Interview with Roger Stevens Roger's Poems All About Roger Latest Books A Million Brilliant Poems (part one) Chosen by Roger Stevens (A&C Black) The best children poetry today. Including poems from some of my very best, all-time favourite poets like Roger McGough, John Hegley, Grace Nichols, Brian Moses and James Carter. Beware! Low Flying Rabbits Roger Stevens (Macmillan Children's Books) My new solo collection - due out in February 2011. Watch out for it. Poems about toast toppings, football, loneliness, brothers, fame, teachers, being brave and how to race snails. ....... Why Otters Don't Wear Socks by Roger Stevens (Macmillan Children's Books) This poetry book contains: laughs (including chuckles, guffaws and grins); sad moments (some); thrills (many); rhymes; haikus; rude words; adjectives (assorted); made up words (including wham-wig); nonsense and a fat penguin called Pete. Why Otters Don't Wear Socks - Audio Books Read by Roger Stevens (Macmillan Digital Audio) (Only available from Rabbit Press ) Well, this is very exciting. Now you can hear me performing my own poems in this best-of collection. 59 of my favourite poems read in my very own voice. ....... On My Way To School I Saw a Dinosaur by Roger Stevens Illustrated by Nathan Reed (A&C Black) This is my first collection of poems for younger readers and it follows a year in the life of Frog Class. Find out what happens when a dinosaur comes to school; what lives in the school pond; how Billy’s worm escapes; and where the dog that jumped over the moon really landed. The Journal of Danny Chaucer (Poet) by Roger Stevens (Orion) (Only available from Rabbit Press) My book for teenagers. It's a story. It's a poem. It's about trying to get a girlfriend. It's about forming a band. It's about time you read it (if you're a teenager that is!). .......... Let's Recycle Grandad (A&C Black) and The Secret Life of Pants (A&C Black) Both still available and bags of fun!!!!!!! Interview With Roger Stevens by Roger Stevens Roger: Hello Roger:Hello Are you ready? Yes, let's go. Where do ideas come from? The ideas section on the supermarket shelf. Is that true? Yes, you just help yourself. Why do you write? Because the days are blue And one night in the dark A voice told me to. Who are your favourite poets? Yellow and Gold What are your favourite colours? Roger McGough and Arial Bold What are your favourite rhymes? Limes, mimes, frills and trills. What was your favourite ever audience? A crowd of daffodils. If you had one wish granted By the Muse of Poetry What would it be? For children of the world to live In peace and poetry top of page Hallowe'en Darren's got a pumpkin Hollowed out a treat He put it in the window It scared half the street I wish I had a pumpkin But I've not and it's a shame I've got a scary carrot But it's not the same I Did Not Eat The Goldfish by Scampi Cat I did not eat the goldfish It was not me At the time of the crime I was sitting in a tree I did not eat the goldfish That's no word of a lie. I loved his silvery fins And his mischievous eye I did not eat the goldfish I did not touch one golden scale And I don't know why there's pondweed Attached to my tail A Sticky Problem by Judy Dog It might seem obvious to you humans But it puzzles me every day If he wants the stick so badly Why does he throw it away? C'est la Mort (A true historical poem) In Paris In the Hotel des Invalides In the chapel of St Louis In a red stone sarcophagus Is a coffin In the coffin you will find Another, smaller coffin. In that coffin you will find Another, smaller coffin. In that coffin you will find Another, smaller coffin. In that coffin you will find Another, smaller coffin. In that coffin you will find Another, smaller coffin. In that coffin you will find... click here Juggling Genes I wonder if scientists Could give me some new genes Genes that will build me a super-strong body That can lift wardrobes and run As fast as a train. Some genes that will make my brain so clever I can invent a giant machine that will solve All the Earth's problems And genes that will give me the smaller ears Which, at the moment, tend to flap in the wind. The Winning Goal When I scored the winning goal I had never felt so alone The crowd went crazy, on their feet But my heart sank like a stone. They say that scoring is marvellous, The best feeling that's ever been known. But it's hard to take, When you make a mistake And the back of the net Is your own. Never Trust A Lemon Never trust a lemon It's a melon in disguise Never trust potatoes With shifty eyes Never trust a radish It repeats all that it hears Never trust an onion It will all end in tears Bat Pet I have a pet bat And he lives in the shed. He sleeps when I'm out to play And plays when I'm in bed. Hi, fellow poets. I always wanted to become a writer but I had to write lots of stories and poems before my first book, The Howen, was published. After that I wrote Creeper, a scary story about two children, a dog and a boatload of monkeys and their adventures on the marsh. That was a long time ago. But I've a new children's book coming out in 2012 - The Comic Cafe. It's been fun writing a story again. I'll tell you more about it nearer the time. In the meantime, of course, I've had lots of poems published in all sorts of poetry books. My latest solo collection will be out soon. It's called Beware! Low Flying Rabbits. We had a rabbit once that escaped into my dad's shed. The rabbit then built an aeroplane from bits of old wood and a washing machine engine and took off down the garden path. It gave my tortoise quite a turn as the rabbit zoomed overhead! Anyway, that's what gave me the inspiration for the book. I've also a new anthology out. A Million Brilliant Poems (part one). I've been lucky to able to choose some of my very favourite poems from some of my favourite poets for this book. I live in Brighton now. I play in a band and visit schools to read and talk about my poems and stories. You can also hear me playing music if you listen to Floella Benjamin's nursery rhyme programme on CeeCeeBeeBeeCeeCeeBeeBees Radio7. And I join in the acting too, sometimes. But you need to be under six to really enjoy that programme. You can see some of my poems on Poetry Pie too. And for those of you who have read this far... here's me reading another poem... back to top of page back to top of page