Quick, Let's Get Out of Here

by Michael Rosen, Quentin Blake (Illustrator)

Shreddies in my hair. I looked at Eddie. Eddie's looking at me. Big grin on his face. I knew he had done it. Last week he put pepper in the raisins. The yucky things your brother does, the annoying things your parents say, the funny things you feel. Michael Rosen knows all about YOU! Look inside and see if he's spotted your deepest, darkest secrets. A much-loved classic of family life from the brilliant Michael Rosen & Quentin Blake.

Genres: Poetry, Childrens, Short Stories, Collections, Nonfiction, Humor

Paperback

First published January 1, 1983

About the author

Michael Rosen, a recent British Children’s Laureate, has written many acclaimed books for children, including WE'RE GOING ON A BEAR HUNT, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury, and I’M NUMBER ONE and THIS IS OUR HOUSE, both illustrated by Bob Graham. Michael Rosen lives in London.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Reviews

[Petra X · Rating 5 out of 5]

Update Here is the poem. It's really funny and slightly humiliating in an embarrassing kind of way. Sorry for posting it in it's entirety here but I wanted to keep it too and it's a 10 star poem.

I love chocolate cake. And when I was a boy, I loved it even more.

Sometimes we used to have it for tea
and Mum used to say,
'If there's any left over
you can have it to take to school
tomorrow to have at playtime.'
And the next day I would take it to school
wrapped up in tin foil
open it up at playtime
and sit in the corner of the playground
eating it,
you know how the icing on top
is all shiny and it cracks as you
bite into it,
and there's that other kind of icing in
the middle
and it sticks to your hands and you
can lick your fingers
and lick your lips
oh it's lovely.
yeah.

Anyway,
once we had this chocolate cake for tea
and later I went to bed
but while I was in bed
I found myself waking up
licking my lips
and smiling.
I woke up proper.
'The chocolate cake.'
It was the first thing
1 thought of.

I could almost see it
so I thought,
what if I go downstairs
and have a little nibble, yeah?

It was all dark
everyone was in bed
so it must have been really late
but I got out of bed,
crept out of the door

there's always a creaky floorboard, isn't there?

Past Mum and Dad's room,
careful not to tread on bits of broken toys
or bits of Lego
you know what it's like treading on Lego
with your bare feet,

yowwww
shhhhhhh

downstairs
into the kitchen
open the cupboard
and there it is
all shining.

So I take it out of the cupboard
put it on the table
and I see that
there's a few crumbs lying about on the plate,
so I lick my finger and run my finger all over the crumbs
scooping them up
and put them into my mouth.

oooooooommmmmmmmm

nice.
< br>Then
I look again
and on one side where it's been cut,
it's all crumbly.

So I take a knife
I think I'll just tidy that up a bit,
cut off the crumbly bits
scoop them all up
and into the mouth

oooooommm mmmm
nice.

Look at the cake again.

That looks a bit funny now,
one side doesn't match the other
I'll just even it up a bit, eh?

Take the knife
and slice.
This time the knife makes a little cracky noise
as it goes through that hard icing on top.

A whole slice this time,

into the mouth.

Oh the icing on top
and the icing in the middle
ohhhhhh oooo mmmmmm.

But now
I can't stop myself
Knife -
1 just take any old slice at it
and I've got this great big chunk
and I'm cramming it in
what a greedy pig
but it's so nice,

and there's another
and another and I'm squealing and I'm smacking my lips
and I'm stuffing myself with it
and
before I know
I've eaten the lot.
The whole lot.

I look at the plate.
It's all gone.

Oh no
they're bound to notice, aren't they,
a whole chocolate cake doesn't just disappear
does it?

What shall 1 do?

I know. I'll wash the plate up,
and the knife

and put them away and maybe no one
will notice, eh?

So I do that
and creep creep creep
back to bed
into bed
doze off
licking my lips
with a lovely feeling in my belly.
Mmmmrnmmmmm.

In the morning I get up,
downstairs,
have breakfast,
Mum's saying,
'Have you got your dinner money?'
and I say,
'Yes.'
'And don't forget to take some chocolate cake with you.'
I stopped breathing.

'What's the matter,' she says,
'you normally jump at chocolate cake?'

I'm still not breathing,
and she's looking at me very closely now.

She's looking at me just below my mouth.
'What's that?' she says.
'What's what?' I say.

'What's that there?'
'Where?'
'There,' she says, pointing at my chin.
'I don't know,' I say.
'It looks like chocolate,' she says.
'It's not chocolate is it?'
No answer.
'Is it?'
'I don't know.'
She goes to the cupboard
looks in, up, top, middle, bottom,
turns back to me.
'It's gone.
It's gone.
You haven't eaten it, have you?'
'I don't know.'
'You don't know. You don't know if you've eaten a whole
chocolate cake or not?
When? When did you eat it?'

So I told her,

and she said
well what could she say?
'That's the last time I give you any cake to take
to school.
Now go. Get out
no wait
not before you've washed your dirty sticky face.'
I went upstairs
looked in the mirror
and there it was,
just below my mouth,
a chocolate smudge.
The give-away.
Maybe she'll forget about it by next week.


The longest poem in the book, Chocolate Cake, is about a little boy who can't get out of his mind the delicious chocolate cake he had for tea. He creeps out of bed at night (carefully over the creaky floorboard by his parents' bedroom), goes down to the fridge and 'tidies' the cake, evens it out, picks up the crumbs and little by little the whole cake is eventually eaten. All described in the most excruciating detail. Excruciating because you are with the little boy and you don't want him to get caught (you did this too, didn't you, took a tiny slice off one side, then evened it up with one on the opposite side...?) He is caught, but not till the next day and oh, it's so humiliating.

This, along with Bananas in My Ears (a really, really stupid story about having bananas in your ears so you can't hear anything) which has no point at all, but all children find so hilarious they really do end up with tears in their eyes from too much laughing, forms the absolute high point of well-written English humour for children. With writing like this, we all become children. As we grow up we forget what it is to be a child, to think like a child, but Michael Rosen hasn't, and his poems and silly stories bring us back to that.

Highly recommended for everyone above ground and especially if they have an under-ten year old within laughing distance.

[Aloke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inexplicably hard to find in the US. Library didn't have it. Kindle version only available in the UK. Luckily used copies abound. The Quentin Blake illustrations are priceless. Get this for your kids and then kidnap it for yourself.

[Daybook · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book of poetry is hilarious. The poem 'Chocolate Cake' is a work of genius describing a little boy getting up in the night and sneaking all the chocolate cake and how he gets caught. That's a real simplification of the poem which will have you nodding in agreement as you seen the shenanigans the little boy gets up to. The denoument is nothing but sheer embarrassment.

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started reading this on finding out that the author was in intensive care. It's neither high brow, nor low brow, just earnest old 'brow' in a nicely human way that's an excellent distraction but also of substance, like a snippet of life in days not long gone by... (well, roughly the 1940s to 80s).

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this book, I had a hard back copy when I was in Primary School and it just reminds me of my childhood. I remember having a supply teacher that would love to read a poem to us after completing our work, this book is the reason to why I adore poems now. I love the humour within the poems as well as the illustrations. All round great book, I think it would be great to start/end the school day with a different poem. I have only good things to say about Michael Rosen.

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

A classic book. Tales of childhood in verse, enjoyed by generations of readers and listeners. So much fun and so many conversations. Times may change but childhood always faces the same situations.

[Holly Palmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a collection of witty poems which capture a variety of different aspects of children's lives in a humorous manner. The poems range from discussing family and friends to chocolate cake and go karting!

I really like this book because I remember laughing out loud to the poems when I was a pupil myself. I think that it cleverly engages children using humour and rhyme whilst addressing relevant events in all children's lives.

I think that the poems in this book would be appropriate for all key stage 1 pupils as well as lower key stage two (up to year 4). I think that it is the perfect book to read to children as the poems are best read using humorous facial expressions and enthusiasm to capture the children's imaginations.

In addition to the poems being read aloud to children, I think that the book can also be a great starting point for children to begin writing their own poetry. By leaving the book on a classroom shelf for children to enjoy together or as a group (perhaps even encouraging role play). As children will thoroughly enjoy hearing these poems, this should inspire them to write creative poems about their lives.

[Hafsa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chocolate Cake

I used to love hearing this poem being read out in assembly. But you can’t just read it! It has to be read with sleek actions, a range of voices and a whole load of facial expressions- that’s what made it a school favourite! The poem describes Rosen as a boy and his love of chocolate cake. One night he sneaks into the kitchen to have a little bit of cake, before he knows, he has gobbled the entire cake! Rosen uses various onomatopoeia’s to describe his movement down to the kitchen, such as “yowwww, shhhhhhh, creek”, to taking bites of the cake “oooooooommm.” The poem could quite obviously be used to inspire poetry writing for Literacy, using poetic devices. However, it could also touch on a range of other subjects. We could in cooperate drama and make it into a performance as Rosen does. Also children could make their own chocolate cakes, using scales and measurements for mathematics. They could talking about the process of making for science. There are many directions we could take this poem, linking it to various subjects and this is one of the reasons I think it is so great. Therefore, I believe it could be used in both KS1 as well as KS2 classes.

[Joff! · Rating 5 out of 5]

Again, this is another book from my childhood. I can still remember my lower junior teacher Miss Tapson running out of the class in tears of laughter whilst trying to read Eddie and the Nappy to us. So I bought a copy for my daughter and was pleased that she enjoyed the book as much as I did, in particular the stories about Michael Rosen’s son Eddie. I think this is one of the most accessible poetry books I’ve read as its good humour and unconventional poems make it a good introduction. By unconventional, I mean that a lot of the ‘poems’ are more anecdotes or short stories, for example ‘Boyfriends’. I also think it’s accessible to any age. There are pieces like ‘Bonking All The Drains’ that are suitable for year 1 children, and other more thoughtful poems such as ‘Skeletons’ or ‘Unfair’ are perhaps more suited to older children and even adults. Quick Let’s Get Out Of Here is a book that can be picked up time and time again, in short bursts or long sessions. I can’t recommend it enough and it went down a treat with the class of year 1s and 2s that I shared it with.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yesterday, I finished reading "Quick, let's get out of here" by Michael Rosen. This is a book of amusing children's poetry which I read to my Mum (who has dementia but used to enjoy poetry) I chose Michael Rosen on the strength of "chocolate cake", a poem that we'd both enjoyed in days gone by. Few of the other poems stood out, with the exception of Gymnastics and Orange juice, but they were easy to read and the simple illustrations are a nice addition. I was, however, frustrated by some of the spelling mistakes in the kindle ebook version - I find this annoying in a print book, but inexcusable in an ebook.

[Tessas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is possibly the best children's poetry book in the world ... ever! It's possibly the best Michael Rosen book l, although there are obviously loads to choose from. It's probably more suitable for 7 years plus, but I remember owning it earlier than that and sharing the poems with my parents.
During my time as a teacher to 7-9 years olds, it was always on my desk to fill in the odd 3-minuted. Eddie and the nappy was a particular favourite with them! My favourite is probably Chocolate Cake, mmmmmmm yum.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Michael Rosen's perfect poetry book for childen. Throughout the generously hefty collection, Rosen skillfully builds several characters childen actually can relate to, such as Eddie, gerbil enthusiast and general tearaway toddler, who appears in many different peices. Also memorable, is the tale of one boy and his night-time chocolate cake indiscretion. The kind of thing parents actually enjoy reading to childen!

[Andrew Davies · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of longer Michael Rosen poems contains many stories and anecdotes which most children will very easily identify with: having fun with bubbles and drips in the bath, the baby who always manages to make a mess, the annoying urge to scratch an itch when your hands are covered in a gungy substance! I remember watching an assembly enjoy a recording of Michael Rosen performing 'Chocolate Cake', which features notably within this collection, when I was volunteering in school before starting this course. So many of these situations are ones we've all been in - or have experienced enough of to be entertained by them: a Christmas dinner interrupted by an insect on the table, a mysterious person who steals the orange juice delivered outside the front door by the milkman. We may not all have a magic box of levers that enables us to fly, but we do all remember our childhood imaginations, a manifestation of which is the box in Rosen's own case. There are some slightly sensitive topics: Rosie's friends abandon her heartlessly - and without sanction - to take the blame when their 'home alone' gym in her flat results in damage to the flat below; Auntie Wintermiddle opens with a flagrant admission that Father Christmas does not exist! Keener, older readers may also notice the poems which refer to Rosen's late son, the subject of his much more sobering 'Sad Book', which I reviewed last week. Some poems could be read to pupils at KS1, but primarily this is a KS2 collection, and not just for reading, but following in Rosen's own footsteps, for performing. The poetry here is notable for its predilection for free verse - there is virtually no rhyme or regular metre - this might be an emancipating discovery for some children, who may have hitherto felt their own poems had to rhyme or fit a certain rhythm. I can imagine pupils being asked to create their own similar piece of anecdotal, almost conspiratorially conversational, free verse and perform it to the class: poetry would almost take on a 'playground chatter' identity, although of course many children's playground games do carry similar unspoken rules of rhyme and structure that poems and songs share! There are many social and confidence-related skills in effectively performing your own work to an audience which children could benefit from through such an exercise; indeed watching Rosen himself perform some of the pieces in 'Quick, Let's Get Out of Here' online reveals an extraordinary stage presence, eyes almost out on sockets and imaginary objects cradled in hands as if they were as precious as the genuine article. Both on placement and in academic literature, I've observed how children find drama a particularly engaging and memorable means of learning: this collection (again illustrated in characteristically vibrant fashion by Quentin Blake) could certainly initiate such energy and electricity within the KS2 English classroom.

[Lauren pavey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just had to share this amazing joyous book in case any of you haven’t had the chance to come across this book when they were younger !
I know it’s aimed for children and young adults but you are never too old to appreciate a great book or poem in my opinion.
My personal favourite poem is the chocolate cake . I won’t do a spoiler but it written so beautifully every time I read it I completely become a child and no cake can ever match how perfect the one I picture in my head is, it’s pure genius .

[Abigail · Rating 5 out of 5]

I still remember hearing 'Chocolate Cake' for the first time 20 years ago, when a fantastic teacher of mine read it to the class. It has stuck in my mind ever since, and upon reading these poems again I have once again been captivated by Rosen's magical telling of family life. This is a must have for any child or classroom, as the poems are surely capable of capturing even the most restless child's attention.

[RhiannaH · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting collections of poems that can be used for a multitude of topics. Ideal to share with children of any age and are bound to elicit laughter and admissions of relatable experiences that the children can share with the book and subsequently with each other.

[Jus · Rating 5 out of 5]

My sister read this book “Quick Let’s get out of here” by Michael Rosen and Quentin Blake - to me as a child, a bedtime story. Rereading it again, it was very nostalgic. I love the chocolate cake story and Eddie and the gerbils. Any story about with Eddie is hilarious. Fantastic illustrations! Perfect for any ages.

[Fayezinha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some amazing stories from childhood, what a guy! “Losing things” and “The watch” I still remember 25 years later!

[Hannah Butler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the variety of different poems. Really great for older kids, bring up a variety of topics. Some sensitive and important ones. Not all rhyming ones as well shows different things poetry can be.

[Sally · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favourite poetry book for kids.

[EFC Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this in primary school and enjoyed revisiting it. So many memories. A fantastic trip down memory lane.

[Cosmina ☀]

Poems for children. What a nice concept! (even though some of the poems were plain stupid hahah!!) =)) - That's another book I read during my Erasmus, I forgot to mention it earlier hahahah. =))

[Alice Reedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick, Let’s Get Out of Here is a collection of semi-autobiographical poems by former British Children’s Laureate, Michael Rosen. It is a generously large series of humourous depictions of family life based around the antics of characters such as the mischievous gerbil-loving toddler Eddie.

This book has a personal resonance with me, being one of the books I was read to most frequently as a child. The memory of my father leaping up and down screaming, as he recites the infamous ‘Orange Juice’ poem, is something that still brings tears of laughter to me many years later. It is these memories that encourage me to heavily advocate Quick, Let’s Get Out of Here as a tool for fantastic and energetic story telling, as every episodic poem is filled with hilarious scenarios. It is difficult not to get swept away in the relatable and yet simultaneously absurd comedy of Rosen’s work.

This type of book is invaluable when trying to instill a deep love of reading in young children. The rhythmic fluency of the verse with the funny and often gross content of the stories, is a combination that would completely appeal to the tastes of children. It also provides an entertaining read for adults who will find themselves appreciating the familiarity of some of the situations that Rosen depicts. This book would therefore be suitable for teachers and parents as an enjoyable text for story time, but could also be read independently by older readers in Key Stage Two. The personal tone of these poems could also be used to encourage pupils to write in response about their family life, as children respond well to writing about their own individualities and personal experiences.

The quirky illustrations by Quentin Blake add to the overall comedic value of the text, making it the perfect book to read for pleasure. I would recommend Quick, Let’s Get Out of Here for any adult or child who wants to delight in the silliness of a text written for fun.

[behsforensics]

Team owns Chocolate Cake by Rosen, Michael digitally.

[Riven · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Quick Let’s Get out of Here’ is a book of free verse poems by Michael Rosen. I found this an excellent read which shows that rhythm, humour and emotion are just as if not more important than rhyming when it comes to writing poetry. The ever exciting simplicity of Quentin Blake’s art adds to the feeling that Rosen’s poems are little snap shots into the wonderful mess that is life.

The poems deal with many of the recognisable parts of child and adulthood; such as family, friendship and relationships, with warmth, humour and sincerity.

There are laugh out loud moments and I found parts such as Mad Meals and Mad Drinks especially hilarious. The food menu including ‘Ice Cream (Vanilla, Soap or Pepper) and drink menu including ‘Hot Petrol’ evokes Reeves and Mortimer at their best. The book also looks at subjects such as death and loss in a very simple but moving and thought provoking way. Like much great art from books to music to film it’s success lies in the fact that it’s something you can relate to.

This is a great book for children and adults which can be dipped into at leisure or read as a whole. Although excellent as a read this book could also be a good starter point in getting children to creatively write poetry or stories about their own lives and experiences

[Unal Olgun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michael Rosen, the name itself does not require a review, as we all know Michael is one of the most popular poets and authors for children books. Yet again, another great book filled with poems that are funny, sad, and passionate.

This book contains a handful of poems fills with joy. The poems describe the way we think, things we do, things we say, and what we know. The poems are humorous and can be beneficial to children that don’t like reading for example, reluctant readers will definitely find this book hilarious and will join in with the class in laughter. The illustrations drawn by Quentin Blake has increased the entertainment because the poems have come alive, it can be regarded as the icing on a cake.

This book is aimed for the 7+ age range. The teacher can read this book to its pupils in a story lesson or a few minutes at the end of the day. Time-to-time, the teacher can stop and let the imagination of children go wild and then explain or unravel the meaning of certain poems. This book can encourage children to write their own stories or adventures. In addition, this book will also be on the reading shelf.

[Tanya Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just simply one of my favourite books from my childhood! Michael Rosen once again has created a belly laugh range of scenarios that in my experience have had 5 year olds up to 75 year olds in stitches! It's well worth watching him tell these delightful stories first hand on YouTube/his website as once you get to know his style, his voice is in your head as you read them. This book still sits proudly on my bookshelf :)

[Manda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this book so long, long ago, or rather it was read to me. I recall it being read during Assemblies in year 5? year 6? during primary school. I Absolutely loved the book but I only recall the chocolate cake and the poem with Eddie in it. It is such a good book for children, especially when the person who reads it puts on a funny voice, like they did for me.

[lydia]

I am so looking forward to reading this. I also want to save it since you can only read a book for the first time once and I know I am going to like this one!

[Hobbit · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is a great filler for the odd 5 minutes at the end of the day! my class love it, and they request Eddie and the nappy for Eddie and the wallpaper... both very popular!