Michael Rosen

Michael Rosen is one of those rare figures who treats children's literature as serious art rather than a stepping stone. We're Going on a Bear Hunt works because it understands that a story can be a piece of music, built to be chanted aloud. But what wins my deepest respect is Sad Book, where he turned his own grief over losing a son into something honest enough for kids. Pairing playfulness with that kind of unflinching darkness takes real courage. Add the poetry, the academic work, and the late-career YouTube fame, and you get a writer who simply refuses to be boxed in.

Name (English)

Michael Rosen

Name (Japanese)

ミカエル・ローゼン

Reading

みかえる・ろーぜん

Born

May 7, 1946 (age 80)

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Taurus / Dog

Origin

Harrow, United Kingdom

Occupation

writer / children's writer / YouTuber / novelist / author

University

Wadham College

Awards & achievements

• 2007 Children's Laureate
• 1989 Nestlé Children's Book Prize
• 2006 Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature
• 1997 Eleanor Farjeon Award
• Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Nursing
• Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres
• 2010 Fred and Anne Jarvis Award
• 2005 honorary doctorate

• Official sitehttps://www.michaelrosen.co.uk
• Xhttps://x.com/MichaelRosenYes
• Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael%20Rosen
• Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1929063

Tags

• writer
• children's writer
• YouTuber

Last updated

2026-06-17

Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.