This book is an excellent collection of short poems by Michael Rosen and the distinguished illustrations of Quentin Blake. Overall I enjoyed reading this book because the fun nature of the poems alongside the interesting illustrations. I believe it is quite versatile and could be used from early year’s right up until primary key stage 2, it would just depend on the lesson it was being used alongside. All the poems are fascinating and at a first glance some look as though they might not work, but, rest assured, they sure do.

Don’t’ by Michael Rosen Activity sheet for ‘Don’t’ by Michael Rosen

These tiny snippets of life that pass us by are fascinating to children and are the basis of many many questions that any parent of small children is used to answering every day.

We are often So consumed by time and schedules that we completely bypass the wonderful amount of things there are to procrastinate with in the bathroom like the boy in “ Bathroom Fiddler”. There are funny poems, sad poems, poems that touch on all different aspects of childhood and everyday family life. This book can be used for subject support in English when pupils are learning about and writing their own poetry. There are poems about growing up, pets, nightmares and siblings all of which are good discussion points for younger children.

Mustard, Custard, Grumble Belly and Gravy - BookTrust Mustard, Custard, Grumble Belly and Gravy - BookTrust

As adults we stop spending as much time pondering small things like why Keith, who has so many toys, never plays with them in the poem “ Keith’s Cupboard”.I love the way sounds and words are explored, expanded and repeated, they are so good to read out loud. The combination of Michael Rosen's poetry with Quentin Blake's illustrations results in a fantastic book, as the language is funny and engaging and the illustrations help to bring the poems to life. Michael Rosen, a recent British Children’s Laureate, has written many acclaimed books for children, including WE'RE GOING ON A BEAR HUNT, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury, and I’M NUMBER ONE and THIS IS OUR HOUSE, both illustrated by Bob Graham. Don’t” is a rant by a young child who is so fed up of always being told “Don’t” that he comes up with many ridiculous suggestions that he thinks grown ups will tell him not to do next. Quentin Blake's illustrations provide an added dimension not always referred to in the poems as well as complementing the comedy.

Mustard, Custard, Grumble Belly and Gravy - BookTrust

A combined edition of two favourite poetry picture books - Don't Put Mustard in the Custard and You Can't Catch Me - which also includes a CD of Michael Rosen reading the poems aloud. I really enjoyed reading this and although some of the poems are only a few sentences in length, they are powerful and packed with amusing language.The people he produces on the pages of this book aren’t cutesy, they are wild, impulsive, and sometimes goofy. They are also perfect for whatever time of the day; they can be used for bed time stories or for acting out poetry within the classroom.