Michael Rosen is a poet with a superb ear for the rhythms of language

One of our most popular writers - the champion for every bored, overdrilled, tested-to-tears pupil in the land

I think poetry for children needs to be saved from the cold dissection of right and wrong answers and put back into rooms and halls full of wonder, compassion, haunting, laughter, music and rhythm. We need to hear its many cultures, many voices, many sounds. This is about wide and diverse participation. Diverse verse for all!

Nothing about this playful free verse is obscure or difficult, yet it revels in the sounds and meanings of words. It contains whimsy, flights of fancy and even satire.