A Great Big Cuddle: Poems for the Very Young

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A collection of beautifully illustrated new poems for toddlers, preschoolers, and anyone who loves having fun with words, A Great Big Cuddle documents the problems and pleasures of being very young. Hello Yellow - 80 Books to Help Children Nurture Good Mental Health and Support With Anxiety and Wellbeing - This book is an anthology of poetry which reflects the day to day issues of being a toddler. Some are short and punchy, others, like the above, are more in-depth and moving. All are accompanied by lavish illustrations that draw the eye and make you smile. The poem uses two repeated phases, ‘bounce bounce’ and ‘pounce pounce’. These phrases are very memorable as they act as the body for the poem. Each stanza contains one of these phrases, helping to create a repeating pattern throughout. I have loved exploring these poems with George who was 2 in May. He loves stories and that special time you get together when we read. He has been exploring sounds and words a lot lately and loves to watch your mouth when you make noises or sounds and any increased expression or intonation so these are perfect for him to join in with. His favourites are 'Boing! Boing!' where he bounces with me pounces and then does an impressive roar. He loves the finger play in 'Finger story' as well as the brilliant accompanying image which he notices every time. The poem has lots of actions and it finishes with bed so George can pretend to fall asleep which he loves doing with accompanying snores.'

Chatterbooks Week poem: Finger Story | Resources | RGfE

In I AM HUNGRY you can have fun together talking about all the things you’d eat if you were really hungry, or what makes you really angry in I AM ANGRY. Can children make a really angry face?We took this book away with us over the summer and it was lovely to see older children getting enjoyment out of it too. They love to read aloud, and this was perfect, the younger children didn’t need to sit and listen for long, they could join in and the older children loved performing the poems as well.' The poem uses rhyming and repetition through the phases ‘bounce bounce’ and ‘pounce pounce’. This creates speed as you read the poem as well as reiteration of these important words. The lines in this poem are also very short and most of the words are repeated making it very accessible to younger children just beginning to look at poetry including those in the Foundation State and early KS1. Young bear’s feet are growing, so it is time for him to get some new shoes.Vibrant illustrations and rhyming text capture the excitement of this familiar experience, making this an ideal tale for toddlers who are embarking on their own visit to the shoe shop. Here are some videos of me performing poems from my book, A Great Big Cuddle, with pictures by Chris Riddell, published by Walker Books. It’s not just the title that resonates with children there are some really great poems in this collection. The illustrations are so eye-catching my 2-year-old can easily find his favourites and the pictures give him plenty to talk about.

Oh Dear | Centre for Literacy in Primary Education - CLPE

The poem is positioned in quite an unusual way, starting in the top left-hand corner and progressing diagonally downwards to the bottom right-hand corner. The way that each verse is positioned encourages the reader to speed up when reading bringing purposeful tension to the poem. There is also an effect of each verse and accompanying illustration getting closer as the poem progresses, which gives the same effect. Shortlisted for the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal 2017 | Joint Winner of the CLiPPA 2016 (CLPE Children’s Poetry Award).

In a perfect introduction to poetry Rosen starts with a cornucopia of tongue twisters and nonsense rhymes and ends with soothing verses to send even the most energetic child off to sleep. Paired with Riddell's bold and beautiful illustrations you will have lots of fun reading this out loud. A great present for all occasions." --South Wales Evening Post

A Great Big Cuddle | Michael Rosen A Great Big Cuddle | Michael Rosen

The BBC Radio 2 Book Club announced on 24 January that its new home is on the Zoe Ball Breakfast Show. A collection of poems for children under the age of two. The illustrations are darling and some of the poems are absolutely wonderful. Some of the other poems are a little strange and I could see parents being put off by the first few.

Apart from the use of repetition, the main techniques in this poem come from the layout and illustrations. For this poem the illustrations are very powerful as they help to paint a picture of the tiger’s journey. At the beginning of the poem when the phrase ‘bounce bounce’ is used, the tiger is portrayed through the illustrations as an infant who is quite unsure and anxious. The poem then develops to use the phrase ‘pounce pounce’ in replace of ‘bounce bounce’, as this happens, the tiger is displayed by the illustrations in a much more confident and grown-up way. The illustrations therefore help hugely with deepening the development of the poem. Throughout many of these poems the author uses a range of fonts and text sizes to create emotion and effect. I like these poems because they are effectively illustrated to support the content of the poem e.g. the poem called I am angry, this poem provides the opportunity for children to be able to possibly relate to the poem and learn from it. From the poem I am angry the phrases ‘wake up stones’ and ‘boil words’ are memorable to me because they create a visual image of the authors creative thoughts and messages behind the words. They also portray the emotion of anger through the text format (bold font). I have often written about my life and family, but I also write occasional fantasy (usually based in a real place) and non-fiction. Most of my adult life, I've been a freelance writer, teacher (of sorts), journalist, performer and broadcaster. I visit schools doing my one-man show, and support Arsenal Football Club. Our Writer in Residence and former Children's Laureate Michael Rosen's best books for little ones aged 0 to 5 - we highly recommend reading his brilliant poems aloud together for lots of fun!