What is a Bong Tree?: Articles and Talks 1976-2021

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What is a Bong Tree? brings together a big selection of Michael Rosen’s writings and talks over five decades. They are about the centrality of literature, including children’s literature, in the lives of all of us; about the power of poetry to inspire, console and entertain; and about the need to argue and campaign for these liberating forces in the face of ignorant and reductionist actions by successive governments in the United Kingdom, which have narrowed and impoverished children’s experience of literature by pressing it into the service of a regime dominated by tests and examinations. The pieces here refer frequently to Michael’s childhood and upbringing, and offer a generous tribute to his parents, Connie and Harold Rosen, and their influence on him and his subsequent work. Tonally, the pieces carry Michael’s trademark: they’re witty and insouciant; they carry serious ideas unseriously. Parents, teachers, librarians, academics, in fact anyone concerned with the nurture and education of children, and with the place of culture - in its widest sense - in our society, will find much pleasure and practical encouragement here.

John Richmond, Editor