Books with author Michael J. Rosen

Leaping from the Eiffel Tower in a wingsuit. Scaling Shanghai Tower, one of the world's tallest buildings. Camping on the roof of Philadelphia's abandoned Eastern State Penitentiary. These scenarios are real examples of explorations, adventures, and infiltrations of the built environment. Thousands of people around the globe engage in the recreational activity of place hacking: climbing, wading, jumping, or even ironing their way into prohibited or obscure spaces. Why do they do it? Is it the exhilaration of trespassing? Is it discovering a new perspective? Is it roving through surroundings in an unpredictable manner? Place hackers say it's all these things―and more. They're pushing the boundaries of exploration in much the same way that Neil Armstrong, Jacques Cousteau, and James Cook travelled into the frontiers of Earth and outer space. Modern-day place hackers investigate storm sewers, subway tunnels, abandoned power plants, derelict hospitals, deserted towns, high-security skyscrapers, and temporary, obsolete, or even active spaces. They go solo or in groups. They plot their safety and success or intentionally throw caution to the wind. They plan entrance and exit strategies and provision with gear, or they just go for it―without any planning. For some, the experience is about flying under the radar, being in the moment. For others, it's about capturing stunning images and posting them on blogs and Instagram. In Place Hacking: Venturing Off Limits, Michael J. Rosen takes readers across the globe to witness the challenging exploits of place hacking. The journey includes a conversation with archaeologist Bradley L. Garrett, a world-renowned urban explorer, as well as encounters with infiltrators, builderers, subway runners, rooftoppers, vertical campers, drainers, and "human flies." They're all participants in a world of investigation, where whatever is standing can be turned on its head for a second look.

Celebrated poet and critic Michael Rosen takes readers on a whirlwind tour exploring what poems are, what they can do, and the joys of reading and writing them.For thousands of years, people have been writing poetry. But what is poetry? Award-winning wordsmith Michael Rosen has spent decades thinking about that question, and in this helpful guide he shares his insights with humor, knowledge, and appreciation — appreciation for poetry and appreciation for twenty-first-century children embarking on their own poetic journeys. Young readers are invited to join him on a welcoming exploration of the British poetic canon, replete with personal insights into what the renowned poet thinks about as he writes and advice on writing their own poetry. When he’s finished, readers will be able to say with confidence: this is poetry. Included in this accessible handbook are writing tips, analyses of classic poems, and an appendix of poets and useful websites.

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGET OFF, GET OFF, GET OFF!Well what would you say if your brother kept whacking you with a spoon, or the spider made it all the way up the toilet bowl or your mum made you wear that horrible shirt?Find out in this fantastically funny collection of poems all about growing up from the brilliant Michael Rosen, Children's Laureate 2007 - 2009.

Did you know? In just one minute the Earth travels 1,100 miles around the sun. Cartwheel champ Brianna Schroeder turns 48 cartwheels. 28,824 photographs are taken (822 of them at Disney World). Over $60,000 is spent on eBay. You lose 8 brain cells, 40,000 skin cells, and one taste bud. (How weird.) A ladybug flaps its wings 60,000 times. 6,805,555 e-mails are sent (35% of them Spam). Jean-Yves Mulot breaks 42 flaming concrete blocks with his bare hand. Whew!Filled with hundreds of incredible and true facts and statistics, The 60-Second Encyclopedia puts a whole new spin on math, science, nature, the human body, and popular culture, too. And, with a one-minute sandglass packaged with the book and dozens of interactive activities, readers can test what they (or their hamster) can accomplish in the same amount of time it takes "the wave" to move through 1,200 stadium seats. Or the amount of time advertisers paid $4.6 million for during Super Bowl XXXVIII.In just one minute . . .• The Franklin Mint produces 36,458 coins.• Racehorses are halfway around the Kentucky Derby racetrack.• Giant machines make over 6,000 feet of toilet paper.• 9 million telephones ring, and over 580,000 messages are recorded on answering machines.