Michael Rosen: The Illustrators

 A new exhibition at the Heath Robinson Museum in Pinner celebrates the life and work of author, poet and former Children's Laureate Michael Rosen through the works of the illustrators who have brought his children's books to life. 

The display spotlights the vital interplay between writer and illustrator with original artwork, fun children's activities, and events with the author himself. 

Pencil sketches, watercolour, film, digital art, and collage by 14 illustrators will be on show including works by Korky Paul, Quentin Blake, and Tony Ross.  Claire Mackie’s illustrations for Rosen’s Book of Nonsense and images from his latest books, illustrated by David Melling and Michael Foreman. 

'Michael Rosen: The Illustrators' opens at the Heath Robsinson Museum on June 29 and takes a journey through Rosen's life and career from the 1970s to the present.   He says children who read his books see the words and pictures as "one whole thing....not as separate elements.  They combine in fascinating ways, each side of the combination contributing to the other: words informing the pictures, the pictures informing the words."

Having worked with so many illustrators over the years, he says he could not possibly choose his favourite.  “Every illustrator I've worked with has brought something different to the table and created a new 'unity' that we call the book,” he says. “I'm always fascinated and delighted by what they make, page by page.”
 
Besides illustrations, the exhibition includes examples of Rosen’s poetry and storytelling, and a timeline of his career as one of our best-loved children's writers. 

'Michael Rosen: The Illustrators' is open from 29 June until 22 September.