Michael Rosen's Sad Book

Product Information

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. 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. 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. 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.

Quentin was the inaugural Children's Laureate (1999-2001), an experience he recorded in his book Laureate's Progress. 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.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. A children's author and illustrator, most well-known for his illustratrations for books by Roald Dahl. In my experience it has helped some of my clients to open up difficult conversations about death and loss. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. It begins with a picture of Rosen looking happy, with text explaining that he is sad and only pretending to be happy.

We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others.And Quentin Blake says that the picture of Michael "being sad but trying to look happy" is the most difficult drawing he's ever done. His first degree in English Literature and Language was from Wadham College, Oxford and he went on to study for an MA at the University of Reading and a PhD at the former University of North London, now London Metropolitan.

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. A heartbreakingly honest account of a father’s grief for his son from the illustrious pairing of two former Children’s Laureates. It also describes how Rosen found his despair lifting and how he was able to deal with his grief and think about the good times he had with his son. The Guardian noted that the book was indeed sad but highly recommended it, saying, " Sad Book doesn't hide the darkness. It is beautifully written with sensitivity and a reality which touches all ages, and can help us to start to understand the profound impact that death has on us.

I am a counsellor and would strongly recommend this book to help people get in touch with their grief.

From his iconic illustrations of The BFG and Matilda to Mr Stink with birds and beasts of all shapes and sizes along the way, Roald Dahl’s favourite illustrator Quentin Blake has been making us smile for more than half a century. 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. They combine perfectly recognisable portraits of Rosen with expressionism, proving that Blake's seemingly spontaneous style is born out of practice and precision. Michael Rosen's Sad Book chronicles Michael's grief at the death of his son Eddie from meningitis at the age of 19.

Although it is marketed as a children's book, Rosen explicitly mentions on the inside book jacket that it is for everyone. They combine perfectly recognisable portraits of Rosen with expressionism, proving that Blake’s seemingly spontaneous style is born out of practice and precision. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice. The 103 third parties who use cookies on this service do so for their purposes of displaying and measuring personalized ads, generating audience insights, and developing and improving products. Books that acknowledge or explore mental health issues can help to increase awareness, encourage dialogue, reduce stigma and develop real understanding.