Latest News
Updated 25th September, 2026
Michael Rosen Day 2026
We’re throwing a HUGE Poetry Party on Thursday 12 November to celebrate Michael Rosen Day, and everyone’s invited!
The aim of the day is to make reading, listening to, and writing poetry fun, enjoyable and accessible for all, helping children and young people of all ages to discover its magic.
This year’s theme is SILLY SCHOOL STUFF, so this is a fantastic opportunity for schools, libraries, bookshops, families and all settings nationwide to get involved and get creative, inspired by Michael and his fantastically funny poems about everyday life at school.
There are free resources to sign up for, a free Poetry Party event, a competition to enter, and lots more. Find out more here…
My Big Birthday
Big event in May was my 80th birthday. People were amazingly kind. The book people laid on a do with oodles of chocolate cake in the upstairs room at Foyles bookshop. I made up a poem of thanks for everyone there. It went like this:
Thank you for
introducing me
for producing me
for encouraging me
for nudging me
for marketing me
for selling me
for telling me
for buying me
for trying me
for sending me
for lending me (that’s a libraries reference)
for borrowing me
for following me
for filming me
for YouTubing me
for casting me
for broadcasting me
for editing me
for amending me
for extending me
for cutting me (very sensible that one)
for cuing me
for auto-cuing me
for presenting me
for representing me
for scripting me
for managing me
for questioning me
for suggesting me
for suggesting ideas to me
for reading me
for pleading with me
for working with me
for inventing work for me
for making plans for me
for waiting for me
for cooperating with me
for collaborating with me
for elaborating me
for illustrating me
for demonstrating me
for signing me
for designing me
for accompanying me
for scheduling me
for sending me schedules
for resending me schedules
for being enthusiastic
for not being too enthusiastic
for promoting me
for voting for me
for awarding me
for rewarding me
for critiquing me
for not critiquing me
for treating me
for teaching me
for teaching with me
for paying me
for displaying me
for jogging my memory
for remembering me
for recommending me
for depending on me
for bearing me in mind
for reminding me
for reminding me again
for being kind to me
for ignoring obnoxious bits of me
for imploring me
for writing about me
for rewriting me
for reviewing me
for renewing me
for tolerating me
for curating me
for advising me
for sympathising with me
for advertising me
for publicising me
for being understanding
for trying to understand me
for not misunderstanding me
for befriending me
for not unfriending me
pour être mon vieux copain depuis très, très longtemps
for staying in touch
for hanging in there
for looking after me
for looking out for me
for warning me
for mourning with me
for saving my life
for being my wife
for loving me
for living with me
for having children with me
for going on living with me
and again thanks
for this party and
thanks to you all for being here!!!
I also told everyone that there’s a Yiddish expression that goes like this:
biz achtzik bistu a knakke,
nach achtzik bistu a kakke.
(it rhymes)
It means literally:
before you’re 80 you’re a clever clogs, after eighty you poo your pants.
What it actually means, I think is:
before eighty you think you’re clever, after eighty you realise you’re just an old guy.
My wife and family laid on a wonderful party at home and wider family and friends came over and we had super eats, the weather was the only sunny day in the middle of a run of rainy days, but we had a mini-marquee in the garden anyway.
Then we had a great birthday day at the Festival Hall, with poetry events and much more besides. What a treat.
I visited the Festival Hall and the Festival of Britain site when it all happened in 1951. I was 5. I can remember going into the Dome of Discovery, and thinking even then how modern it felt. I was also amazed and excited to stand next to the giant wheels of a steam engine that they had on site. We researched it and saw that the engine was named the William Shakespeare. My parents (who were Shakespeare lovers) must have loved that.
At a book-signing that took place at Newham Bookshop to celebrate my 80th year (a month before my actual birthday, but part of the celebrations)
Refugee Day
On June 28 we had a superb Refugee Day event in the Corn Exchange in Cambridge.
School students had prepared poems, dance, singing and dramatisations of my narratives about my relatives who were killed during the Holocaust. The local Ukrainian women’s choir sang, while Professor Helen Weinstein and I did the narration.
France and Canada
After a pretty hectic summer term of gigs and visits, it was great to have a long holiday. First up was France, where we sat in a field and didn’t do much. Great! One day the sky went dark and it smelled of smoke. We were told to stay indoors, shut windows and doors. It was the smoke from the fires over a 100 miles to the west of where we were. It was a tragic time in France with many people losing their homes, fire fighters losing their lives.
Then it was off to Ottawa, Canada to be presented with the Hans Christian Andersen Award by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY). This is a huge honour. I now have a beautiful gold medal and certificate.
Ottawa is the capital of Canada so the part we were in was full of large grey parliament buildings and banks. Even so, we managed to go out on an excursion up the river, which was great. Just as we were coming back, the skies opened and it pelted down. I didn’t have a waterproof so I had to decide whether to shelter under a bridge or walk through the rain, get soaking wet and have a shower when we got back to the hotel. I decided on getting wet! In its own way it was OK. The roads were streaming, and I just kept on tramping and tramping. It reminded me of camping holidays when I was a kid.
After Ottawa, we got a train to Montreal, changed trains and now for the big one: we got on the ‘Ocean’ a huge train ride to Halifax. It was supposed to be 24 hours but it ended up being 28.
The ‘Ocean’ Train
It was like being in the 1950s. The carriages dated from then and every four hours or so we could make our way to the dining car (!) where we were served lovely meals. Outside was the amazing Canadian countryside of rivers, mountains and forests. In between, French villages.
I kept asking if we’d see bears or moose. Sadly, no. None.
Then we hired a car and my wife drove us to Cape Breton island, were we stayed in Baddeck. Again, a boat trip across a glacial lake, where the guy on the boat flung fish off the side of the boat and a bald eagle (who seemed to be his pal) swooped down and grabbed it! Our son filmed it.
Agatha Christie and Dartmouth
My wife and I squeezed in another mini-holiday in Dartmouth where I was doing a show.
Spooky photo of a dressing room at one of my recent gigs
We went up the River Dart on a little cruise boat up as far as Dittisham, where the poet, the late Brian Patten used to live. I visited him there once to interview him for the radio. We sat on one side of the river and he pointed to a house on a hill on the other side and said that that was where Agatha Christie lived. Sad to think of Brian gone. He was a great poet and writer of stories. I did poetry gigs with him two or three times. I thought that when he and Roger McGough performed together they were totally brilliant.
Agatha Christie’s house is open to the public now so my wife and I got a boat again the next day. You land at a little flat patch at the bottom of a wooded hill and climb up (pant! gasp!) to the house.
The house is just as she and her husband left it, jam-packed full of stuff they had collected – plates, vases, books, paintings, prints, furniture. It feels a bit like you’re prying because you can go into their kitchen, bedroom and loo. There’s even the boxes of loo paper they would have used!
Agatha Christie’s husband was an archaeologist so there are some of his collections in the house too: fragments of ancient pottery and the like.
There’s also her desk, typewriter and note pad, next to the window where she could look out over the woods and the River Dart.
When you put together everything that she wrote, she is probably the world’s most popular writer. So, as I was thinking that, and remembering that I hadn’t actually ever read a whole book of hers, I thought I’d go into the second hand bookshop that is in an outbuilding there. You know what? None of her books were there!
Also at the Dartmouth Literary Festival was the cinematographer Roger Deakins and his wife James. We would have gone to see him no matter what, but I have a connection with him: I was at the National Film School with him. If you haven’t heard of him, just look him up on wikipedia. He is the greatest cinematographer of our time, having won two Oscars and been nominated for a load more.
Roger Deakins
He was funny and modest when he spoke, with one or two fun bits of gossip, especially about . . . no, sorry, he asked us to not repeat who it was about! He overcame a good deal of disappointment and put-downs early on in his career but he became this era’s top guy.
Afterwards, I met up with him for 20 secs in the book-signing queue and we had a brief handshake and nod! He signed his book for our film-making son, and I thought of the bald eagle that our son caught on film, swooping down and catching the fish.
Me having a ‘moment’ when I found my favourite: blackcurrant sorbet. It was in Dartmouth where I was doing a performance of Getting Through It in the Flavel Arts Centre
New Books
I’ve had several books released since my last update. Here is a round-up of the latest ones.
Ridiculous Raps and Rhymes
From two master storytellers, comes a hilarious, high-energy rhyming adventure! Get ready for a rapping and rhyming quest like no other. From school to the zoo, the beach and the museum, riotously funny and wildly ridiculous poems that will take the reader on a one-of-a-kind adventure, with MC Grammar and Michael ‘the mic’ Rosen as their guide.
Rhymes about chocolate cake. Raps about a hissing snake. Rhymes about the school canteen. Raps about curry flavoured ice cream. Rhymes about books that are magic or scary. Raps about bears who are grumpy and hairy.
Co-authored with MCGrammar, illustrated by Mike Byrne, published by Gallery Kids.
Neighbour’s Cat
Our neighbour has a cat. We call it “Neighbour’s Cat”. Sometimes, he comes to our house … and he acts like he lives here! But what does he get up to when he’s out of sight upstairs? Does he play with our toys? Take a bubble bath? Or worse?!
Illustrated by Alex Willmore, published by Walker Books.
Michael Rosen’s NICE! Poems
Dive into a brand-new edition of a classic collection of Michael Rosen’s poems, featuring all-time favourites including “Hot Food”, “No Breathing in Class” and “Babysitter”. With lively illustrations from rising star Hannah Robinson, this is the perfect way to introduce younger readers to the playful side of poetry. NICE! Published by Walker Books.
The Weirdest Thing of All
In this beautiful, funny, and moving collection of brand new poems, Michael Rosen shares an unforgettable series of stories, experiences and memories of his own childhood.
Illustrated by Ed Vere, published by HarperCollins Children’s Books.
We’re Going on a Bear Hunt (Carousel edition)
A new, specially adapted, 3D version of our much-loved book, showcasing Helen Oxenbury’s charming watercolour illustrations as they’ve never been seen before, with each section made up of three exquisite cut-paper layers to create an intricate and immersive book experience.
Illustrated by Helen Oxenbury, published by Walker Books.
Peas on Your Knees
Celebrate the very best of Michael Rosen in a gorgeous gift edition illustrated by a selection of award-winning artists. This collection brings together for the first time popular poems such as “Chocolate Cake”, “Hot Food” and “No Breathing in Class!”. From the hilarious to the heart-warming, Michael’s poems about childhood, family and friendships will inspire a love of reading and rhyme. The perfect selection to read aloud, join in with and learn by heart, this is a book that will be treasured by all generations, for years to come.
Illustrated by Quentin Blake, Polly Dunbar, Bob Graham, Yasmeen Ismail, & Ken Wilson-Max, published by Walker Books.
PREVIOUS NEWS
9th March, 2026
New Show for 2026
I am celebrating my 80th birthday this year with a brand-new live show.
I’ll be looking back at a lifetime in poetry, performing favourites such as Hot Food, No Breathing, and Chocolate Cake, along with never-before-heard poems from my upcoming collection 80 Years Young
NICE! is a show for all ages, from the young to the young at heart.
The tour kicks off on the 4th May. Find out more…
David Rosenberg’s Walks
In September, I joined one of David Rosenberg’s Walks round the East End of London, covering the very same ground that my parents walked on when they were children and teenagers. David is fantastically knowledgeable about the history and culture of the East End, and it was great for me to see the streets that my father writes about in his memoir, Are You Still Circumcised? (Five Leaves Press).
Find out more about David’s walks…
By the way, I’ve narrated an Audio Book of Are You Still Circumcised?, word for word, unabridged, and it’s available through Audible.
Morag Styles
I was very sorry to hear that Morag Styles died. She was a friend, scholar, story-teller and a great person to work with, or just hang out with. She organised poetry festivals in Cambridge and I worked with her on various projects including an exhibition at the British Library about how artists have illustrated poems for children. There was a commemoration of Morag’s work. One of her many books tells the history of poetry for children From the Garden to the Street. It’s a great book for anyone interested in finding out about his fascinating history.
I can well remember Morag’s excitement when she discovered the hidden history of (in particular) some radical women poets from the early 19th century who not only wrote for children but were also anti-slavery abolitionists. She was also pleased to ‘save’ some women from being forgotten: very often people put ‘Twinkle twinkle little star’ and ‘Mary had a little lamb’ in books without saying who wrote them. ‘Twinkle twinkle little star’ was written by Jane Taylor, while ‘Mary had a little lamb’ was written by Sarah Josepha Hale. Why are these women’s names so often not given as the authors of such popular little rhymes?
MC Grammar
I’ve been working with the great MC Grammar on a new book of Ridiculous Raps and Rhymes. He’s amazing. He can turn any book into a rap and now we’ve got together and we’ve written a brand new book. I think it’s fizzy, wild, crazy and fantastic fun. It’ll be out soon.
We also have some dates lined up for later this year, including an event at the Brighton Festival on Sunday 3 May, 2026. Look out for more details soon.
Chicken Tikka Tagore
I’ve become the Ambassador for my local Asian restaurant, The Taste of Nawab. They’ve turned me into a cartoon and I recommend dishes. They’re near to where I live and I really love their food. My favourite dish is Chicken Tikka Tagore.
As it happens, it’s fun that I like a dish names after Tagore. He was a great Bengali poet who I’ve long admired, Rabindranath Tagore, who lived not far from where I live. There’s a plaque on the wall for him. Anyway, I love the idea that I really like eating a dish named after him. I suppose it’s a bit like eating something called Fish and Chips Shakespeare! Or Cottage Pie Dickens!
One Day in Paris
In February, I went to Paris to give two talks about the book I did with the illustrator Benjamin Phillips. It’s called One Day and it’s about the men who managed to escape from the Nazis during WW2. My link with them is that they escaped from the same train that was deporting my father’s uncle and aunt to Auschwitz, the extermination camp they never came back from.
For the first talk I was on a panel with a writer called Murielle Szac who talked about her books set in WW2 as well. The next talk was for children who had read One Day as it’s been translated into French.
The talks took place at the Mémorial de la Shoah, in Drancy, right by the transit camp that the Nazis used to put my relatives and the men who escaped from the train. It was then, and still is, a housing estate, just outside Paris.
Before I went, I was getting a bit nervous about whether my French was good enough to manage the discussions, but in the end it was fine. I know I make mistakes but my accent is OK and I usually find ways to understand what people are saying, to say what I want and to make myself understood! What’s odd is that once I get going in French, I don’t even know how I do it. It’s as if there is some kind of secret box in my head and when I start to speak, the words just come out, without me telling them to! I’m by no means bilingual but there’s enough French in my ‘secret box’ for it all to work. It sometimes feels very strange to me.
One story: after I finished the discussion with the children who were about 10 years old, I could see that they wanted to ask me something that had nothing to do with the book, One Day. I heard one of them say ‘Nice!’ and then I knew straightaway that meant that they had seen the meme of me saying ‘Nice!’ and they wanted me to do it, right there in the lecture hall before they went back to school.
So I did! And they filmed me on their phones.
New Books
The Big Journey
Little Bear and Big Bear have to go on a big journey but Little Bear doesn’t want to go. What advice does he pick up from the other animals? And what happens when they get lost on the way?
Illustrated by Daniel Egnéus, published by Bloomsbury.
Where Are You Eddie?
Michael wonders if he’s lost Eddie forever. Meg the cat tells Michael to go out and see if he can find Eddie, even though they both know that Eddie has died.
Illustrated by Gill Smith, published by Walker.
Hot Food: NICE!
The famous meme of Michael Rosen saying ‘NICE!’ brought into a picture book with riotous pictures from Neal Layton.
Illustrated by Neal Layton, published by Walker.
Adventures in Wonderland
Michael Rosen’s introduction to students studying the history and theory of children’s literature. There are 12 of his lectures plus two essays.
Edited by John Richmond, published by Goldsmiths.
OLDER NEWS
To browse my older news stories, visit the News Archive.
