Clemson University named Michelson as the Richard J. Calhoun Distinguished Reader in American Literature for 2008,[11] and he was the featured poet for the 20th Anniversary edition of Image Journal: Art Faith Mystery.

The horrors of the holocaust also figured strongly; Michelson's aunt, recalling her years as a young Jew living in Europe, is haunted by memories of Hitler's Gestapo.

In 1972, when Michelson was only 19, he set off on a tour of the mid-west, selling fine-art reproductions for three years and subsequently becoming devoted to art and literature.

It also incorporates a wide range of illustration art, including original works by Theodor Seuss Geisel, Mo Willems, Jane Dyer, Mordicai Gerstein, Trina Schart Hyman, Maurice Sendak, Barry Moser, Tony DiTerlizzi, Mary Azarian, E. B. Lewis, Diane DeGroat, and Jules Feiffer.

In picture books such as Grandpa's Gamble, Too Young for Yiddish, and Happy Feet Michelson depicts close-knit family relationships.

Reflecting his own Jewish traditions, Grandpa's Gamble finds a young boy trying to understand why his elderly grandfather spends so much time in prayerful silence.

Although the man dismisses the child's request due to the boy's youth, his collection of books create a connection between the two generations as time passes.

In Booklist Hazel Rochman deemed Grandpa's Gamble a "moving immigrant Passover story" that brings to life "the intimate bonds of love and faith across generations," while a Publishers Weekly critic wrote that Too Young for Yiddish "possesses both power and pathos" and stands as an "urgent" reminder to readers that the Yiddish language is slowly being lost to time.

Showcasing the rich culture that flowered in that New York neighborhood during the early twentieth century, Happy Feet serves as "a valentine to the renowned Savoy" as well as a "tribute [that] will take young readers back to Harlem-as-it-was," according to a Kirkus Reviews writer.

Lewis add to the book's magic, according to Booklist contributor Carolyn Phelan, and in School Library Journal Nina Lindsay deemed Happy Feet a "charming" story in which Michelson presents "a dramatic read-aloud introduction" to the Jazz Era.

In a starred review, Booklist (American Library Association)said “In this powerful, well-crafted story about a partnership between two great civil rights leaders, Michelson shows how the fight for human rights affects everyone... Michelson writes in poetic language that gracefully uses repetitive sentence structures and themes to emphasize the similarities between the two men’s lives.

Also admirable is Michelson’s ability to convey complex historical concepts, such as segregation, in clear, potent terms that will speak directly to readers:...an exceptional title for sharing and discussion.