Author/Poet Michael Rosen Named Britain’s Children’s Laureate
By SLJ Staff -- School Library Journal, 6/15/2007 10:01:00 AM
Award-winning author and poet Michael Rosen is Britain’s fifth children’s laureate, and the first poet to receive the award. Rosen, who succeeds Jacqueline Wilson, was given the medal on Monday during a ceremony at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts in London."I hope that I'll be able to boost all children's reading for pleasure, but also to give a special lift to the wonderful diverse world of poetry for children,” says Rosen, who serves as children’s laureate for the next two years. “I see my job as children’s laureate being an ambassador for fun with books."
The author of more than 140 books, Rosen is best known for his humorous verse in such children's books as Michael Rosen’s Book of Nonsense (2003) and Even More Nonsense (2001, both Hodder Wayland), and for Michael Rosen's Sad Book (Candlewick, 2005), a personal and moving account of the author's experiences with the loss of his son and mother and various ways of dealing with grief.
In his acceptance speech, Rosen said it was both a historical moment and a difficult time for writers because the sales of children’s picture books and original single-authored collections of poetry for children are dropping fast. “I suggest that the root cause is the same: many—not all—primary schools feel that they are no longer able to make reading a matter of free, wide-ranging exploration,” he said.
Rosen, who would like to develop a Web site similar to YouTube, where schools could share videos of children reading their poems, says that during his time as laureate, he hopes to continue what he’s been doing for 30 years: “Going into schools, libraries, and theaters to share with children what I’ve been writing; working with children helping them to write; meeting teachers on courses to talk about ways of writing and ways of enjoying reading poetry; [and] teaching children’s literature in universities.”
Shami Chakrabarti, chair of the selection committee, presented Rosen with his award and a check for? £10,000, or $19,700. “Michael Rosen was our clear and enthusiastic choice,” she says. “His gift for capturing the language and imagination of children on and off the page will make him a wonderful champion for the young and their literature."
To read Rosen’s acceptance speech, visit www.booktrusted.co.uk/childrenslaureate/speech.php4.
