A new exhibition celebrates the life and work of Michael Rosen and 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 Muswell Hill author himself.
Pencil sketches, watercolour, film, digital art, and collage by 14 illustrators will be on show including Korky Paul, Quentin Blake, and Tony Ross.
There are also 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 Pinner's Heath Robsinson Museum on June 29 and takes a journey through Rosen's life and career from the 70s to the present.
The poet and performer was born in Harrow in 1946 and spent his childhood in Pinner. As well as being a national advocate for children's literature and poetry he is a patron of the Museum to the cartoonist and illustrator.
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.
"One person called it a 'relay' as if our minds run to and fro between the two.
"I agree with that, but it leaves out the fact that our minds combine the two. They are great at synthesising information from different sources. So, for me, illustrations in books where I've provided the words are crucial to this.
"They are a vital element of the synthesis that the child makes out of the book they're looking at and reading."
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.
Hannah Whyte, assistant curator at the Heath Robinson Museum, is a lifelong fan: “I've enjoyed getting to meet lots of different artists, and hearing the stories about how they brought Michael Rosen's work to life,” she says.
“I can't wait to share those stories with our audiences. This exhibition is aimed at everyone, but is especially towards children, who will discover the wit and wonder of Michael Rosen’s storytelling, as well as the beautiful, whacky and silly illustrations that breathe life into Michael’s words.”
The exhibition includes a reading and learning zone with books colouring pages and cushions; activities and fun facts in the gallery’s Activity Studio, with a focus on the process of illustrating written works; regular storytelling sessions; and a workshop with Michael Rosen.
For Rosen, it's a chance to share important insights into how his published books take shape: “I hope that people will see that someone like me who works in the world of children's books as a writer is someone who is part of cooperative, collaborative, creative process,” he says.
“When you look at an illustrated book, you are really listening in to a conversation between writer and illustrator.
"That may be a literal conversation, when we chat to each other, or it may be a metaphorical conversation that goes on in, say, the illustrator's head, when they interpret the words I've written.
"Their pictures are in essence a 'reading' of the words, just as we say an actor does a reading of a speech. What we see is the illustrator's interpretation. I hope visitors will see how they've done this."
Michael Rosen The Illustrators runs from June 29 to September 22 www.heathrobinsonmuseum.org
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