Walker Books has today announced plans for the second annual Michael Rosen Day, to take place on Thursday 13th November 2025. An annual celebration of academic, campaigner, broadcaster, household name and one of the UK’s most popular children’s poets, Michael Rosen, the day has been created to help children and young people of all ages to find the joy in poetry. At a time of national reading crisis, when research by the National Literacy Trust indicates that over 51% of young people do not currently engage with poetry, finding it ‘boring’ or not about topics they are interested in, Michael Rosen Day is the ideal opportunity to encourage creativity and make reading, listening to and writing poetry fun, enjoyable and accessible for all.

What's On for Michael Rosen Day?

Spearheaded by Walker Books, in collaboration with Michael’s other children’s publishers, Puffin, HarperCollins Children’s Books, Bloomsbury Children’s Books, Hachette Children’s Group and new media partner, The Week Junior, there will be a full programme of activity on offer to inspire children and young people of all ages. This includes a huge live and online event for hundreds of thousands of children nationwide, with performance poet supremo, Michael Rosen, performing many of his favourite food-inspired poems, including Hot Food and Chocolate Cake. Rosen will also take to the stage at Brighton’s Dome to perform some of his ‘greatest hits’ to over 1,000 local school children, at an event organised in partnership with independent bookshop, The Book Nook.

Share A Poem Competition for Michael Rosen Day

To mark the launch, from today, children and young people are invited to #ShareAPoem and pen their own funny food-themed poems for Playing with Words, a new children’s poetry-writing competition. Winners will receive one of four signed libraries of Michael Rosen’s books for themselves and their school or library, as well as having their poem read aloud by Michael Rosen at the live event.

Michael Rosen said, "I'm wowed by Michael Rosen Day number 2. I feel like I'm two years old! And two-year-olds are like explorers, discovering the world. I think poetry's like that: when you read or write a poem, you're discovering worlds and words. Every poem makes a little world, and you discover it by reading or writing the words. Come on! Let's do it!"

Belinda Ioni Rasmussen, CEO of Walker Books Group added, "It’s a joy to see Michael Rosen Day turn two! At a time when we’re all looking for ways to spark a love of reading in young people, who better than Michael—whose boundless enthusiasm, energy, and curiosity engage both young and old—to champion poetry? It promises to be a truly special day.”

How to Register for Free Resources for Michael Rosen Day

Settings can register for free resources and the online event with Michael Rosen, and find out more about the poetry competition at: www.walker.co.uk/michael-rosen-day

Hot Food Nice!, a brand-new picture book retelling of one of Rosen’s most popular poems Hot Food, illustrated by Neal Layton, will be published by Walker on 6 November, RRP £7.99. The book is available to pre-order now on LoveReading4Kids for £7.19.

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