Michael Rosen was  born in 1946 in   

Harrow, north west London.  Both his

parents were teachers - he  says,        

 “imagine that...all day with 

                 teachers then come home - 

                 more teachers!!!”

He was good at English, rubbish at 

                   Maths, and went to two primary   

                   Schools, and two secondary schools.  

Apparently he was quite naughty at  

                   school, but managed not to be

                   excluded!

                   After finishing school, Michael

went to college - at first he thought he’d be a doctor, but then he changed his mind, and became something else (he says he has been trying ever since to find out what exactly!).  Michael has worked in lots of different jobs, but now he likes to concentrate on writing, doing shows, teaching, and appearing on radio and tv in various disguises.

                                                                                           ©TSL Education/Neil Turner

Do you know any really bad jokes?

Where do frogs change their skins?
In the croakroom

Knock knock.
Who's there?
Cows
Cows who?
No they don't, cows moo!


How old were you when you wrote your

first poem?

I was eleven. It was about a train slowing down.

Here's the only line from it that I remember: 

'Now the train is slowing down'. Exciting, huh?

Can you stand on one leg, pat your head

and rub your tummy at the same time?

Yes. Can you?

(Yes!)

What inspired you to become a poet?

Listening to my brother and father telling

stories, listening to my brother pretending

to be my father, listening to tapes of poets

that my parents had, being in the house

when friends of my parents made anthologies

of poems and showed them to my parents,

listening to my mother making poetry

programmes for the radio.

What is your favourite animal?

Cockroach

How many poems have you written?

I've never counted. I guess it must be

about a thousand?

Are you frightened of spiders?

Nope (er...a bit)


Where was your first poem published?

In my secondary school magazine.

How long does it take you to write a poem?

It all depends. Some are quite quick,

some take ages and ages...like a month.

Do you have an all-time favourite poem?

Down behind the dustbin
I met a dog called Jim
He didn't know me
And I didn't know him.

Which are your favourite biscuits?

Figgy Rolls

                                      ©TSL Education/Neil Turner

Do you illustrate your own work?

Oh no.  Oh no.

Do you write your poems with a pen, or

do you use a computer?

Both

What is your favourite word and why?

Chick pea. That's because chick peas

are brilliant on their own, great in
curries, wonderful ground down and

fried, as with falafel, and brilliant in
houmous...

If you had not become a poet, which job

do you think you would be doing
now?

A teacher

Do you have a favourite poet?

Probably Carl Sandburg

Do you have to be brainy to be a poet?

Not in the usual sense of the word

'brainy', no, not at all.

Do you have any sensible or not-so-sensible

advice for young poets?

Read as many poems as you possibly

can. Keep your mind open to all sorts of

different ways of writing. Write as often

as you can. Show what you write to

people you respect.

Down Behind the Dustbin

Down behind the dustbin

I met a dog called Ted.

‘Leave me alone,’ he says,

‘I’m just going to bed.’

Down behind the dustbin

I met a dog called Roger.

‘Do you own this bin?’ I said.

‘No. I’m only a lodger.’

Down behind the dustbin

I met a dog called Sue.

‘What are you doing here?’ I said.

‘I’ve got nothing else to do.’

©Michael Rosen

I Don’t Like

Mum, Mum

I don’t like

tame crisps in my shed

I mean

best rums in my crib

I mean

stoat bombs in my crest

I mean creased tums in my bread

I mean

tomb crusts in my head

I mean –

what do I mean?

I mean

toast crumbs in my bed.

That’s what I mean.

Mum, Mum

I hate

toast crumbs in my bed

toast crumbs in my bed

I hate them, Mum. 

©Michael Rosen

Unfair

When we went over the park

Sunday mornings

to play football

we picked up sides.

Lizzie was our striker

because she had the best shot.

When the teachers

chose the school team

Marshy was our striker.

Lizzie wasn’t allowed to play,

they said.

So she watched us lose instead….

©Michael Rosen

Some of Michael’s poetry books for children include:

You Wait Til I’m Older Than You!

Centrally Heated Knickers

Lunch Boxes Don’t Fly

Quick!  Let’s Get Out Of Here!

                   Views From The Train

                   When you go on the train
                   and the line goes past the backs of houses
                   in a town
                   you can see there's thousands and thousands
                   of things going on:
                   someone's washing up,
                   a baby's crying,
                   someone's shaving,
                   Someone said, 'Rubbish, I blame
                   the government.'
                   Someone tickled a dog
                   someone looked out the window
                   and saw this train
                   and saw me looking at her
                   and she thought
                   'There's someone looking out of the window
                   looking at me.'

                   But I'm only someone
                   looking out the window
                   looking at someone
                   looking out the window
                   looking at someone.

                   Then it's all gone.

                  © Michael Rosen