Don't Put Mustard in the Custard (Picture Books)

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I love the way sounds and words are explored, expanded and repeated, they are so good to read out loud. This book is a combination of ‘You Can’t Catch Me’ and ‘You Can’t Put Mustard in the Custard’ which were highly acclaimed pieces of literature when they were first released. Repetition is used to humorous effect in many of these poems which centre around everyday life and relationships with parents, siblings and friends.

Mustard, Custard, Grumble Belly and Gravy - BookTrust Mustard, Custard, Grumble Belly and Gravy - BookTrust

I had no idea how to even go about writing a poem that didn’t rhyme because it obviously wasn’t in the national curriculum then. Michael Rosen’s talent to articulate everyday situations in a child’s life is amazing, coupled with Quentin Blake’s ability to bring these topics to life. Both books went on to be bestsellers and both poet and artist are stellar names in the world of children’s books. The rhyming verse helps devlop children's vocabulary whilst encouraging them to participate in speaking out as they find themselves remembering what words come next. When I was at school there were “rules”, the ones I remember were “Never start a sentence with ‘and’ or ‘but'” and “Poems need to rhyme”.I really enjoyed reading this and although some of the poems are only a few sentences in length, they are powerful and packed with amusing language.

Mustard, Custard, Grumble Belly and Gravy | Michael Rosen Mustard, Custard, Grumble Belly and Gravy | Michael Rosen

My favourite poem in the book is ‘Digital Watch’ because I enjoyed the nonsensical play with words which left me smiling. The people he produces on the pages of this book aren’t cutesy, they are wild, impulsive, and sometimes goofy. We are often So consumed by time and schedules that we completely bypass the wonderful amount of things there are to procrastinate with in the bathroom like the boy in “ Bathroom Fiddler”. I believe it is quite versatile and could be used from early year’s right up until primary key stage 2, it would just depend on the lesson it was being used alongside. This book is aimed at children in key stage one and early key stage two, it could be used in the classroom to show children that creativity and expression is important when writing poems.

Michael Rosen has again teamed up with Quentin Blake to bring their two very popular poetry books together: ‘You Can’t Catch Me’ and ‘Don’t Put Mustard in the Custard’.