Michael Rosen Reviews

Michael Rosen's Sad Book; illus. by Quentin Blake
    32 pp. Candlewick
    Reviewed 5/05
The narrator/author shares his profound depression following his eighteen-year-old son's death: "I loved him very, very much but he died anyway." Rosen is angry, or crazy, or withdrawn; or sadder still because he wants to talk "to someone. Like my mum. But she's not here anymore, either." The incomparable Quentin Blake captures these moods in spreads that alternate dark times, in thunderhead-bleak watercolors and empathic, masterfully scribbled line, with more colorful scenes of good memories and attempts to deal with grief (such as "pretending I'm happy"; working on "ways of being sad that don't hurt so much," like doing "one thing I can be proud of"; remembering that sad isn't the same as bad; or doing "one thing that means I have a good time" every day). Rosen's sadness comes to signify far more than his own troubles: "sad" can be "anywhere," "any time," "anyone. It comes along and finds you." Thus, people of all ages frequent the illustrations, while the text, simply phrased yet never simplistic, is appropriate for all those who are, or know someone, who's seriously depressed or grieving. The conclusion is upbeat but not jarringly so: a blaze of birthday candles suggests that time itself may help; then, a glowing last candle casts its hopeful light on the bereaved father, pen in hand in the retreating gloom. A beautiful, solacing book. JRL

Michael Rosen  Classic Poetry: An Illustrated Collection; illus. by Paul Howard
    160 pp. Candlewick
    Reviewed 4/99
Included are favorite poems from traditional poets ranging from William Shakespeare and Alfred, Lord Tennyson, to Emily Dickinson and Langston Hughes. The selections generally provide a representative sampling of each poet's work. Included are both full-page and small, decorative illustrations along with portraits of the poets. Brief biographical profiles and notes on some poems are provided. Ind.

Michael Rosen  Dickens: His Work and His World; illus. by Robert Ingpen
    95 pp. Candlewick
    Reviewed 4/06
Engaging and conversational, this introduction to Dickens begins with his final stage performance and then describes his life and how the social upheavals of the time influenced his writing. Handsome character portraits, double-page spread paintings, and smaller vignettes of art appear throughout, vividly capturing a sense of Dickens's worlds — actual and imaginary. Timeline. Ind.

Michael Rosen  Howler; illus. by Neal Layton
    32 pp. Bloomsbury
    Reviewed 10/04
Rover's canine narrator returns, this time to describe his difficulty coping with the small, noisy new human, a.k.a. Howler, who has taken up residence in the house he shares with Howler's sister, Rover. The large-scale, childlike illustrations have the studied naivete of the highly amusing text (e.g., the narrating dog calls the car the "family box").

Michael Rosen  Rover; illus. by Neal Layton
    24 pp. Doubleday
    Reviewed10/99
Humans have some odd traits — fur only on their heads, a tendency to spend hours "watching a loud, colored box" — but when one dog's small pet human, whom he has named Rover, wanders down the beach and gets lost, he goes after her. Sly humor and exuberant, childlike artwork expose the canine perspective on humankind.

Michael Rosen  Shakespeare: His Work and His World; illus. by Robert Ingpen
    96 pp. Candlewick
    Reviewed 4/02
Rich illustrations supply both panorama and detail for this distillation of information about Shakespeare's life and works. Rosen's conversational narrative frequently introduces relevant quotations from the plays as he discusses facts and scholarly guesses about Shakespeare, Renaissance London, and the plays themselves. A detailed time line ends the volume. Bib., ind.

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