed to want to hear again and again! Chris Riddell’s illustrations created an equally warm-hearted view of the early years and capture the spirit of the poems perfectly.From re-invented fairy tales to classics from Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy, here are some poetry books your child is sure to love and want to read out loud. What is interesting to me here is that in terms of age of the reader, Rosen isn’t limiting himself solely to toddlers. There are a couple poems in here that preschoolers would probably appreciate more than their drooling, babbling brethren. “I Am Hungry”, for example, stars a hungry bear listing everything he could eat at this moment (both the usual fare and unusual selections like “A funny joke” or “The sound of yes”) ending with “Then I’ll eat me” which is just the right level of ridiculousness to amuse the canny four-year-old. And “Don’t Squash” is going to ramp up the silly levels pretty effectively when a splatter happy elephant is instructed not to squash her toes, nose, a bun, the sun, cars, stars, a fly, or the very sky. The poem uses rhyming and repetition through the phases ‘bounce bounce’ and ‘pounce pounce’. This creates speed as you read the poem as well as reiteration of these important words. The lines in this poem are also very short and most of the words are repeated making it very accessible to younger children just beginning to look at poetry including those in the Foundation State and early KS1. These are super fun poems for young children! There is a variety from super funny and upbeat to slower, sweet poems. Kids can enjoy having them read to them or reading the poems themselves. There are also great pictures to go along with the poems! I have often written about my life and family, but I also write occasional fantasy (usually based in a real place) and non-fiction.

A Great Big Cuddle by Michael Rosen, Chris Riddell - Waterstones

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. Armistice Day: A Collection of Remembrance - Spark Interest and Educate Children about Historical Moments The poem is positioned in quite an unusual way, starting in the top left-hand corner and progressing diagonally downwards to the bottom right-hand corner. The way that each verse is positioned encourages the reader to speed up when reading bringing purposeful tension to the poem. There is also an effect of each verse and accompanying illustration getting closer as the poem progresses, which gives the same effect. On the fence over this one. I love how different and silly it is, but I'm not sure all the poems are good. I'm not much of a poem guy, so I'd love a second opinion, like from Adrienne. I do know that this is the creepiest toddler poem I've ever read, and I LOVE it: A collection of beautifully illustrated new poems for toddlers, preschoolers, and anyone who loves having fun with words, A Great Big Cuddle documents the problems and pleasures of being very young.In I AM HUNGRY you can have fun together talking about all the things you’d eat if you were really hungry, or what makes you really angry in I AM ANGRY. Can children make a really angry face? Michael Rosen is a hugely bestselling author of picture books and poetry. Michael frequently appears on radio and gives talks and lectures on children’s literature. Michael was the Children’s Laureate for 2007–2009 and the winner of the Eleanor Farjeon Award. He lives in London. It’s not just the title that resonates with children there are some really great poems in this collection. The illustrations are so eye-catching my 2-year-old can easily find his favourites and the pictures give him plenty to talk about. Where does the inspiration for this poem come from? Is it based on a real tiger as it finds its roar or is it based on a toy or even a child? If you have a small child, you grow accustomed to the classic nursery rhymes. They have, after all, withstood the test of time. Still, roundabout the one hundred and fortieth time you’ve read “Bye, Baby Bunting” you long for something a little different. Imagine then the palpable sense of relief such a parent might feel when reading jaunty little poems like “What a Fandango!” starring (what else?) a mango. The thing about Rosen is that so many of his poems feel as if they’ve been in the canon of nursery rhymery for centuries. “Oh Dear” is very much in the same vein as “Hush, Little Baby” all thanks to its regular rhythm and repetition. “Party Time” counts down and brings to mind “This Old Man” in reverse. And should you be under the misbegotten understanding that writing poems of this sort is easy, go on. Write one yourself. Now fill a book with them. I’ll just wait right here and finish my sandwich.