Michael Rosen author page

Michael Rosen biography

Michael Rosen is a British poet, author, broadcaster and academic. He is Professor of Children’s Literature at Goldsmiths, University of London, where his teaching has included children’s books, reading and writing.

Rosen’s books for children include poetry, picture books, retellings, fiction and nonfiction. His published work includes Quick, Let’s Get Out of Here, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury, Michael Rosen’s Sad Book, illustrated by Quentin Blake, and Tiny Little Fly, illustrated by Kevin Waldron.

He served as the British Children’s Laureate from 2007 to 2009. During that period he set up the Roald Dahl Funny Prize, an award created to recognise funny books for children.

Rosen has also written and presented work for radio and has performed poems and stories for young readers through live events and recorded readings. Walker Books describes We’re Going on a Bear Hunt as an international bestseller.

In 2026, Rosen won the Hans Christian Andersen Award for writing, awarded by the International Board on Books for Young People.

Website and social media

• Website, events and visits
• Twitter
• YouTube

Bestselling books by Michael Rosen

We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury

A family sets off through grass, water, mud, forest and snow in a chant-aloud search for a bear, with each obstacle inviting children to join in. Perfect for 3 to 7-year-olds, the repeated sounds and Helen Oxenbury’s pictures make it especially useful for nursery, Reception and early KS1 storytimes.

Michael Rosen’s Sad Book by Michael Rosen, illustrated by Quentin Blake

Grief is described plainly and directly as Rosen writes about the death of his son Eddie, with Quentin Blake’s drawings leaving space for complicated feelings. For 5 to 7-year-olds, it can help families and schools begin careful conversations about loss, sadness and emotions that do not always make sense.

Chocolate Cake by Michael Rosen, illustrated by Kevin Waldron

A boy remembers the pull of his mum’s chocolate cake, from the first thought of it to the noises, words and actions that make the poem so performable. A lively picture book for 3 to 7-year-olds, it works well for reading aloud, spoken language and classroom work on sound, rhythm and temptation.

Little Rabbit Foo Foo by Michael Rosen, illustrated by Arthur Robins

Little Rabbit Foo Foo rides through the forest bopping creatures on the head until the Good Fairy decides she has had enough. With Arthur Robins’ mischievous illustrations and a strong read-aloud rhythm, this 4 to 7 picture book is a funny choice for early years and KS1 story sessions.

Michael Rosen’s Book of Very Silly Poems by Michael Rosen, illustrated by Shoo Rayner

Traditional rhymes, playground favourites and poems with a twist sit together in a small Puffin Poetry collection chosen for laughter, rhythm and sharing aloud. A good fit for 6 to 8-year-olds, it gives young readers an easy route into poetry without making the poems feel like a test.

If you like Michael Rosen, why not try:

• Joseph Coelho
• John Agard
• Allan Ahlberg
• Julia Donaldson

Michael Rosen teaching resources

• Walker Books’ Michael Rosen Day page provides details of the annual poetry celebration, free registration for the Poetry Party Planner, Michael Rosen’s Manifesto for Reading, current event information and a book list for schools and libraries.
• The Michael Rosen Day 2024 Resource Pack is an 11-page schools, libraries and nurseries PDF with a whole-setting framework and age-specific activities using Michael Rosen’s poems and books.
• The official We’re Going on a Bear Hunt activities page links to activity sheets, teachers’ notes, story-time materials, an Explorer’s Journal, seasonal sheets, a cut-out bear and ears sheet, and videos.
• Authorfy’s We’re Going on a Bear Hunt activity pack provides a nine-page scheme for ages 5+ covering discussion questions, performance, drama, illustration, journeys, reports, story adaptation and dioramas.
• Puffin Schools provides a downloadable Michael Rosen’s Chocolate Cake poetry pack with KS1 and KS2 activities for English, Art and Maths, including pre-reading and post-reading prompts, fraction work and spoken-language tasks.
• Scottish Book Trust provides Michael Rosen poetry classroom activities for ages 9-14, including poetry performance, everyday inventions, health and wellbeing discussion, creative writing and illustration.
• The Centre for Literacy in Primary Education provides a Michael Rosen poet page with selected poems, book entries and videos including Why is poetry important? and What poems do you remember from your childhood?.
• CLPE’s A Great Big Cuddle page gives year-group, theme and book-type guidance, sign-up access to Power of Reading and CLiPPA teaching sequences, home-learning material and selected poems from the book.
• CLPE’s On the Move page gives Years 5 and 6 theme guidance, sign-up access to a CLiPPA teaching sequence, classroom examples, video performances and selected poems from Michael Rosen and Quentin Blake’s migration collection.
• Authorfy’s The Missing scheme of work is a four-page PDF for ages 10+ with comprehension questions and extra activities on family history, World War II, the Holocaust, refugee reporting, timelines and newspaper articles.
• BookTrust offers a free CPD training module for primary teaching assistants featuring Michael Rosen, focused on the role reading plays in children’s wellbeing and the adult’s role in supporting it.
• Michael Rosen’s official videos page hosts poem performances, Rhyme Time videos, book videos and What is Poetry for Kids workshop clips for use in author study, poetry performance and classroom discussion.