Michael Rosen's NICE! Poems

In his introduction to this book, Michael Rosen explains how it has evolved from an original book of his poems called 'The Hypnotiser', published in 1988 and now out of print. Having posted performances of many of these poems on YouTube, they quickly gained in popularity, leading to this new edition, Michael Rosen's NICE! Poems. The importance of the 'nice!' you can discover when you get your hands on a copy and read the rest of the introduction for yourself!

Many of these poems are little explosions of fun and silliness, making them perfect for sharing with children and encouraging both performance and word play! 'Hot Food' is excellent for allowing children to create a lively performance, varying tone, volume and expression either as an individual or working together in a group. Other poems crying out to be performed are 'Tidy Your Room' and 'The Michael Rosen Rap'. Scattered through the book are some surprising facts from the 'Grinners Book of Records' which are sure to have children creating their own! If the world's most dangerous snail was called King Simon, what might the world's wickedest spider have been known as?!

Amongst the chaotic fun, however, there are some more poignant poems, moments to pause and reflect, such as 'Deep Down', 'Far Away' and 'Box'.  Lively illustrations are scattered throughout the book, adding to the appeal of the poetry!

128 pages / Reviewed by Sue Wilsher, teacher

Suggested Reading Age 7+