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Why we love the new Children's Laureate.

Article Excerpt
The event to inaugurate Britain's new Children's Laureate was quite a glamorous affair, with a surprising number of gatecrashers appearing at the door of BAFTA, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, home of the British Academy Awards. They were turned away politely, and although most went quietly, some did not. The assembled teachers, librarians, academics, journalists, booksellers, and assorted others dressed for the occasion, but, never one to stand on ceremony, the as-yet-unannounced guest of honor showed up in a T-shirt and slightly scruffy trousers. When the new children's laureate was revealed to be the poet Michael Rosen, a cheer went up in the crowded room. The reaction to the announcement was indicative not only of the level of warmth toward Rosen himself but also of a feeling that his tenure in the post would be exciting--even edgy--with the potential to take the laureateship to new heights.

Michael Rosen is the fifth person to be appointed Britain's children's laureate. The idea for the position grew out of a conversation between prolific children's author Michael Morpurgo and the then poet laureate, Ted Hughes. They conceived it as a cross between an ambassadorial role and a lifetime achievement award. The government agreed to fund the biennial post with a stipend of 10,000 [pounds sterling]. The first children's laureate, appointed in 1999, was illustrator Quentin Blake, followed by author Anne Fine, Morpurgo, and, most recently, Jacqueline Wilson. In addition to a lecture series that goes along with the job, each laureate has initiated a campaign, lasting the duration of their tenure, in support of reading for pleasure. The lectures themselves have been almost incidental to the laureate's workload, for to date the award has gone to writers and illustrators who have been prolific not just in their literary output but in their many public appearances at schools and literary festivals.

Inevitably, anyone taking on the role of children's laureate is expected to comment on any and every news item with even a vague connection to children's literature....

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