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The author, poet and BBC broadcaster — best known for books like We’re Going on a Bear Hunt and Don’t Put Mustard in the Custard — will hold the position for two years. The award, which comes with a £10,000 bursary, recognises outstanding contribution to children’s literature. Rosen, 61, is the fifth Children’s Laureate and the first poet to receive the award. He said: "I think poetry for children needs to be saved from the cold dissection table of right and wrong answers and put back into rooms and halls full of wonder, compassion, haunting, laughter, music and rhythm. "We need to hear its many voices, many cultures, many sounds. "So I’ll be trying to find ways of spreading the excitement of poetry as widely as possible whether that be through books, performances, festivals, Internet, conferencing or however. This is about wide and diverse participation. Diverse verse for all." He added: "I hope that I’ll be able to boost all children’s reading for pleasure, but also to give a special lift to the wonderful diverse world of poetry for children. I see my job as Children’s Laureate being an ambassador for fun with books." Illustrator and author Quentin Blake, best known for bringing his magic touch to the Roald Dahl’s books, was the first Children’s Laureate from 1999-2001, followed by the author Anne Fine. Michael Morpurgo was the third Children’s Laureate from 2003 to 2005. Wilson, the author of the Tracy Beaker books, used her two years in the position to promote reading aloud to children at bedtime. Rosen, who grew up in north London, began writing poetry at the age of 12. He attended medical school for a year before quitting to read English at Oxford. His writing career began with a play, Backbone, shown at the Royal Court in London in 1969. He later established a name for himself with collections of humorous verse for children, including Wouldn’t You Like to Know, You Tell Me and Quick, Let’s Get Out of Here. By arrangement with The Independent
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Michael
