This book is a combination of ‘You Can’t Catch Me’ and ‘You Can’t Put Mustard in the Custard’ which were highly acclaimed pieces of literature when they were first released. The book is full of varying poems in terms of length and topic. Michael Rosen’s talent to articulate everyday situations in a child’s life is amazing, coupled with Quentin Blake’s ability to bring these topics to life. My favourite poem in the book is ‘Digital Watch’ because I enjoyed the nonsensical play with words which left me smiling. The general style of the poems can all be said to be conversational, this vital as it would allow children to easily relate to the pieces of writing. My girls love writing and my eldest is brilliant at writing poems! I’ve never seen this before but I think I’ll be purchasing for my girls now 🙂 Thanks for sharing with #ReadWithMe

Mustard, Custard, Grumble Belly and Gravy | Centre for - CLPE

Nightmare' about a boy on the underground doesn't appear as though it works but once again, read aloud and most certainly when listened to be the author, it works to perfection. Ranzo the dog is a rather a troublesome pet at times but when settled down in his basket in front of the fire, he is ever so sweet! I’m not sure if this is the same book as we have, but my boys both love ours and this is one of their favourite poems in it #readwithme I love this collection of poems for children. There are funny poems, sad poems, poems that touch on all different aspects of childhood and everyday family life. The poems are made to be read aloud, as if you are just having a conversation with someone. 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. 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. Michael Rosen lives in London.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. My bigger boy loves rhyming unrelated words together so this poem is right up his street, he thinks it his hilarious, especially the part about the baby: I was always taught not to start sentences with ‘And’ or ‘But’ too. One of the first things I learned when I started work as a press officer in 1997 was that it’s perfectly acceptable. And I’ve been doing it ever since! I think it really livens up writing. All the poems are fascinating and at a first glance some look as though they might not work, but, rest assured, they sure do. 'Keith's Cupboard' is an example, when he won't get his tent out for his friend to play with, his mother intervenes and says, 'Keith, why don't you get your tent out?' The cupboard opens and the toys, including the tent, cascade out all over the floor. 'They keep buying him all this stuff and he doesn't play with it,' says his pal. You Can’t Catch Me' and 'You Can’t Put Mustard in the Custard' were first published 25 years ago and were groundbreaking collections of poems for children. Michael Rosen manages to capture all the funny, scary, worrying and down right silly thoughts that children have and write about them in a wonderfully free and engaging way. I love the way sounds and words are explored, expanded and repeated, they are so good to read out loud. His poems are a fantastic example of how writing should be, especially for children. He shows that any topic can be written about in any way and at any length because what makes writing exciting is being free to get your creative thoughts down on paper. Not how long your sentences are.

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

Michael Rosen has again teamed up with Quentin Blake to bring their two very popular poetry books together: ‘You Can’t Catch Me’ and ‘Don’t Put Mustard in the Custard’. A generous collection of poems with varying lengths detailing Rosen’s observations and comments on daily occurrences and random spoken words. With Blake’s vivid full-colour illustrations and Rosen’s conversational and occasionally nonsensical prose this book could engage with children completely on their level making it a delightful read.

This book sounds wonderful. I LOVED poetry as a child, and Quentin Blakes illustrations. I hadn’t heard about the writing frameworks you mentioned and I have to agree with you, creative writing needs some freedom! Thanks for sharing #readwithme Oh! What a fabulous read. Very good collection of neat, lucid, and beautiful poems. Brilliant illustrations, as always, by Quentin Blake. Today is World Poetry Day and to celebrate I thought I would review a book of poems by Michael Rosen, illustrated by Quentin Blake– Don’t Put Mustard in the Custard. My edition was published in 1987 by Fontana Picture Lions. I loved this book when I was younger, the poems in it are funny, silly and thought provoking. (Please excuse the unidentified smears of what I can only assume is food on the front cover there – a sign that a book has been truly loved by children.) The layout of the book is designed in a simple yet exciting way. Quentin Blake's illustrations add a whole new dynamic complementing Rosen's poems wonderfully, helping children to engage with the book, especially those that cannot yet read. The rhyming verse helps devlop children's vocabulary whilst encouraging them to participate in speaking out as they find themselves remembering what words come next.