2. About the Poet

Michael Wayne Rosen was born on born \(7\) May \(1946\). He is predominantly a children's poet and has written numerous volumes of poetry, articles and books revolving around various issues of children. He did his schooling in  Harrow Weald County Grammar School, London. He was of Jewish descent and had his roots in European countries like Poland, Russia and Romania. His middle name is an inspiration from the legendary critic and writer Wayne C Booth, who is known for his work "The Rhetoric of Fiction".

 

His mother was working as a reporter in BBC, and she encouraged him to write a short poem for a show. His poem gained him appreciation, which led him to discover his passion for writing for the first time. He later went on to work as a trainee in BBC, where he worked on a programme for schools called WALRUS (Write and Learn, Read, Understand, Speak). He had also been a scriptwriter for a lot of children's programs. But he had different views when it came to children and their education. He further explored and researched on it and gained a degree in Children's literature and even did a PhD. He continued doing documentaries for BBC and was a radio presenter for a famous programme called "The Word of Mouth", which focussed on the English language and how children can learn it efficiently. In \(1974\), he published his first poetry collection, "Mind Your Own Business", focusing on how children's lives can be shaped effectively.

 

He drew from his own experiences and narrated the reality in the ordinary language that children understood. He also wrote his first novel, "We're Going on a Bear Hunt", which contained illustrations that helped children understand. He conducted tours to schools in London, America, Canada, Singapore etc. and encouraged students to develop a passion towards writing.

 

Famous Works: