A Great Big Cuddle: Poems for the Very Young - by Michael Rosen (Hardcover)

About the Book

A collection of children's poems from children's author and poet Michael Rosen.

Book Synopsis

Curl up with a playful collection of poems from best-selling children's author and poet Michael Rosen, perfect for sharing with young friends.

In this exuberant compilation, Michael Rosen invites children to joyfully celebrate sounds and the infinite possibilities of language. Nonsense verses with the feel of classic nursery rhymes tickle the ear and set feet tapping while expressive illustrations by Chris Riddell illuminate the larger-than-life characters. With subject matter that runs the gamut of a child's emotional range from hungry and angry to wiggly and giggly, these thirty-six clever poems will delight little listeners.

Review Quotes

This collection of silly rhymes and poems is sure to please the prereading crowd...An excellent choice for prereaders and very young children, as well as anyone with a love for nursery rhymes
--School Library Journal (starred review)

Riddell's fluid watercolor-and-pencil illustrations bring a grace to each poem, no matter what its subject, and he depicts many ethnicities of children...Despite (or perhaps because of) the odd bits, this book successfully celebrates the private, gleeful, imaginative world of toddlers.
--Kirkus Reviews

Nonsense words and jaunty rhymes pack the oversize pages of this beautifully illustrated collection of poems...Preschoolers probably won't sit still for the entire collection at once, but individual selections are likely to get them moving to the lively beat.
--Booklist

As for A Great Big Cuddle, don't be surprised if your copy of the book becomes the most tattered collection of poetry in your home. That's okay. The most loved become the most well-worn.
--Kirkus Reviews

The oversized volume is beautifully designed and laid out, and at his best Rosen writes with echoes of great childhood poets such as Milne (as in the domestic simplicity of "Coming Home") and Lear (in the nonsensical joys of "Once").
--Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

About the Author

Michael Rosen is the best-selling and popular author of We're Going on a Bear Hunt, Michael Rosen's Sad Book, Tiny Little Fly, Bananas in My Ears, and many other books and poetry collections for children. A former British Children's Laureate, Michael Rosen lives in London.

Chris Riddell's glorious illustrations fill the pages of many wonderful books for children, including Richard Platt's Castle Diary and Jonathan Swift's Gulliver, retold by Martin Jenkins. He lives in England.