Inspiring Young Readers
posted on 08 Jan 2026
Hot Food: NICE! by Michael Rosen, illustrated by Neal Layton
The prolific Michael Rosen, acknowledged as something of a living legend in the children’s book world, is also the master of the illustrated book that is built on read-out-loud-friendly repetition. Rosen’s books aimed at the youngest readers might seem very simple but they are in fact hugely skilful – knowing what to include and what to leave out and, at the same time, keep readers and listeners turning the page is no mean feat.
Hot Food: NICE! exemplifies this technique perfectly. The story is one that will be very familiar to lots of young children. A young boy tells us, with examples, of how:
“When I was a boy, I thought my dad know everything.”
His dad, incidentally, bears a more than accidental likeness to a much younger Michael Rosen – so we are also getting a glimpse into the authors past here.
The bubble created by his dad’s seemingly invincible fund of knowledge gets burst in a very domestic setting – around the kitchen table at meal time. The agent of this sudden revelation for the young boy is a plateful of lovely hot mashed potato.
I’m not telling you more here because you’ll want to get your own copy to share with your youngster – whether that’s at home or in a more collective setting like a classroom. You’ll also be able to enjoy Neal Layton’s big, generous and colourful illustrations. This is the seventh book of Rosen’s he’s provided drawings for and just to underline how much thought and work goes into a book like this and he tells us at the end:
“When researching, I used descriptions he (Rosen) gave me, looked through photos of him as a boy and also visited the park he played in”
It was however, he says, the first book he’s illustrated ‘to have mashed potato as a main character!’
Available now from Walker Books, you will be able to get a copy from your local independent bookshop – who will be happy to order it for you if they don’t have it on their shelves.
Terry Potter
January 2026