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. 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.

Mustard, Custard, Grumble Belly and Gravy - BookTrust Mustard, Custard, Grumble Belly and Gravy - BookTrust

And we sometimes forget just how absolutely great it is to be cuddled as the baby in “ Who Likes Cuddles? 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. 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.

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. It would be a wonderful drama task for children to perform the poems or simply to read for some light relief. 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. I had no idea how to even go about writing a poem that didn’t rhyme because it obviously wasn’t in the national curriculum then.

Don’t’ by Michael Rosen Activity sheet for ‘Don’t’ by Michael Rosen

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. 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. There are poems about growing up, pets, nightmares and siblings all of which are good discussion points for younger children.The book is illustrated by Quentin Blake whose bold outlined, messy haired and ever so expressive characters are instantly recognisable, especially to any child of the 80s like me. 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. Don’t” is a rant by a young child who is so fed up of always being told “Don’t” that he comes up with many ridiculous suggestions that he thinks grown ups will tell him not to do next. 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. They are brilliant poems and even though I think this book is out of print now there are plenty of Michael Rosen poetry books available.