Michael Rosen's Sad Book

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The Guardian noted that the book was indeed sad but highly recommended it, saying, " Sad Book doesn't hide the darkness. They combine perfectly recognisable portraits of Rosen with expressionism, proving that Blake's seemingly spontaneous style is born out of practice and precision. A heartbreakingly honest account of a father’s grief for his son from the illustrious pairing of two former Children’s Laureates.

Rosen said that the book arose after a group of children asked him questions about his son's death and they were able to discuss it in a "matter-of-fact" way. A moving combination of sincerity and simplicity, it acknowledges that sadness is not always avoidable or reasonable and perfects the art of making complicated feelings plain.

They combine perfectly recognisable portraits of Rosen with expressionism, proving that Blake’s seemingly spontaneous style is born out of practice and precision. The remainder of the book discusses the different feelings that bereavement brings, and ways of coping with them including distracting oneself and expressing feelings through writing. He was the Children’s Laureate from 2007-2009 and has published over 200 books for children and adults, including the recent bestseller Many Different Kinds of Love and On The Move. Having read Michael Rosen's poetry throughout my childhood- full of hilarious and fun stories of Eddie as a little boy and later a big brother, it is clear how adored he was by his Dad. The Daily Telegraph considered whether it was suitable for children, and felt that parents would need to use the book as a stimulus for discussion and have to explain some of its ideas.

During his time in the role, he celebrated children's books and children's book illustration with a range of projects and exhibitions, and conceived the idea for the House of Illustration, the world's first centre dedicated to the art of illustration in all its forms.Publishers Weekly praised it for its candour and said that it "will resonate with – and help – anyone mourning a loss or dealing with an indefinable sadness". A children's author and illustrator, most well-known for his illustratrations for books by Roald Dahl. The book takes you along Michael Rosen’s thoughts in such a way that you feel with him yet can also understand everything from your own perspective. Books that acknowledge or explore mental health issues can help to increase awareness, encourage dialogue, reduce stigma and develop real understanding.

He is also the winner of the Hans Christian Andersen Award for Illustration and in 1990 was voted 'The Illustrator's Illustrator' by Observer Magazine.I've endured a boatload of grief and disappointment as each member of my family has passed to the great beyond and there are no other relatives. He has won many major prizes for illustration, including the Kate Greenaway Medal (1980) and the Red House Children's Book Award (1981) for Mister Magnolia. Quentin was the inaugural Children's Laureate (1999-2001), an experience he recorded in his book Laureate's Progress. It wasn't made like any other book either; Michael Rosen said of the text, " I wrote it at a moment of extreme feeling and it went straight down onto the page . A tireless promoter of children's literature – and a long-time collaborator with roald Dahl – Quentin Blake was awarded the OBE in 1988 and in 2005 he was awarded a CBE for services to Children's Literature.

Both the words and the images articulate strong emotion with admirable economy and convey a sense of the preciousness of life without being sentimental, platitudinous or falsely hopeful. The following suggestions offer a spectrum of different perspectives and are well worth seeking out. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. The subject of bereavement is treated in an unusual way in Michael Rosen's Sad Book, which deals with the death of the author's own son.With emotional elegance and nuance, he welcomes and unpicks each layer of mourning and explains why it’s ok to be sad. In my experience it has helped some of my clients to open up difficult conversations about death and loss. He is currently Professor of Children’s Literature at Goldsmiths, University of London where he co-devised and teaches critical approaches to reading on an MA in Children’s Literature, having done the same at Birkbeck, University of London.